The Lake & other stories.

My copy, unfortunately, the shine on top of the varnish doesn't do it any favours!

 

A month ago I decided to knock out a bunch of large pictures instead of painting on old cupboard doors and the like, and bought a large roll of canvas.
So far I have only painted three (sometimes life gets in the way) with two more are ready to go. I decided to paint mainly known themes, along the lines of straight through from start to finish stuff.

The 1st was from a water-colour of old Ankara that I produced in 1990 in Turkey. The aim was to get the vitality that I had achieved with thew/c - always a hard objective to achieve as it is easy to produce a stereotyped, predetermined and comparatively flat statement.

I feel I succeeded!

The next was a canvas that was bursting to come out and I felt it pointless to impose any restraint on myself.
Entitled " Autumn comes but once a year" and was informed by a doodle from a simple collage and the actual colours from said collage. Again, I suppose, pretty straight through, containing many of my own characters, emerging without pre-thought during that cider fueled doodle. - 
Followed by a copy of "The Lake" by Kandinsky.
I decided that it was my favourite picture when I started to learn to paint in '71 in Epsom.

One of the photos in art books, all vastly different!

 

I have a strong feeling that it still is.
I should have done this copy more than forty years ago.
I have made it as realistic as I could - from a small image in a small art book.

The next painting in which I aim to change a bit-there is an area of "flat people" I am unsure of - bottom left. I mean to replace them with something else - any suggestions?
I love Titles especially imaginative ones which dont neccessarily convey a specific message.

( although it will probably end up as a horse rider!)
Another Kandinsky, which will be "after" the original - " Glass Painting"
What does "after" mean?
I believe that what Ive seen as "after" means the "copying painter's" version of the original picture rather than a faithful representation.

The other canvas I am working on is a step further in The Achilles' Shield series, which I seem to think I've finished, then something bigger seems to crop up!

colour/rough layout for the on-going canvas

link to: http://umphries.blogspot.co.uk/p/achilles-shield.html

On looking at this blog, I realise it needs a fair bit of updating!
(see above statement)








  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Autumn comes but once a year



 

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My mate Kandinsky

And a couple of little numbers that have caught my fancy at present. I think I may copy one - to go on a wall over a large dark blue settee.

 

 

 

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Return to the edge

I originally started painting this as one of a series of pub signs, with a place in Digbeth - more of an art centre than pub though.

Over a couple of years, it seems to have moved on though!

Neighbours, everybody needs good neighbours.

If not the best, certainly one of the best things I produced during my foundation course in 1970.

It kind of got missed.
I liked it and enjoyed making it - but didn't feel it was important enough to push forward.

It could have been spotted.
I could have been pushed in "that direction"
& I could still be pushing chicken wire into various shapes.
  - Mind, come to think of it, I wouldn't mind making a flock of imps and gargoyles in 3D (with chicken wire)

The thing was two strands of chicken wire, joined together, twisted with pliers and then fixed to an old felt notice board.
It originated from a cartoon box from the Beano. I re-drew it, cut it up, stretched and distorted it - then transformed it into wire.

My tutors were waiting for a complete explanation of the process and maybe a bit of why(?)
They felt it didn't follow through clearly enough.
The problem was that I didn't have the will or ability to follow it through from start to finish - in terms of verbiage.
I suppose I felt that if you couldn't read or follow an obscure message, then that was your problem.

The start of the existence of "evidence lead work"
As oppose to the production of an item, followed by an explanation of how and why it came about.

On hindsight I name the piece "neighbours", seeing as the cartoon was about a little guy being bullied by his enormous neighbour over the garden fence.

p.s.
In contemporary terms, the fact that the construction is made out of fencing material follows/fits into the system which informs production of art and its tick box presentation.

Audience

 

A volatile post to make - it has seemed to have a mind of its own.
I'll try to put a bit more on it later.

Maybe a collection of scrappy notes
Maybe not just a way of presenting work or even storing it and archiving it.

But also presenting it
for myself,
Grouping it from various sources,
in order to make sense of it.

" Chairs to view an exhibition from"
From the Green Street Show 2007, With Peter Hadfield.
Actually, there is a painting of his in the background of people at an art opening (not looking at any of the work - just networking)



Finding that themes can come back again
  (or around, depends on which way you look at it).
It's interesting to note how the viewpoint can change,
(or not ) with time.

From an original idea of mine which I still intend to build one day.
Following the nature of the show, Peter suggested we just build it as good as we could for now with the materials available.

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The realisation or re-realisation that I'm interested in "audience" started with the "Rock Dog" picture and then with the Yehudi Menhuin Triptych.

 

 

Rock Dog left



Rock Dog right

The programme seem to be playing up a tad, although it will allow me to type this in. These first pictures are from the painting I sent to Nick South, I painted them this summer after a trip to see him in London working on recording a sound track for the upcoming cartoon "Rock Dog"

 

 

 

Other parts

An audience of two

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Following this panoramic image, I came across an old piano front which I felt would make an ideal home for a similar painting, only in triptych format .

 

Yehudi



 

 



 

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Collecting up all the background notes and sketches informed me that although they were aimed at a larger goal - it seems many of them could have gone off in their own direction.

 

Other parts of the audience at the Royal Albert Hall (note the red carpet)



 

 

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The Origin of the He He Band

Just after Art College had finished in 1974, I was involved in a show in Guildford (I believe)I had four fairly large panels based around the essence of "stream" to move there - rather difficult as I was based in Pembrokeshire. So I asked some chums in Surrey to  deputise for me.
Phil Gray,
Brana Radowich,
Tim Mapson.

I was grateful for the favour and sent them £20 - worth a fair bit more in 74 than it is now.
On receiving the note they immediately went down to the liquor store, spent it on beer and whiskey and had themselves a little party. Part of the make-up of that party was the composition of a thank you letter.
All the mail for Shipping Hill used to go through a solicitors office in Narberth where my parents worked part-time. So did this one: it consisted of a greasy half eaten baked potato oozing out of an envelope made from a thin cardboard long life beer box.
Inside was a scrawled drunken letter full of obscure jokes and scribbled drawings. On the back was the inscription "WE GOT THE MONEY". It was addressed to HE HE HUMPHRIES.
I opened it up with my bemused father, and laughed till my knickers were wringing.