Petersham Golden Green - oil on canvas - Lee Campbell
Happy to report an excellent turn out at the Open Studio weekend so a big ‘thank you’ to all who braved the cold and mud. I’ll be busy with commissions right into January and have enjoyed some interesting and requests as varied as boats in full sail and beach pebbles – also a large painting of The View from Richmond Hill using quite different colours – see above.
'Twickenham Gold' - oil on paper Lee Campbell
Twickenham Mist - oil on paper Lee Campbell
'Twickenham Blue' - oil on paper Lee Campbell
Thames Mist - oil on canvas, Lee Campbell
The Thames November Draw Off
This new series of local scenes feature the ‘draw off’ which takes place each November between Richmond and Teddington Locks to allow for the river bank to be cleared of debris. This year the draw off will last until 25th Dec to allow for repairs to Richmond Lock gates, apparently they are waiting on a cable to be sent from Russia.
This can result in some unusual views of the riverbed dotted with feeding birds – swans, ducks, coots, gulls, rooks, crows, cormorants, grebes and herons can all be seen easily from the bridge over to the island. Whilst these low tides reveal many horrors to be cleaned away by volunteers, they also reveal all sorts of treasures normally hidden beneath the waters. Under the rocks are hundreds of freshwater shrimps, crabs and eels. These range from 2-inch elvers right up to more mature specimens over a foot long. Marine biologists from the Zoological Society of London have previously recorded he freshwater gastropod, the river snail, pea muscles, zebra muscles, freshwater cockles, swan muscles, leeches and flatworms.
'Twickenham November' - oil on paper Lee Campbell
Draw Off - Sunday
Portland Gallery Christmas Exhibition
Opens 3rd December – all welcome
Christmas Exhibition Lee Campbell 2011
Other exciting news- I have been invited to exhibit 3 pieces of artwork in the
RCA’s Secret Eighteenth Birthday
Exhibition and sale of original postcard-sizzed artworks, donated by internationally acclaimed artists plus up-and-coming graduates from the
Royal College of Art from 18th Nov
To purchase ‘Secret’ Postcards register: www.rca.ac.uk/secret Postcards signed only on the reverse – last years contributors include Maggie Hambling, Peter Blake, David Bailey and Tracey Emin
Networking news
I have joined the very pro-active Kingston Chamber of Commerce run by Lisa Gagliardi and enjoyed an excellent breakfast last week at Bentalls – good food, good company and a goodie bag!
To find out more about the group see: http://kingstonchamber.co.uk/
Follies Galore
We visited the fantastic Pains Hill Park in Surrey with Holly one glorious autumnal day: http://www.painshill.co.uk
Folly on the lake
The Mill
Hours of pleasure exploring the winding water features, a mill, a grotto, a tower, a Medieval tent, bridges, forests and follies with excellent panoramic views across the Surrey countryside. Dog-friendly and on a week day very few people.
Dog Portraits
Speaking of dogs, after several commissions painting dogs I find I rather enjoy it and am now taking orders to do oil paintings of dogs from photos. This cute little chap was a pleasure to paint.
'Toby' - oil on canvas Lee Campbell
Have begun a series of drawings of Holly the Saluki and took this pic as she adopted her default setting – ‘Dreaming of Me’.
e mail: gallery@portland-gas.com Tel: 0208 3321200
'Frozen Light' oil on canvas - Lee Campbell
Since August I have been working with The Royal Ballet School at their White Lodge site in Richmond Park. Feeling at a bit of a loss since the Byrne Bros project was completed, I approached the Ballet School and was delighted when they agreed to allow me access to White Lodge over the summer. The exhibition at The Portland Gallery will contain over 20 paintings produced as I immersed myself in this fabulous environment.
I was given access to the archive where I was allowed to photograph the old ballet shoes worn by Dame Margot Fonteyn. It was a real privilege and I could only imagine how her feet would have felt at the end of a performance.
