Machine dream

Tonight I had a weird dream. There was a young robotist building a machine which a man could fit into and basicly use it as a shell within which to work. To do manual labour for farms, building etc.

He was very comfortable within this machine shell and develeopes a good intuitive relationship with the machine shell. He called it that, a shell! The day arrived when he had to show the machine to an audience and give a presentation on how it worked.

He packed the robotic shell onto the back of his pickup truck and got in. His intention was to drive the hundred miles to his destination (somewhere in the USA) and then speak in front of an audience. The car broke down half way there and he had the bright idea to get into the suit and give it a field test. So he strapped himself in and started off across country. Eventually he arrived at a bridge and not wanting to attract too much attention he decided to cross the riverbed over the foundations of the bridge. He did so. Eventually he arrives at his destination. A little worse for wear and the suit a bit muddy (it's grey/white and quiet small relative to the shape of his body). The audience is surprised that he is late but he recounts his journey, showing video clips of the machine, taken from it's onboard camera. People are amazed at the potential of his devise.

So, what starts off as an agricultural working aid, ends up having huge military potential.

The next part of the dream.

The shells have been adapted for military use and one man can opperate ten at the same time. This becomes a standard squad. The central shell is occupied by a man or woman and the remaining machines mimic their actions in a battle situation where the ideal is simply to move forward and destroy.

So, cut to a forest scene. A great grandchild of the original inventor is fighting to protect his families land from the military organisation which want to take it over. It's mostly wooded territory. His education is pretty basic because he never had the advantages of his grandfather. Not well connected enough and in fact he doesn't even realise that the advancing army were originally designed by predecessor.

Despite this he is very intuitive and well connected to the land and such farm machinery which they have. He sets a trap for the shells. Identifies the central machine and sets out to isolate it. A simple rope trick is used where the central shell is traped, hoisted off the ground and isolated very quickly. Once isolated he quickly destroys it by taking over one of the others, switching it from auto to manual and using it's firepower to destroy the isolated central shell. Now he is inside the shell. He takes controll of the others and arranges the other machines to dig a hole among the trees, enter the hole and cover themselves untill he calls them. Which he doesn't intend to do anytime soon.

What happens next is like a second stage in evolution. He begins to live as an outlaw with the shell as an extension of his body. It becomes his home and he studies it and developes a connection with it which has never existed before between any human & machine. He learns to recognise that the machine has an intuition and a range of senses that were never intentionally built into it.

A new era of sentient life evolves. End of dream.

I found this dream to be very disturbing and very likely to actually happen. Most people won't be following science the way that I do but the technology for such a dream to come true is well and truely in existance already. I'm not disturbed by the potential military use of such a machine, though I should be given the way that simple building machines such as caterpillar trucks etc are being used as weapons. It's more the connection with the machine and the resulting disconnect with the natural world which the young character experiences. Using our current mode of living as a guide where corporations are more machine like than responsible or moral, as a model, it is easy to see how we could easily fall into the trap of using things in a purely disconnected manner. Disconnected to humanity, to morals, to honesty and trust. Fundamental building blocks of a society that is actually alive, as opposed to self destroying.

Downpour

Oh la! It's really raining. The light just vanished and the clouds unleashed a massive downpour. So I'll not be painting any more this evening. Might get some drawings in. The painting is only a third of the way through. You can see a bit of each layer. The charcoal drawing, the greyscale underpainting, and the colour in oils.

Here are a few pics. This is nothing on what I can see out the window right now. It's as dark as dusk. The lights are flickering here so I think the electricity might go off soon. Big storm rolling in.

It really is like Ireland now :)

Why go to the south of France?

If you're not going to paint the landscape, why go to the south of France?

Everyone talks about the south of France as though it is a heaven for artists. Not everyone who comes here paints the landscape. So why not Paris, there are surely a lot more galleries?

The reason that artists and art collectors both rave about the south of france is the light, the people and the history, the space it gives you to think and the changing seasons and colours. The best time to come to the south is not the summer. Despite that, tourists and artists alike flock here at that time. For those who live here, the summer is the least attractive season because of the heat & it's getting hotter of course.

We are in spring now and it's almost as green and rich looking as Ireland. The iris' are in bloom and trees are showing off their rich colours. Blossom is everywhere and plants I've never seen before are showing pink, white, purple & mauve. The light is gentle, yet bright. It's not hot, there is a cool breeze today.

The landscape varies from flat to hilly to mountainous very quickly. It's a human scaled landscape. Most structures are built from local stone. As people can travel so easily now, there are a lot more visitors by car during holiday seasons and land is more valuable to sell for housing than to farm. Despite this, farmers work and cultivate the land, producing the best wines and incredible vegetables. The quality of the food alone is a good reason to live here and always has been.

In the winter the light is perfect and there is no searing heat. Photographs rarely capture the magic of the more simple aspects of the landscape. Yet the artists eye is very impressed by even these parts because of the surprising sense of distance and perspective. The easily perceived definition on everything. The landscapes shines. It fills you up with a new sense of colour and an appreciation for values of light which will help you no matter what you are painting.

When you come here you have to grow into the land as well. We can't have the benefits of the city while enjoying contact with nature. Nature can't survive that. When you come here, be a farmer, an artist or a writer for a while & leave the TV behind.

Marcus Mcallister Expo etc

Hi
It's been a while since I posted (apart from a couple of minutes ago). That doesn't mean I've been quiet. The opposite applies. I've been drawing intensely, painting, teaching, and getting my work out there.

I also got to go to a couple of exhibition openings. One was Marcus McAllisters show in Paris. Not his first by any means but this is the first time we have crossed paths. His show was in the Style Pixie gallery and it was full to bursting with a really wide range of people from all communities. His work is a real mix of media but the images are very creative, inspired by his note books, one of which he keeps with him at all times so that when inspiration strikes he can make a note or drawing. Some of the pages are so detailed and interesting that they became framed pieces in themselves.

You should check him out. http://www.marcusmcallister.com

Here are some photos from the evening. All taken with my cell phone so the quality is far from great.

Etsy evening in Paris

Hi
Had a great evening in Paris tonight. I met up with some of the organisers of Etsy. We met in the Petula Cafe, 6, Rue des Ciseaux, 75006 Paris, Tel : 01 44 41 01 09. Metro St Germain des Pres/Mabillon.

Etsy.com is an online arts and crafts site where people who make things by hand can sell what they do. By coincidence I opened an Etsy shop last night and the timing was perfect because Maria and Liz, the speakers, have never been here before. My etsy shop address is http://artytom.etsy.com

There was a nice bunch of people at the meeting. Apart from me, they were all women :)

The conversation was very interesting. Lots of important things relating to selling and creating were discussed in a relaxed and friendly atmosphere. Great to see people who are involved in creating and recycling being so dynamic and friendly.

Springs first big strike in Paris )

Today is a beautiful spring day. There are small buds suddenly visible on the trees. I must start on my paintings of the change of season in the forests here. I already have several of autumn and one of winter. Appropriately with minimal colour. It is mostly drawing on canvas. Nice grey lines in charcoal.

So how do the Parisians celebrate spring. They have gone on strike :)

Only in france. It's officially to protest against the policies of Sarco. Even the radio stations have gone on strike (amazing) !!!

They couldn't have timed a strike better. This is only the third day of sunshine we have had since the darkness of winter. It's unlikely that the city will be very busy tomorrow. Most people 'prend le pont' which means that they combine a day off with a weekend. So from last night or this morning there will have been an exodus from Paris to the countriside. Bravo le grève :)

Shell kills off the Green

Hi
I'm a greenie. I've always been and was kind of getting to the point of being lazy about it. After all. Everyone is green now. So I was feeling like, 'it's okay' I can relax a bit. After all, even the oil companies are seeing sense.

Well the fights back on!!

Shell have just announced that they are dropping all investments in alternative energy. Because it's not profitable enough. Nonsense!! Solar power technology is really coming into it's own and is increasing in efficiency at a rapid rate. The danger is more likely that alternative energies are threatening to actually replace their oil products.

In the process of their "previous efforts" to go 'green' and invest in the process' of green energy technologies, they will have filed many patents for technologies that would make the world a better place.

That's a bit sneaky really. They had the cooperation of people who really believed in what they were doing. The finest minds throwing themselves and their ideas into the pot in order to liberate the world and improve the environment. Now those technologies are bottled up. Captured, where they can't do any good.

People who would like to take up where Shell left off will be unable to, without getting badly sued. Unless they are in China that is, because China doesn't respect copyright that much.

I, for one, will be avoiding all Shell products (where possible) and purchasing alternatives.

Here's the entire article: http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/natural_resources/article5927869.ece

There is only one word for this and unfortunately it's derogatory.

Exhibition update - Dublin March 2009

Hi
The exhibition went really well. There was a huge crowd even before it started with more arriving as the evening went on. As for atmosphere, it was great. There was a great crowd of interested buyers and a few artists that I hadn't seen for a while.

The exhibition continues until the 28th of March and I highly recommend visiting. The exhibition area itself if on the first floor and is open to the public from 5pm.

Liam has a very good Irish Arts Event blog. He manages to get himself invited to everything and graciously records them all.

His blog is:
http://irishartblog.com/

Here's a pic of myself, Liam Madden & Brian Gallagher.

Invitation to Exhibition, Dublin 4, March 5th 2009

Exhibition of Drawings & Paintings - Invitation, March 5th, 2009 You are cordially invited to an exhibition of paintings and drawings at the United Arts Club, Dublin 4, at 8pm, on the 5th of March, 2009. The exhibition is a once a year event and is the best of the best, of life drawing in Dublin. Artists such as PJ. Lynch, Comhghall Casey, Brian Gallagher, Oisin Roche, Michael McWilliams and myself will be showing 3 pieces each, of our best work from the year. It's also a very good social event with a real chance to mingle with real artists. There is always a great sense of comaraderie and it goes on till late. There is no pressure to buy and it's an extremely informal and relaxing atmosphere where you can pick up seriously good bargains from top Irish artists who are mostly there to show off, to one another. Thanks to Irish author, Fiona O'Brien for performing the opening ceremony & Brian Galagher who organises the event every year. regards Tom

America. 20-1-09

Thanks America for becoming America again.
Out of the ashes rises the phoenix.

Memes - a new thought for a new year.

This is a response which I wrote to a friend who is having a difficult experience with some odd people and their ideas. The persons in question are a bit nuts or out of control so the topic of memes came up and I wrote the following to put things in perspective. I hope you find it interesting.

----------------------

The world is full of unstable people. Have you heard of memes? That's a new word which is used to describe thought as a living thing. Seeing thoughts in an objective manner helps us to recognise that the 'Meme' requires us to think the thought in order to keep it alive. Certain patterns of thought are like bacteria and require our attention to remain alive.

It's function is to find a host and to get the host to propagate the idea among other hosts and therefore grow the meme and ensure it's survival among the species.

Sounds crazy doesn't it, until you wonder what it is that makes these unstable people unstable.

Fashion is a meme, so are certain word combinations such as, "have a nice day" or even religious beliefs. Hate is a powerful meme and is very common in all it's different styles and types. Facism, racism. In fact any 'ism' is a meme. Any thought that can be repeated and copied takes on an identity and wants to be reproduced so that it can survive.

So getting in control of our thoughts is quiet important. Or rather, standing back from our thoughts and not allowing them to control us.

That's the difference between a stable and unstable person. Hows that for a new concept :)

-----------------

I had a revelation about this a few years ago and told it to someone I knew whom I believed might be able to relate to it. His response was to suggest that it was a good topic for a science fiction movie and looked at me as though I was nuts. Since then I have found several books on the subject although I think that the actual word "memes" was not coined till very recently. It's great. I feel like a pioneer :)

Happy new 2009

Happy new year everyone!

Right now, I'm recovering from the Christmas and new year celebrations. My head if throbbing and I need to work off the excess of the celebrations and cooking.

I wake up with painting ideas in my mind and have a big urge start in a new direction. There is still one painting commission to finish in my studio, so that is the priority.

I'm reading Owens book at the moment and getting my studio space reorganised.

We have decided to leave Paris in 4 years and move to the south of France. So a lot to do in the coming months & years. We have a farm there and although it requires a lot of work we are looking forward to it.

This is the entrance to the main building. It's a great little place but needing a lot of attention and repair. The farmer, who is a friend of ours, retires in a few years and wants to teach us to look after the land before we completely move in. Couldn't ask for better and I paint very very well there so am looking forward to it a very great deal.

I will have to visit the museums of Paris intensely over the next few years so that I fill up with all that culture, which is one of the few things that Paris has to offer. A recent American artist visiting here described it as a living museum, not a living city and reluctant as I am to admit it, I think that there is a lot of truth in what he says.

The south of France is living and throbbing with art, writers and sculptors.

View with mountains and olive trees.

I've just finished an oil painting which will be a Christmas gift for my parents in law. They have a nice collection of paintings and appreciate art. The view is from their terrace looking towards an neighbors house with olive trees in the foreground.

La Provence

This morning came the news that myself and my father in law are on the cover of La Provence, newspaper. A local journalist took a photo of us at work on the houses that were flooded. That's me in the blue, covered in mud and not looking too cool. Michel is in front in red.

Tadelakt and Flood

I just finished a course in Tadelakt which took place in the hills around Maubec, south of France. It was an excellent course, taught by a Moroccan decorator named Jamal Daddis, author of the book, Le Tadelakt. If you are interested you can find this on Amazon.

