In the Beginning of Itchycoo

Here is the start. The most important part starts with sketching ideas and finding a balance within my composition. These sketches are about the size of a postcard. I find it quite funny to see firstly, how awful or bad they actually are and secondly, to see the journey towards the final painting and to see the changes and progression from the original idea. I have never made a picture that is true to the original idea, no matter how hard I may try, it always becomes something else. I have learned to be open and just go with it. The mistakes become vital as awkward parts lead me to something new that often become features I like best. So, from these two sketches that have been mixed together, I have got my first painting. The second painting doesn't have a sketch as I have just continued with the flow into the next.

So here is the base layer, most of it - pre dots.

It's been done on two canvases so together they are 30" x 80". I have decided that although the paintings stand alone they will also be part of a series where each canvas will roll into the next. The pictures will then become part of a story that is called Itchycoo Park.

This story is different to most with a beginning, middle but no end, it has got caught in a loop of imaginary space that has found random pattern and form wandering into something that it is not. The painting comes first as the story is secondary, found somewhere within the picture. Therefore, the writing becomes the tool for illustrating a possible meaning or purpose to the story and not vice versa. There is no direction, plan or reason other than to paint and see what comes next.

These sketches are the first ideas for part 3 and 4. I love it that they are so bad and look forward to see how the painting turns out, even if I don't get round to it for another 6 months!

No. 3

There is a floating island with a cat on top talking to a whale with an owl on it’s back. Underneath, upside down there are trees and an igloo. Behind is a wigwam mountain and in the distance,an Eskimo is seen fishing from a hole beside his igloo (a flipped mirror image of the other.) In the foreground there are a family of Russian dolls.

I have then listed wild swans, grand piano, keyboard steps and flamingos

No 4:

It looks like a huge puppy, It is meant to be a polar bear that drips eye drops into a birds' eye so it can see, it then shrills a 'speech bubble' of pattern. A path and a rainbow sprout colourful giant flowers and fruit amongst storm clouds with daisies. The focal point is a the tree of life. Behind, a teapot pours houses that sit on floating fairy cakes. The houses have twin doors to keep equilibrium, a perfect balance within the north and south magnetic poles.

No 1.

Here is the focal point, the base layer- pre dots. Animals are playing having escaped the carousel. Hiding behind a tree, my girl in red is yet to be painted in.

No 2:

Here is the focal point, also the base layer- pre dots. The escaped horses held earthbound by giant daisies and multi coloured flags. I wanted a bit more so I added these flowery lace webs. This was after my daughter Daisy who continuously wakes up scared, had been lent a dream catcher from a friend to keep the nightmares away!

The explanation reads: The Dream catcher , the Plains Indians say: The bad dreams get caught in the web. The good dreams work their way through the whole in the centre, rest in the feather like a dew drop, and evaporate to the great Spirit in the morning sun. The prayer beads on the dream catcher trap all the bad dreams that are left on the web. The prayer beads then burn them up.

I then thought of Indra's net:

The Indra's Net: What Is It?

FAR AWAY IN THE HEAVENLY ABODE OF THE GREAT GOD INDRA, THERE IS A WONDERFUL NET WHICH HAS BEEN HUNG BY SOME CUNNING ARTIFICER IN SUCH A MANNER THAT IT STRETCHES OUT INDEFINITELY IN ALL DIRECTIONS. IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE EXTRAVAGANT TASTES OF DEITIES, THE ARTIFICER HAS HUNG A SINGLE GLITTERING JEWEL AT THE NET'S EVERY NODE, AND SINCE THE NET ITSELF IS INFINITE IN DIMENSION, THE JEWELS ARE INFINITE IN NUMBER. THERE HANG THE JEWELS, GLITTERING LIKE STARS OF THE FIRST MAGNITUDE, A WONDERFUL SIGHT TO BEHOLD. IF WE NOW ARBITRARILY SELECT ONE OF THESE JEWELS FOR INSPECTION AND LOOK CLOSELY AT IT, WE WILL DISCOVER THAT IN ITS POLISHED SURFACE THERE ARE REFLECTED ALL THE OTHER JEWELS IN THE NET, INFINITE IN NUMBER. NOT ONLY THAT, BUT EACH OF THE JEWELS REFLECTED IN THIS ONE JEWEL IS ALSO REFLECTING ALL THE OTHER JEWELS, SO THAT THE PROCESS OF REFLECTION IS INFINITE

THE AVATAMSAKA SUTRA
FRANCIS H. COOK: HUA-YEN BUDDHISM : THE JEWEL NET OF INDRA 1977