Tables - finished.

Tables.

2011

48 x 26 cm.

Total time: 142 hours 35 minutes.



Tables - 12

OK..Ok..so I'm probably the last person to go and see 'the King's Speech', but I did so today. Very impressive movie which seemed to be over very soon after it began, and left me feeling quite tearful but happy..an emotional experience.An amazing performance by all the cast, but obviously Colin Firth as lead deserved his Academy Award for best actor after a convincing and powerful performance. Jan is always reminding me that she was in a film with Mr. Firth a couple of years back. Jan was an extra in a film called 'when did you last see your father?'...scenes were shot in the Derby crematorium near Markeaton Park. Jan also likes to remind me that he spoke to her and said "Hello".

I've spent some time working today..i've completed the hands and the crow. I have also added more to the creases in the robes. I now have to work on another mock up of the artwork for the theatre poster...I shall hopefully produce the final version tomorrow.

Tables - 11

The photographer was drunk again!..I wish he'd learn to stand up straight when he takes his pics!...You just can't get the staff these days! the photographs I took yesterday have been of great help,,,the folds on the Vicar's Surplus are now more correct. tomorrow I'm hoping to work on the hands.

It really is an odd experience to sit day to day working on these images. I've been doing so now for six years and three months. and I've barely gone a few days without working on something or other.If you'd like to gain some idea as to the progress I've made, you should click on the link to 'finished Pictures' which will take you right back to September 2006 and the beginning of this blog.Doing this always excites me, because the difference in subject matter and the intensity of my work has developed...and I can only imagine how much more I will progress in another six years.

Tables - 10

Ah! Such fun...i love playing dressing up. so today gave me the chance to do just that. Having been given two sets of clerical Vestments last year, it was only a matter of getting them down from the loft..applying a hot iron and setting the self timer on my camera to gain some important photos to work from. Above you might be able to see the lines drawn in for the creases in the Vicar's Surplus. this I was able to do easily from the photos I took (see below) and the shadows were in exactly the right place!

Please, feel free to laugh...there's nothing great about these photos..and my hair is all old mannish at the moment...I've decided to grow it long and enjoy it before it all falls out!

My leg is higher than required for the picture, but my leg was not the subject. however I did want to see how the clothing fell around it. One thing I found out is that it's impossible to have that much leg exposure without having to open the Cassock and lift the Surplus.What does that mean for my subject?...perhaps it relates to his arrogance..I guess for many years members of the clergy who had abused their place of trust within the community had escaped the law because of their profession.

So bless you for reading...see you tomorrow!

The robes.

I now have the clerical Vestments that I will be photographed in so that I might correctly depict the folds in the material...and no I'm not going to wear the boots and stockings!...although I could...I have a very interesting past concerning many raucous parties and dressing up!

Tomorrow I shall set about taking the photos. I also have a commercial commission to attend to, details of which I'll tell you about tomorrow.

Tables - 10

My heart, thoughts and prayers have been wrapped up in concern for the people of Japan today as the terrible news and images were shown on our TVs as the 8.9 magnitude earthquake and subsequent Tsunami caused death and destruction in it's wake. I could not believe my eyes as events unfolded live. Gripped by an almost unbreakable compulsion to watch and reach out with my thoughts, it was as if by giving all my time and not missing the coverage, I could somehow help and be involved with protecting those who were suffering.

And then as if reminding me how small a planet we now live on, a Face Book friend in California voiced her fears over the safety of her two sons living down on the coast. the tsunami was expected to make landfall there hours after the initial earthquake. I have not heard back from my friend yet.

So once again, I'm making a habit of putting in less than the required hours each day I prefer to work. In fact it seemed stupid to occupy myself with such ridiculous notions as fetish boots and Neanderthal skulls. but you know...life has to go on. One cannot (despite being thousands of miles away) be any use apart from carrying on...we do what we do...and we do it to the best of our ability. Weather you make cars, sell bread, manage hedge funds, clean toilets or care for the sick. we do it..we do it because that is life.

