BLYTHART: June 2008

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GUERNICA

This is to show how I used Picasso's Guernica painting to create my own Guernica. I do not do straight copies of other people's artwork, as that would be plagiarism, but although Picasso has not been dead long enough for copyright to have expired, I am sure no-one could accuse me of doing a direct copy of his work. I have indicated with white lines what sections I have utilised from his original painting. I find this an interesting way to work. When using the paintings of famous artists from earlier centuries, copyright ceases to be a problem and making copies of the works of the great masters has always been an accepted way of learning technique.

WATERCOLOUR PAINTING

I am interested in artists from all over the world. I do not like to tie myself down to any one style, although at the moment I am working on a whimsical style that seems to have developed over the years for me. John Ferrie (see his art on http://www.johnferrie.com/), an artist from Vancouver, Canada, first described my paintings in 1983 as having "a sense of whimsy" and the label sort of stuck, 'cos I liked it. I used to do pen and ink drawings which involved a lot of straight lines and of course, no colour. After years of doing this I felt the urge to put colour into my work. I rebelled against all those straight lines and now bend my lines in a whimsical way. I like depicting scenes in colours that aren't natural to the scene, in the hopes that people may see it in a different light, so to speak.

WILLIE CARR

A STATUE IN OUR LOCAL SHOPPING MALL - Willie Carr was a strong man who lived in Blyth in the late 18th century and early 19th century. Because of his strength, he was greatly sought after by press-gangs, determined to make him a member of His Majesty's Forces. Willie spent a lot of time avoiding these gangs and escaped when they captured him. If anyone is interested in reading more about Willie, I have attached a newspaper cutting below this painting. Incidentally, my painting is fairly true to the statue, but the background is more than a little stylised :-) If you are interested, there is a newspaper cutting further down about this man. Hope you have good eye-sight as it's not too clear.