Small number of words about Samuel Palmer

They built a motorway through the valley of vision.....

I have Samuel Palmer there in my links, perhaps it's time now to concentrate on why he's (still) there.






That one's called 'Early Morning' and it's from 1825. It may be one of the things that gave me the idea that an accessory rabbit is never a bad thing.


Since I've become quite obssessed with understanding the skills and motivations involved in cartoons/ 'entertainment art', perhaps my output has appeared to move further away from any kind of ambitious 'English visionary' aspirations.

Bill Wray posted me comment a few months back... he said my work was 'disturbed with detail' like Palmer's. I don't know if that was good or bad... I took it as neutral. Well, I took at as flattering that he stopped to comment.






I've definitely moved towards sorting out my graphical and compositional brain - which suddenly felt like it had suffered years of neglect.... And subsequently I've moved away from an extremely 'disturbed' surface. I've moved away from putting most of my energy into the surface... that seems a bit unbalanced now...

John K did once say that my paintings were 'foggy', and I understand a little more of where he was coming from now. But I went years without (helpful) teachers, I got a little caught up with immersion for its own sake.

I'm in a phase where I'm getting my 'pieces' in order, honing my skills as far as I can, so when I put it all back together, I'll take some of the clarity with me. Palmer would have had a more logical training than me. I did a fine art degree in 2002, which wasn't logical. It buggered my rhythm.

And the 'visionary' thing... it's not something that can be forced, or pretended. A person has to do her best with earthly matters like colouring pencils, studying Milt Gross's perspective (joyspective) and the sweaty noses of wrestlers.

I do, however, plan to relocate all my bodies to the English countryside ASAP.

(I feel like I should have said something more expansive or gushy about Palmer. Because I do love him... I'll do it sometime on the wordy blog.)