Tables - 9

Yikes...looks like the lectern is toppling over! That's the photographers fault! A shortened working period today due to school runs and cooking!...but I've progressed well with the lectern's column..I'll compete the last section when i work on the skull. since I've not been up into the attic to look for the robes, I've started work on the Vicar's foot...I've also added some strengthening to the shadows and detail on his face.

Tables - 8

I enjoy bringing an image to life like this..it has until now existed only as sketches and imaginings.
So far I have spent just short of 30 hours dotting with probably the equivalent time on sketches beforehand. ..and it's got me thinking. Originally I have intended for a group of figures to the left..the Cello Girls..a Cancan girl and the Airman from a previous picture called 'Anyway'. I've considered limiting the picture to just this scene you see above. I'm not certain yet, but you'll know soon enough.

there's also one other thing I wanted to tell you about which has changed the way I work. Last September I went for my regular eye test...I go yearly because my Father suffered from Glaucoma, and it's hereditary. The tests has shown no sign of it but I was alarmed when my Optician informed me that he detected the beginnings of Dry Macular Deterioration...that's where the part of the retina which is directly opposite the lens is damaged and loses the ability to convey stimulus to the optic nerve.Sufferers lose their sight for things immediately central in their vision but retain peripheral vision.

I'm a long way from the full blown effects, but I just wanted to warn you so that you don't suffer the same damage.I have worked at my desk for the last six years in a south facing window...the sun blasts down upon where I work and reflects off the page. This is the reason for the damage to my retinas. I now have to work behind closed curtains if the sun is out...and wear sunglasses when I go out in strong sunshine. If I'm careful, the damage need not get any worse.

Look after your eyes...get them checked if you haven't been in a while..and get them checked if any of your close relatives have suffered Glaucoma or diabetes.

Tables - 7

Just about completed the wing apart from a few touch ups...I'll work on the rest of the bird tomorrow then I'll probably work down the column of the lectern. I've not been up in the loft yet to retrieve the Vicar's robes..or 'Vestments' I think they're usually referred to as.The more I think about it, the Vicar would not have accidentally exposed his leg to that degree...he would therefore have purposefully done so.  I'll not know for sure until I try it for myself!

Tables - 6

Wings...there's more to wings than meets the eye! Around four and a half hours work for these few feathers, that's what!

Tables - 5

Here's a bit of a close up view of the Crow Lecturn.

Tables - 4

started work on the Crow Lectern.Had to redraw the wings and head a couple of times...ended up looking very similar to what it looked like before I reworked it.

On a different note, it's not often my daughter and I like the same music, but we've both decided we like Jessie J...though probably for different reasons. She's a wonderfully stylish young lady who delight in her own designs. A singer song writer of enormous potential, she is currently wowing the public with her chart topping song 'Price tag' Below are a few selected images which will give you some idea as to why I like her.(non of the photographs are mine and if you are the copyright holder, I will remove the images if you need me to)

Tables - 3

 

 That's it for now with this little chap...I'm leaving his sandals until another time because I'm not entirely sure what the ground is going to be like. So next, I started work on the 'Mad Vicar's' face...

 It's important to establish the major features first starting with the eyes.I read recently that when Seurat painted, he first established the deepest shadows before anything else.

 Below I've established the shadows and have begun blending them in and creating the hollows and highlights of his face. I wondered if i could find some suitable photos online of an elderly man's neck...one search lead me to a photograph of Mick Jagger!

My next major job is to go up into my attic and find the Vicar's robes we have...I need to photograph myself wearing them so I can see how the folds work...I also want to work on the Crow Lectern.

Tables - 2

 When ever I start a new picture, I work tentatively until I'm happy with progress. It's slow sometimes and you'd be forgiven for thinking that I'd not used this technique very many times before as I apply a few dots...sit back and lean froward to concentrate for a few more dots. I envy and admire the work of artists who have great patience and seek to replicate detail to the nth degree. It is only a matter of patience. I keep telling myself there is no race...no deadline. just the pursuit of that which satisfies my vision and desires. Of course as the composition progresses, I become more confident and there are areas that do not need the level of concentration that, say, a face will require, thus the speed at which I work increases.

