Memories of Christmas Past

i came across an image on stephanie levy's blog, that made me feel like i was 5 again. as i was scrolling down, this came up to meet me.

suddenly, i was filled with memories of sitting near the christmas tree as a child, squinting at the lights and my heart swelling with pleasure. there really is no other way to describe it. the beautiful simplicity of lights strung in a tree was pure magic.

smells are also great memory carriers... the smell of pine and cinammon-scented candles. i don't immediately recollect the chaos, or complications of christmases gone by... just the simple colours, scents and childlike wonder.

The Human Figure

What we need is more sense of the wonder of life, and less of the business of making a picture. (Robert Henri)   

Robert Henri's "The Art Spirit", is a book I often pick up and read at random. I feel as though I found a kindred spirit in a man who lectured and wrote about art in the early 1900's... There is this dicotomy in how he views life and art - a certain childlike wonder that comes through as profound wisdom... hard to beat that!

What draws me into my studio? A sure-fire thing, is to have a model, bits of charcoal, a few sheets of paper, (it can be cheap cartridge paper or a delicious piece of BFK Rives, no matter). The human figure is the single most inspiring thing for me to paint or draw. Robert Henri says it perfectly when he states:

There has never been a painting that was more beautiful than nature. The model does not unfold herself to you, you must rise to her. She should be the inspiration for your painting. No [artist] has ever over-appreciated a human being.   

The two drawings above are from a commission I have just completed. Soon, I'll be moving studios, I look forward to a new space (above ground) with good northern light... 

 

Expressing Creativity Beyond the Canvas

 Creativity comes in many forms.

This is a view of the blood, sweat and tears of the past summer.
(Or should I say, the past 3 years...)

I love art. I also love my boat...
Allow me to introduce our boat and home, S.V. Nyon. 

Isn't she pretty?

On a side note, the yellow deck was my idea.

Our artist friends love it, our sailor friends think we're crazy.

But that's okay. We never had beige walls when we lived on land.

Why should it be any different with a sailboat?

Canvases come in many forms.

I'm proud of this masterpiece.

We call it our labour of love.

These lovely photos were taken by Julie Crouzat

Exploring Melancholy

 

William Blake 

Illustration to Milton's “Il Penseroso”

c. 1816-20

Melancholy, 1891

Edvard Munch

Oil on canvas

72 x 98 cm

 Melencolia I

Albrecht Dürer

Engraving

1514

 

Fantastical Landscapes

I feel a kinship. Something in this artist's work reveals a part of me to myself.  He creates floating, whimsical landscapes one wants to get lost in...  They seem at once familiar, yet oddly dreamlike... this dicotomy makes the eye want to wander aimlessly over the  cascading and intricate sculptures... 

I feel giddy when I look at Chris Natrop's work.

Finding Inspiration in Music

There is a marvelous singer, whose songs I return to again and again. Her songs sound familiar, yet they're incredibly original.  She sings in three languages: French, English and Spanish. I, myself, find that irresistible.  Over her three albums, she has transformed her sound by using influences from Europe's Gypsies, her Mexican roots and the likes of Jacques Brel and Tom Waits, whose works I thoroughly enjoy.

She has a lovely video for the song called "Rising". The song's mood strikes a chord with my melancholic side. And the illustrations, well, i just love their simplicity and thoughtfulness. The transformation of the figures add to the already dreamlike narrative.

The singer's name is Lhasa de Sela. Her music is a balm for the soul.

You can watch her videos, including "Rising", here.

Zooming into a Moment

As i'm getting busy in the studio again - what seems to be happening is portraits.

Not portrait, portraits; but images of women, caught in a moment. A moment of recognition, self-realization, or simply an emotion that is revealed for but a brief moment. A fellow painter who saw these, said they were like inside-out portraits. I like the sound of that. Inside-out.

I feel like i'm being led somewhere interesting, but I don't know where that is. As an artist, that's the best feeling in the world.

These are some of the works in progress:

the first - familiar territory

the second: playing with modeling
and flat colours

the third: i'm baffled
but i like it

images: property of kyra crouzat