Peculiar Children

Miss Peregrine’s Home For Peculiar Children, by Ransom Riggs.
I can see myself having created the cover for this book. I can also see myself having written it, in another reality, if I could focus upon the written word with the same integrity and confidence that I apply as a creator of images.
And I haven’t even read it yet.
It is on its way to me right now:)

I feel as though I haven't posted here for such a long time. It isn't really, but I have so many distractions at present that I haven't been able to create many new works - working on a few commission deadlines are taking up my 'art' time, and in my relaxation spaces I have been indulging my fashion blog with random thoughts and imagery, catching up on some overdue book reading (Umberto Eco's 'On Ugliness' is fantastic), and just generally trying to keep tabs on this horribly wayward sleep disorder. I feel like the somnambulist these days. Summer is always the worst. For the most part I sleep relatively well throughout winter, but summer brings drawn out phases of sleeplessness and allergies for me, which tend to drain me of my usual store of energy. Still, I have some wonderful ideas gestating - more surreal, darker themed works, perhaps.

I have also temporarily disabled my Facebook account in an effort to downsize my web use a little. There's something about the quick and easy format of sites like Facebook and Twitter that I find offputting. There seems so very little room for reflection, depth, etc, unlike bloging, which is so personal and cozy in comparison. But this is just me, I suppose, and I simply wanted to cut back a little, instead of scattering myself randomly all over the web like little pieces of artandghosts confetti.

And now, I must go and attend to my weekly shopping list: the kitty is eyeing me suspiciously.

xxx

Marchpane

For Sandra.

Digital painting and collage.

For the Specters and Dreams series.

Will write more later!

And later: The images were inspired by a fictitious portrayal of the young life and conflicting nature of Katherine Howard, the fifth wife of Henry VIII. I have recently finished reading a deeply moving story concerning her (fictional) life at court, her marriage to the king, and her subsequent downfall - a very beautifully written book which I was delighted to be able to create several illustrations for (I will be able to give a clearer description and details about its release soon!).

These images represent Katherine's dual nature, or her conflicting emotions as a lover and a queen. The Katherine to the left symbolizes her integrity, tenderness, her emotions, whilst the Katherine to the right enjoys the distractions of merriment, dancing, feasting, weaving intricate webs of mystery around herself, and indulging the attentions of her admirers. Personally I am quite taken with both sides to Katherine. Although my images are not entirely descriptive of Tudor fashions, I simply wanted to create my own impression through my own working style to represent her. The stain around her neck in the first image is supposed to suggest her future, her fate, whilst also alluding to her love of rubies and luxurious jewellery. Here she amuses herself with kittens instead of her beloved dog, holding onto her precious letters to Thomas Culpeper (her secret lover), wearing the key to her heart as a brooch, and her frock adorned with fresh roses, which harks back to Henry's pet name for her 'a rose without a thorn'.

The ravens/black birds are concerned with the Katherine on the right. Her fate in the balance once more.

And concerning the title - a word which really resonated with  me whilst reading the story. Marchpane, (the old English word for marzipan) consisting of almonds, sugar and rose water was a luxurious component of medieval cuisine. I should love to create my own now, with gilded quatrefoils around a crowned Tudor rose! Easy peasy;)

xxx

Little drawing

Little drawing with pencil, pen and acrylics, cut up and rearranged. I think that I might take this concept into the Singing Tree, especially since the earlier additions to this series combined both digital and traditional media. It feels as though I haven't played with paint in quite a long time, too! I've always wanted to try out sketching clothes for some reason, but have never actually tried to before. I like the idea of them taking on a personality of their own, merging with nature, or perhaps even growing out of it. I will possibly create more in this style over the coming week, because sketching and taking photos is just about all that I am in the mood for right now.

xxx

Estrella

 

Digital drawing for the Singing Tree series.

Quite a large canvas, so those individual blades of grass almost pushed me to the brink of insanity. I find digital line drawing to be quite a bit more difficult and time consuming than pencil drawing. I think that this is because the digital pen sort of glides across the tablet, so you don't seem to get as firm a purchase on it as you might with a pencil. Sometimes, when I begin a new Singing Tree picture I have to make sure that I'm in it for the long haul, haha. And so here we are. I love the pink and red tones. I've been wanting to create something with minimal tones for a while now, so I'm happy to have finally got stuck in. My most cherished element of all is the sky with its strange constellations.

The girl is supposed to be leaving home and attempting to 'move in with nature', which is central to the concept of the Singing Tree series over all. She discovers that nature might not be quite what she had imagined from the relative 'safety' of her comfortable human home. The size of the bird represents how vast this hitherto unknown world actually is to her - and I also like to imaine the bird as some sort of oracle which she is hoping to consult. Have a feeling he might be quite merciless though - and this goes on to remind me of the Erl King, which is a theme that I have been hoping to indulge in for years!

On the subject of the Erl King, for those of you who loved Angela Carter's version, you really must check out this contemporary collection of fairytales (I have featured it a dozen times before!), which features a new take on the Erl King story by the very wonderful Sarah Shun-Lien Bynum. I am reading the book oh so slowly (alongside three others, which is silly, I know), but have made my way through about three quarters of it so far - and not one story dissapoints. Here is the link to the Amazon UK version.