'Dame Margot's Shoes' - oil on canvas Lee Campbell
The forest surrounding the lodge contains many ancient oak trees and these have become part of the body of work along with the resident deer that inhabit Richmond Park. It was gloriously hot August day in Richmond Park as I navigated my way slowly past a heard of fallow bucks who were camped on the roadside and munching happily in the morning sun and flicking away flies with their antlered heads. There are over 300 fallow deer in the park and approximately the same number of red deer.
'Majesty' oil on canvas Lee Campbell
The view of the Lodge from the bottom of the hill was magnificent and I paused to admire the ancient oaks rising in a stately fashion form the bracken but I wanted to imagine how it would look dressed in autumn colours and late afternoon shadows.
'Autumnal' oil on canvas - Lee Campbell
The interior was equally fabulous and the first image I concentrated on was the main ballroom’s chandeliers and I attempted to capture this spectacle using mirrors and an unusual format:
'Paradox' oil on canvas - Lee Campbell
Continuing on a the theme of paradoxes I used ornate railings as a device to separate the dimensions within Le Reflet de la Lune which was given it’s title by my clever student Sandra who speaks French fluently.
'Le Reflet de la Lune' oil on canvas - Lee Campbell
I have also used tiny shoes as a means to return to still life painting, I find this to be a necessary balance to working from my imagination. With several weeks to go now to the opening I have still to complete a painting of floating feathers and hopefully one of oak leaves.
'Satin & Velvet' oil on panel - Lee Campbell
‘Tiny Dancer’ oil on panel – Lee Campbell
The show has also given me a chance to explore the mixed media collages that I enjoy in between paintings:
'Connections' mixed media - Lee Campbell
and to revisit the theme of bubbles:
'The Entrance' Oil on canvas - Lee Campbell
and works that simply suggested the ethereal atmosphere:
'Borne on the Mist' oil on canvas - Lee Campbell
However it was the Costume Room that provided the most colourful and rich cacophony of textures and vibrancy. I found rows of tutus stacked kebab fashion and hanging joyfully, hats, props and shoes patiently awaiting the next performance so I have returned to a technique of oil on paper to capture the delicacy and transparency of the fabrics:
'Costumes II' oil on paper-Lee Campbell
'Costumes III' oil on paper-Lee Campbell
'Costumes IV' oil on paper-Lee Campbell
White Lodge is a neo-Classical Palladian building and a rich history dating back to 1727 and built for George II. Since 1955 it has been home to the Royal Ballet Lower School which was founded by Dame Ninette de Valois and has just had a £22 million refurbishment.
The students are comprised of 120 11-16 year olds and among the allumni is Darcy Bussell and there are approximately the same number of staff attached to the complex.
There is a Museum in the crescent wing which has been imaginatively and instructionally designed to trace the history of ballet parallel with the history of White Lodge – museum@royalballetschool.co.uk Tel. 0208 3928440
Richmond Park has been designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest and a National Nature Reserve. The royal connections to this park probably go back further than any of the others, beginning with Edward (1272-1307), when the area was known as the Manor of Sheen. The name was changed to Richmond during Henry VII’s reign.
'Park Light II' - oil on paper Lee Campbell
'Park Light III' - oil on paper Lee Campbell
'Park Light IV' oil on paper -Lee Campbell
Exploring the building I enter through the rear of the building to discover it almost deserted except for some workmen and the security guard -
What a delight to have the freedom to explore this extraordinary interior alone. Beginning in the lower brick tunnels which link the classrooms and dance studios I crept respectfully through taking photos of all before me.
'Light Pools' - photo - Lee Campbell
Light effects ….on the shiny floors seemed to echo with the steps of dancers past and the kids artwork.
Moving through to the spectacular front of the house I noticed the ornate details and the statue of a dancer:
Looking out across the park to the lake I could see tiny figures moving slowly in the distant heat. The Shard which I had painted during my last project was visible trusting upwards through the heat-haze on my way up the hill.