Tadelakt is a form of lime which, when finished and polished correctly has the ambiance of marble but unlike marble is warm, impermiable to water, easily sculpted and extremely nice to look at and touch.

Great course, taught by a great teacher.

While we were studying, it began to rain and it rained hard. It didn't stop for 24 hours and many people were flooded out. All day today was spent helping people to get the waves of mud out of their houses. One local person had a pool of water around their house which was a metre and a half deep. That's about five feet. So their entire house was swamped. A few locals, the pompiers, myself and my father in law, spent the day separating their things from the mud and stones washed in by the waves of water. It looked like a complete disaster but by the end of the day we had made huge progress. Drains were unblocked and the mud cleared away. There's more to do tomorrow but it's looking good.

Here's a photo of an orchard beside the house that was flooded. Below that is a photo of the course in tadelakt.

Nude strike in Paris.

Hi
One of those things that have been difficult to find in Paris has been life drawing. I am restricted to only two locations, at present, where I can do this kind of drawing but had heard rumors that others exist. Despite having many french artist friends, none have not been forthcoming in advice on the topic.

Today I read that there has been a nude strike in the center of Paris to support the models who work in these mysterious places. Apparently the Marie has been organising these things all along. Who would have thought to look there?

You might find this interesting to read.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/dec/16/france-art-life-models-protest

http://www.tjbyrne.com

Hello
I've just created a shop online where you can purchase cards, posters and framed prints of my work. If you click on an image below, it will bring you directly to the shop.

Enjoy :)

Arts Newsletter

Hi
I've just added a news page to my site where people can follow what I'm up to. It's a bit like a blog but not a blog.
I'm going to be exhibiting in Paris next week so this gives a taste of what it will be like.
It goes out each month in the form of a newsletter so if you are interested in receiving a copy just sign up. The option is at the bottom of the page.

http://tjbyrne.com/sharing/artside.html

Best
Tom

The New York Times-Oct 19th 2008

I was very interested to find this article in the New York Times today.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/19/washington/19fbi.html?th&emc=th

Particularly this section here. I smell conspiracy pooh here. There are a lot of people suggesting that this financial crisis is a part of a bigger strategy and to be honest, it seems hard to have not seen it coming. Yes I did, along with lots of others!

"Since 2004, F.B.I. officials have warned that mortgage fraud posed a looming threat, and the bureau has repeatedly asked the Bush administration for more money to replenish the ranks of agents handling nonterrorism investigations, according to records and interviews. But each year, the requests have been denied, with no new agents approved for financial crimes, as policy makers focused on counterterrorism.

According to previously undisclosed internal F.B.I. data, the cutbacks have been particularly severe in staffing for investigations into white-collar crimes like mortgage fraud, with a loss of 625 agents, or 36 percent of its 2001 levels."

Autumn leaves

It's amazing how the arrival of autumn brings a wonderful fairy tale quality with it. It's a bit of paradise. Everything rests under a golden blanket of leaves and the trees are a mix of green, gold and reds. It's really magical. If you get the chance to take a few minutes on the weekend try to get out into nature and just watch the leaves falling. It's very peaceful. There is a sense of things being put into perspective.

'Grand Marché d'Art Contemporain'

Oils on canvas. 54 x 65cm

I hope that you can make it to this years 'Grand Marché d'Art Contemporain' in Bastile, Paris. I'll be exhibiting my new paintings there for the first time within the main enclosure.You should have no problem finding me in the main enclosure. The dates are 28th of October to the 2nd of November and you can't miss it. It's the biggest thing in Bastile.

Memes

Hi
I've recently found a word, 'Memes', to apply to a phenomena that I noticed several years ago. I think that this is a key to answers on how people tick and why they do the things they do. It goes into the worlds of the quantum and out into biology and psychology. Any body out there got thoughts on the matter?

Fr Declan

This weekend saw a major change for Irish people living in Paris. One of the rocks of the community has moved back to Ireland and will be missed. Fr Declan Hurley, our Chaplin and confidant, who has been here for the last 4 years has returned to his home town of Navan.

I met Fr. Declan when I first arrived in Paris. He was resident in the Irish College or College des Irlandais in the 5eme. My wife and I lived there for the first 5 months of the first year here in France and we have very fine memories of the time. Fr Declan was undoubtably one of the pillars of the society and he made the community there stronger.

The Irish parishioners commissioned a going away painting for him. A reminder of his stay here and of the college itself. It's painted in oils on canvas.

Art and Money, August 2008

Hello
I've been learning a lot lately and chewing over the topic raised by most artists at one time or another. This is my observation and I'm sure that it's not correct in every context. I am speaking about the art of painting here but I refer to other means of creating through my writing as well. I hope you find it interesting.

The value of art.

When you talk about value you have to talk about some empirical measurement system. That's the kind of world that we have lived in for centuries now. For convenience I'll compare value to money. The value of art of course, goes beyond money and is a different thing entirely. It is of the unspoken and unspeakable things that it's value often comes from. I won't discuss the spiritual value, social or energetic value of art here. Another time perhaps.

There is a direct correlation between art and money. As money continues to appear to have little value more money is being translated into rare and valuable things such as gold, minerals and ....art.

Art as we define it, in all it's forms and the more rare forms the better, has always had a value. An intangible value. When it becomes increasingly obvious that it is to become increasingly rare, such as on the death of a particular artist, then the value of the art increases greatly.

This has been the case with other things such as rare flowers, furs and spices. At one time salt was more valuable than gold, economic systems were based on tulips, people went to war for bread. Now those things are more plentiful and have less effect on the economics of the world.

Art has been a constant. Artists have created beautiful jewelry, paintings, sculptures and great effort has always been exercised by the wealthy, well educated and intelligent to acquire art and be in the presence of it, for all sorts of reasons. Beauty not being the least of them.

So what's happening today and how does this relate to art as we know it. Well, there has never been a shortage of people calling themselves artists. Nor a shortage of art itself in some form or another. Everyone can be an artist to some degree. So what makes one art more valuable than another.

The rarity is the key thing which makes the difference.

So what is rarity? Well some art is historical. The artist is attached to great events or great people and the works that the person produces are of not just artistic value but also historical value. Historic value can also be associated with social events.

A great artist, charged with the energy of a dramatic social event records it in their art of the moment and somehow captures the sense of what has passed. They act as a marker for the event and the energy is recorded for future generations to understand better the context of what has passed. They are like a meteorite that lands from space and tells us something of the structure and potential of a distant world.

Other rarity is based on skill. Someone so skilled as to be connected to another sort of intelligence, to a level never seen before, like an Olympic athlete or someone like Albert Einstein. The artist, like the scientist, leaves a trace behind them which effects many generations to come.

Each artist can only produce so many pieces of art in their lives. Not all artists works are great. Like many of Picasso's early pieces. But he worked to refine himself, as well as his art. That requires time, intelligence, insight and determination. Most people would give up long before they reached the same point, even if they could. Some people cannot give up, it is a matter of life or death for many.

