Remember

French Poppy - Sold

5" x 7"  oil on panel

CQMS 930 Bastow, Gordon Clarence St. John's Fatality 11/10/16
Pte. 700 Bastow, Frederick Donald St. John's Fatality 12/10/16
Pte. 2750 Bastow, Albert Chesley St. John's Fatality 11/11/17

Three brothers had three sons who joined the 1st Newfoundland Regiment and went to the Great War but never returned.

Gordon Bastow, shown above, was my great uncle. Missing in action at the battle in Gueudecourt, France. His body was never found. Age 22

Frederick died of a gunshot wound to the head, buried in Wandsworth Cemetery in England Age 22

Albert died of disease in Kriegsgefangenenlager, a prisoner of war camp in Germany and was buried at Conde-Sur-L'Escaut Cemetery, northern France. Age 22

Information on these men as well as many others are listed on the Great War database at The Rooms http://www.therooms.ca/regiment/part3_database.asp
 
Last Post http://www.dva.gov.au/…/organise_eve…/Documents/LastPost.mp3

Voices

Wave demo

oil on paper

Reproductions available through Fine Art America

As I paint, there are voices in my head.  No, not a mental health issue, more an internal guidance system that help me make decisions on the fly.  There is a colour commentary going on as I paint, that goes like this:


"OK, what's the colour/hue that I need to mix?  Is it the right value?  Let's put some on the canvas...ok, that works/darn, that's too bright/dark/light/wrong colour etc.  I want to lighten it with some of the blue.  Add more white, pull some paint from the mix created previously, try it again.  Ok, that works, now leave it alone and go on to the next section."

It sounds crazy when I write it out, but really that's the conversation I'm having with myself when I paint.  Its a series of internal questions, verified by paint strokes on the canvas than pushes me to the point of my original vision for a piece.  Each impending colour, value, or stroke is preceded by a deliberate decision. Whether that decision takes microseconds or hours, its still a decision that is debated internally, and sometimes on canvas.  It is a comparison of what is there to what could be there to determine if there will be harmony or a clash that sends me off the path.

Making Waves

demo oil on paper

Developing this conversation takes time and practice and is essential to provide the series of internal checks and balances that are required to make art that I am happy to put my name to. 

Do others have those internal conversations when painting?  I remember hearing a similar painting thought process from one artist, Rose Frantzen, but not from other artists.  Perhaps its not something one mentions in public for fear of being considered altogether too strange.