Monday 13 January 2014

THE SOUND OF SILENCE

When I read the theme for January's Art Journal Journey, I had to think hard about how I could create an artwork about an abstract concept.  Then I realised that we are only conscious of Silence as a contrast to Sound, and my inspiration came from that.

"SILENCE IS MADE ALL THE SWEETER BY THE SONG OF A BIRD
Mixed media - Jez
I drew a thrush as my songbird because I have always loved his song best, more than the blackbird or the larks I used to see and hear so often during my childhood.  When I drew the thrush, it reminded me of a poem by Robert Browning I learnt at school.  Although it is called "Home-Thoughts from Abroad" and I had lived in England from the age of three, it's evocation of the English spring made it a favourite.  Browning's lines about the thrush made me listen more carefully to its song and realise how observant the poet was:

                                   "That's the wise thrush; he sings each song twice over,
                                     Lest you should think he never could recapture
                                     The first fine careless rapture!"

I used my favourite poetry book to check that I had the words exactly right, a Christmas present from my dear mother almost 59 years ago.  It has a blue cover in soft leather, and it has been used so often that the back cover has broken off.  Fortunately it slides into a blue card case that holds it together.  I looked back at the inside cover for my mother's dedication, and the years rolled back:

She wrote: "To be new born when thou art old"
SUNDAY POSTCARD ART

For Sunday Postcard Art we were asked to create a postcard (6" x 4") in monochrome, and I have made two postcards on the theme.

A little while ago Dev and I went on a one-day workshop with a talented and individual local artist called Pam Potter  to learn some of her techniques, and the two watercolour paintings below are the result of recent experiments at home with one of those techniques.

Blue Mountains
Brown Hills
To create these simple landscapes I followed Pam's method - applying watercolour paint directly from the tube onto the paper and then using a piece of old credit card to spread the paint down the page.  It certainly produces unexpected effects, and from time to time I try to improve my skill with the technique.

TAKE A WORD

Next,  the theme of "MOON" has been chosen by the Take a Word team this week.  I wanted to do something a little different and out of the ordinary to challenge myself.  It has been a while since I have made a collage from my stock of unwanted photographs so I went hunting through the box of old discarded photos.

The snaps I used to create this imaginary 'planetary collision' were so old that they had been developed and printed from photographic film in a high street photo shop years ago, and it made quite a change to go back to this type of collage.  Each element has been cut out with scissors and stuck down with PVA glue.  It looks fairly complex, but it comes together quite quickly.


"THE DAY THE RED MOON FELL ONTO THE PLANET ZOGG

This picture records that terrible night when, in the Ziluvian Galaxy, the red moon suddenly dropped out of the sky and landed on the planet Zogg, creating havoc and leaving only one home standing.  As the Ziluvian sun rose the next dawn, the magnitude of the disaster was visible to the surviving Zoggonians, and a great deal of sniffing and snuffling ensued (Zoggonians can't weep and wail!).

Full details and loads of video footage will be available on Zogg Sky News later this evening and repeated for the next two weeks on every single hourly bulletin.  Bet you're glad you don't live on Zogg.


Linking to Art Journal JourneySunday Postcard ArtTake a WordArtists Play Room

34 comments:

  1. A veritable treasure trove this week Jez your Silence is lovely as are the monochrome landscapes ...beautiful work. I like your unique take on the moon challenge it is so fun to think outside the box...a great effort on all my friend.

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  2. What a unique approach to the "moon" challenge! Very creative and eye-catching, Jez!

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  3. Lots of great art to look at. I love your monochromatic watercolours!

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  4. Wonderful pieces of art Jez - I love this Mixed Media Birdie for the silence theme very very much!
    Thank you so much for joining us with the silence theme at AJJ !

    xxx
    Susi

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  5. The note inside the book given by your mother brought a tear to my eye, what a lovely inscription. I too love the song of the thrush and to combine the quote and image of the thrush is beautiful. The fallen moon made me smile, planet Zogg must be an inhospitable place Those poor zogarians must be having a hard time! :)

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  6. The paint scraping method looks so interesting, Jez. I do think I will try my hand at that. I especially like your blue mountains.

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  7. Lovely work, my fave today is the thrush and the poem you have quoted. Valerie

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  8. Wow. So many wonderful pieces of art to look at. I love the red moon story! I guess Zogg will never be the same again.

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  9. Very lovely artwork! Especially I like the blue mountains!

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  10. wow,i love your art works with the theme of silence,the birdie its so cute,and the mountains so amazing,loove it to much !!!

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  11. Beautiful artwork, love the bird and your interpretation of the silence theme. The mountains are also beautiful.

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  12. you're very prolific and i love your enthusiasm for art. Great job.

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  13. I think I was here already this week then got distracted with the links.... wonderful piece...love the thrush with your quote... love your versatility Jez!

    Hugs Giggles

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  14. Loving your thrush and your new techniques. Such a special journal with the inscription from your mother, definitely to be treasured. Happy PPF, Annette x

    http://nettysartadventures.blogspot.co.uk/

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  15. Lovely piece of art, my friend!Always your fan!

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  16. from PPF - love the inscription page in your little book. How wonderful to still have that!

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  17. lovely new work and that cute bird!!! love it!!! Happy PPF!!!

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  18. wow- such fabulous projects! I especially love the thrush and the words you used. Happy PPF!

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  19. Phew... thank goodness I don't live on Zogg... honestly, what a calamity!! Everything is wonderful here - the artwork, the words and the creativity. Nice!!

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  20. I love the thrush, one of my favourite birds, how wonderful to have that book still with your mother's dedication. I love how you are always so willing to experiment!

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  21. Wow this is a great post with wonderful art.
    Nicole/Beadwright

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  22. What treasures and I love your journal art!

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  23. Happy Paper Saturdays Jez. You have been busy again I see. Do you ever stop? Thank you for sharing that wonderful Techinique. I will try it one day its on my to do list know. Hugs ManonX

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  24. I love the variety of themes and techniques you played with this week, but my favorite piece is your "silence" themed art journal page. The thrush you illustrated is magnificent. Blessings!

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  25. Lovely pieces! That watercolour technique is very intriguing and the mhills turned out beautifully.

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  26. What a lovely treasure you have in the book with a wonderful message from your mom! How special! Great post :)

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  27. I am always amazed at the variety of work you produce every single week. I especially like your "red moon" science fictiony picture, as well as the two hills/mountains pictures.

    Thank you also for the comment on my blog. I'm adding a description of how to do the wheat paste resist in my next entry, in answer to your question. Thank you for visiting!

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  28. This is a lovely painting of the thrush and together with the poem and your story of the poetry book, a lovely thing to see and read. I wonder which poetry book you have as they were not so many then.
    And.....what a terrific Moon collage and what a story! I am going to be glued to Zogg Sky News to follow the latest Zogg moon news.

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  29. Hello Jez, Your thrush along with the poem and story of the poetry book from your mother was a delight to read this morning. Thank you so much. Have a lovely week. xo

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  30. So nice to see your works, so diverse and inventive. My favorite are your paintings of the mountains, with their different mood. I live in the plains, but I grew up in a place with hills and mountains...I miss them so much! :)

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