These people as well as the art they produce are rare. It requires much work, isolation and introspection. It also requires a determined desire to learn in an area where much has been written about the end product and almost nothing about the process.

Rothco wrote a fascinating book on the process which is not intelligible to everyone. None the less it is a fascinating insight into his life and inspirations. His art is often hidden away in the collections of powerful companies and families.

So art is often used as a currency among the super rich. Not just any art. They seek art from people who have reached further and have not been equaled or who have been significant historical figures such as Peter Paul Reubens.

As money increasingly looses it's value and as gold and other rare minerals become less difficult to take out of the earth, those involved in finance can see the value of the things around them shrinking. They wonder where to put their wealth. Hence the increase in the value of art during times of coming economic depression. The art may loose it's monetary value during those times, as does everything that does not provide food, heating and shelter but when things recover the value of the art also recovers and grows, whereas other items such as tulips, salt, microchips and gold may decrease as things improve.

This leads to the subject of those that monitor and control which artists can enter the art worlds hallowed halls of approval. Why should there be art dealers who say that one artist is accepted and another not? Well there is the comparison between art dealers at the highest levels and financiers.

These same people have a lot of control over whose art is traded. They control the movement of art and issue their mark of approval just as someone assesses a mineral as a piece of gold or not.

These days with the loss of the special luxury goods market, due to mass production many are turning to art as an alternative status symbol as well as investment. However we are also seeing the presence of mass produced art. in the past art has often been the result of a team of artists work, such as on a large sculpture or a tapestry. Then it is finished by the artist who is accredited with having conceived the piece but today the artist attributed with the creation of the work, may not have even conceived the idea for the piece. So even art is being undermined in it's value by the use of mass production and the use of marketing to promote a false value.

Things are changing and hopefully it will come out well. It does beg the question. What is art really. It's not just about who says it's good or not. It's merely that some people, recognising that some items called art have a rarity and are sought after are using those same items for trade and profiting in the process.

They don't necessarily have to have any love, respect or understanding of art to do this. Merely to know which pieces are regarded as valuable and what their last sales price was, how rare they are relatively, etc. There is no love of creation in that. No respect for real values or protection of the process of art or artists. They bring art down to the level of a commodity. Hence the desire of some to take advantage and mass produce designs and forms, marketing them as a commodity but calling it art.

The current way of trading art has resulted in this distance from it's real value. It's like a collector of butterflies who no longer sees the animals or appreciates that they have given up their lives in being in the collectors display.

He may merely catalog their names and species while flaunting his collection over other collectors without appreciating any longer why he became a collector in the first place.

Perhaps we can learn to appreciate living artists, the work they do and their various species without destroying the thing we love, through over intellectualizing or coldly measuring their financial value.

Alps-2008

It's been a while since I posted anything here. It's not that I've been living the quiet life. It's been very busy in fact but I haven't felt the inspiration to write anything.

I was in the Alps this summer for two weeks and apart from the influx of the tour de france cyclists and their adoring entourage it is a remarkably quiet place which is even more remarkably beautiful. Although the alps are breath taking in the winter, I find them to be even more beautiful during the summer.

While there I painted, as normal. This landscape is too beautiful to ignore. The towering mountains are awe inspiring and the sense of perspective that distance creates in that kind of landscape is a formidable challenge to capture on canvas. Fortunately my wife and her father took a couple of photos of me painting. I look at them and think, 'you need to get rid of the weight boyo'.

There's a great many wild flowers everywhere and thankfully lots of insects and wild bees pollinating them. The air is very clear here and in years to come I plan to spend several months drawing and documenting them.

While there, I worked on a commission and was lucky to have a studio where I could paint. Unfortunately I can't post any information on the painting for the moment for fear that the person whom it is intended for, might find out. The painting will be a surprise gift from the commissioner. It's taken a lot of time to just prepare the ground work for this painting and I'm glad to say that it seems to have been worth it. Despite that I still haven't done any colour on the actual canvas yet. I've been building up an underpainting with enormous attention to detail. At times it seemed to be too much of a challenge but after a visit to the Louvre where I examined other paintings done in the same manner I feel that I've made the right decision despite the enormous amount of time which it demands.

Here's a photo of me sketching the crowd at the tour de France.




Here's another of me taken by my wife who snuck up with her camera as I painted.

The end of Print as we know it.

Hello everyone in cyberland.
Veering wildly off the track of art I'd like to indulge a little in, well, waffling. It's getting to the point that this here digital world may be beginning to have a really positive effect on the planet. That is, if we can figure out a way to have computers not fill up landfills every couple of years.

The landscape of newspaper publishing is changing fast. Many of them are closing down despite being propped up as much as possible by moguls such as Murdock. It's partly caused by the cost of petrol and transporting newspapers to their destinations. Partly the cost of paper and mostly because of the availability of alternative sources of information online.

The transition will be difficult for employees but there are other employment opportunities on the web now. The Huffington post is doing very well for instance and their writers are employed just like the ones in print newspapers.

Why is this a good thing? Paper is made from wood & hundreds of tons of trees are cut down every day to satisfy newspaper production. Although many argue that forests are maintained to satisfy the demands of publishing it's not a rational argument. Trees don't exist for printing on. They were there first.

What's going to bring about the real end to the printed newspaper is not really the content on screen. It's the content on digital paper. Yes, it exists already and is on it's way to us fast. It's not really going to change anything other than give us all a lot more choice in terms of what we read.

The new e-newspaper / e-paper is extremely energy efficient in terms of displaying information and has huge potential for school children who normally have to carry many kilos worth of books to school every day. Not to mention every other form of of print. I love books and hope it won't impact them but I can't see that not happening to some extent. A world without libraries or book shelves would be very sad. Particularly for those people who do such a marvelous job of designing them.

However it should make writing, as a profession more doable and distribution also a lot easier (saving on fuel, time and reducing pollution from trucking.

Here's a link for more information on the paper that's coming.

http://www.eink.com/technology/howitworks.html

http://www.phosphorwatches.com/phosphorwatches/einktechnology.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oq_2LiTxhls

Dream

Last night I had a dream. One of my earliest teachers (Murphy) was showing the class of 10 year olds how to meditate (not likely). While we had our eyes closed he walked over and slapped several of us across the face.

It came as quiet a shock and I felt the sting so clearly that it woke me up, sort of.

I realised I was dreaming and found myself semi-awake. In a lucid dreaming state. So I decided it was time for a little revenge. In the dream, which I was now fully conscious of, I stood up and hit him back. He went flying across the classroom, bumped his head off the wall and while he was in that stunned state, I pulled off his tweed trousers (ever so respectable) went to his desk, where he had stashed his bottle of vodka. Poured that over the trousers and set them alight. He woke up at this stage and stumbled to his feet. So I charged and hit him in the stomach with my head. He went flying out the window (first floor) into the playground below. The flaming trousers followed. Then I went back to the meditation with the other students and we all hummed in perfect harmony and contentment.

