“The artist ... speaks to our capacity for delight and wonder, to the sense of mystery surrounding our lives, to our sense of pity and beauty and pain.” Joseph Conrad
I spent last Saturday with my good friend Janice, from South Korea, who appreciates art and culture and is a great companion when visiting museums, art galleries and concerts. We drove over to Arundel and spent the day following the Arundel Art Trail that happens for one week in August ever year.
I wanted to meet Andy Waite who was an artist I had read about in a Country Living Magazine. My main aim was to look around his house which he bought for £18,000 ! Since I have been looking at houses in France which are affordable and slightly run down, his story inspired me. His home is a huge Georgian house which now holds his studio and is filled with Art for the Arundel Art Trail. He has slowly done the house up and it is now a huge light filled house where he works as an artist. His house has leapt in value from £18,000 to possibly a million pounds!
As an artist his subject matter is huge landscapes and skies painted in oils on canvas. I am drawn to the atmospheric tumbling clouds and moody scenes. The photo above is of one of his paintings on the landing in his house. Below is Andy with Janice.
This style of painting is something I am working on at the moment. Layers and layers of paint worked in to the canvas. Since I am a beginner at this I asked for Andy's advice ... which oil medium does he use? Crayons or paint? Does he start with dark layers and build up to light? Does he have a sketch he works from?
I learnt he goes with the flow. There are no rules. Work layer into layer. Don't have a rigid landscape scene in mind. Allow the work to grow and evolve. See the scene unfold and adjust as it dries. Leave it for a few weeks and come back to it. Work on multiple canvases at the same time.
Janice chatted with Andy about the beautiful old Chinese account book he had on the mantlepiece and talked him through what was written on the pages. Then we moved on to talking about the life size statue of Jesus in the kitchen. Like many people he said he was not religious but he liked Jesus. He said he liked the all inclusive arms held wide open in a blessing.
That made me happy, as did this little cow fixed over one of the bedroom door frames.
I also took inspiration from this wash basin splash back area of mixed tiles in the kitchen.
Here are a few more of the things that I saw that inspired me ...
Garden sculptures made from green weathered copper pans and button flowers.
The gentleman behind me in the blue jumper and cream jacket is Geoffrey. He used to work for the BBC on the DR WHO television series in the Art Department. His wire chickens and seagulls and peacocks were really fun.
More of Geoffrey's sculptures.
There was something about this diver that I really liked and the stone engraving below made me happy.
Mainly Janice and I just enjoyed looking at everyone else's bookshelves. We both love reading good books. It's fun to see what is on display and discuss which ones we've read and what we enjoyed and did not enjoy. I love all these old Penguin paperbacks lined up according to the colour of the spine.
Inside of one really great house. Love the red brick wall and green sofa.
This huge life-size painting standing at the end of a garden alleyway made me look twice. I love the way Art captures moments in time. It makes us look at the world more closely. It shares the mystery, the joy and the pain of life. I think this quote captures a little of how I feel about being an artist and what I am working towards.
“The artist ... speaks to our capacity for delight and wonder, to the sense of mystery surrounding our lives, to our sense of pity and beauty and pain.” Joseph Conrad
When I walked into Arundel Cathedral and saw all these ghostlike figures scattered around the pews of the cathedral that represented the men from Arundel who died in WW1 and the seats that are now empty, it took my breath away. This is what good art does. Captures a poignant moment, conveys a message, a feeling, makes your world richer for the experience.
The Art trail is only on for one week in August every summer and is a good way to explore Arundel and see inside some of the pretty houses and gardens that are scattered around the town, all overlooked by the fairytale Arundel Castle. If you live locally I recommend you go, it ends this weekend on the August Bank Holiday.