I may write more later, just so tired now and I didn't catch anywhere near enough sleep last night. Tomorrow evening I am supposed to be attending a psychic night with my friend at the local tavern. I don't wish to become involved, but am so intrigued by the whole thing. And tomorrow is the solstice...so make sure to be merry, and take care xxx

Individual pieces and parts :]

Dreamchord Luxe

Softly. Walking with you, a hundred years ago. Afternoon sun, the hay wagon driving us home. Swinging our legs, dust in your eyes. Heat haze and cool streams. An insect symphony. Blackbirds, frog spawn, picking up sticks. Daydream. Butterflies with milky wings. A sun child and a sun king. Walking. With you. Over the stone bridge and back again. Long socks, long ago, a faded shirt. Heart of the sun. Forever. Walking. With you.

Tidal, absolute. Wake into a dream where the forest opens out onto the ocean. You stand at the edge of the cliff alongside your sister, your mother. All of you staring out to sea, all eyes on the horizon. You have seen what lies ahead, beyond your time. You are deeply loved. All three of you smile. And then you walk away, back towards the forest, alone. You lie down on your belly in the long grass, crying softly for everything that has been and everything that ever will be. Faith, loss, renewal. And the universe has taken you to its heart. You will never be alone again.

 

Labyrinthine. These rooms, opening onto new passageways, leading to other rooms. Each one with whitewashed walls, filled with your grandparents antique furniture - those Hummel dolls, the white porcelain lady with her white haired dog, and the curious crystal pyramid. Everything's here, everything you once knew. Your brothers never got old, your playmates' laughter resounds behind closed doors. But you can't see them. Where are they? There's a room at the end of this corridor with dark velvet curtains instead of a door. You have to enter this room because it might mean the end of the world. So you push back the drapes and enter, cautiously, trying not to let your feet make a sound. Once inside the room you are surprised to discover your playmates at last. They are no longer laughing, if ever they were. There is no furniture in this room, only a collection of white metalwork cages, the sort of cages in which people might keep little birds, suspended from the ceiling by chains wrapped with a decorative trellis of make-believe vines. Each of your playmates sits within her own ornate little cage, pale faced, knees pressed together, knuckles clenched. Their mournful eyes follow you as you navigate the room, but nobody speaks. Not a sound. You wonder what could have happened to them, but are afraid to ask.

I found a dead sparrow here, beneath this tree, so I buried it. That same night I dreamed the sparrow sleeping beside me, thrusting its bony wing into my ribs. The next day, returning to the tree, I spied three little boys poking around the burial mound with sticks. Leave it alone, I said. The boys pretended not to hear me. Leave it alone, I said. The boys laughed, kicking up the earth. And then I began to feel funny, like a wind was blowing through my head. My sides hurt, and my fingers and toes felt numb. It felt as though my bones were stretching, cracking, there were too many colours, so many sounds...When suddenly all about me was light, wind and leaves. I was way up above them in the arms of my tree, feathered and weightless and free. I'm a bird, I cried, i'm a ghost in this tree! The three little boys had dropped their sticks and fled in terror. Come back, I cried. Oh please come back and play with me!

 And then I woke up.

New work for the Dreamchord Luxe series.

For the solstice.

xxx

A Dream is Hiding

Between the Lines a dream is Hiding

Animation of paintings by Seattle artist Anne Siems.

This is so beautiful.

x

Dolls

I usually share my influences and inspiration posts over at my Tumblr blog, but I felt that this collection of images might be more fitting here, considering their particular importance to myself as a creator of scenes depicting strange, doll-like children. When I first ever used the internet, Japanese/Korean doll art appeared before me like a sort of miracle, a visual revelation: I could never have previously imagined that such beautiful and (occasionally) disturbing works even existed. It was as if so many of my dreams and ideas over the years had materialised before me, those peculiar scenes which had previously only entered my mind when considering short stories I might never write, or figures that I did not have the talent to sculpt. Prior to using the internet, I would create endless paper and paint collages which hinted at such things, yet the characters which came to later populate my portfolio could ony ever have come to 'life' after having witnessed these wonderful works. It was as if a missing jigsaw piece had fallen into place. I began collecting the images, storing them in small folders as a source of inspiration. I drew from them, studied them, copied them, and adored them. They came to symbolize a kind of doorway into my most lucid dreams, my forgotten memories (I suffered amnesia as a child), my nightmares, this fierce desire to create. They became a catalyst, a muse, an adored passion. Eventually, I began to move away from the dolls themselves as a direct source, having developed my own particular 'style' or 'repertoire', I no longer needed them as a guide, but almost everything that I create today contains this original motivation, this seed of an idea, and the debt which I owe to these artists is really quite immense.

Here are a selection of my current favourite works by Emi Kobayashi, Akiyama Mahoko & Yuriko Yamayoshi. Please click the images for the source.

Akiyama Mahoko

 Emi Kobayashi

 Yuriko Yamayoshi

xxx

The Moondial

The Moondial

1988*

I have been searching for this series for quite some time. Quite a haunting story, if I recall. The series has been uploaded in 12 parts. Locate them as you go along via the Youtube menu to the right.

 *Oh, for those Halcyon days...just prior to the homogenization Disneyfication of all popular media.

New Arrivals

New arrivals at the Art&Ghosts shop.

Includes recent works: Carnaval, Swann's Way and the Secret Heart set.

Plus many sold out prints back in stock :-)

xxx

Moongaze

Today. Moongaze.

xxx