Valtari Mystery Film Experiment

I always love to listen to music when I paint. Recently while listening to Sigur Ros, I stumbled across their  Valtari Mystery Film Experiment. In their words....
 'Sigur rós have given a dozen film makers the same modest budget and asked them to create whatever comes into their head when they listen to songs from the band's new album valtari. the idea is to bypass the usual artistic approval process and allow people utmost creative freedom'
What a brilliant idea!
Short film making, always fascinates me. One day I will get around to having a go. ;)  Anyway I thought you might like to see.  Below are my two favourites. Gorgeous music by Sigur Ros from their new album (there is a link to buy on my side bar)  and magical films. Beautiful, poetic, touching, sad....
                 
Sigur Rós - Ekki múkk from Sigur Rós Valtari Mystery Films on Vimeo.

                 
Sigur Rós - Varúð from Sigur Rós Valtari Mystery Films on Vimeo.

An Interview With Dpi Magazine

Several weeks ago I was kindly asked to do an interview with the Taiwan magazine dpi. Dpi stands for (Design Popular Imagination) It's a lovely monthly magazine by the looks and I'm really happy with the spread they have done. I'm in this months issue, so thought I'd share it with you.   

 Here is the interview as it's to small to read on the pictures......
 

What kind of material, tool and technique do you use for your creation?

 I work very traditionally in acrylic paint on canvas, wood or watercolour paper. Sometimes I might use coloured pencils on paper alongside the paint. I occasionally add metallic paint and gold and silver leaf.

It feels peaceful to your artworks, and how do you describe your creating style?

Yes, alot of people have told me that my work has a calming effect or sense of peace to it. I'm really happy about this as hopefully it means I'm achieving a little part of what I've set out to do? Much of my work is about connection. The connection between humans and animals, plants trees, nature in general. I often feel that there is a disconnection between us and nature /animals. We as humans have separated ourselves from it, living in cities or submerged in our material worlds. Sadly we exploit it and have in some areas lost all respect for it. In my work I try to show that the connection is still there if you look for it. A special magic, wisdom a spark, a deep respect that was once lost can be re-found, relit and reconnected. I use imagery with stars alot to potray this magic and my colours are often centred around blue which is a very calming colour. I hope the peace that people see in my work is maybe that connection showing itself?
Other pictures of mine can be more whimsical and light hearted and are painted with a specific piece of writing in mind.

What's your inspiration from? Is there anything can inspire you from daily life?

Nature, stories myths, folk and fairy tales and a single word can spark an idea. A piece of music an image, film or an old object found can open rusty locks to creative doors in my head. I'm inspired by many things.I love notebooks and am always  filling them with sentences that often come to me in the midnight hours. These often lead to a painting. At my desk on a daily basis I'm inspired by what's going on outside my window. The trees, their skeletal form in winter. The birds rooks and jackdaws that live in them. The light, how it falls , the constant changing of the sky, the windsong on the leaves.

 

It looks that your artworks contain a lot of animals, such as owl, fox and dogs. Why do you like to draw animals in your artworks? Would you share your design conception with us?

I use animals in a symbolic way. I've always been interested in stories using animals. Fairytales and superstitions relating to them. I use them as the inbetween link between us and the earth or ethereal world I suppose? 

The owl sat amid the starlit forest in my painting  'The Keeper Of Time' for instance is just that an owl, but is also reminding us of wisdom and the passing of time. Or a wisdom lost over time. 

The fox in my picture 'Wearing A Robe Of Gold ' is to me a prince in the landscape. He turns to glance at the light. I used the light to symbolise hope of things to change and the elephant hawk moth that has just hatched from it's sleep represents new beginnings.

  

Would you talk about your works “the hare” and “thrush”? What’s your design conception of these two images and why do you want to put people and animal in the image? 

I use people and animals together to emphasise a bond. The Thrush picture or 'Nest' is about  similarities. Reminding ourselves that we too are animals How we both have the same instinct watching over our offspring.The hare and woman is again about connection something passing between them. Unspoken, a feeling, a knowing between them. 'A Secret'

The image of “Magic Toyshop” looks has different design conception with other artworks. Would you share the creating idea with us?

The Magic Toyshop painting is an old work of mine. My palette and subject matter was much darker at this point in time. It was work I did at college and based on Angela Carters book of the same title. I won first prize as student Illustrator with it at the Benson And Hedges Gold Awards. 

Will you try another creating style in the future? Moreover, do you have any latest artworks now?

At the moment I'm happy with my style of working. Although I would like to learn more about digital work. I would also like to do some much larger paintings and more book Illustration work. I'm working on preliminary ideas at the moment for my next painting about the circle and dance of Spring.

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Now to the Novica giveaway!  Before I announce the winner I have a little good news. Instead of one voucher for $75, I got things a little mixed up and actually have two!  So.. that means two winners!  

I asked my son and daughter to choose two numbers and they chose numbers 11 and 12.

         So the winners are.... 'Deborah Long'  and 'Bunnits'

Congratulations! Email me and I'll send you the vouchers! :-)

Still Sand In My Pockets

Sea Fever

I MUST go down to the seas again, to the lonely sea and the sky,
And all I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by,
And the wheel's kick and the wind's song and the white sail's shaking,
And a gray mist on the sea's face, and a gray dawn breaking.

I must go down to the seas again, for the call of the running tide
Is a wild call and a clear call that may not be denied;
And all I ask is a windy day with the white clouds flying,
And the flung spray and the blown spume, and the sea-gulls crying.

I must go down to the seas again, to the vagrant gypsy life,
To the gull's way and the whale's way, where the wind's like a whetted knife;
And all I ask is a merry yarn from a laughing fellow-rover,
And quiet sleep and a sweet dream when the long trick's over. 


John Masefield 

I am home, but there is still sand in my pockets.

Crystal clear sparkling rockpools, bone white shells, sea glass, seaweed tresses of mermaid hair, tiny fairy fishes, selkies, seals, castles Kings,wizards, turquoise and Tintagel have been let into my wooden house of dreams. They have joined the dance inside of moonstone, hares, velvet winter coats, hearts,words,spirals and midnight cats. Seashells decorate the houses garden now and salty waves lap gently into the mossy moat. The little passages of my minds house are never ending with wonderings and wanderings.  Right now I can see a small window and moonlight shines through its leaded diamond panes. A door is ajar and whispers of words are escaping and creeping into the smallest places. They hide in matchboxes, jam jars, teacups, mirrors and the shadows and sparkles behind a curtain.

A door has opened and words have returned.

 

                                 

Happy September everyone!