A PAINTER’S PROGRESS
The Mexicans have no fear of building on the steepest of inclines. This painting almost has a Tiepolo like perspective as your eyes are drawn skywards. I am trying to be conscious of the effects of foreshortening. Also to create a sense of the colour becoming lighter and more ethereal as the landscape becomes more exposed to the sky. Nothing like a proper challenge to keep you focused.
Houses on a hill, Mexico. Day 2
Thank god for the fearless tradition of the Mexican self builder, its a gift for any landscape artist. I have chosen this composition because I really like the balance between natural vegetation and construction, its almost in harmony. I have always wondered how I would tackle a palm tree, you can’t avoid them here. I have never liked all those delicate fronds, I prefer a muscular palm, the type Michelangelo would have painted. Hopefully my version is going to be semi convincing.
Houses on a hill, Mexico. Day 1
My direction seems to be slipping down the ladder of the painting gods. At least Ken Kiff is more in reach. I really do like Ken and his mystical take on the world but I am hoping to put the breaks on before getting to his ‘zoo’ of animal friends. The tortoise has survived and has a suitably discreet presence on the horizon. This painting has turned out well and I prefer it to the previous one which has an awkwardness to it, possibly more compositional than anything else.
A distant headland, Mexico.
I have been pondering for several hours how much to colour this ocean with the strong sunset. The problem? when you mess around with photoshop is you lose the natural values of the original photo, but of course, this is never true to the subject anyway. I think where I have the ocean is about right now and it came around fairly quickly. Another sub par photo taken during the day but its close enough. If any of you are thinking of a trip to Mexico this is exactly what the sunsets look like.
A distant headland, Mexico. Day 4
I said I had an open mind and nothing is off the table. Well, Mexico is going to test that. I have seen a nice green tortoise making its way across the horizon that I have become quite attached to. It would be a shame to let it go. It seems that Mexico has rekindled my surrealist tendencies that a few years ago I was trying to bury. This time they seem to be working in a less premeditated way, they are emerging through the process of painting.
A distant headland, Mexico. Day 3
I don’t know if it would have been more helpful to have taken the photo in brighter light conditions, but then the intensity of the sunset would have been lost. I am gradually finding the forms in the headland although some of it is having to be invented because there is no information in the photograph. I don’t think the painting will suffer because of this.
A distant headland, Mexico. Day 2
Its all there. This realisation happened as soon as I started this drawing for the new painting. I don’t know why this should be such a revelation to me. I think Mexico has accelerated my progress and given me a few gifts in terms of compositions and opportunities that I hadn’t seen in the UK, though I am sure they are there. I hope it will be blindingly obvious to me when I return. There is hardly any information in this photo, it is mostly in silhouette but I think this is the key to my way forward. I have got to invent far more.
A distant headland, Mexico. Day 1
I have said in the recent past that I want to make paintings that are unfamiliar to me, paintings that I may not understand, but paintings that are compelling and cannot be easily dismissed. This fulfils all of those objectives. Where I go from here I don’t know but the intention is to follow this course and the next painting gives me another opportunity to see where this is all heading.
A line of clouds, Mexico
This scene is so extraordinary I have taken the executive decision to produce the photo as evidence. The mountains have had a little doctoring in photoshop but the clouds are untouched.
A line of clouds, only in Mexico!
Its resting on the easel, ready to be lit. More repainting of the sky and clouds and only one cloud left that is putting up resistance, the central one. It has been improved upon but is not quite there yet. It has the aspect of a seated figure with twisting head. It reminds me of some Michelangelo figures but mine is a baby made of jelly. I am often rephotographing these paintings, I can only get good photos at night so some versions of this painting are a bit poor, this is the best photo so far.
A line of clouds, Mexico. Day 7
I thought I would finish this picture today. Painting these clouds using the ‘right level’ of comedy balanced with a serious technical application has taken longer than expected. You would think that painting small figures would not take long but size doesn’t seem to enter into the equation. Anyone who says painting small pictures shows no ambition should give it a try. I believe this holds true whether you are painting abstract or figurative pictures. This painting is almost finished, it has really got me thinking about my approach going forward.
A line of clouds, Mexico. Day 6
Its not really meant to be a hand, its my simplified version of a palm tree that was already there. Running along the bottom of the picture are the tops of a variety of trees, the rest are not so ambiguous. Of all the issues of painting in an apartment by a bright ocean getting good photos of these paintings is proving to be the most tricky. As is normally the case the painting is better in reality. May do a little more with the foreground but the last part is the clouds.
A line of clouds, Mexico. Day 5
The day was slipping away from me and I was bored. It takes 5 minutes to put together my pop up studio so the plan was, set up and then paint for an hour. Three hours later and some very good progress, the above is always sound advice. This painting is lending some very interesting results, both in terms of imagery and technique. Not sure I would describe it as a breakthrough painting but it has pushed my work into new territory. If my only priority was painting I don’t think I would return to the UK!
A line of clouds, Mexico. Day 4
You could have a problem painting here, because thats what you get everyday for 3-4 months during the winter dry season. So for me, I have to invent my own, and this always leads to unexpected results, as with this painting. Only a short session today, going to the mythical Zihuatenejo, the fishing town where Tim Robbins was escaping from jail to meet up with Morgan Freeman in the Shawshank Redemption. A bit of local culture with a music festival.
A line of clouds, Mexico. Day 3
Now I know why so many artists migrated to the south of France in the 20th century. I hadn’t appreciated that such a dramatic cultural and climatic shift would also have such an impact on my painting. Watching whales jumping out to sea when having breakfast, iguanas walking around whilst having lunch, being drenched in bright sunlight and dazzling colour, these are all things that can’t be found in the north east of England, especially in January. This painting is following that mad Mexican vibe and my colour is migrating towards Raoul Dufy mediterranean.
A line of clouds, Mexico. Day 2
Reading left to right, a flexing bicep, a large naked figure seen from behind, a flying snowman, a large unidentified cloud, R2D2 and a poodle. All of these characters have been cast as they appeared. They were sitting on a line as if drawn by a ruler. There is a mountain range that runs down the pacific coast of Mexico and even under a clear blue sky there is normally a line of clouds gathered at the top. We were on our way to lunch when I saw this extraordinary sight, so I rushed back to get my camera.
A line of clouds, Mexico. Day 1
Probably the most important lesson of this first artistic exploration into Mexico is firstly not to be in the UK during these dark and cold months, December - March. As with all simple creatures, I respond well to bright lights and warmth. So much so, that agreements have already been made that we need to evacuate, post haste, the UK, around mid November 2025. I think Mexico gives me a very positive environment and I will certainly discover new elements to painting, just from being here. This painting is finished.
Man and maguey
The oddness of this scene, dominated by the maguey, reminds me of the exquisite little painting by Uccello in the Musee Jacquemart-Andre in Paris. He using the dragon, does that make me the damsel in distress?. I have been able to navigate this rather complicated painting quite well. My conclusion about my little studio in Mexico is that it does not force any compromises on me that diminishes what or how I paint. I could even continue painting the existing size paintings that I was doing in the UK. Very happy with this painting, being the first one ever in Mexico.
Man and maguey. Day 5
I feel right at home here, in fact the landscape and myths seem more aligned to my odd approach to image making and surrealistic bent than does the UK. When viewing paintings online they always lose something in the process. This appears to be a watercolour, in reality it has much more substance and richness. I have cut away half of the maguey, its left side this gives it an unnatural appearance as if it were a crab about to scurry off. I like the effect and will not add any more limbs to it.
Man and maguey. Day 4
I am taking the artist poet route into Mexico rather than the iphone wielding tourist. This sounds incredibly pretentious and that is exactly how I want it to sound. The longer I stay here the more I understand what kind of paintings I want to make. My feeling is it will be the old mystical Mexico, especially around its landscape. This is the kind of Mexico that is even unfamiliar to me because I have not been looking at it as a painter until now. I am less certain of how to make these paintings but it is in the struggle and invention that interesting things emerge.
Man and maguey. Day 3