Strange hybrids

Strange hybrids (6″ x 6″ oil on gessoed cradle board)

I shamelessly took the name of this small oddity from the poem Tom wrote for it. Every now and then I am moved to paint what I think of as botanical abstracts. I love the colours and the way this one shimmers.

Tom ran with the image and created a delightful accompaniment for the painting. It even has bees’ knees in it!

The forest of the night is fine
with its flaming tyger’s shine
lighting up the trees.

But I prefer the copse of day
wherein strange hybrids grow and sway
attracting stranger bees.

They buzz within the thickets tangled,
with their legs is pollen wrangled
in between their knees.

Passing to each generation
the joys of novel combination,
mixing by degrees.

And from such vigor in the roots
we’re blessed by all the diverse fruits
that do our palates please!

image (c) 2019 Hilary Farmer
poem (c) 2019 TJ Radcliffe

 

Bridal flock mandala

Bridal flock (12″x 12″ oil on board)

Experimental! I have tried doing oil painting mandalas before but this is larger and so I could include more detail …maybe too much detail! There is an obvious floral theme but if you look closer, there are birds all around the outside pointing towards the centre.

Tom’s take on this one inspired the title of the piece.

Birds in camouflage abound
within the bride’s high-flung bouquet
tumbling far above the ground
sent in joy upon its way
toward the waiting hands of all
who stand on toes and reach up tall
to grasp the prize of prizes now,
the talisman that tells them how
their turn is next in love. It bursts
asunder with a flock of birds
that spin in brightly coloured herds
above the crowd now in reverse.
Yet she who’s steadfast, true, and bold
still stands to catch the flower’s hold.

image (c) 2018 Hilary Farmer
poem (c) 2018 TJ Radcliffe

Tropical abstract 2

Tropical abstract 2 (6″ x 6″)

Following on from the previous abstract, although done on another hot day in the studio, this one is cooler and more water-y …and possibly full of scales or little fishes. I felt it definitely had a tropical vibe too.

Tom has seen different things and has brought both his scientific mind and poetic magic to this piece!

Tadpoles over river-stones
rushing forward up the stream
toward a place that’s all unknown
to the likes of you or me
where tails will shrink until they go
and legs will sprout and then they’ll grow
and gills are lost to gasping lungs
as tadpoles climb up Darwin’s rungs
’til at the top they’ll find a pad
to rest in dappled summer sun
while knowing that the race they’ve run
was worth the effort, hard and mad
to reach a place of rest and peace
and all are equal, most to least.

image (c) 2018 Hilary Farmer
poem (c) 2018 TJ Radcliffe

tropical abstract 1

Tropical abstract 1 (6″ x 6″)

A bright and tropical feeling piece I painted when it was really too hot to be in the studio! I guess that’s why it turned out like this 😀

Tom saw things and then wrote this magical poem!

Beneath this cloak of many colours
beats a heart of fire and flight
rising up it flits and flutters
through the forest of the night
spreading wings of beauty wild
to soar above the dull and mild
turning past the falcon’s gyre
riding winds of pure desire
across the sunlit lands below
where lakes and streams trace out the ways
of humans passing mundane days
from dawn until the gloaming’s glow.
On flies the phoenix through the air
Above a world all unaware.

image (c) 2018 Hilary Farmer
poem (c) 2018 TJ Radcliffe