'Allegory' oil on canvas -Lee Campbell
The garden had a display of gorgeous old roses which smelled heavenly and sculptured trees statues and a summer house.
Drawing – I love it and charcoal is such a fantastic medium to explore ideas and solve problems, so forgiving and suggestive. This is a ‘collage’ of images of the Savoy from photos taken during the refit last year in preparation for a large oil painting. So many ghosts seemed to be lurking in the lovely old building – so many stories of excess and larger than life characters.
Kaspar the Cat
It was in the 1920s that the hotel’s most famous resident checked in and never left. Kaspar the Cat, a 3-foot-high wood sculpture of a regal feline, was expressly created to ward off any superstitions of guests dining at the hotel’s Savoy Grill. Apparently, to dine with only thirteen guests is ominous, and the first to rise from the table will soon meet with tragedy. Kaspar’s role is to be the official fourteenth guest, served with every course as normal, should anyone unknowingly hit upon the unlucky number of diners.
Good to be back in the studio again too now the weather is warmer – it gets so cold in there that ice forms on the inside of the skylights.
Studio in snow - Lee Campbell
Old boat winch
Would like to pretend we had ‘two feet’ of snow but it was only about 6 inches – however this is what my feet felt like working in there until I treated my self to some seriously solid and waterproof Ugg boots. Fabulous!
Two Feet of Snow
Lost in Music
Xmas was a delightfully cosy and musical affair with champagne and a CD of Dylans’ radio show choices – ‘Theme Time Radio Hour’ – an excellent selection of early American music. This was enhanced by reading ‘White Bicycles’ by Joe Boyd which provides an overview of the birth of Rock n’ Roll. I also accompanied Steve to the radio station where he helps out with mikes for the live recordings – Radio Wey (named after the river Wey) where Martin Clarke runs a blues show on Friday nights (9 – 11pm). The live act that night was Marcus Bonfanti – who writes his own songs and sings them with the conviction and experience of someone many years older -
I also revisited an old favourite of mine John Prine and watched this video of him – what a lovely person he is with a rare mixture of humour and compassion in his song writing. Was lucky enough to see him in the 80′s here in London. Also revisited a favourite from the 80′s – great lyrics about ‘dealing with the hazards’ by King Trigger it was the soundtrack of my migration back to London from Melbourne in 1983.
Other favourites from this period were ‘Modern Love’ by Bowie, Joe Jackson’s ‘Stepping Out’ and ‘London Calling’ the Clash.
All this and Huey Morgan on BBC Radio 6 current on 6 times a week!
Peace Pagoda – Battersea Park
Last weekend we were visited by Reverend Nagase the Buddhist Monk who is the guardian of the Peace Pagoda in Battersea Park. I first met him when he visited my shop on Ebury Bridge Road in 1998 and despite not speaking English very well his delight in art was obvious and we have been friends since then. Sadly, he is being ‘terrorised’ at the moment by a particularly tenacious vandal and is particularly vulnerable due to cut back in park staff. He lives alone and needs support more than ever so please help if you can – he welcomes visitors and can be contacted on 0207 2289620.
The Rev. Nagase spends his day in Buddhist meditation, ‘other works’ and in maintaining the pagoda, a job not made easy by the fact that people climb up it and make a mess on the second floor, an area forbidden to the public. He relies on donations to live and is grateful to the bread he gets from a local Caribbean bakery and vegetables from a Chinese vegetable shop. Any help is welcome, not least with his heartfelt pleas for assistance in cleaning the pagoda.
The idea of Battersea Park being home to one of Japan’s foremost Buddhist sects may strike the casual visitor as incongruous – to say the least. But to early morning joggers and dog-walkers it will not be a surprise. A saffron-robe clad Buddhist monk, gently beating a drum as he does a daily perambulation at sunrise from his temple to the Peace Pagoda, is a familiar sight.
