It's very late!

"The Hit & Run"
digitally manipulated painting & collage by Mick Mather

Yes, late it is, very late indeed. I had another opportunity to spend a few hours with the oldest and the youngest granddaughters this afternoon so this is not a complaint. We had pizza, wings, sunchips and we watched "ET". After arriving home, there were other pressing duties to attend to and I'm just about dead on my feet as I post this. Suffice it to say that it's the colors, the lines, the dashes and the abstract composition that appeals to me enough to post this with less than the appropriate time for study and reflection. Well, before I fall head first onto the keyboard, I'd best get off.

Before the sugar, before the spice -

"Her Interests Were Faeries and Fireflies"
digital collage by Mick Mather

Not a lot to say other than today is a day I'll get to spend with my granddaughters. The partial myth in the old poem about what little girls - and little boys - are made of is the degree of separation for many of the fairer sex during the early years. If you're one who hasn't had to pack a curly haired moppet under an arm, like luggage, marching her straight to the tub for full immersion and a good scrubbing, well, you've missed something important about the slight difference I speak of. At the same time, catching grasshoppers and beetles and other creepy crawlies isn't the exclusive domain of boys - at least, not for a few more years. :)

NEW from The Birdhouse Series -

"Birdhouse IX"
digitally manipulated drawing by Mick Mather

To celebrate the hanging of images 1 thru 8 in The Birdhouse Series I thought I might post this newly created image. Eleven works from The Toys Series were also hung today at The Weiskotten Gallery and I have to admit that the show looks bright and happy. Just right for the beginning of summer! I should also like you to make a note that I've posted an alternate version of this at my other blog, No Matter What Shape - The Archive. Have a peek if you're interested, I'm on my way out to have a little Irish Whiskey along with a few glasses of red wine as a chaser.

Illustration Friday: Fierce -

"Fierce"
digital collage by Mick Mather

Once again I find the theme at Illustration Friday somewhat difficult. This week the word is fierce and I'm beginning to think that this much difficulty so many weeks in a row may actually just be me. Well, whichever way the wind is blowing, the fires out west are what collectively inform tonight's piece. I have another version of this that I like better, because of it's JMW Turner aura, but this one is somewhat smoother and less harsh to one's delicate sensibilities in view of such things as destructive fires. At the same time I have to wonder if the rougher image might be more effective. Even though torn, all is well and I've posted it here at No Matter What Shape - The Archive.

Thursday Challenge: Rocks -

"Rag and Bone, Iron and Stone"
photograph by Mick Mather

Rocks is the Thursday Challenge theme this week and as I was out and about on Tuesday documenting a piece of public art I spotted this reflection of Syracuse City Hall reflected off the glass tower of the more modern and currently vacant NYNEX / VERIZON building. As I began preparing this for tonight's post the idea of contrasts was on my mind. Questions like old vs new building materials - iron or stone? It struck me that such a question, and the visual contrast offered in this photograph, might also speak to the worth of the craftsman who built this beautiful castle that's still a downtown landmark. Working class men who understood the meaning of sustainable, local materials two centuries ago. Subsistence level urban pioneers touched by the industrial revolution who probably benefited little by way of being able to acquire mass produced, factory items that could be cobbled together from recycled material. A time when the junk peddler went street to street offering old, affordable and still useful things. A reflection here of an era passed within the panes of modernity whose entropy quietly awaits a post-modern rag and bone man.

Old business -

"The Stars at Night"
digital collage by Mick Mather

I hadn't realized it until today, but I've been surfing back through old files again. This sort of reflection is a good thing and I fall into this review of work at least three times a year, revisiting the good, the bad, the ugly and the impossible. Often, as with tonight's image, a fresh perspective and a new idea erupt and I'm off to the races. I have to admit, I was also thinking of the adorable Linda, the Grumpiest Girl, who's still incognito and hot rodding up and down the road of life. At least I hope she is; and, I further hope she's having one hell of a time while doing it. Either way, doll face? Here are some more stars for ya! :)