People sometimes wonder where a cheerful guy like me gets all the anger from. Well folks, a lot comes from being beaten every day in school when I was a lad. That's where my intense dislike for bullies comes from too. Although I really and truly believe in turning the other cheek and working with people, there comes a time and often it's very early in the situation, where a good retort is absolutely necessary. It comes out in my paintings more than anywhere else.

Artparis 08 / The march of the little red dots.

What a great show and so many little red dots. This years Art Fair in Paris was great. It took place in the Grand Palais, Avenue Winston Churchill and runs from the 3rd to the 7th of April. No prefabricated structures here. Just class. Pity about the coffee though, bloody Maxwell House muck.
It was a really enlivening, impressive, colourful, painterly (where did they find all those great painters) and just generally brilliant show. There was a large queue to get in but that's normal, the French love a good queue. I've seen people join them only to get to the end and realise that that didn't really want to be there, so they trail away. There's a sense of solidarity in waiting together.

So why was the ArtParis show so great? There was a lot of art on the walls rather than empty space. There was no sense of boredom in visitors. The displays had a lot of class and each was a bit different to each other, simply creative rather than competitive. There were very interesting effects type art which didn't depend on being plugged in or require a solar panel to work. Just clever. The quality, across the board was really impressive and no one seemed to be trying to foist off bad or boring work on buyers. And there were lots of buyers. I've never seen so many little red dots. Not to mention so many political paintings. Freedom of speech really isn't dead here. It was very impressive.

Here's a selection of photos and video.

The Armory show, NY 08

The famous Armoury show in New York, has been a highlight for art collectors, artists and galleries for many years. It started in the Gramercy Park Hotel during the 1990's. Just like the Carlton arms today but without the great art on the walls.

Last years show was, apparently great. I'd heard lots of good things about it and expected this years to be as interesting or lots better than the FIAC show in Paris last year (which really was great!!). So, when I actually got there it came as a bit of a disappointment. It was really surprising how much bare wall space was on show as opposed to art. This is ironic, the galleries pay about $25,000 per stand to show the artists that they represent. The short video here contains some of the best bits of the show.

It wasn't just American galleries who were there, with almost half being from Europe. So how come it wasn't really exciting, interesting, jaw dropping. How come, almost everything seemed, the same or as though it came from the same box. Some galleries, of course, were great and had very innovative work but there was a general air of vacantness in the majority of stands at the show.

Whether or not it has anything to do with the content, The Armory has been bought by Chris Kennedy's company, Merchandise Mart. Although there is apparently a judging committee which chooses the galleries and the artists they are allowed to show, Mr Kennedy seems to take a very personal attitude towards opinions on the quality of the work hanging there. He has called critism by galleries of the terms of showing "Heresy". He also thinks that "Art Fairs are the future of retail" according to Linda Yablonsky, so perhaps he's not really in this for the love of 'Art'.
Chris Kennedy is of the American Kennedy clan who have a long history as patrons of the arts. Mr Kennedy is looking to expand into other art fairs. Personally, people like him freak me out.

Katie Holten in Manhattan

The evening after arriving, the 28th I went to visit Katie Holtens Exhibition in Manhattan. I'd seen her work a couple of years previously at a really good exhibition in Paris and wanted to see what she was up to now.

The work is a continuation of the theme which she has been diligently working on over the last few years. In the rooms of the first floor gallery she created a sculpted interior forest of dark, tar like trees stripped of their colour and leaves. They lined the walls in one room and in another took center stage. Her studies of withered leaves, in drawn form, covered the walls of the halls and other rooms.

There were a good few people there. In fact it was hard to get in but Katie personally made everyone welcome. Klemens Gasser & Tanja Grunert is a nice welcoming gallery on the corner of 19th street and 9th avenue. The full address is 148, 9th Avenue, Floor 2, NY, NY 10011
Phone 212.807.9494
www.gassergrunert.net

The ArtBreak Expo

So I dropped in the painting to the gallery on the morning of the 28th and had a peek at the work before it went up. Really impressive. There's a lot of good stuff here.

The gallery itself is enormous, white walls etc, as you would expect. Of course it was in a state before the opening but that's normal. It has good partitions and is really well lit with large windows and great location on a street with five other galleries so it's a good draw for collectors.

On the night of the opening it was in ship shape condition. The crowd arrived early and there were lots of them. Because most of the artists are from Europe, very few could be there but some very interesting contributors did turn up. We learnt more of the history of the place and I can't overstate the lengths that these people have gone to to make art a part of their lives. they are living testaments to what is meant by patrons of the arts. Here are a few photos but I'll post more later.

Very tired after a hard nights debate with other creative people. Oh, here's a shot of Banksy's work.

The Golden Rules

I'm flying to New York in a few hours to exhibit in the Artbreak gallery in Williamsburg with Banksy.

We'll will be showing our art for one month and I hope to ruffle a few feathers and make a noise with this piece called 'The Golden Rules'. It depicts, well you know, 'him', surrounded by his staff, and getting advice from places he shouldn't.

It's a statement on the influence on government by outside interests. The influence of church on state, of business on national policy, on who's really running the country, or who you voted for, without knowing you were voting for them.

The corporate priest is a reflection of the fact that churches in America are basicly a business, seen by many as a tax haven, a place that you can put your dollars and write it off a against tax while basking in the glow of spiritual and community respect or getting the church to act as a mouth piece in promoting your point of view.

The girl in rose pink represents the original settlers and she holds the constitution of the United States in her hands. She's not getting a lot of respect from 'him' in the painting. Lip service galore but no respect. The Mayflowers name was taken from the Epigea repens or Trailing Arbutus, a white and pink flower which has a four petal structure. Hense the colour of her costume.

The 'gag' of the monkeys speaks for itself, hear nothing, see nothing, say nothing. The painting is, oils on canvas with raised lettering and gold leaf. It will be showing in the ArtBreak Gallery for one month from the 29th of March till the 29th of April. The grand opening is on 29th of March from 3pm till 9pm. The address is 195 Grand street, 2nd floor. Williamsburg NY 11211. Tel: 01-718 302 1021

Toms paintings are hanging in the Greenlane gallery in Dingle and the Zozimus gallery in Dublin. To learn more visit his website and/or subscribe to his newsletter. http://www.tjbyrne.com

The Hague Summer Art Exhibiton

The Red Cross, Hague Summer exhibition are looking for artists to exhibit their work this year. There is a link here if you are interested in submitting work.

One of the themes is 'Victims of Armed Conlict'.

They also have a section of their website which promotes the artists works before the event. I'm honored to be the first artist that they chose for the artist of the week.

It only lasts a week so have a look at http://www.artenade.com/hague/ArtistOfTheWeek.aspx

Portrait in tempera

To zoom in on the details in this painting click here.


