December 30th I don't know if anyone else is feeling like I am, as the end of the year is approaching?. I feel like I am running out of steam. This must be the reason The Portrait Time Machine has produced an update of a portrait of James Watt by Carl Frederik von Breda. James Watt was not the inventor of the Steam Engine, but the man who made it all run smoothly. How ironic that in almost all of his portraits; he actually looks like HE'S run out of steam. When I read about his personality traits I felt I had an affinity with him. Excerpt from Wikipedia -He was a rather poor businessman, and especially hated bargaining and negotiating terms with those who sought to use the steam engine. In a letter to William Small in 1772, Watt confessed that "he would rather face a loaded cannon than settle an account or make a bargain."[41]Until he retired, he was always much concerned about his financial affairs, and was something of a worrier. His health was often poor. He was subject to frequent nervous headaches and depression. High Five Bro'! It must be a creative thing? I think this time of year is definately a time to re-charge the batteries in preparation for the coming season, where we will hopefully spring up again like the perpetual daffodils around York City walls. James Watt developed the concept of horsepower, the SI unit of power, and the watt, was named after him. All of these are units of energy; yet he appears in his portraits, to have none himself. So if someone asks you 'Watt's Up'? Just remember; you are like a rechargeable battery and sometimes in winter, when in what seems like our most dormant moments. We are actually preparing for a huge energy boost, so that we can 'steam' ahead in the Spring.............(Hopefully?) ------------------------------------------------------------------- December 27th I think I will have to admit that I am a bit of a Space Gypsy. Sometimes I head off in one direction; then end up floating off in another completely random direction, meanwhile forgetting all the things I've only just left behind. The lure of new; unexplored areas, has always drawn me in. (I would be THAT fly, that flew into the blue light). But; as I was checking in to my studio today, I noticed the Portrait Time Machine was left switched on. There; lying relaxed and re-worked was Erasmus. (See above pic) He's changed quite a bit since his original 1523 portrait by the fabulous Hans Holbein. If you were using physiognomy to analyse Erasmus; the first thing you would notice are the lines around his mouth that tell you this man can talk to anybody about anything, he was a great orator. His nose would be described as a great palace of wealth; so you could assume he was very wealthy too. Then his heavy eyelids would suggest that this person is a doer; who acts immmediately on new ideas. He's not someone who writes lists; as soon as he's thought of an idea, he has to act on it. His cheekbones would state that here's a man of feelings. I think if he were alive today he would be very concerned with the state of the planet; so that's how the machine has portrayed him. His anagram sweatshirt says it all. People of the Earth Erasmus says, Ur.A.Mess. ------------------------------------------------------------- December 21st Contact has now been made with Lolly, and normal-'ish' service will be transmitted as soon as possible. Was she 'Lost in Cyberspace' or 'On another planet?' find out in the next exciting episode! ......... ........ ... ___ ... --------------------------------------------------------------- December 12th Today I'm travelling by train to Shropshire to stay with my mum for a few days, so I won't be blogging again until early next week. I've designed this year's Christmas card; and today of all day's, seems to be the most appropriate day to post it. It's called Peace on Earth, (Just don't look outside). The monster outside the window this year is the Brexit Monster!...... Season's Greeting's to you all! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- December 11th Fell asleep before blogging.... -------------------------------------------------------------- December 10th Game, set and match. (Well, necklace set and match). I've added a pair of mistletoe earrings to the necklace I finished yesterday; then I just need to give it all a final hand polish, and it will be complete. Ready to sprinkle some twinkle this festive season. (Maybe I'll call it Angel Kisses ?), have you got any good suggestions as to what to call the set?, if you do, please let me know, I would love to hear from you... ------------------------------------------------------------ December 9th I thought I'd better set the stones in the re-cycled sterling silver