tales of the sea, martin law, October 2012

art : tales of the sea, martin law, October 201

On 16 November 2012 02:55, Martin Law <martin.rainbowmaker@gmail.com> wrote:

. . . to the he-art of the matter.  Among other influences, the hurricane they called 'Sandy' (my X) came into the picture.  Along with the amazing rainbow as i walked back from Bantry that day.  The relative darker 'tone' of sky, i realized as an interesting way of emphasizing all the highlights so that the face had no competition from a light background, also thereby tonally softening the only straight line of the horizon. Neutrality of grey, enhances colour, in particular the warmth of flesh colour.
While i'm not a fan of drama, in this instance it was appropriate to the mood of which the title is a key amplification.
Along with the rainbow of hope and promise and the hint of blue.  That's what's 'coming into' the picture.  But of course, there's a gravity and tension to the situation, adding to emotional depth. And the red sail boat, (the precise tone of red i was still adjusting to precision the morning i was trying to photograph it at the same time).  Ultimately deciding, get the mission completed and take it to Tobes, while getting it to dry sufficiently as to matt varnish that bit again and dry it in front of the fire.
It's certainly a Rembrandt thing, as well as a Leonardo thing that a portrait face is the highlighted part of the canvas, so there is an adaptation of classical practice epitomized therein. (spellczec doesn't dig the word theirin. Thinks it's an elf's name probably.)
And what with the raging maritime element, the hope, the vulnerable archaic vessel counterpointing one another, and as Roisin noted, each of her eyes expresses a different attribute (as is true of us all, the overview spirit compassion, and the direct, firm 'dealing with Earthlife' gaze.  I was amazed that such nuance survived the process without overworking it and losing it altogether, (a niggly 'haha' state to get into).
Anyway, that's just a succinct synopsis. And sure tis what it is, and if that is slightly provocative so much the better, i have no doubts.
I'm wondering what i will do, as they say, 'next.'
Awaiting the inner writing prompt, and contemplating notions of trees, the metaphysics of monochrome and the significance of brown (which i seem to go through cyclically at this time of year).
Latest thing i painted, . . . a neat little green on white elvish wooden sign saying:
 NO JUNK MAIL  Thanks.
With some clover or shamrocks (read 'seomra og' = young clover) at the bottom.
Speaking of grey.  Some of my early or formative art revelations had a lot to do with grey but that's another long story.  Even had a recurring cosmic nightmare as a child where grey figured literally hypnotically.  So i know something of its deeper potential.  Probably a form of inoculation with regard to weather also.  Rain is poetically profound.
" Tis shocking dirty weather!"  ..."Amazing isn't it?"  Says i simultaneously in passing, (this often happens).
Van Gogh went through a similar progression with his colour, and later seemed to express a leaning towards that earlier sombre mode.  You can experience that sense of dichotomy in some of his works, like 'The Church at Auvers'.
But this is touching on a variety of other interesting tangents... all of them deeply art related.
Jenny, who wrote me from Brighton, and who i last heard from in 1969, said, "Becky kept all your drawings from that time and even put them on Facebook. You did a drawing (cartoon) of a queue of people at a bus stop, one of them was you.  With a little cloud above your head and you were the only one it was raining on, do you remember it?"
Ha, i think i do.  Sounds like me anyway.
Love and hope. ~~~~ Rainbowmaker.*