Revelations

The revelation of seeing a minute detail enlarge to the size of house wall.

The dictionary definition of "revelation" nicely sums up what I am after: A Pleasant and enlightening surprise. The surprise first came about ten years ago when I began searching for a new way of presenting my work, in the belief that there has to be more to exhibiting paintings than static framed pictures on walls.

I began experimenting by projecting onto an eight foot screen a one inch detail of a watercolour. The result was a pleasant and enlightening surprise. With video I can now go a step further and make the image move - just a the lines and washes that I throw down on paper move when the work is in progress. 

As I have indicated in numerous past posts: the devil is in the detail!

Portraits with a difference

The last in my series of Painting from Life videos is on the subject of portraits, but portraits with a difference. The difference being working freely from the live model as against minutely copying from a photograph. The video ends with a four minute demonstration of me painting my self-portrait - warts and all. 

As my portraits do not look "just like a photograph", I doubt that the content will go down well with the majority of aspiring artists. But that's me!

I am now working on a series of experimental videos, not so much to tutor, but to inspire. 

Innovation and Creativity

Bevin Etienne is a professor at the McIntire School of Commerce at the University of Virginia. He is from my island of dominica, and is an expert in the areas of sustainability, entrepreneurship, energy and social innovation.  

Dr. Etienne is currently visiting Dominica with fifteen of his students who are focusing on Social Entrepreneurship in Small Island Developing States. The theme of their visit to my workshops and studio was innovation and creativity - and that I have in abundance!

All that Jass

 

The crowd at last year's Jazz 'n Creole

As a jazz devotee I have for years been concerned about the content of Dominica's annual Jazz 'n Creole. In the past I suggest that it be re-named, “Dominica Popular Music Festival + All Else”. 

But Dominica's Prime Minister went one better. In commenting on this year’s Jazz ‘n Creole, by accident or intent, he put the event in context when he said, I think that it has been a good Jazz. Had the word “jazz” been spelt “jass”, we could assume that he was not referring to the music but to the revellers having a jump up. 

The word jazz, in reference to the music as an art form, did not come into use until 1917. Before that it was jass.In those early days, jass was good time music in dance halls. The word being possibly derived from "jasmine", a strong perfume popular with prostitutes in the red-light district of New Orleans.

Promoting the event for what it really is would draw even bigger crowds. With a separate event devoted to jazz and its creole influence we could then begin to foster an appreciation for one of the world’s most profound art forms, and moreover, an understanding in young Dominicans that this art form was created by those of African and Creole descent. Such an event may not initially draw the crowds but it would in time appeal to the cognoscenti, as the success of real jazz festivals throughout the world have shown.

Video footage of the event left me wishing I could have been there - not to listen to the music but to sketch the crowds. 

How I wish!

Landscapes with Figures

An image from my video Landscapes with Figures

 

My most recent video delves into the challenge of adding figures to landscapes. If done spontaneously, they fall into place as natural as breath; if they are laboured over they become obtrusive.

Although my sketches are the work of seconds, I have laboured for weeks to get the message across in a video. My demonstration ends with a statement from an onlooker: He's made a mess of that!