Early Western science included the study of the medical benefits of herbs, alchemical experimentation with distillation and a philosophical understanding of the evidence of the handwork of the deity in the natural world. Because there was such a lack of understanding of their work, renaissance practitioners of scientific research were often confused with sorcerers. Here’s [...]
Also taggedWe had a very busy day in the studio. Ethan and Joseph were occupied with the second coat of gesso on the big Virtues canvas, then Joe got into stretching the third of the eight foot square canvas that Cyn McCurry sent from Texas onto its panel, ready for a wash of distilled water prior [...]
Also taggedI love California’s weather for its kindness to roses – here you can grow plants that will bloom almost all year round, and I’ve often bragged about them to my father on the telephone as he looks out over his rain-swept English garden. Egyptian followers of Horus used the rose as the symbol of the deity, then [...]
Also tagged Alchemical work, Crucifixion, mysticism, oil paintingA couple of days ago Francesco came to the studio to visit prior to his return to New York. I really enjoyed spending time with him, with his easy calm temper and excellent cooking and I hope to see him again soon. I’m closely guarding two of his paintings for an exhibit at the local Hillcrest [...]
Also tagged astronomyI had a little window of opportunity to fill this afternoon, so while Death dried behind me I set to work putting the finishing details onto Justice, including a delicate balance suspended from her hand. I decided to make a very finely weighted system of spheres instead of the more conventional scales because I am interested [...]
Also tagged christ, Tarot-related paintingsI started drawing The Golden Bowl painting directly onto the canvas which is not my usual practice, but I’m impatient to make stuff! I’m quite excited about the piece. It’s unusually small compared to the rest of my work, but I really like the symbolism embedded in the piece. There will ultimately be five figures [...]
Also tagged Alchemical work, oil painting, pythagorasThe sources I use for making the work I show vary: some of it comes from my research into prehistoric British megalithic sites, and the correspondences I find there with Pythagoras, alchemy and archaic religions. Imagery from alchemy is so mystifying that it requires study to understand what the writers mean by their language and [...]
Also tagged Alchemical work, art, paintingI spent the morning taking care of administration then got to work after lunch. The studio looks great right now after a big clean up courtesy of our student worker Marianne, who is doing a great job of getting things straight. I managed to get nearly all of the birds laid down except for a [...]
Also tagged Alchemical work, art, ashlar, crow, freemason, lesser work, oils, painting, ravenI have procrastinated long enough over this, and although I managed to spend a morning putting paintings away, tidying my office and taking care of some administrative stuff, then sharing a good lunch with my colleague Terry Spehar Fahey, who’s a fabulous painter, by the way, I had no excuses left. Yesterday I spent an hour [...]
Also tagged Alchemical work, art, crow, lesser work, oils, painting, ravenHere’s the finished piece, shot from the front. Today I sold my red haired mermaid painting to Jean Amador, a well known Southern California architect designing environmentally friendly buildings, making use of clever lighting and spatial arrangements to cool them without wasting power. I’ll miss my maiden, but she’ll be in a good home with people [...]
Also tagged esoteric, figurative, megalith, nude, oil painting, Tarot-related paintings