The Reverend Gyoro Nagase first arrived in England in 1978 from Aichi prefecture, near Nagoya, in Japan, to assist in the construction of the first Peace Pagoda in the UK in Milton Keynes. In 1984 he moved to London, as part of a team of 50 volunteers and Buddhist monks and nuns of the Nipponzan Myohoji Buddhist Order, to construct the Peace Pagoda in the park, which was completed the following year. They were living in what is now the Children’s Zoo but, as the site was expanded, the Buddhist order was offered a storeroom, in the trees near the Old English Garden, by Wandsworth Council, on the understanding they carried out all renovations and the conversion into a temple. Gratefully the offer was accepted, the work was carried out by volunteers and today, with just one remaining monk, that temple has developed into a successful centre for the sect, attracting Buddhist followers from not just London and Japan, but also people from China, Sri Lanka, India, Burma and Taiwan who are now living in the UK.
The Peace Pagoda stands about 33.5m high, and is made of concrete and wood. It has four large gilded statues of the Buddha, one facing North, one facing South, one facing East and one facing West. A small temple has also been built nearby, with just one monk of the Nipponzan Myohoji order as permanent resident. The monk currently occupying this position is Rev Gyoro Nagase, who came to England in 1978 from Aichi prefecture in Japan. Each morning at sunrise Rev Nagase makes the short journey from the temple to the pagoda, beating his drum and chanting the Daimoku. He spends his day in Buddhist meditation and maintaining the pagoda, among other tasks. Rev Nagase is a regular participant in the annual London Peace Pilgrimage, organised by Westminster Interfaith, under the auspices of the Catholic Church.
Gathering Battersea Park
Each year in June a ceremony for peace is held at the Peace Pagoda. Monks and nuns of the Nipponzan Myohoji sangha are joined by monks and nuns from other Buddhist traditions, in chanting and offering prayers in front of a temporary shrine set up in the environs of the pagoda. Representatives of other faiths and of secular peaceseeking organisations also offer prayers for peace. The ceremony finishes with traditional dances from India and Sri Lanka, and music of various kinds.
Peace Pagoda, Battersea Park
Nasty Scam – Artists Beware
This scam is currently targeting artists and people selling goods on line and from web sites.
It was quite a convoluted scam that took place over 5 weeks from the initial contact from a chap in Denmark asking about the artwork on my web site. This is quite normal I get a lot of genuine enquiries, and after many e mails he finally selected paintings to the value of £6,000 and said he was also buying some furniture from Manchester and asked if the paintings could be transported there.
He then sent a cheque despite being asked to use Pay Pal or BACs transfer but alarm bells rang when I saw it was a UK company cheque – with someone else’s name.
Then he requested that I send him £2000 to cover transport – by Western Union – and this is where he came unstuck as I’d not agreed to pay for that.
I notified the bank and despite the cheque clearing initially it proved eventually to be stolen. Easy come – easy go! It seems that this scam is being used worldwide and they are particularly targeting artists at the moment. Such a waste of time but good lesson.
Points to look out for:
The amount offered not same as price of goods
Offer to send cheque only – they are stolen and will bounce
Been frantic getting work ready for my new Hampton Hill Playhouse Exhibition and what a delight to finally hang it today! I finished the last piece yesterday. This painting re-visits my old haunts in Pimlico. I lived in Dolphin Square and worked as Resident Artist on Grosvenor Dock during the week then Tate Britain in the weekends so I used to spend a lot of time cycling along this stretch of the Embankment.
I managed to get 12 fairly large pieces hung in the space without it looking crowded.
The Exhibition is at 90 High St. Hampton Hill and will run till 24th January. For opening times please contact the Hampton Hill Playhouse – 0208 4104541 or myself – 07900 242997
'From Above' - oil on canvas Lee Campbell
'Battersea Glow- - Lee Campbell
'Revelation' oil on canvas - Lee Campbell
Time now to concentrate on the on-going Shard/Savoy commissions for the Byrne Group and private commissions with Xmas deadlines.