Yesterdays papers -

"Darkly Down A Wooded Path"
digital collage by Mick Mather

It's an old Rolling Stones song, "Yesterday's Papers", that came to mind as I began manipulating this image. The mysterious figure seems to be carrying a newspaper, tucked under an arm and casting a furtive glance back over the shoulder. The background is something of a visually abstract path set about by a thicket, dense second growth or perhaps a close stand of well leafed trees. All of it, in the end, a bit mysterious and foreboding. I suppose this should be dedicated to The Finnish Sisters. I'm certain each will have something more to say about this one. :)

NEW from The Toys Series -

"Squirt Gun"
digitally manipulated acrylic-on-paper painting by Mick Mather

I continue to enjoy myself with this series of new work and put a few teaspoons of GOLDEN E X P E R I M E N T A L Fluid Ultramarine Blue acrylic paint through the paces; courtesy of the big man himself, Mark Golden, who sent me a wonderful box of stuff longer ago than I'm willing to admit. I did cheat a little bit and used a smidgen of orange, liquid tempera over the acrylic for the basic, faint shapes and outline of the squirt gun. As always, the originals are not much to look at, purposefully childlike and it's the manipulated version that, in the end, is the most exciting for me to see. Even so, I owe it to Mark to have the original and this manipulated version matted side-by-side, framed and donated to the permanent collection over east o'here in New Berlin. Wait for it! :)

An alternate version, as promised -

"Down by the Jetty"
digital collage by Mick Mather

Last weekend I posted a piece called "Take Me to the River". A companion piece grew out of that same creative session, I promised to show it soon and here you have it. I get a wrong side of the pier feeling when I study this and feel like I'm looking out over a brackish, weedy pond of still water. The framing element used here is not, as you might imagine, meant to be a frame, but to offer other elements of interest. Particularly along the bottom where, personally, I feel as though I've pulled onto the shoulder of the road and that I'm looking over the top of a guardrail. If there are comparisons to be made between the two images, I won't be the one to make them. The only commonality for me is that both images, as stated, arose from the same basic layers. I hope you enjoy them.

I need more sleep!

"Where Stars Are No Longer Useful"
manipulated digital drawing by Mick Mather

I finally made it through one of the most grueling weeks I can remember in quite a while. Not that I'm complaining, in fact it's the opposite as I ask you all to overlook the slim writing in most of the posts last week. Since I really need to get rested and relaxed, you want to look the other way with today's post as well. On the bright side, it ended quite well at the Orange Line Gallery here in Syracuse where 7 of my prints went on display in the Form & Color Exhibition that opened last night. I may put those up soon as an online component, but first, a nap! :D

Illustration Friday: Hoard -

"Sitting On Something That Everybody Wanted"
digital collage by Mick Mather

This week's theme, hoard, at Illustration Friday was just too tough for me to deal with after the long week I've had. I've taken an image that I like and gave it a twisting title with a play on words. Forgive me, but I'm almost asleep as I attempt to finish this up.

Thursday Challenge: Patterned -

"Patterned"
photograph by Mick Mather

A completely untouched photograph, aside from cropping, for the Thursday Challenge theme, patterned. Once again this week I'm not here ... this is Third Thursday and I'm at an art opening. I'm thinking about smuggling a few bottles of wine into this one. Let me see, where in the world did I stash that Riesling? :)

NEW from The Toys Series -

"Horse"
digitally manipulated tempera-on-paper painting by Mick Mather

In case what I said about this series the other day was misleading, I should clarify the fact that the only break I've taken is from creating new work. I still have a few more of these in the files but I need a bit more time to think about them. Anyway, once again, I'm not really here, but at a meeting ... on the bright side, I believe there's going to be wine served at this one! :)

NEW from The Mister Existence Series -

"Ready for to Fade"
digital collage by Mick Mather

I'm really not here, but at one of the three meetings I have this week in the evening. Long days for me and a flurry of hit & run posts for you. This new image in The Mister Existence Series is actually quite old. It's been in a file for almost a year. I've reworked it at least 2 dozen times and I've never quite been satisfied with it. It's a little bit trippy with both feet firmly planted in the 1960's and, no pun intended, there's something happening here that I've never been able to fully understand. I kind of like it when this happens, even though it's rare, because it forces me to reflect, redo, change course, reinvent and accept the fact that, sometimes, there are no answers.