Here's a photo of a painting that I did in two sessions last week. The first layer is a tempera and the second is oil. One over the other. The basic ingredients of the tempera and the oil are the same. Except that the tempera has the egg added. You do it all yourself, from dissolving the resin, mixing the ground pigment to thickening the oil in the sun for a few weeks. It's that process of being in touch with the materials that makes the painting very personal.

The model was very pleased with the painting too and took a photo of me at work. He's asked me not to post a photo of him beside it but I'm sorely tempted. Anyway here is the painting. It's not finished. There is more to do on it but I want the current paint to dry first, in a couple of weeks.

Exhibition update-Greenlane Gallery

There are four paintings which are on show in the Greenlane Gallery in Dingle, Co. Kerry this month.

They are:

Garcon
Shopping
Negotiations
The Lovers Whisper

I'm very pleased about this because Dingle is one of those special places in the world. It was a pivotal place of change for me several years ago, before I decided to move to France. I was on an artists retreat with some American artists who came over from New Haven. I thought that there would be more Irish artists too but in fact I was the only one.

It rained and rained for two weeks without ceasing. Despite this we walked and explored every day and wrote,talked, painted and went out over the sea to the Blasket Islands. It was boot camp for creatives and I loved it. Thanks to Caoimhghin O'Fraithile, our indestructible & madcap artist guide, we visited many amazing, artistic and historical locations in Dingle and the ring of Kerry. It was formative. The Greenlane gallery, which was in a different building then also opened my eyes to the freshness and purity of the kind of art that a location like Dingle can produce. So it's great to have my work on show there and it's a great gallery.

Exhibitions, shows, competitions and fairs.

Events for 2008
Exhibitions, shows, competitions and fairs. This is a preliminary outline of what is happening in 2008. There will be much more as the year gets going and I'm looking forward to discovering what new things present themselves.

At the moment there are four paintings on show at the Zomimus Gallery in Dublin.

Blue Man, is a painting of a nude holding a ball of gold. He is blue to represent the electric energy of his potential. The gold ball is the focus of that potential. It's painted in oils with gold leaf on canvas.

The Cry, a painting of a mans mouth screaming. My own personal interpretion for this painting is related to the earth but perhaps there is some other inner, unvoiced reason.


Saviour III, a painting of a bird, not in flight but in ascent. His eyes are closed and he is surrendered.

Knight is a painting of a friend riding her horse. She is a horse whisperer in fact. The youngest qualified in France for this unusual profession. Her relationship to the horse is close to the ideal.

The new paintings, which I've uploaded, have the ability to be zoomed in upon. You can see the tiny details of brush strokes when you click on the image and zoom into the area of the painting that you find the most interesting. Try it out and let me know if you like it.


March: My work is on show in New York. The Carlton Arms Gallery in Brooklyn, 29th of March.

March: I'm entering the BP portrait awards in London. It is one of the most prestigious awards with artists from all over the world delivering work for consideration. http://www.npg.org.uk/live/bpmenu.asp

May: I am exhibiting in London at the Batersea Art fair from 16th to the 18th May 2008. http://www.bcaf.info/index.htm

June and July: This summer my paintings will be on show at, Nutshuis, the Hague, the Netherlands, between 7th of June and 5th of July. http://www.thehague.nl/default.asp?id=DOORWAYNEWS-uk

November 2008: The Irish artists Compendium Awards. This is the second award from The Irish Artists Compendium. The ceremony takes place in November but voting is a year long process. Last years was a great success and very good for the profile of Irish artists. It is organised by John Ryan. The award is judged in two stages. The first stage is public and there is a prize of EU500 awarded to ten voters drawn from those who voted for any of the twenty shortlisted artists will each receive a €500 prize. You can enter for the cash prize and out more and register by going to this link. http://www.irishartcompendium.com/awards_home.php

Saviour is sold

Thank you for your enquiries. The Saviour painting has sold. It was purchased in Zozimus gallery in Dublin for EU2,000.

Saviour II

To see this painting in real life, visit Gallery Zozimus,
56, Francis Street, Dublin 8, Ireland.

It's a drawing in charcoal with a glaze of oil paint. The blue is painted in tempera.

It's called 'Saviour II'. You can interpret it any which way that you want but for me it has a very complex and personal, environmental meaning. In so far as we are all a part of the environment and if we don't make ourselves aware of the little parts that make up the whole we are effectively crucifying ourselves and everything else.

Exhibition of paintings in the Kennedy Gallery, Dublin

Hi
These are two of my paintings which are showing at the Kennedy Gallery, Dublin.

One is called, 'After the Hay' and is a painting in tempera and oil. It's a painting of fields in Brittany, after the Monks of Timadec have cut the long grass and bailed it. 80cm x 64cm

The other is a painting called 'Brittany fields' and is a similar view. It's also in tempera and oil. 80cm x 80cm


There is a vernissage/opening this evening (29th of November) at 7pm. The address is M. Kennedy & Sons Ltd, 12 Harcourt St, Dublin 2. You'll find the exhibition on the first floor. Enjoy the wine and cheese.

Tom

Art en Capital

The entrance.


Yong Man Kwon, from south Korea now living in the south of France.


View of Korean works and statues by Yvone Cleragerue.


I also visited Art en Capital yesterday. It took place in the Grand Palais des Champs Elysees, Paris.
This is an annual event. An exhibition of artists who are not represented by galleries and who live and work in the centre of Paris.
The first thing that strikes you is the enormous number of artists that are in Paris who are eager to exhibit but who are not represented. The exhibition had several hundred artists. It's very confusing to see this exhibition because there is no jury process and as such you have very good work placed beside not very good work. On the other hand, as the organisers say, the public decides what is good or not.

If you want to, you can reserve an entire 9m stand for your work which protects it from landing beside the work of someone that won't compliment it. It's a bit expensive but as there are thousands of art buyers attending the investment is a good one and great marketing. A lot better value than a particular, Irish art fair, at half the price.

There was some terrific work there. Particularly from visiting Asian artists. Their levels of skill and focus are impressive. In huge contrast with European artists there is an energy and daring in the work that is very strongly restrained. It feels like a wild horse that has been, barely tamed and is only holding itself back enough to perform for a particular moment. Unlike a lot of European art where the artists almost seem bored or going through the motions in their work.

The Asian artists have a lot of academic background and training yet they also have this fierce energy to get out there and express something bigger, better, brighter and stronger. Bursting out of the restraints of their academic training and using that famous focused intensity.

Icons

Yesterday, after setting up in the atelier in Bastile, I visited two exhibitions that I had been curious about. One was in Nation. An exhibition by an Icon Painter who studied in Greece. The exhibition took place in a small gallery on the second floor of the Centre Culturel Franco-Japonais, 8 Passage Turqueti, 75011 Paris. Metro -Nation. The artist is Dominique Groffe.