Oil on paper study of the extraction tube at the Savoy - Sept '10
It’s been so good having Holly (Dog) and Huey (DJ) Morgan (Fun Lovin’ Criminal) to keep me company. I always try and get to the studio by 10 in time to catch the beginning of his show on Radio 6. He brings a gritty rock n’ roll reality to the station and has a genuine camaraderie with the musicians he interviews.
Twickenham Riverside
The Autumn colours have been fabulous and having a dog allows for much more time to appreciate them on the way to work and lurk in cemeteries (Holly’s favourite squirrel hunting ground) on the way home at dusk.
It’s also the time of the ‘draw off’ when the Thames is effectively shut down between Richmond and Teddington Locks so the river edges can be cleaned of debris – shopping trollies and the like. The boat dwellers complain of sloping floors as their home ‘bottoms out’ and things slide off tables.
Other news since the last blog was an e mail from my artist friend in Sweden, known simply as ‘Denis’ he sent me this amazing image of the painting that documents his battle with cancer.
He explains:
“I didn’t paint a face consciously. But rather worked on the whole painting in ‘one movement’ over a period of about six months. So the size (over 3mtrs) prevented me from making a deliberate choice of any specific image as such.(too close.. to physically see it.. I mean).
The work changed as I changed my acceptance and understanding of my illness and its psychological effect on my being as a male.(Penile Cancer does that to a man). I have worked on a version of ‘mind’ projection (sic: physiogenomic projection) method for over twenty years- now and over the last decade or so I have made efforts in integrating both emotional and spiritual content into an image relevant to my feelings and experiences of the world and life.”
What a journey and what a fine way of dealing with the battle.
Networking and enjoying my new role as Secretary /Treasurer of BNI Hammersmith, we have an all girl leadership team and with over 40 members are the most successful group in central London.
Breakfast networking people
One of the new members is the charming Dereck Celis who visited my studio with his girlfriend Georgina and entertained me with travellers tales and this great picture of himself with Johnny Depp channelling Keith Richards.
I took some great photos of Keith off the telle of him during an interview and although I haven’t done a portrait for many moons his face is such an inspiration that I’m really tempted.
More earthquakes! Poor old Christchurch has had nearly 4,000 aftershocks since the big one. Another big one 2 days ago.
Poor old Christchurch is still being rocked by aftershocks and according to my friend Bev, who lives there, they have had over 150 of them- follow this link to see them recorded as they happen.
So much damage and apparently there was a terrific roaring sound as it was happening – what a horror - however the true NZ spirit – thriving on adversity is illustrated well below:
On a happier note – fabulous weather last week and off to Brighton to deliver a painting to a customer – lovely excuse for an outing to the seaside – fish n’ chips on the beach and the countryside looking lush in the last bloom of summer. Coincidentally, within the last few weeks I’ve been contacted by 2 customers from the Claremont Gallery in Brighton which was run by the lovely Pat Dodd until 2001 and who I’ve sadly lost touch with. It’s so good to hear from people who have my paintings particularly people who had bought them many years ago. Although they’re sold they still continue to be an integral part of my creative evolution and it’s been an excellent reminder.
Holly at the beach
Another delightful piece of news: ‘Rosie’ The Patriotic Piano finally has a new home – she was purchased by a father for his daughter and is now residing in North Yorkshire having raised money for the charity in the process. What a lovely end to her long journey. A very big ‘Thank you’ to all who helped to make that happen and you can hear her being played beautifully by her new owner
Went to a reunion on Frid night held at my old art college in (KIAD as it was then) Canterbury and the only people I saw there that I knew were my old art tutor Tony Mott, who taught me to draw at The Heatherley School of Art in Chelsea long before I went to Canterbury, and a fellow student from the year below me, Sue Fisher, who didn’t even know it was happening but had popped in to see the MA show which was also on. Lovely to see her though and made it all worthwhile. Good also to see Ted Harrison’s MA paintings, very thoughtful spiritual work. So weird though seeing my old studio space all empty and bare – I felt like a ghost – an invisible memory echoing down distant hallways. After all it has been 20 years since I graduated and I would really like to contact Sarah Dodman who graduated with me in 1991. Sarah are you out there?