Spinning off -

"Memorial Service"
digitally manipulated tempera-on-paper painting by Mick Mather

While I have more images in The Toys Series to post, as well as more to create, I have taken a little break from them. I do, however, plan to continue with these tempera paintings that are done on the daily newspaper. With this image for example, a simple red cross was the final, painted layer atop a small article that had been previously treated with the residue in my brush cleaning dish. Little attempt was made to obscure the text during painting but has been completely obliterated in the manipulation process. The original painting is very small, probably no bigger than 2" X 3", and it was a good bit of fun to spin off from the other work.

Out of the blue -

"Take Me to the River"
digital collage by Mick Mather

I was just hanging around the studio, playing and minding my own business when up jumps the devil! Well, not exactly, more at, what jumped up is this particular piece. As I was saying, I was playing around, deconstructing things, doing a bit of addition and subtraction before tossing everything into the super secret array. The plug-in filters and manipulators made quick work of it all and, hang onto your hat, gave me two very different images from the same base layers! I'll show the other soon enough ... a few meetings and long days at the office are right 'round the corner. Anyway, work that just falls together, as if appearing out of nothing, is the breaking news of the day. :)

On the down side -

"Vodka Martini"
digital collage by Mick Mather

I've been working like a madman the past two weeks and I'm spent. As some of you may already know, when I get in this frame of mind, I'll often take an image that hasn't worked out, toss it into the Secret Visual Laboratory and whack it around a bit. It was relaxing, as it always is, and just what the doctor ordered.

Illustration Friday: Punchline -

"Punchline"
digital collage by Mick Mather

This week's theme at Illustration Friday is punchline and tonight's image is somewhat of an abstract demonstration of the way a joke is constructed. Abstract in thinking, not necessarily in the illustration. I suppose that, eventually, I may have to explain this particular visual joke, but I think I'll wait a bit to see what my regular comment group has to say ... especially those wild and wacky Finnish Sisters! :)

Thursday Challenge: Bright -

"Bright"
photograph by Mick Mather

As the title above suggests, bright is the theme at Thursday Challenge this week. This rather fuzzy image hasn't been manipulated, aside from a bit of cropping, and was taken back in April when we had our first taste of summer-like weather. For more than a week it was in the high 80's and the accompanying spring thunderstorms left us with a number of fantastic sunsets. Yup, that bright spot there is the sun struggling to the horizon through a stand of evergreens.

NEW from The Birdhouse Series -

"Birdhouse VIII"
manipulated digital drawing by Mick Mather

As I mentioned yesterday, this is a hit and run post. I have a late meeting and a date for a few cocktails so, before dashing off to accomplish both of those important tasks, allow me to say, "hello, I must be going!"

NEW from The Birdhouse Series -

"Birdhouse VI"
manipulated digital drawing by Mick Mather

I'm in the home stretch with the work slated to go on exhibition at The Weiskotten Gallery for the month of July. I'd like to get at least two more images produced for this series but feel that I'm pushing it. Since I need to assemble the disk that goes to the printer by tomorrow, I'm uncertain that said pieces will be forthcoming. One never knows and I do have the last completed birdhouse slated to go up tomorrow. I have a late meeting and might just as well warn you now that it will be a hit and run post. As I keep saying, can't stop to chat longer, back to work!

NEW from The Toys Series -

"Top"
digitally manipulated tempera-on-paper painting by Mick Mather

Just finishing up what I can in preparation for getting images to Community Darkrooms for reproduction on their beautiful, industrial, ink jet printers. If all goes well, I'll have ten each from this series and The Birdhouse Series. Just like yesterday, I'm off! Back to the drawing board.

