Mermaid of the Deep.

Mermaid of the Deep by ~dashinvaine on deviantART

Finally got one of the mermaid paintings done. In the course of this I discovered the importance of painting a unified tone in the background, and this has to be done before adding other features. I made a rod for my own back painting the masts of the shipwreck and parts of the mermaid before I'd sorted the background, and had a devil of a time eliminating patches of yellowy green. The digital camera exaggerated the differences, but also helped me to identify places that needed repainting. A more dynamic/less static pose and more consistent lighting might have made this painting better. It could also have done with some more narrative elements, but it's done now.

Place of Memory

Unbelievably, it's 20 years to the week since our family holiday in Brixham, the little fishing town in Devon that made such a lasting impression on me. I was eleven at the time my sister eight, and we were both entranced by the place. We stayed at a former fisherman's cottage called Bay View, in North View Road. The view of the harbour at night was especially beautiful, with lights reflecting in the water. A photo I recently saw on DA reminded me powerfully of it.


Brixham-Tilt Shift by ~devincisharky on deviantART

We went back the two following years (1991 and 1992) but I haven't been back since. Brixham is picturesque place and I hope it hasn't changed. I have fond memories of the replica Golden Hind, the ship in which Francis Drake circumnavigated the globe, and of Perils of the Deep, the shell shop, the aquarium, the fishing boats...



At the end of the long pier was a strange industrial platform called Longbow, the function of which was a mystery at the time. I've lately looked it up and apparently it was a former salvage barge, converted into a missile testing platform for the Navy, and since put back into service.

Also in the harbour was a statue of William of Orange, who landed there and went on to become William III. It was and presumably remains a favourite perch for a Jacobite seagull who poops down the Dutch usurper's collar. Trips we had from Brixham included to Drogo Castle on Dartmoor, and to Dartmouth. We also went to Paignton, where we saw the Disney film The Little Mermaid. Ariel was the subject of my first crush. Silly, I know. (She'll never leave Eric...) This brief moment from my childhood explains the continuing fascination that I have with the nautical, and also why mermaids occasionally appear in my pictures. It taps into nostalgia for these times.




Mermaid's Perch by ~dashinvaine on deviantART

Gladiatorial Sketches

From a gleaming gladius to a Gallic gladiator... Or a man in a nappy killing cybermen (as a dear friend has just summed up one of the pictures for me!)

These were done with the character of the week challenge on Conceptart.org in mind- in this case a veteran Gladiator of Celtic origin. Of course I'm not yet rivalling Jean-Leon Gerome when it comes to Roman Arena paintings, but it'd definitely a standard to aspire to!

I recently went to the John William Waterhouse exhibition at the RA in London. Always been a fan, but to see his best works in the flesh and all in the same place was something else. One of my favourites is his 'A Mermaid'. As it happens, for the next couple of weeks some of my own mermaid paintings will be on display (and for sale) in Risborough Gallery (19 Duke St, Princes Risborough, Bucks HP27 0AT). The three paintigs are shown above.