Finally finished this painting I’ve been working on all summer, it’s part of a series of river paintings like this one
'Submerged' oil on canvas - Lee Campbell
More young talent in the form of Danica who is 16 years old and has auditioned for the famous Berwick St Studio in Soho in London and she has just got a recording deal with a record company
Check our this link – you’ll be amazed
What a sensational voice!
SAVOY RE-FIT NEWS
Also last week, a visit to the Savoy to gather more images for the project I’m working on for The Byrne Group – overwhelming, sumptuous, hyper-decorative, fantastic – like a series of film sets – especially so as there was no furniture in place yet – waiting for all the actors to appear. A real privilege to have a preview as it doesn’t open till 10/10/10 – very auspicious I’m sure.
The blue feet are to protect the newly laid flooring – some carpets still had covers on.
Blue & Gold (Richmond Bridge) oil on canvas 28" x 36"
From 22nd June to 26th August 2010 The Portland Gallery on Richmond Hill, Richmond on Thames, Surrey will be hosting an exhibition of my latest work. This will include oils on canvas and panel and a series of new ‘Metallics’ – constructions of found objects.
Construction II - Lee Campbell
'Construction IV' - Lee Campbell
For details of opening hours please contact the gallery Tel: 0208 3321200
I’ve been busy getting this show together and working on some very big commissions (6′ x 4′ oil paintings) and am very excited about this show as it in the place where much of my inspiration comes from -’ The View’ from Richmond Hill, to which I have felt intrinsically linked since I first saw it in 1973. My absolutely favourite place in the world.
Q. What grows at 3m per day and has roots 50m deep?
A. The Shard – destined to be 72 floors high it will be the tallest building in Europe when completed in 2012.
This magnificent building designed by the Italian architect Renzo Piano had already climbed to 21 storeys high when I was invited on a site visit with the architect Cathy Stewart by Michelle Tilley of Byrne Bros who has commissioned me to design and produce artwork for the foyer of the Byrne Group who are the concrete sub contractors who are building the core structure.
What an amazing experience it proved to be – after penetrating the tight security we were kitted up with glasses, gloves, boots and high vis. jackets by Rob Moore who gave us an in-depth tour of the site. Rob shared my love of rock music and had been the tour manager of Dr. Feelgood when they had played Melbourne where – by coincidence – I had seen them play in the 1970’s – people have such multi-faceted interesting lives these days. Quite bizarre to be discussing this in a wire cage as we were pulled the side of the building, past the crane driver reading his paper, to the 21st floor with London sprawling below on a glorious sunny spring day.
With the 2 Robs
The tour started with the 3 levels of basements we clambered down the narrow stairs into a noisy hive of activity and witnessed the rendering of the huge pillars of concrete textured with spirals and ridges (like ancient Romanesque) by the earth and clay walls of the bore holes that the concrete was forced into.
The scene was reminiscent of a Piranesi drawing – with activity deep below and high above, glimpses of glowing welding sparks, gigantic metal tubes, sheets of metal – some steely grey others golden with corrosion. It is the sheer scale of everything reminiscent of the lair of one of James Bond’s villains and the noise of all the activity – felt quite relieved when it was time to return to ground level and ascend.
There had been an enormous ‘pour’ the previous week which had been organised along the lines of an army manoeuvre: over a gruelling 36-hour operation, 700 truckloads of concrete were deposited at the London Bridge site. The 5,500m3 single concrete pour ranks among the largest ever undertaken on a building in the capital, with trucks arriving on site at 2 min intervals from Battersea and Greenwich it marked the first major milestone in the construction.