The artist has reproduced paintings of icons on wood using gold and tempera (egg). I'm interested in this because it's a subject that I'm studying at the moment. By doing the course you learn an enormous amount about the history of painting (as far back as the Egyptians) and you discover some of the most unlikely mediums with which you can paint and which last for thousands of years.

Although I like the artists ability to recreate the icons of past artists, I didn't see anything new being explored in the work. Creating an icon where the subject is religious is like a prayer for many people. A meditation and study of past works and as such gives a great deal of personal pleasure. The original images are full of hidden meanings as well and were not merely decorations. So that is also a study of history in itself.

It's fantastic to see this kind of work still being done. Otherwise it just disappears forever.

Site Update

Hi
My art website is updated. http://www.tjbyrne.com
It took 3 days non stop to do it. There is a lot of new work that needed to be edited and put online.
I'm using Freeway pro. A great piece of software that only works on a Mac and I'm doing it on my new,
tiny, easy to transport, 13" MacBook. It's surprisingly good but I'm still using my 17 inch laptop for the graphics
work as the MacBook doesn't have the neccesary graphics card to make it hum. I bought it mostly for easy
access to a wi-fi signal and it's lightness but I'm generally surprised by how powerful it is.

Have a look http://www.tjbyrne.com and let me know what you think.

Vernissage-Pre Ireland

http://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gif
Well I'm heading off to Ireland next week and looking forward to meeting all the other artists at Art Ireland. It should be a great time, though I've no doubth, hard work. There won't be a chance for a vernissage or anything like that so we decided to have one here in our house before leaving France.

We needed a good excuse to clean up properly anyway. Things were a little dustier than expected but we managed to turn the house into a gallery for one evening. Have to say, that I'm really amazed and pleased by how many friends and neighbours turned up. It was a full house! Bursting at the seams! We had a great time and the preparation was well worth it. Terrible hangover the next morning. Must have been all the talking. Shouldn't talk and drink at the same time.

Anyway here are some photos. If you are coming to Art Ireland between November 16th-18th drop into stand Q2 and say hello.

Tom

FIAC 2007

This Year Fiac was hampered by the massive strike by the RATP. Despite this, FIAC was very well attended. All trains, metro, bus and RER were out on strike. There was literally no transport for either Thursday or Friday in or around Paris. Amazingly the Parisians didn't take offense despite the serious inconvenience. Instead they got onto their bikes, into their cars or put on their walking shoes and got on with it. There is an enormous amount of sympathy for the strikers and people believe that tolerating the events is for the greater good. Powerful attitude! The French are great at acting on principle or putting a concept before personal desires.

Art Fair time

All over Europe the art fairs are kicking in. If you were to go to all of them and have art in all of them you would have to be a prolific Octopus. Not likely! So you can visit them anyway. It's a lot of fun. In London there is the Frieze art fair. That can be a bit expensive to start collecting from but it's a great location to mix in the energy of the arts and meet galleries and artists. With the prices being limited only by your imagination.

But if you want to start somewhere more accessible there is the Affordable Art Fair which is on at the same time. You can artist spot at this event. Compare the prices of the artists work today and see how much you can guess they will be worth next year, or even if they will still be creating.

Usually it's easy enough to spot those that are in it for the long haul, or to put it more aptly, those that converse with the muse. My work is at the Arlev Art Gallery, Stand D4, Battersea Park, London. http://www.affordableartfair.co.uk/visitor.html

Here's a video of the Frieze fair. An insiders look at starting a collection of art.
http://arts.guardian.co.uk/video/2007/oct/12/frieze.collecting

In a couple of weeks the Fiac fair will be here in Paris and I'll do my own report on that here. Last year it was very intense. The crowds were impressive and some of the creations on show was really insightful and from time to time, eye popping.

There are alternative shows in Paris at the same time. Galleries that decided not to close up to do the show attract a lot of the overflow. The FIAC attracts collectors from all over the world who want to see Paris as well as the show so this is a very good place to expose your work.

On line programme-Ireland

Here's a great programme on Ireland that you can watch online. It discusses the changes coming to Ireland. It's a good show and a fair view on the state of play at the moment. I think that David McWilliams has some great points.

http://www.rte.ie/tv/thegenerationgame/prog1.html

Nuit Blanche

Last Saturday (6th October) night was Nuit Blanche in Paris. Everyone stays up all night and parties. That's the theory. This year it was a little different. This year France won against the all blacks in Cardiff, well done the French!!

I thought Parisians were pretty restrained. There was a little dancing in the streets and all the cars honked their horns. If the same thing happened in Ireland there wouldn't have been any sleep for a week.

So, normally Nuit Blanche is an artistic and cultural event that involves the museums staying open all night and much artistic performance in the streets and squares of the city. She has 20,000 artists to call upon for such events. This year the city's display was really exceptional. There was a lot to see and it would take many postings to describe everything. We had a good time. Great people and great art in a city that really gets into the groove of the theme.

Whats up?

It's been very busy here for the last few weeks. I'm writing this post to take time out of the things that need doing. I've also noticed that gardening recharges the creative batteries very well, to my surprise and delight.

So, why have I been so busy and what is busy.

I think that things have kicked in because the other big project has been properly completed and is now no longer at the front / back of my brain. We spent the summer enjoying where we are and also doing what had to be done before the new Montessori school year restarted but that wasn't a huge deal. Two weeks of repairs, carpentry and bits and bobs. It doesn't seem like the big stress thing that it used to be and it isn't. The parents and the children are happy and so is Amelie. She's even finally earning a salary. People never believe that you may not take a salary in your first year of starting a new business just to make sure the ship stays afloat but it's quiet common. So that's effectively done! The school is autonomous and a new generation of better educated children sallies forth.

Which leaves me mentally and emotionally free to create my own world and that's what's happening.
In the last few weeks lots of new opportunites have presented themselves and I've grasped the thistle, as they say.

During the summer I painted a lot. Experimenting in new methods, doing a lot of work out of doors from life, doing a lot of drawing in my atelier, with my wife as the model. Then the phone started ringing.

Can I represent you at the London Affordable Art fair this October?

Would you consider taking part in the Art Ireland Exhibition in November?

Would you like to be represented in a new gallery opening this December, in Williamsburg, New York?

Yes!

In short:

Thursday 18 - Sunday 21 October
My work on sale at the London Affordable Art Fair.
Arlev Art Gallery, Stand D4, Battersea Park, London. http://www.affordableartfair.co.uk/visitor.html

From the 16th - 18th November 07, My work will be at stand Q3 of the
Art Ireland Exhibition in the RDS, Dublin, Ireland.

In December my paintings will go on show in an, as yet, unnamed gallery in Williamshire, Brooklyn, NY, USA.

More coming soon.

