New paintings and E17 Art Trail.

I've still been busy working on some more paintings for the next couple of exhibitions and getting things ready for the E17 Art Trail.
My paintings, Stones Guard the Mysteries of Earth, above and Night of Mysteries below, both include standing stones. In the painting above, the colour of the harvest and corn came first in the work, evolving into swirling cornfields reflecting the patterns of the wind. As I was contemplating this new landscape it seemed to include the idea of a stone circle. Stones that definately bore symbols of the Goddess and ancient ritual and seemed to protect the land and the entrance to the underworld. The deer still resting at the start of a new day brought a sense of calm and balance with her and the whole painting came alive for me with a sense of beauty and completeness.

In Night of Mysteries, the landscape took on the tones of a night sky illuminated by a full moon that also arrived early in the painting. I was feeling a sense of mystery evolving with a strangely more alive sense and resonance to the standing stones. The stones are marked with symbols and have taken on some of the colours from the night sky. Stylized and symbolic trees stand on the horizon and a stag is running across the land looking back over his shoulder; as if also recognising the strong presence of the stones. I was left thinking do they really walk at night?

Dawn Fires page with exhibition details here

Two other small paintings are work in progress and I am pleased so far to be touching a weath of symbolic and mystical themes that are bringing together a lot of my strands of work.

On a completely different note I am continuing with the year long Street Photography Project, which will be continuing in some form after the year has end

ed. Project info here.

I have entered one of my photographs, Protest on the Streets, in at The Mill, info here, as part of the E17 Art Trail. E17 link here

I am also helping on the drawing event in the Vestry House Museum gardens on 3rd September 11-3pm.

Art Grows on Trees is also happening again this year and will have even more art works offered for free on each Saturday of the art trail. Sat 3rd and 10th of September on the lime trees next to Walthamstow bus station from 9.30 am. info here

Higate Village and David Hollington

I picked up my photograph from Lauderdale House and found a really great exhibition of work there by David Hollington. His site here. I was intrigued by the mixture of Hindu and Christian/British symbolism and landscape and drawn to the delightful energy and expressions of the animals and birds in the painting.

It's always great to find another artist tackling the subjects of spirituality, myth and symbolism and combining traditions or cultures. I wanted to find out who he was and what had lead to these paintings. On David's site there is a good description of how his passion for Indian and Hindu art, culture and religion developed and I thought the quality he mentioned of devotion, is something that is conveyed in the work
.

While I was there I walked up into Highgate village and took some photographs. The only problem being the constant traffic, I could see how lovely a place it must have been without all the cars and vans constantly driving through.

There was an artist working in bright colours with his easel set up on the pavement, outside a traditional tea room. Only one or two people spared a glance his way. Maybe he was a common sight there.