Tuesday, July 29, 2014

Moving on…


 In preparing paintings and sculptures for my exhibition “A New Lease of Life”, I worked myself to a standstill.  And while it is a relief to standstill for a while the creative spirit soon yearns to move on.  While I ponder what next in life, my model and studio assistant, Jessica Bellevue, has taken up the mantle on her own account.  

Jessica holds an Associate’s Degree in Sociology and is trained in Therapeutic Massage.  If you add an adventurous spirit and a love for poetry you are then on the verge of something different. 
My passionate belief in the beauty of the human form enabled Jessica to see beauty that had previously eluded her.  She began to realize that the wrinkles of age can be as endearing as the unblemished bloom of youth and the body is beautiful through all its moods and changes.  By combining the techniques of sculptural mold-making with her training in massage, she has developed the skills of Life Casting - an art form that dates back to ancient Egypt. 
The painting “Casting from Life” that introduces today’s diary page is by Edouard Danton (1848 – 1897) and the pictures below are a selection from Jessica’s life casting portfolio.








Sunday, July 13, 2014

Contrary to expectations


Whereas I feared that my exhibition A New Lease of Life would be damned by all and sundry, it has instead been hailed as a breath of fresh air.  This just goes to show that, in the realm of the creative arts, we never know what’s coming next. 

And therein lays the challenge: what next! 

While I ponder over that, I will leave you with a painting true to my objective of capturing the beauty of the female form in all her moods and changes.  Its title: Model with Hand to Pudendum, is taken from one of Rodin’s sketches on the same theme.

Friday, July 4, 2014

Public perception


Before the exhibition opened, I doubted that my paintings of the nude would be well received.  Even though Dominica projects itself as the Nature Island of the Caribbean, it frowns upon going back to nature!  Hence, it’s a pleasant surprise to find that my work has been appreciated by 99.9% of visitors. 

Here are more comments from the visitor’s book:

Amazing work!  Outstanding Exhibition!  Congratulations Roger!  Keep up the great work…

A wonderful exhibition.  Really stimulating and of the highest standard.

Interesting…Interesting…Interesting.


By way of a change, today’s painting is of the Botanical Gardens on a cruise ship day.