Busy, means painting a lot and other creative endevours. I still have a lot of work to do before the exhibitions this year but the work is developing well and I'm happy with it. I'll post some of the recent paintings and perhaps a film of the painting process later.

The weather has improved here too, thank goodness.

The Cry of the Earth

Surrealism?

This image came to my mind several years ago and I made a drawing. It has continued to come to my mind as the terrible effects of man made climate change wreck havok on the world. The planet will survive ultimately but as it attempts to cleanse itself of the cause of the damage a lot of ecosystems and species will be destroyed.

Something to ponder.

Tempera and oils on board.

The end of the holidays

In Paris, each year during August everyone just disappears to the beaches and the countriside. At around the 20th of August the first wave return. It's an amazing thing to see. One day there is no one in the streets and the parks are empty and the next, the taxis are stretched to their limit and there are people appearing like magic.

This week was spent in a friends atelier in Place des Vosges. We worked together on our seperate projects and painted all day, every day. It was great and some good work came out of it for us both.

Here is a small one that I'm quiet pleased with. It's of a woman waiting on Pont des Arts. Her appointment hasn't arrived and she is the only one there. Done in Tempera and oils on wood.


Here's a link to photos of Pont Des Arts throught the years.

http://lefildutemps.free.fr/paris/pont_arts.htm

Portrait

It's been a while since I posted anything. There were a few distractions that, thankfully are now out of the way. I've been painting in my media of choice for the last few months and am pleased with the results. The more I get to know it the happier I am to have discovered it.

These are a couple of recent portraits. I'm not attempting to capture the reality of the person just the impression and according to the people I've painted so far, that's succeeded. In each case I've painted the person in one session using oils and tempra. The amount of tempra is very little. Most is in oils. It's very instinctive for me to work like this. A lot of good energy is created though it seems to be freaking out some of the other artists that I'm sharing the model with.

Got to be a good sign.

Narcissus Pickers

This painting is done in Oils and tempera on canvas.
It's for an exhibition in June.
Inspired by events in the south of france this spring.
It measures 150cm x 85cm

New Portrait

A portrait on canvas and painted in oils and tempera.

In the collection of Anne Frain.

More environment information

Here is a controvertial point of view on the current levels of Environmental Change.

http://www.aconvenientfiction.com

It's a reply to Al Gores film, An Inconvenient Truth.

I don't agree with a lot of what the A.C.F movie says but Al Gores film is really a political leverage campaign and as such is highly suspect.

The film linked above has a lot of very interesting information and counter balances a lot of the media promoted panic. Good to see the media reporting the issues of climate change but not good that everyone is getting so scared. I guess some people like to be scared though .^. ?

Personally I think it's time to panic and get off our asses but at the same time, if you are serious about making a change you should do it with a level head full of solid information rather than a one sided and fear based view.

Fresco

This is the current state of the Fresco. There is one more panel to complete.

Today I move it to the right and insert the other panel on the left. When that last panel is complete everything will be transfered to the apartment wall. It should look great when it's installed. Looks pretty goood here anyway and I'll miss it when it goes but I can always visit :)

March 31st, 2007

Hello
I get emails from people about this blog but no one posts comments. I don't mind but feel free to comment.

I've been busy in a good way. It's still pretty cold for Spring but there are good days too when the sun is glorious. The birds have the right idea though. They set up a right corus in the mornings and it's good to walk through the forest when they are singing and collecting for their nests. They seem to be having a great time while doing it.

I've been working on a fresco. It's very large and is being done on sheets of canvas which will be transfered to the clients wall when complete. It will consist of marble Portor pillars with Greek caps and gold edging. The landscape is fronted by a ballustrade and a path leading into a park. The person and her dog are the client and the photo here is the underpainting in preparation for the final colours. I'm doing it in oils on canvas in my studio.













Below:
The portrait below is done in tempera on board and is in the underpainting stage here. Initially working over green grey with white tempera for the tonal values in the painting. Once dry this will receive a series of transparent oil glazes to add colour & bring life. The light passes through the glazes and reflects off the underpainting. It's a beautiful and mysterious way of working and you can concentrate on the values seperate to the colour. So you have the chance to create a much richer and harmonious painting. It takes longer of course :) C'est la vie.




















I've also been doing a lot of drawings lately but don't have them scanned in. Happy with them though. Especially the very fast ones. You can create dozens or even hundreds of drawings over a period of months but it's rare to find one that will stand on it's own as a proper piece of work. This doesn't have to be particularly finished or shaded or 'worked up' in any sense. It has to have a sense of harmony and sometimes you will get a series of these all at the same time. It's rare though. I got a series of these last week which I'm pleased with.

So if you see a drawing with no real detail but which just sings to you. Don't dismiss it as not being a 'finished' or as an 'uncoloured' piece of work. It's the result of a lot of work which led up to that moment. Sometimes the result of years and years of work. All of it coming out in a moment and appearing on the paper like a piece of magic. Preserved like a butterfly pinned to a board. Don't pin butterflys to boards. Drawings are much more earth friendly.

Pride and Driving

I'm a grown adult. 40 years of age and I can proudly state that I have done my best to not damage the environment through use of a car in my life. Till yesterday. I took my first driving lesson with my wife beside me giving me directions on how the car works. It was remarkably easy and we didn't almost kill anything.

So why now? I live in the countryside outside of Paris and often have to nip into the city with work or to colect materials. Large paintings or even a series of large paintings under the arm are not a great idea on the train especially during rush hour.

So what now? Am I going to pollute, pollute, pollute in the name of art? I don't think so!

Trips in the car will be rare. I still don't like cars much, or at all really. As well as that, in April we are visiting a company in Lyon who manufacture a car that runs on air. Yes! Air!

It's been in production for a while and was first shown at the Paris car show in 2002. It was a bit of a put...put...put machine back then but aparently, has improved a lot. If it hasn't we won't go near it.

It goes 200K on compressed air and after that the fuel kicks in, which is vegatable oil, diesel or petrol. Someones got to try them out!

You can be sure that if it's good I'll post more info here about it. I reckon the hydro car is going to cost a fortune initially so while that's getting over itself we'll drive this and keep things clean.

That or stick to the diesl that we have at the moment.

March-portrait and landscape.

There's a lot happening at the moment. I'm working on a large painting for a client in Paris. It's very large so I have to do it on several sheets of canvas and then join them together. More on that later, when it's finished perhaps.

In the meantime I've done a nice portrait and a desert landscape.

The landscape is a wedding gift, from the bride to the groom. A nice idea. He spent some time in the desert and loved it so much that he speaks about it quiet often. This took over a week to complete. It's a large canvas. Not done from life unfortunately.



















The other is a portrait of a young girl. She has a rich dark brown skin, like a chestnut just out of it's shell. It shines in the softest of sunshine. She has modeled for six hours for this portrait. It requires a little more work and I'm looking forward to finishing it.

The landscape is done in traditional oils and the portrait is done in tempera.