Original Oil Paintings for sale

I have added a section to my website listing oil paintins presently available for sale, along with prices (with or without frames when there is the option). I also include the frames in the photos of the works, to help customers decide. They can be seen here: http://dashinvaine.co.uk/paintings_for_sale.html

Mayflies, Morris Dancing and headless horsemen

I was out at the pub earlier on watching morrisa dancing. How English is that? Actually it was somethign different, and quite entertaining. I nearly got roped in, but I remembered a solemn oath I had sworn, many years ago, to try anything once except incest and morris dancing. There were two troops of morris men doing their thing, one from Whitchurch, the other from Towersey. The Towersey lot had a badge of the headless horseman, which I assumed must be a referemce to Sleepy Hollow, but apparently there is an alternative explanation.

Came away with a present of some rosemary which was nice.

Nothing much else to report. Last week there was a crisis which turned out ok, and this last weekend we had a family visit which went well, and the dog was well behaved. Ladt week I found myself in the midst of a mayfly orgy, by the thames in Bourne End, which was another novelty. An ugly beast is the mayfly. Apparently the live but one day, mate, spawn on the water, and die.

Eowyn and the Nazgul

The latest Art Order/Muddy Colors challenged provided me with a pretext to get the old oil paints out. The scene where the shieldmaiden of Rohan confronts the Witch king of Angmar is one of Tolkien's most evocative, and I had it in mind to paint my take on it at some stage anyway.


Eowyn and the Nazgul Painting by ~dashinvaine on deviantART

Eowyn and the Nazgul.

I'm planning to do a painting as an entry for the Eowyn and the Nazgul themed contest on The ART Order. I've already done two initial drawings:

Eowyn and the Nazgul drawing by ~dashinvaine on deviantART
and

The Nazgul strikes back by ~dashinvaine on deviantART

One more pirate ship illustration to do, out of a batch of 12, and then I can make a start.

Sci Fi Cover and Feature

I've recently worked on a sci-fi book cover, which is a bit of a change. It's for a reissue of 'Midway Between' by Warren Norwood, to be published by Battlefield Press.
Midway Between cover artwork by ~dashinvaine on deviantART

I'm also in line for an artist's feature in a couple of magazines, one of which will showcase my sci-fi output, which is an genre in which I'm always happy to do more. I'll say more about these features when I know more. Other recet projects have included a pirates hideaway and some vamped up Egyptias, which is all good.

Worrying things in Egypt

Funnily enough I was planning to go to Egypt this year, to research a mooted book on the Mameluks and the Crusaders, which however I'd put on hold so that I can catch up with other projects. I might have found myself in the middle of a revolution. I have mixed feelings about what I've been hearing from that country. On the one hand it is good to see the people achieving self determination (if indeed they do) and being vigilant to defend such heritage sites as the Egyptian Museum in Cairo. On the other hand there have been shocking and distressing events such as attacks on Coptic Monasteries, apparently with the connivance of Islamist elements in the Egyptian army, which is presently running the show- promising to hand power to a civilian democratic government in due course. One hopes they will, but juntas have a rather poor record in such scenarios.

The situation for Egypt's antiquities is also rather worrying. Dr Hawass has resigned, clearly distressed due to his inability to prevent armed looters from raiding various stores of archaeological finds. Most shocking was the sight of the damage done to some of Tutankhamun's treasures by looters who got into the Cairo museum. I saw some of there very objects in London a few years back, at the Tutankhamun exhibition at the dome, and was impressed by their quality and pristine condition. Little did I think that they would suffer such vandalism within such a short period. It seems much of the damage may be reparable, and a missing Akhenaten statues has meanwhile been returned, which is good news, but still it is a worrying time.

I wish Egypt well and hope a democracy emerges and a theocracy or military dictatorship doesn't materialise. Egypt has so far got off relatively lightly, as the events in Libya reveal what can happen when a repressive regime digs its heels in.

I look forward to going to see the Afghan treasures currently on show in the British Museum. I hope these artifcacts have a safe future, too, although that seems less than assured.

Laugh for the Lemurs

I went to a comedy gig yesterday at the Hammersmith Apollo (with Dara O'Briain 'and friends') in aid of the Tropical Zoo, which is apparently in the grounds of Syon Park. Apparently they have lemurs, so if you're a fellow fan of lemurs it may be worth checking out. I've not been to Syon Park, but am aware that it's a historic house with some beautiful classical interiors, formerly an abbey dissolved by Henry VIII. Now I know they have lemurs that's an added lure. Got to love lemurs (platonically). A good place to take a sketchpad sometime, maybe.