I'm quite jealous of who See's my work at this stage. whilst I'm oddly happy to share my work online here and on Facebook, I'm not happy to show the actual piece to visitors to my house. I can't explain the reason why. I suppose because usually those who come to my house are my close friends and very few of them actually follow my work online. Revealing a partially created picture to someone who is not familiar with the concept behind it's formation is rather like exposing myself..it feels as if it should remain a private matter until all the components are in place.

I know that those who understand art , understand the 'work in progress' and are able not to judge the piece whilst incomplete. But many don't....and I often feel that I myself am being judged....and I'm not prepared to argue my case until all my evidence is in place....I know what I mean, i hope you do too...I'm beginning to get a little self absorbed here so I'll end. See you tomorrow!

Tables - 1

 Here's the first session of dotting ...I decided to start at the far right of the picture with the little boy. I'm left handed and therefore it makes sense to work from right to left. I thought the curly hair was better than the initial sketches which show it being straight...my hair used to be exactly like this...since the little boy is supposed to be me..that is good!

Below as I promised, is a photo of the entire area I intend to cover...I will publish a photo like this each time.

Tables - A bit more Prep.

I'm definitely not a shoe or foot fetishist...you'll have to take my word on that. But my Vicar needed some fancy footwear. Symbolically, they'll do for now,but I need to embellish them  at a later date.. I remember when I was at Art College, we had a visit from a costume and stage designer who spent time constructively criticising our work. The very best piece of advice she gave me which I still remember was, that if you're designing, painting, illustrating a character , to give them clothing which can not be bought off the peg. It has to be individual to that person. That's one of the reasons I like to add my own embellishments no matter how small or insignificant, a butterfly here or there, a skull or a space shuttle necklace etc....you get the idea.

The Vicar here is standing with arrogance and selfrighteousness...he considers that he has brought the argument of Creation versus evolution under his dominion...(hence his foot on the skull)...but the hidden things are revealed which show his hypocritical nature. The boot therefore is an extreme 'fetish' item which (for my symbolic purposes here) represents the 'cult' of 'Creationism' where some sectors of the church become entangled in the need to prove by  that the world was created by God. It doesn't matter one jot weather it was or not, because there's nothing you can do about it anyway..I think it's a diversion from caring for the poor and needy to be honest. I think if I were the devil...I'd sit back and say, "My work here is done...they are so concerned with trying to argue the toss with academics and anyone else, that there's no need for me to get involved...they're too busy to go 'into the world'.

Sounds like I have a chip on my shoulder doesn't it?..Well i have....more about that another time! I aim to begin the dotting tomorrow!

Tables - Prep.

 Today it was time to transfer the tracings of my drawings to some watercolour paper. I've chosen some Hot Pressed paper this time for it's smooth surface. Above you can see the tracings placed in the far right hand corner of the page. after some consideration, I've decided to alter the closeness of the boy and lectern and the Vicar ...this is easy to do.

 Above is the transferred drawings with the lines strengthened by overdrawing. You can see the boy is closer to the lectern.

 Above is a rather lopsided photo showing the drawing froma closer viewpoint. You will see the the Vicar does not have anything to rest his foot on. I needed to produce more accurate drawings of the Neanderthal skull. Below you can see the drawing I've done in my sketchbook...I used an online photo for reference. I've then traced the drawing. You can then see the final transferred skull now safely under the Mad vicar's stiletto!

Now I've made all the transfers I need to make for now, I shall begin to work on the vicar's face first.But because the drawing is relatively large compared to some of my other images, I will need to embellish and decorate his clothing...for example, the (I don't know the proper name ) the sash thing he has round his neck needs lots of detail and patterns of some appropriate symbolism. His shoes should not be just plain high heeled court shoes, but should really be some extravagant fetish boot...I'll have to do some research for some thing suitable.