This culmination of the building’s groundworks package has created the huge raft foundation that will support the tower. The build is a ‘top-down’ construction which involves casting the ground floor slab and excavating the ground below while work on the superstructure above continues. Fascinating process with concerns for safety due to the busy location and the heat generated as concrete cures. A ‘secret formula’ was used and described by Don Houston (the snr. project manager of Byrne Bros, ground granulated blast furnace slag to replace 75% of the cement. Plasticisers and retardants are also added to increase the flow. At last – the language of artists! Which reminds me why I am there… my brief is to complete 2 pieces – one about the Shard and the other based on the Savoy Hotel re-fit which Byrne Bros. are also working on. I am off to visit the Savoy next week and can’t wait to see how things are looking there – what a contrast to a spanking new build where, as Renzo Piano so beautifully put it – one is ‘taking from the city – the air – but you give back the land. He is referring to the angle of the design which allows the sky to continually reflected down to the street.
Following the visit Cathy and I crossed Borough High St to the café in Southwark Cathedral where I was astounded how similar the oldest part of the walls were to the most recent parts of the Shard. I have so many images, sounds and ideas buzzing around in my head, can’t wait to begin.
For the last 8 years this station has been my constant daily companion when painting in the studio or working at home listening through my Mac. The DJs are like family (sad I know) but to start the day with Shaun Keavney’s wit and irreverence, coffee & chats with Lauren Laverne, lunch with Nemone and evenings with Steve Lamacq and dear Gid and his duffers. Sunday painting sessions are done in the company of Huey Morgan (Fun Lovin’ Crimals) and his muso-rock mates and the lugubrious yet scholarly Jarvis Cocker delighting with obscure and amazing tunes, and of course the gentle-voiced Guy Garvey (Elbow) late at night – what’s not to like! All these national treasures have an extensive knowledge and devotion to music most having played in bands themselves so can give illuminating insights and tell anecdotes of life on the road gigging. The variety of great music combined with the absence of dreaded repetitious brain numbing commercials makes this station simply irreplaceable – so you can imagine my dismay to discover that this wonderful thing is under threat from the BBC controllers BUT we can fight and so to help PLEASE click on the following link….
http://www.38degrees.org.uk/email-the-BBC-Trust
As my friend Steve says – it’s about music that doesn’t rot your brain… so in the name of the late John Peel and all that’s not SimanBullsick – support Radio 6 now.
These are 2 visual distortions that have fascinated me over the last few months.
During my residency last year at the NPLab I was introduced to the phenomena of Catastrophe Optics – great name!
Have you ever stared into a cup of tea or coffee and noticed the play of light on the surface or the patterns light makes on sand when seen through water or the sun sparkling on a lake or pool?
These are delicate patterns are the optics of nature, the physics of light, otherwise know as interference diffraction phenomena.
The mathematicians Thom and Arnold discovered that there are only 3 forms that these departures from symmetry (known as caustics) take – the fold, the cusp and the swallowtail. To see these shapes – www.phy.bris.ac.uk/people/berry_mv/pictures/poster1.pdf -
I never quite found a way of incorporating these sculptural twisty geometrical shapes into my artwork but as someone who has spent a lot of time painting sunsets over water I find the idea that something as apparently illusive and transitory can be ‘pinned down’ scientifically and analysed. The image below is a painting I did of the Marshall Islands with the sun shining through the clear tropical water.
The second visual distortions are called Brocken Spectres – wonderfully ghostly phenomena sometimes witnessed by mountaineers when the conditions are just right. The examples below are closer to the earth – misty forest and in the headlights of a car.
This is the explanation with the help of wikipedia.
A Brocken spectre (German Brockengespenst), also called Brocken bow or mountain spectre is the apparently enormous and magnified shadow of an observer, cast upon the upper surfaces of clouds opposite the sun. The phenomenon can appear on any misty mountainside or cloud bank, or even from an aeroplane, but the frequent fogs and low-altitude accessibility of the Brocken, a peak in the Harz Mountains in Germany, have created a local legend from which the phenomenon draws its name. The Brocken spectre was observed and described by Johann Silberschlag in 1780, and has since been recorded often in literature about the region.
