Author: Seb Palmer

I found this sketchpad and unfinished oil painting, today. Behind another old artwork (an abstract print), in the lounge!

The reason I call this The Absent Procuress is because in the original there’s an old crone – the titular Procuress – on the right. I left her out!

Good riddance!

This kind of stalled, on the lute strings, many years ago. Anyway, now I’m suddenly doing art again, I figured why not try n’ finish this one?

So I painted the strings in today. Kind of. They need separating into pairs, or ‘courses’ (I think?). And, the way I’ve gone about it, they also need ‘knocking back’, and shadows need redoing, etc. So, there remains quite a ways to go.

Hopefully I’ll do some or all of that tomorrow?

Picasso was infamous for his dealers having to prise his work away from him. Else, he’d just keep finagling it! Well, I may not be Picasso. But I can understand his perspective.

Finishing this has been a mother!*

But I think it’s there now. Wherever that may be. I just hope Dad (and co.) likes it!

*Rather apt, as it’s Mother’s Day Sunday today!

Got Sun Ra at Albert’s House back from Rex, at Granary Studios.

This isn’t as successful a project, for me, as Dan’s recent pieces. But, hey… it is what it is!

OK, so I just wasn’t happy enough with the piece as was. So I’ve masked off parts of the frame, and reworked certain areas a bit more.

So I’m not letting the artwork being framed stop me from improving – and hopefully finishing? – it.

It’s fun to see if I can mine my own imagery, as I have been doing with Picasso (or Matisse, or whoever), and develop ideas further.

From its cropping areas (more of that to follow, below), to reflected/distorted images, to combinations…

Finally, zooming in a bit more:

And, finally… ‘hello, birdie!’

Well, I’m done either way this piece now. Sun Ra at Albert’s House, I’m calling it. I’ve even signed and dated it!

I’m in the process of spraying several layers of fixative over it. And later today I will be delivering it to Rex, at The Granary Studio, to be framed.

It’s day’s end, and I’m abed. The piece of art is now with Rex, to be framed. I did the above hours ago. It’s another variant… I guess when I get the framed artwork back, I can still tweak it a bit, if I want?

I’ve been tweaking the above on my iPhone, between actually working on the real ‘flesh n’ blood’ article.

And it’s definitely starting to come together. at one point the bottom half seemed the better part. Now it’s undoubtedly the top half I like best.

The bottom half – the keyboard motif in particular – needs work. Essentially, simplifying and declutterring. Could be a metaphor for my life!?

Do I darken (and lighten)in the bottom sections, as per this iPhone edit? Or do I leave as in the pic above that? Either way, I think this is finally nearing completion.

If I’m totally honest, it’s not a triumph. But you can’t win ‘em all. And I have to learn to be more accepting of a broader range of results.

As Sting once sang:

‘To search for perfection 
Is all very well
But to look for heaven 
Is to live here in hell…’

(‘Consider Me Gone’, Dream Of The Blue Turtles)

Well, I’m utterly miserable. Probably a result of the excess of whiskey on Tuesday night. Jeez, what a furkin’ dope I can be, sometimes!

It’s a gorgeous sunny day. And I feel like a stinky turf on someone’s smelly old shoe. Horrid!

Chester’s pestering for food has been really annoying me. So much so I’ve shut him out several times, to let me get on with Dad’s painting.

That seems to be going a bit better, in part. Specifically the bottom half. I introduced the ‘keys’ in the arched piano portion of the design. In near primary colours: red, yellow green and blue.

Some black and white line work, with acrylic pens has also helped focus things a bit. But I still feel a long ways from happy with this…

I have a few ideas… and, in true jazz style, it’s all about improv’.

Hmmm!? I think this is finally starting to hang together a bit better. Due to immense simplification. Somewhat to my own surprise, going almost black n’ white in the top half, has really helped.

Dialling down the noise and complexity is key, as well. I’d like to work towards arriving at more bold simplicity quicker. Rather than via the slightly tortuous layering I often currently resort to.

MUCH LATER…

Oh my God… I can’t stop ‘worriting’ this image! I’ve fiddled around with editing it on my iPhone a few times now. The above is the latest example of that.

I’m almost starting to like the upper half more than the lower half now. Hmmm!? Where on Earth (or Saturn?) is this thing headed?

As it nears midnight, I have to stop, and get some sleep. But I feel I am finally getting somewhere.

First order of the day today, something I’ve been avoiding like the plague. Sorting out my car insurance.

Managed to do it. And it was a lot less grief than I’d anticipated. And I’ll probably save some money, as well.

I now have SD&P with Admiral, at just over 25% pa (c. £400) of what they wanted for H&R (c. £1,600!). And I’ve now got a PAYG deal with INSHUR, which is both cheaper, and payable as you go… phew!

More car bills loom, as Flo’ is due her MOT. The first in my custody. Aargh! I’m like that proverbial pelican; no matter which I turn there’s always a large bill in front of me!

I’ve come to the cafe at Peckover House, to chill, read, and continue trying to book work…

I picked up War of Wars in a church, for 50p!it’s a massive book, at just under 1,000 pages. And very, very good.

It’s sometimes remarked, in praise of good writing, that it’s ‘readable’. That may sound rather pointless and silly. But actually it’s the mark of the best writing. And this book is very readable.

I’m about 85-90% of the way through the book now. And it’ll be sad, in a way, when it ends. But o have plenty more books to move on to. Including volume three of N. A. M. Rodger’s epic rendering of Britain’s naval history.

I like to use stencils occasionally. And sometimes I’ll use the inner cut-out spaces, whilst others I’ll paint around the pieces that were cut out. If you see what I mean? These of course can be flipped over, or even used to ‘print’, giving a lot of potential for per-mutation…

Hmmm!? Well, I’m pressing on. With Sun Ra’s Secrets of The Sun playing in the background.

I suppose the music is supposed to be helping me create the artwork? But, truth be told, it’s so out there, and I’m feeling worse for wear after last night’s regrettable whisky-fuelled foolishness…

So me-thinks I’ll return to Planet Earth for a while! At least till my own inner world calms down… a lot!

The above is the current state of play. At around 1pm, today. I’ll work more on this piece later. It for now I needs must book some work.

So RSI from hitting ‘refresh’, here we come…

Two different croppings:

Went out, did two delivery shifts. Got back, and did this:

I’m really unsure of this piece, at present. But never mind. Have faith, Seb!

Adding a couple of larger blocked in type elements. Simplifying the too busy composition (which was always the intention).

I’ve included stylised references to trumpet, saxophone, drums and double bass, in this piece. There will also be piano keys, in due course… for Sun Ra, obvs!

There’s still a long way to go. And I’m not sure if the end result will be any good, frankly. But I’ve made the effort!

I feel that, whilst I’m not over the moon about this piece, it is at least going roughly where intended.

Well… made a start on a new piece of art. This is the base layer. There’s a lot more to come.