necklace today, that I started on October 25th and never got around to finishing. I've used Red Carnelians for holly berries; Lemon Jade for mistletoe berries, Swarovski Crystals for the centres of the stars and a Moonstone teardrop. I re-enamelled the holly leaves first, as I wanted a more speckled effect. It was hard to photograph the finished necklace on my iphone, as the moonstone seemed to be actually glowing. I'm pleased with the overall effect though, and may make a matching pair of earrings to go with it tomorrow. (I could even make them like two tubes with zig-zag twists at the ends, or would that be two crackers?).... --------------------------------------------------------- December 8th I'm not going to blog tonight; (even though I'm actually now blogging). That's because I've noticed; of all the night's that I post, a Saturday has the least amount of readers. This is something I'm glad about; I like the idea that my readers are party people, out having fun. I have myself; been known to indulge in this art form, in the past. But tonight; with the wind and rain howling outside, I'm just going to snuggle down in my bed with some Netflix n Horlicks....(the drink that is!) ---------------------------------------------------------- December 7th Another painting has sailed out of The Portrait Time Machine. Today marks 201 years since the death of William Bligh; and the machine has updated his portrait by Alexander Huey, painted in 1814. There are lots of theories on why there was a Mutiny on the Bounty; the ship that Vice-Admiral William Bligh captained. We'll probably never know the true reason why his Master's Mate Fletcher Christian led a mutiny on board the ship. As I've said before; there's no scientific evidence to support even one jot of Physiognomy, I just find it interesting, and I can tell you what Bligh's face tells us using this very ancient chinese technique. He absolutely has the classic definition of a determined chin. With his very wide jaw line and jutting chin, you can see that this man is driven. My God, those men who were cast away with him in that launch could have just stick his chin in the water and that would have got them all the way to Timor!. His face also tells of a man who's quick to temper (his eyebrows), and his mouth shows someone with a rich fantasy life, who's quite mean and is good at keeping secrets. His eyes tell of a cautious man, who is a do-it-now type of character. If you used Physiognomy to analyse Bligh the summing up would suggest here was a determined, cautious but sometimes ruthless man, who was quick to temper. I feel more inclined after 'Face Reading' Bligh; to fall into the- "the men were corrupted by the freedom, idleness and sexual licence of their five months in Tahiti, finding themselves unwilling to return to the "Jack Tar's" life of an ordinary seaman, under the strict authority of their Captain. His drive and strict determination were the qualities that saved the lives of the crew who were set adrift by Christian. So those qualities came in very useful . Fletcher Christian must have been in turmoil when the descision was made to mutiny. He obviously held Bligh in high regard or he would have just killed him; he knew he would have been hanged, if caught. Yep; I suspect that the mutineers had had their fancies tickled rather spendidly in Tahiti, and that 'end of a fabulous holiday feeling' where you just want it to go on and on, took over. We all know that 'back to work' feeling?, Return to Blighty in a Blizzard ?, or Sun, Sand and Sex in Tahiti, it's a no brainer really?............Bye-Bye Bligh!... -------------------------------------------------- December 6th I've been sewing again today, I made up a Ginger 'Ed Sheeran Christmas Stocking. (See above pic, still available on Print me Pretty, and there's still time to give your friends a completley unique gift!) I was thinking of sending it to Ed, if I can find a mailing address for him?. In between sewing; I was checking out Social Media (as you do), and I was a little shocked by some tweets that I read. On Twitter I follow The National Gallery @NationalGallery; and there was a tweet at 3.10am today, that mentioned a new loan to the Gallery: "Jean-Etienne Liotard's 'The Lavergne Family Breakfast' is now up in Room 33". "At their breakfast table, an elegantly dressed woman watches her daughter dunk a biscuit into a cup of milky coffee": https://bit.ly/2SuksZq . I was very interested to read the comments underneath the post which stated; there were a lot of highly respected people in the art world who regard pastel and pencil 'painting', as not really art. I was quite gob-smacked at this declaration. Banksy is one of the top selling artists of the moment; and he just has a can of paint and a hole to spray it through........ Surely any art is 'Art' if there's a flow and a reason; and sometimes there's no flow and no reason, and it's still art. Ever since Duchamp's Urinal; I thought it was pretty much agreed, anything goes? Following on from Duchamp's work; I feel like I'm really pushing the boundaries of Art with my depiction of 'A Portrait of Ginger 'Ed Sheeran in the form of a biscuit, on fabric'. (See above pic). It's part of the body of work I call 'The Ginger Br'Ed Sheeran Cookie Series'. This includes the renowned work, 'Ginger Br'Ed Sheeran Christmas Stocking' - Cut out and Sew- Mark 1. (Also available in printed yardage in a pioneering form of portraiture). I know it's controversial drawing him in the form of Gingerbread; when it's blatantly obvious, he's a Gingernut. The thing is; I'm like dough, and that's just how I roll. So if a urinal is definately art; and the famous bricks called Equivalent VIII are definitely art. Then 'A Portrait of Ginger Br'Ed Sheeran in the form of a biscuit, on fabric' is probably...almost definitely, the next biggest thing in the Art World! Run; Run as fast as you can! You'd better catch him he's The Ginger 'Ed Man!! Or ..maybe I'm just taking the biscuit? (with a cherry on top?) (Yes;..... I do know, his wife is called Cherry; but I used a Cherry to cover his modesty because I felt an orange would be really taking the pith). ---------------------------------------------------------------- December 5th Yesterday there was a blip in the matrix; but today the machine is back up and running! Did you know 230 years ago today the poet, Christina Georgina Rossetti was born?. One of her most famous poems is 'In the Bleak Midwinter'; which was later turned into a hymn by Gustav Holst, then by Harold Darke. She had a lot of mental wrangles during her life, but I think she must have been a very caring person. Christina was opposed to slavery (in the American South), cruelty to animals (in the prevalent practice of animal experimentation), and the exploitation of girls in under-age prostitution. The above portrait of her, is by her famous brother Dante Gabriel Rossetti. She was born into a comfortable family; so when she came out of The Portrait Time Machine, she is wearing Gucci earrings and running her own Publishing Company. Physiognomy would say that this woman has lots of drive, and the machine has given her bright red lipstick to give her a stronger voice. It must have been quite difficult for her to be heard when she was surrounded by The Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood. I don't think there were any female members of that exclusive club.? Another of her famous poems is called The Goblin Market, she wrote many fairy stories for children. People have tried to analyse this poem and read into it their own interpretations. I read on her Wikipedia page that Christina Rossetti was a volunteer worker from 1859 to 1870 at the St. Mary Magdalene "house of charity" in Highgate; a refuge for former prostitutes, and it was suggested Goblin Market may have been inspired by the "fallen women" she came to know. I must say, that's certainly IS another term for a Goblin Market?.... blimey! ------------------------------------------------------------------ December 4th Ok; so on the 4th, I went out Out. ----------------------------------------------------------------- December 3rd As today marks the anniversary of the death of the Artist Claude Joseph Vernet; I thought I’d put a portrait of him by the under-sung female portrait artist, Elisabeth Vigee-Lebrun (1755-1842) into The Portrait Time Machine. Elisabeth painted over 660 portraits and 200 landscapes, fair play! I’m always a bit more excited when one artist captures another. It reminds me of the time I briefly met the Portrait Artist Peter Edwards, (who is from my home town of Oswestry) and we sketched each other.(See pics below). I think his portrait of me is much more relaxed than my manic portrait of him; you can see I was quite nervous about meeting him, (it was 1998). I would love to go to one of those ‘Drink and Draw’ evenings that are very fashionable around London at the moment. Sadly I haven’t found any of these fun events closer to home; in deepest, darkest Somerset. What fun it would be though; especially if it escalated to a ‘dance off’ style sketching evening?, a ‘sketch off’. Chest bumping other artists in a ‘come on then’ style. Hilarious. Actually; thinking about it, I have been to a different type of drink and draw evening in the past, but those usually involved a bottle of Vodka and a spliff. Back to today’s portrait. Now; as the subject of the painting is an artist himself, I had to think how I would imagine him as an artist in this day and age. The first present day artist who sprung to mind was Grayson Perry; and what a co-incidence that, when I put Joseph in The Portrait Time Machine, the resemblance was uncanny? I wonder how Joseph Vernet would feel about his Widow Twanky style make over, if he were alive nowadays? I would imagine he would find the skill of Grayson’s pottery most admirable; but, he would probably find his alter ego Claire, a bit of a Cracked-Pot? --------------------------------------------------------- December 2nd Following on from the 'flouncy' style portrait of yesterday; I've chosen another romantised painting to put in The Time Machine today. On this day in 1804, Napoleon was crowned Emperor of France. So, I thought I'd put a portrait of his adversary Vice Admiral Horatio Lord Nelson into the time machine. It was painted by Lemuel Francis Abbott; and for me I don't think you can get any more romantised than this. I mean; that man in the Nelson Portrait is seriously handsome with his big exaggerated doey eyed-ness. It actually makes me think of those pictures from the BBC production of Poldark. The pictures that went viral of Aiden Turner scything. I'm pretty sure if the portrait of Nelson were repeated in modern times, it would look something like that. (A naked half Nelson?) So; that is how Nelson is portrayed, once he has returned from The Portrait Time Machine. All I can say is "Kiss me Hardy?"..... Horati-Oh Yeah!..........You try and stop me! ---------------------------------------------------- December 1st So today marks a year since I started full time blogging. Sometimes it's hard to force yourself to write, edit, photograph, edit etc when you just want to get on with other arty things. I don't think I'm particularly suited to self-promotion either. My mother always instilled dignity at all times; yet in my experience generally it's the people that are screaming "Look at me, Look at me!"; that inevitably, do get all the attention (whether it's deserved or not). I'm just not desperate enough; (I know I will always somehow survive, being of no fixed abode for about 10 years in the past). Now; is that a good thing or a bad thing these days? It's hard to believe I was painfully shy as a small child. I've always felt that if I'm pushed out infront; my natural state, is to shrink back into the undergrowth. I felt quite overwhelmed when I read the comments on The UK Blog Awards twitter page about planning content, getting a logo designed, employing writers even? (As I was reading those words I was just naturally shrinking back; because for me, it's JUST me, and I just DO it, no planning etc). I definately feel like I'm at a crossroads in my life and need to be more pro-active in getting people to look at my art and my blog etc. Or; of course, the other option is to treat my blog as an exclusive club. Yes that's the answer;......... Welcome to my exclusive club you regular readers! Which reminds me did you know that 99 years ago today; Nancy Astor was the first female Member of Parliament, to take her seat in The House of Commons? That's why I decided to feature her today in The Portrait Time Machine with the above portrait which was painted by John Singer Sargent in 1909. I love Singer Sargent; and when I saw his portrait of Madame X in the flesh, it actually moved me to tears. He has managed to capture an iridescence in the skin which is sublime. Having said that; I do find his painting of Nancy Astor far too flouncy; and definately not, how a modern politician would wish to appear. Physiognomy would say that Nancy was a very driven woman, and maybe not a very good wife either? The modern Nancy would wear a power suit and carry a briefcase (which funnily enough, the style is called Astor). I couldn't help but tinker with her rosette , and it now features a sinking ship in the centre. No shrinking away into the bushes for this lady, she'll be sticking her chin right out!
4 Comments
12/21/2018 04:52:35 pm
Your December was full of observation, and I couldn't be happier to have read this. That's one common thing I have noticed from the artists that have met. It seems like they can remember all things that are happening within their lives. That's a trait that all people should have. I am pretty sure that there will be hundreds of observation you will be making on January, and I am excited for that! By the way, I heard that The UK Blog Awards was a huge success, I am sure the next year is going to be awesome!
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Lolly GoldingThe day to day life of a Somerset Artist Archives
March 2022
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