A slow day. My days seem to be one good, full of energy and productivity, and one slow of sleeplessness and stomach pain, zombie-like tiredness, and lacking in motivation. Yet even on slow days I work, and perhaps years or months later I would struggle to recognise which days were which. Such is perception. Today, I completed my quarterly backups, went for a walk though the ragged streets of Crewe; a town of closed shops and poor people. I bought two books for £1 each on the last day of the town's WHSmith, and the last day of the town Post Office.
On these days I'm reminded that art gives life meaning to artists. Art gives life meaning to art critics and art lovers. Art gives life meaning to humanity.
I returned and started work on Sappho, a painting inspired by the Mengin painting in Manchester Art Gallery, and one I painted a study for almost 10 years ago, but knew that it really needed an epic size of canvas. I've decided to forget that requirement (for now) and paint one at 50x70cm, which is big enough. Here's the study:
I've used Poser for the first time in years to pose a model. Perhaps now I can use it as intended, as a reference, rather than copying the dummy-beings it creates as I used to. The rocks I will invent.
I wrote a song about it. Here are the words so far:
Sappho
Poetess
by the paper lamp
of the yellow moon
and the blue-lit sighs
in the drowning glass
Poetess
press the secret words
from your soul-clay
to your future love
whisper painful truth
as you fall
into liquid dreams
of forgetfulness
of the mountain-sky
of the longing storms
of bleak winter's rain
The heavy salted ocean
breathes around your chest
Loves you, octopus
sucks your breath
vowel by vowel
towards death's orgasm
