The Completed Feature Wall

Here's some pictures of the paintings I made for my church in Madrid before I left. They are on a wall in the smaller room which will be used for bible studies and sunday school. It was an absolute joy painting these, after being limited to small-scale paintings for a while. I like that I left my mark in a place that was so special to me as well! The paintings were made in response to how spiritually uplifted I felt at being a part of this Church community. The woman featured could be falling, or rising.

El Prado

Each time I stand before the monumental nineteenth century classical paintings in the Prado, something within me is stirred. Rosales said that the purpose of paintings was "[primarily to affect the soul, rather than the intellect]". A statement which he profoundly achieved. The viewer feels in response to his paintings first; then the thinking follows. Before venturing beyond the surface, the painting must make an emotional and spiritual impact.

I visit these paintings frequently and they never cease to inspire me. These artists overcame their own human transience in some way by creating something transcendental. They achieved posterity and gave something to future lives.

Creative Accomplishments this Summer

I'm reaching the end of a beautifully long and drawn out summer. The sun becomes a little softer each day, making way for Autumn. I'm back in England, relishing the thought of staying here for the foreseeable future, whatever that may bring.

I've been working on a collaborative film project with a musician and film maker. We're making some visuals to a piece of music which musically narrates the story of Jonah. We've done some shooting along the Suffolk coastline and working on the edit now. To follow the progress of the film, check out the blog here:

http://jonahfilm.blogspot.co.uk/

It's funny how being home has thrown up a lot of my past creative ideas again. As I've been delving into them more, I've recognised their potential to go further. I've been painting from the old photographs of my ancestors again. It's another prolific time; I'm churning out lots of artwork. Watch this space!

Tones of White

I took a visit to the Museo Sorolla in Madrid today. I've been so many times but every time I'm struck by the integrity Sorolla paints with. He honours the painting tradition, his family, country and culture in every painting. He knew the world he inhabited inside out; perhaps an essential trait to any artist. If an artist does not know his own world completely, he cannot convey it effectively to others. He made his world and all within it deeply known to others.

Sorolla's use of the different tones of white in his paintings is phenomenal. By far my most favourite painting by him is one called Madre (Mother) which pictures his wife, Clotilde, with their baby on a bed covered in white sheets. The entire painting is executed in different tones of white, save the heads of the baby and Clotilde which are expertly brought to life by just a few strokes.

Pulling at the Roots

My recent inspiration began with my fascination of the character Queequeq from Moby Dick. What a rich picture Melville paints of his character. I was struck by the primitivity of Queequeq; both in his mannerisms and physical appearance. He reminded of a cave man and allowed me to glimpse into what we truly are as humans when everything else is stripped away. We so often disguise raw humanity with with material possessions; inventions, technology, conveniences and the things we daily rely upon. These things allow us to live a higher life, while we lose our footing a little and forget who we are. A tree needs roots to grow.

I feel paintings beginning to form out of this. Here's a mood board:

http://pinterest.com/pollyannajoy/painting-faces/

Holocene, Bon Iver

This video is just beautiful: The colours, filming, landscape, reflections, light and shadow, the figure and the bird's flight. I find it incredibly moving and telling of human nature, our desire to live in relation to the environment around us; our existence and the way we long for so much more. The boy introduces a playful element to the video. The way a child innocently views the world can be incredibly refreshing and humbling.

Oasis Mural

So excited about making a feature wall of paintings for my church in Madrid http://oasismadrid.org/! They have a new space and asked me to make some paintings for it. It's a fantastic opportunity to work on a large scale which I love doing and to give back some of what the Church has given me. I've been thinking about how I can incorporate the church identity without it becoming too narrative. There were no specifications so I had to think about what would best suit the space and the people who use it.

The design has evolved as I have considered the proposal the past month. Throughout my time in Spain this church has truly been an "oasis" to me; somewhere I can go to be spiritually renewed and refreshed, so the paintings make reference to this. They will be a series of three paintings, displayed diagonally on the wall, and increasing by a third in size from top to bottom. Each one will contain the figure of a woman. Two paintings will display her completely immersed beneath the water and the other painting will show her lying on the surface of the water, a reflection of the sky under her. They will act as progressions, so that the eye travels diagonally upwards along the wall. Here's a mood board of ideas:

http://pinterest.com/pollyannajoy/oasis-mural-madrid/