World Culture & Conservation | The Unfathomable Artist

[ pre-published commentary is highlighted in blue. If you have seen my Instagram posts for these works you can skip re-reading if you prefer. ]

“after Chikupo Cave Art” is stylistic ‘cave art’ with symbology in the stripes, dashes and a dot inspired from recent acrylic paint and collage/mixed media works such as “UN noise dash dot”, “Conker Lots”, “The Fathomable Scream” and “Tiger Lion Sphinx with Human Hair”.

The works referenced all feature either/and/or stripes, dashes or dots to hint the idea of Morse code. “after Chikupo Cave Art” differs in its whimsical addition of dashes and dots contrary to the other pieces. Despite the whimsical nature to fill canvas paper space, I feel there is a point to this. I don’t know what exactly, or why I chose to include this symbology.

“Vertical Cosmos” is an art experiment.

I posted this work giving no information regarding its originating inspiration, theme or interconnection. Specifically for viewers to form their own ideas, first.

After making the piece I realised a sorrowful woman’s face at the centre of the ostrich egg! I was stood several feet from the artwork at the time, then appreciating why I didn’t wish to change the cerulean blue paintwork.

The ‘vertical’ title for the piece is derived from the atomic structure of ostrich eggs, namely the vertical crystal layer. Decorated ostrich eggs have been used to make art pieces in Africa for millenia.

I wanted to make an impressionistic ostrich egg after listening to a Botswana man playing the hanedelo, a one-stringed violin type instrument, recorded in Botswana, the Kalahari Desert, 1972, according to the video’s description in 2017.

Here is the video I viewed:

The San bushman’s rapture is fascinating. I felt his spirit was lifted by the music.

Quote:

“Cave Art Monsters” began as a geometric doodle. I decided to overpaint/cover the ink pen doodle completely, dripping mars black paint randomly. The intriguing shapes formed whilst the paint moved over the paper canvas unintentionally.

Enjoying these shapes I cloth dried the watery-wet paint and decided to brush paint cadmium-red around the lines. Presently I’m also seeing (filmed) bonded atoms in some of my recent works (appears as two dots/paint-circles joined).

I love the strange mythological creatures in this piece with the mars black volcanic substrate.

Bonded atoms, for this theme see also “Fragments #1” which features Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin riding on a train track, broom or rocket. Hey, to me “Fragments #1″ was a bunch of abstract shapes when I made it. The only discernible shape I could visualise was the popular ‘blanket ghost’ in triangular orange at the top-right. Complete chance.

For that matter, are bonded atoms somehow represented in “Conker Lots”? Possible conjecture or coincidence I guess. Could be scientific in some way though.

Making art for all ages is something I enjoy. Appealing to classical art fans and a child five years of age is the gift of artmaking.

In the morning viewing a social media reel of an American lady showing the utter ruin of her family home in LA following the Eaton fire, “Log Cabin with an Orange” began as a scratchpad work. Brushwork completely unconnected to the reel.

As textures formed a box-like structure I began to paint a roof, becoming obvious the ‘artists dimension’ was calling for some way for me to communicate feelings surrounding the fires’ events.

I referenced the artwork with an orange, deriving personal meaning to myself in 2004. Then, starving hungry all I had to eat was sour oranges from a tree.

A sense of empathy.

Please kindly note I have strongly campaigned several years for a reversal of manmade climate damages in terms of commercial activities clearly ravaging the natural ecology and meteorological environments.

This artwork would only be sold for charitable purposes.

Here is the reel: