I started doing a fun series of birds in December and posted one per day for the “Twelve Days of Christmas” with a short poem from Tom for each. Apparently, I couldn’t quite stop so here is one more.
One day in late December, our yard was visited by dozens of Varied Thrushes. I didn’t grow up with these birds so they are surprising and especially delightful to me. Of course, I needed to paint one to add to my seasonal birds. This piece of paper was a bit bigger than the others so I had even more scope for abstract play in the background.
And here is Tom’s poem!
A variation on a theme of joy
that darts through lambent colours of the wood
beneath the winter sun. A spirit buoyed
by all in life that’s gentle, kind, and good.
image (c) 2020 Hilary Farmer
poem (c) 2021 TJ Radcliffe
Your backgrounds (especially the “Chinese” ones) would make for amazing abstracts on their own. I think if you did just the Chinese bg-s only you would be innovating art and sell more than a few too!
Thank you again!
I have been working on pure abstract paintings as well. It’s interesting how having one representational element, made me feel freer to experiment in the abstract part. Hopefully I will take that freedom into my pure abstract work…
You don’t paint like an architect, and I mean that as a compliment to both your painting and your abilities as an architect. In my experience people who are creative in architecture tend to paint in ways that are too architectural (staid). But since you paint the way you do, I would guess your architectural work was human-friendly; contained a feeling of livability.
Interesting …and thank you. That was certainly a big part of the equation for me in architecture …as was balance and beauty. 🙂
I also meant to say intersection that you call the backgrounds “Chinese”. I wasn’t thinking about that at all… 🙂
I should probably clarify what I mean by Chinese: you have a wonderful ability to make your acrylic work look like water colours (on Xuan paper). And though I think architecture is an amazing science/art, its principles often do not translate well into the purely fine arts ( though I suppose that van only be a fault of the translator). So your Xuan-ness balances your instincts as a measurer of inhabitable space.
I have tried rice paper with ink and watercolour but never persisted long enough to master it. Some of my pieces have more of a Chinese flavour (to me) such as the Cedar Waxwing because there’s more balance between openness and subject. I would have thought the Varied Thrush too dense and rich in background to have that feeling. Interested what you think about that.
The Varied Thrush is not one of the Chinese ones, but I like it all the same. I enjoy it for its density, so this series doesn’t have to stick to a theme beyond seasonal birds. This background is somewhere between Impressionism and a Jackson Pollock, so I like it too.
🙂 Thanks!
Beautiful paintings! The colors are rich and it’s like a kaleidoscope of hues around the bird!
Thank you! I had a lot of fun with colour in this series and particularly this painting. 🙂
You’re very welcome, Keep up the great work. 🙂
Wow, this is incredibly dynamic, just love it!!
Thank you! 😀