Art in general – Page 2 – The Consulting Artist

Howlin’ At The Moon : The Offcut Project

As the lockdown went live here in the UK, I was fortunate to learn about something called The Offcut Project. It’s a great idea being run by Suki at The Print Block.

Suki has invited artists to send designs to her, and she prints off a limited edition of just 14 prints. The edition is returned to the artist for signing and numbering, then it goes back to The Print Block for sales and distribution.

An image of the artist's hand signing a few limited edition prints. The print design is a silhouette wolf howling at the moon against a backdrop of musical notes. — Signing and numbering the limited edition.

1 copy is retained by the artist, 1 stays with the studio. 2 copies go into a pool of prints to be sent out to each contributing artist at the end of the project, and 10 are made available to purchase at a cost of £30. £10 of each print sale will go to the artist, at least £10 of each print sale will go to food banks through The Trussell Trust. The remaining amount will go to covering costs at the studio. What a lovely idea.

I chose to submit my ‘Howlin’ At The Moon’ design. The term Howling At The Moon is often used to describe the sense of wanting something we cannot have. In these times of social distancing, that feels apt, whether it be a lack of each other’s company, toilet rolls, or something else! The artwork is inspired by a song by Hank Williams, who wrote the song ‘Howlin’ At The Moon’ in 1951 to describe the giddiness of true love. I don’t know about you – but I am fortunate to be experiencing a lot of love too. I’m seeing lots of people doing lots of good, loving things. One of those people is Suki at The Print Block. Thanks for including me Suki.

If you’d like to purchase a copy of ‘Howlin’ At The Moon’ or any of the other prints on offer, you can do so here.

Dragons At The Dawn of Time

Prior to the Big Bang – vast dragons soared through the emptiness. Flying untold millions of miles apart, the only sounds they heard were the faintest, distant cries of other dragons, invisible even to their keen eyes, and the sound of the emptiness being torn apart by their razor sharp wings. If we had been alive to see them, they would have looked like constantly moving patterns of stars, endlessly roaming the darkness.

As the explosion which caused the universe unfolded, these impossibly large beasts fragmented, and settled in the vastness of the sky. Some of them faded into oblivion, and some can still be seen, even to this day. Although they now appear inanimate, they are still alive, and when this universe collapses, the dragons at the dawn of time will begin their journeys again.

This is what I imagine one of the dawn of time dragons looked like before settling down to rest, just as the universe was exploding into being. I’ve made this artwork to coincide with the fourth anniversary of the free art project. I had planned to make an Easter trail with clues leading to the location of this special free art drop, which is made with spray paints and acrylic paints on a 40cm x 80cm canvas. The current lockdown means plans have to change, so instead, there will be a series of clues published online in the coming days, which will reveal the virtual hidden location of the painting. Once you’ve seen the clues, and figured out the location – you’ll need to email the answers to me, and I’ll draw a winner from the hat. Thanks go to the excellent Quiet British Accent, who inspired the reimagining of the drop through their own online treasure hunt.

Watch this space for more info, and I hope you enjoy playing along.

Earth Dragons

Earth dragons can only be seen from outer space, and even then, they are only partially visible. They sleep for millions and millions of years, and explorers have realised that what many of us think are mountain ranges, are in fact, often the spines of these enormous beasts.

Some of the larger earth dragons form part of the earth’s crust, their wings effectively hold our planet together. One day – in a future where we have ceased to exist, the earth dragons will reawaken and take flight – settling somewhere else in the endless galaxy.

Here is what I think an Earth Dragon may look like. If you would like to own this unique interpretation of the mighty dragon, all you need do is leave a comment here on the blog. In a few days time – a winner will be drawn from the hat, and the Earth Dragon will have found a new home. This free art drop is also being offered on my Facebook page – I’ll update this post with the winner’s name after the draw (assuming they agree to that, of course). Thanks in advance for playing.

A time lapse video of my earth dragon drawing.