guardian – The Consulting Artist

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.

Ocean Dragons

No one knows for sure if Ocean Dragons exist. In times of uncertainty, seafaring folk will often tell of huge graceful shapes surging just below the waterline, occasionally breaking the surface. But were those dragon scales they saw, or simply the sun glittering off the water?

Because no one has ever seen one of these giant beasts in full, it’s hard to draw them, yet draw them we must, for fear that if their stories go untold, they may simply disappear over time.

I believe they can grow and shrink at will. This enables them to hide unseen beneath even the smallest vessel, and when no one is around, they can grow and grow, and throw their wings around vast swathes of water.

Here is what I think an Ocean 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 Ocean 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.

Minden Calling : European Adventures

A few weeks ago I wrote about the free art project extending into Europe. Since then, I’ve accepted a kind invitation to show some of my art at an exhibition in Minden, Germany.

Minden is one of the towns twinned with our borough, and next March there will be an arts festival to celebrate Minden’s 40th anniversary of town twinning. I’m choosing to show some works from my I Guardian series, which is an exploration of mental health and the human condition. Earlier today I sent off my submission to the exhibition catalogue. This is a first for me, and I can’t quite believe it’s happening. I’m excited and grateful, and a great reminder to me of the importance of some of what I learn through my free art project, namely:

Be curious. Start something. Keep going.

In case you are interested, here are the works I’ll be showing next March. I use the words ‘I’ll be showing’ quite intentionally, because I’ll be at the exhibition when it opens.