Back from London, collecting my unselected 'God Being Killed by Theists and Atheists' painting from the Royal Academy, a nice feeling that it was shortlisted, my second shortlist from three attempts at entering. The theme of religious battles might not be the most prescient in contemporary life, although the painting is, of course, as much about psychology as anything. It is one of my best paintings, although it is a few years old now; it is the new frame in gold and clay that is new, far better than the one detailed on this blog.
I did manage a pie/pi video last night. The problem I had with yesterday's attempts is that they were not new. Newness is vital to add excitement to anything, so I decided to made some new music using the mathematics of pi. First I convert pi to base 7. We are used to pi in base 10 (3.141... etc.) but the number can be in any number base.
Then I converted each numeral into a note, C, D, E, F, G, A, B, and the same with timing, so the C was a short note, the D longer etc. This was my music, literally the music of pi. You can hear the result on the ArtSwarm Pies episode, due on the ArtSwarm YouTube Channel on 21st June 2019 at 8pm.
Anyway that is trivial and immaterial; last night at 4am I had a clear vision of new a great painting and will start work on this immediately. My "Resurrection of Napoleon Bonaparte" might have been shown at a few places (well perhaps only one, at the Discerning Eye) but I'm still amazed that my "Taking of Excalibur in 2018" has been submitted to the Discerning Eye, The Wrexham Open and The Grosvenor Open and turned down by all three, when for me it captures the drawn out self-harm of the Brexit process quite explicitly, without judgement. I avoid judgemental, critical, protest art; for me this is bad art. Show, don't tell, is every artists' motto. Art should show how we feel, or how society feels, or reveal some truth, but not criticise or finger-point or lecture. Perhaps this very paragraph is breaking this rule. Perhaps this is the difference between poetry and prose? Perhaps all rules need pushing.
More on the new painting as it progresses. I can't wait, but must make it as true as I can to the original vision. Now, to rest.
Wishing you a happy and restful evening.
