Welcome
Well here we are, post number one. First of all, welcome and thank you for taking a look at my website. I hope you find things here that you enjoy as both interesting and beautiful.
Why am I writing this blog?
I made the decision to start collating some of the knowledge that I have accumulated over the last few years, particularly regarding art and the making thereof - hoping to get the muddled collection of esoterica out of my head and down on paper for all to see and enjoy. Much of what I will write in these pages was, and continues to be acquired to meet a demand, to serve a purpose - typically in the preparation of a painting.
Before embarking on a piece of work, particularly a master copy, like an actor using "the Method", I do my utmost to climb into the shoes of the artist that I am studying. For example, if there are elements of Leonardo da Vinci's work that I want to incorporate in my own pieces, I will dedicate myself to emulating a painting of the great master. In the process of emulation, it is to my mind absolutely essential not only to understand what an artist has painted but why, where, and how. Producing the same "feel", the same "effect" of another master, is only possible to do truly with an infusion of empathy, understanding, and emulation - in addition to an understanding of the technical skills and historical materials.
Why does Leonardo insist on painting with murky weather outside? Why does Caravaggio push the values of his work to their utmost extremes of light and dark? What are they trying to say? Of course, there are volumes of books and theories looking at the answers to these questions, but if one places oneself in the shoes of another, not only will hints of answers emerge, but the pertinent questions themselves during the painting process. To answer these questions, it is not only necessary to look at a masters oeuvre, but to think as the master thought. This requires deep dives into the history, the time, and the place of a painting - not just what it looks like. During these deep dives into the lives of the masters, their thoughts, their writings and their paintings, I developed such an eclectic range of thoughts, ideas, and knowledge that I have decided that now is the time to begin getting them down on paper.
If not only to save them from the deterioration of time, the waning of my memory; but hopefully for your pleasure and intrigue too. Historically, following the completion of a project such as a study after Leonardo, I would move onto the next piece of work and regretfully forget much of what I had learnt along the way. Partly through stubbornness, and a natural reluctance to place my work in the public domain; and, partly due to a lack of awareness that these thoughts and ideas may be of some utility or interest to others. However, close friends and colleagues around me have convinced me to the contrary, and that there may in fact exist some interesting or valuable fragments that are worth sharing. I certainly hope this to be the case.
At the moment, all is but a scattered collection of ephemeral trivia. However, I am hoping that from this process of documentation will emerge something that begins to resemble a cohesive and ordered library of knowledge. Much of which is known to many already, but filtered through my own lens will manifest hopefully in its own light.
I plan for there to be some variety in content, some articles light and interesting - ideal to read over lunch. There will also be longer articles, for those rainy Sunday afternoons or wearisome train journeys. I also plan for technical "how to's" - things that I have learnt hands on as a painter that will hopefully be of some practical use to other artists along the way.
The exact content of what I have planned is far from set in stone. However, as a little taste I suspect the following themes will emerge:
The techniques and lives of the Old Masters
Studies and analyses of beautiful paintings from a practising artist’s perspective
My art making process - documenting the steps of bringing paintings to fruition
Unveiling the mystery behind the materials of oil painting, historical and contemporary
Thank you for reading and once again, welcome to this blog and I hope you enjoy the content to come.