NEW from The Birdhouse Series -

"Birdhouse VII"
digitally manipulated drawing by Mick Mather

As I get closer to assembling the work for my upcoming exhibition I find that I need a few more images in the two series of work that I want to present. I believe I have enough work for The Toys Series but am a few pieces short with this one, The Birdhouse Series. I'm afraid that a flurry of concerted effort and activity is the only way to go about accomplishing the task. So, I've stopped to chat too long already, back to work!

Tweeter -

"Singing From A Nearby Tree"
digital collage by Mick Mather

Not a lot to say about this piece except that it's taken me close to 2 months to find the singing bird. If I had a bit more stamina there could've been a Persian Cat to go 'round her neck or a birdhouse so it could fit into that series. Anyway, much to do, we'll chat later.

Illustration Friday: Forgotten -

"Edge of Darkness"
digital collage by Mick Mather

Illustration Friday offers the word forgotten as this week's theme. The 1943 film starring Errol Flynn as a hero of the WWII resistance in Norway aside, along with a pair of American and British soap operas, what I'm thinking about here are issues of reflection, recollection and being off far from home. Standing, for example, in an empty field, studying the horizon, watching the darkness wash quietly over you. Then turning to the setting sun as a sliver of sky turns every shade of blue, finally indigo, supposing the question, "can you really never go home again?"

Thursday Challenge: Fun -

"Niece & Nephew, Autumn 1999"
digitally manipulated photograph by Mick Mather

Fun is the theme at Thursday Challenge this week, with the usual sub-topics, one of which is family. A decade ago, when I lived further out and closer to real countryside living, one of our fun, family things was going for a walk. Rain or shine, winter or summer. On this particular day we enjoyed a brilliant autumn day that seemed, then as now, perfect for the activity.

A new favorite -

"The Bathing Cap"
digital collage by Mick Mather

As we toil away in our studios, turning out work after work, we're often confronted with a piece that stands so far above the rest that it makes every failure worthwhile. It's a choice we make, be it objective or subjective, answerable to personal aesthetic alone. This is one of those pieces for me, created towards the end of March 2008, just as Spring Fever was beginning to overtake me. At the time, the weather was still cold, too cold to post a swimsuit image, so I tucked it away for just the right time. Today seems to be it as we move well into the temperatures of our imminent summer, plans for beach vacations or a backyard bar-b-que next to the swimming pool. It hasn't escaped me that the colors here are very cool and I'm not yet convinced that this was due, as just mentioned, to the time of year that it was created. It could be the odd coincidence of getting 80-degree weather concurrent with gray and cloudy skies.

NEW from The Toys Series -

"Tricycle"
digitally manipulated tempera-on-paper painting by Mick Mather

I'm in bit of a flurry as I move forward with my attempt to have 2-dozen images from this series for my upcoming exhibition. This particular piece is actually one of the first to be completed and I've been sitting on it, undecided about the look of it. As often happens over time, my view of things has softened; or, could it be that a few others that followed were also a bit on the edge? In any case, sorry to dash off, I have some painting to do!

Back in the saddle -

"Storm Warning"
digital collage by Mick Mather

This particular piece arrived about 10 days back, in the middle of my recent flu. At times like that, when I'm feeling so under the weather, a playful diversion is as much of a tonic as any medication I may be taking. Even so, the dark and moody nature of it surprised even me. Now that I'm back up to full throttle, as hinted at in yesterday's post, I offer this one up to each of you for other interpretations that might be evoked by our windblown beauty.

A lot of new work, a lot!

"Cheerful Reassembly of Her Broken Pieces"
digital collage by Mick Mather

I've been occupied with a series of collage pieces for the past 48-hours and they've come fast and furious, one right after the other. The common thread for all of them is an old group of work known as The Making Faces Series and a quick search will likely take you to one or more of those works where I describe my working method. A few new filters have been added to the array at the Secret Visual Laboratory as well and I've been getting a bit bolder with another new filter that I've been zooming 'round in for a few months. Anyway, a bit of stretching, a generous bump in work output and more than a few successes that I'll be posting over the next few weeks.