Artist in Residence January 13th – 3rd February 2022 Gallery Tresco Tresco Isles of Scilly

Theia oil on canvas 90×180 cm 2022

 

  This painting grew in the making, and became more than just a single work of art. My interest in astronomy and mythology continues to inform the work I do to an ever increasing level, and mid summer 2021, after several long and difficult weeks working on the Garrison campsite, Aaron and I had the chance to visit Samson, one of the uninhabited Islands which we had been waiting to visit for quite some time, I was intrigued as the Island has ruins that date back around 4000 years and I wanted to visit the buriel chambers. One of the the members of staff here has ancestors that were inhabitents of Samson many years ago. To have that connection is fascinating and I was looking foward to this visit with anticipation. As it happens we had good weather and again the Moon was in the sky, and the ideas for paintings as always where instantly filling my thoughts. That evening we  were relaxing over a few beers and some food. It was a glorious summer evening. That lovely king’s Blue of the sky, long wispy sirus clouds streaking across the sky and their framed in the sky by these clouds – the waxing gibous Moon. The atmosphere was clear and it was easy to pick out several large features on the surface of the Moon including mare serenitatis, mare tranquillitatis, Mare Crisum, mare fecuditatis, Plato crator was just about discernable as was Tycho crater, Mare Firgoris, mare imbrium, and mare nubium. The Moon as always is captivating and the conversation faded for me at this point as I just stared at the Moon. It always fascinates me as it seems to be there in complete calm and absolutely beautiful. It reminds me of The Hitch Hikers Guide To The Galaxy in which Arthur Dent asks the wise old bird in exaspiration what is keeping the cup in the sky from falling, and the wise old bird replies ‘art’ that it is artistically correct. The Moon always seems to have in a far more serious way that feeling of being in absolute harmony, perfectly placed, artistically correct. Call it a feeling of awe and beauty and connection with nature. As always when I observe I draw upon a wealth of knowledge gained over many years and I start to rumage through what I can remeber of the names of the surface features, the history of the Apollo missions, humans landing on the Moon, and the theories of how the Moon formed, that as moons of the solar system go, in comparison to other moons and there parent bodies the Moon is exceptional in it’s size compared to the Earth…… During my contemplation of the Moon, visiting Samson and in the  evening I considered once again the origin of the Moon, oddly I had been reading a new article on this subject involving a collision between the proto Earth and a Mars sized proto plant named Theia billions of years ago. Hence the Title ‘Daughter of Theia’ and that evidence for Theia or whats left of Theia are buried deep inside our planet. So there I was sitting contemplating that deep beneath me were the remnants of Theia and above was the Moon both consequences of that immense collision, and that those remnants deep in the Earth also cause the Atlantic magnetic anomaly…….. And at the same time the reasons for the title of this painting are also intimately linked to the naming of ‘Theia’ and the mythological stories behind Theia, which are fascinating. In greek mythology Theia was the Titan goddess of sight, (thea) and the shining aithre (ether) of the bright blue sky and right there we have the first visual connections as Selene one of the three children of Theia is the orginal name for the Moon, hence the title Daughter of Theia and the observers gaze is directed towards the Moon in this painting. The bright blue of the sky is representative of Theia – goddess of the deep blue of the sky. Theia also in mythology endowed silver and gold with their brilliance and lustre and so the bright silver luster of the Moon is also a direct reference to the goddess Theia. It is the focal point as it was mine on that evening – Theia bore the titan Hyperion three children Helios – the Sun, Eos – the dawn, and of course Selene the Moon.

The three children of Theia are also implicitly though indirectly in this painting. The painting has no particular refernce to being a dawn or a sunset there are no references to any particular time of day except for that time of day when I once again was caught up in contemplating our understanding of nature, but only for the purpose of the beginings of this description and so Helios the sun is part of this painting for without the sun how is one to see anything, also the painting could be after dawn and so Eos is implied and of course Selene – the Moon is the focal point.

The painting then conspires to present to the viewer all these aspects in one view. The mythology, my fascination, and our contemporary understanding for the origin of the Moon……and contiguously even through the four orientations of the painting, this remains the same.

 

Noctilucent Clouds withThe New Moon, Earth shine, Mercury Jupiter and Saturn. Oil on canvas 90×180 cm 2022 £3400

The artist in residence lasted for three weeks this year and my duties included checking on artworks in the time share properties and some public areas. The main one which is something I do every year is to remover and clean my 5 paintings commissioned in 2010 that are in the indoor swimming pool in the seagarden complex. The paintings have been protected from the humidity of the swimming pool using a double rectified genuine turpentine and wax based varnish and I have had no problems with the varnish since the paintings were installed, but they do need to be removed and carefully cleaned as salts in the atmosphere of the pool due to high humidity tend over time to condence onto the surface of the painting and if left will build up and form a distinct opaque crust. So this took two weeks.

4 of the 5 indoor swimming pool paintings

 

Sea Garden complex – building to the far left is the swimming pool

 

Indoor swimming pool which just about skows all 5 paintings

 

One of the things I really like to do is check on my late partners paintings. Julia was a Tresco Gallery artist and also took part in Gallery Tresco’s artist in residence program. For those who visiting my blog for the first time Julia died August 2010, but I love to see her paintings just to check on them and make sure there has been no damage so here are a few of Julia’s paintings. Some of which are held in trust by Tresco Estate until our children have places of their own. And occassionally our paintings hang together……

 

 

 

 

 

My other duties are really just based upon my own work. Usually I will carry sketchbooks, observing and drawing and making temporary stone sculptures on the shore. I also use a camera and inbetween all of this we have some fun. The drawings, the temporary sculptures, the fun we have, from observing the night sky, kayaking, simply walking sitting, contemplating all feed into the next series of artworks I will create.

View from our accommodation

Aaron setting off for the day to explore

 

Aaron setting off again for another days exploration…..and yes this will definately feature in the next series of paintings

 

 

 

Exploring…..

 

 

 

Aaron setting of again to circumnavigate Tresco and Bryher, landing at Samson on the way back

 

 

 

At the North end of Tresco on the moor

 

 

 

Looking into the West towards Bryher

 

 

 

Exploring….

 

 

 

Cromwell’s Castle

 

 

 

Exploring, scrambling, contemplating…..

 

So next is the sketchbooks…..

Moon rise

Dawn

 

Dawn Eastern Isles

Dark Sea

Crescent Moon rise

Stormy day

Stormy day

Venus

Mars

 

 

Temporary stone balance sculptures

 

Sentinel of sorts – Prometheus extruded

In conversation with the anomaly…… watched

 

pause for effect

Sulis No.1

 

Paintings finished during my artist in residence…..

 

 

 

 

 

….And that concludes my first artist in residence for 2020 on Tresco for Gallery Tresco. I have enough sketchbook ideas for numerous paintings and every year I discover new ways to explore this place. I progress are several paintings about my son Aaron kayaking , some more astronomical and mythological inspired artworks and of course we had storms and those experiences will also lead to new artworks….. Next I have a short artist in residence at Castle Horneck Lodge in Penzance and that will be the next blog…..