The “spectre” appears when the sun shines from behind a climber who is looking down from a ridge or peak into mist or fog. The light projects the climber’s shadow forward through the mist, often in an odd triangular shape due to perspective. The apparent magnification of size of the shadow is an optical illusion that occurs when the observer judges his shadow on relatively nearby clouds to be at the same distance as faraway land objects seen through gaps in the clouds, or when there are no reference points at all by which to judge its size. The shadow also falls on water droplets of varying distances from the eye, confusing depth perception. The ghost can appear to move (sometimes quite suddenly) because of the movement of the cloud layer and variations in density within the cloud.
The head of the figure is often surrounded by the glowing halo-like rings of a glory, rings of coloured light that appear directly opposite the sun when sunlight is reflected by a cloud of uniformly-sized water droplets. The effect is caused by the diffraction of visible light.
Fabulous! The science and beauty of these images is justification (if it was needed) for the inclusion of the occasional ‘ghost’ or presence in my paintings. The glorious neutral colours in the first image serve to emphasise the subtle rainbow effect and this may well find it’s way into the new body of work that I am currently working on. At least it will – as soon as the temperature in my studio rises above 5 degrees (and that’s with the heater on).
Recent noteworthy experiences Nudity in Epsom
Cold misty morning loaded up the mini with art materials, my trusty assistant and navigator Steve, and model – Hugh Barnden who is also an established artist in his own right. We arrived at the Royal Automobile Club – an old stately home well off the main roads and set in a beautiful landscape of rolling hills and golf course. We had been hired to put on a one-day Life Class for the members and what a delight it was!
The class took place in the sumptuous Derby Room with heavy velvet drapes and ornately framed oil paintings of horses lit by chandeliers. It was without a doubt the best environment I’ve ever taught in, fabulous lunch, delightful participants and all really well organised by the RAC staff. The environment echoed the dignity and gravitas that was once awarded to ‘Life Drawing’ – according to my more elderly art tutors – students would have to spend their first years drawing only from plaster/marble figures until they could show sufficient skill to be allowed the privilege of entry into the hallowed ‘Life Room’ where a roaring fire and thick curtains would protect the naked model from draughts.
Porcelain Rocks! Bathroom Fantasies and Dental Delights
The Atlantic ‘Creative Bathing’ exhibition – so much more than a plumbing showroom! Following my weekly networking breakfast I travelled to Fulham with Frank Harrington to understand more about his business. Well I knew that he was very professional in his approach to all the basic plumbing and heating needs but I wasn’t prepared for the astonishing array of state of the art appliances, ‘sculptural’ radiators, elegant heated fittings, and wall and floor surfaces displayed in a manner to rival any art gallery… there were beautifully lit mysterious alcoves – one revealing a shower/steam/wet room with seating, changing coloured fibre optic lights and choice of music. A stylish period bathroom complete down to the smallest detail, elaborate Art Noveau shower fittings fit for royalty and not least – a bathroom with built in flat screen TV complete with it’s own waterproof remote control. http://www.atlanticplumbing.co.uk/ Go see!
Still in awe of the way science and design can be combined to enrich the daily functions of our lives I make my way back to Hammersmith to my next appointment with Dr. Ian Greenwood – the dentist who has recently joined our group and has established new premises off Hammersmith Broadway. Ian explained that Salisbury House has a long history in the area as the home of dentists and he has spent some time sensitively restoring the interior. However, the actual waiting room and surgery are bang up to date with all the latest hi-tech dental equipment which he patiently explained and demonstrated – so amazing to see ones actual mouth quickly recreated on the computer screen. Classical music and artwork on the walls combined to produce a relaxing and professional environment. I have found my new dentist. Dr. Ian Greenwood 204 Hammersmith Rd. Tel: 020 87486543
Addition to Post – 28th Dec 2010
Below is a painting done from the reference photos – it was shown of several occasions but no one really recognised what it represented so I’ve since painted over it:
