Illustration Friday: Round -

"A Round Scolding"
digitally manipulated tempera-on-paper painting by Mick Mather

"... from the bulrushes, he was outspoken ..."
- Unknown

Moments to remember -

"Calendar Girl"
digitally manipulated tempera-on-paper painting by Mick Mather

"... don't be fooled by the calendar;
there are only as many days in the year as you make use of ..."
- Charles Richards

NEW from The Selfportrait Series -

"Selfportrait of the Artist As A Wheat Paste Poster"
digitally manipulated tempera-on-paper & collage by Mick Mather
- click image to view full size -

"... remixing with new voices is creative practice ..."
- Shepard Fairey

Outgoing mail -

"The Brown Envelope"
digitally manipulated tempera-on-paper painting by Mick Mather
- click image to view full size -

"... letters are expectation packaged in an envelope ..."
- Shana Alexander

Illustration Friday: Ferocious -

"Ferocious"
digitally manipulated tempera-on-paper by Mick Mather

"... fair peace becomes men,
ferocious anger belongs to beasts ..."
- Ovid

Ten years after -

"When the Sun Stopped Shining"
digitally manipulated tempera-on-paper by Mick Mather

"... he who can live in infamy
is unworthy of life ..."
- Pierre Corneille

Home Sweet Home -

"An Old Salt Box"
digitally manipulated tempera-on-paper painting by Mick Mather
- click image to view full size -

"... ain't got time to fix the shingles,
ain't got time to fix the floor ..."
- from the chorus of "This Old House"

Went to the fortune teller -

"Eye of Spades"
digitally manipulated tempera-on-paper by Mick Mather
- click image to view full size -

"... I didn't know what to tell her,
I had a dizzy feeling in my head ..."
- Allen Toussaint (Naomi Neville)

THIMK!

"An Idea"
- click on image to view full size -
digitally manipulated tempera-on-paper painting by Mick Mather

"... don't worry about people stealing your ideas; if they're any good, you'll have to ram them down people's throats ..."
- Howard Aiken

Illustration Friday: Balloon -

"Balloon II"
digitally manipulated tempera-on-paper painting by Mick Mather

This week, Illustration Friday offers the theme of balloon. Since I'm on vacation and trying to get back to my Sherlock Holmes stories, I've cheated just a little bit. If this looks familiar, perhaps some will remember this image from The Toys Series that was posted back in May if my reckoning is right. I used an alternate version, recolored it and put it here for all to see. Now, where was I? Oh yes, in the words of Mr. Holmes, "Come, Watson, Come! The game is afoot."

NEW from The Toys Series -

"Dump Truck"
digitally manipulated tempera-on-paper painting by Mick Mather

Once again I pay homage to my exhibition at The Weiskotten Gallery with another piece from The Toys Series. While I'm at it, how about a nod to Bob the Builder? I actually had a dump truck similar to this when I was about 4 or 5 ... it was made of good, solid metal instead of the plastic toys you get today. They were perfect for clunking the kid next door over the head with and was sure to raise a welt that would be remembered a fair while. :)

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! :)

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.

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 Toys Series -

"Red Ball"

digitally manipulated tempera-on-paper painting by Mick Mather

Today's post is the ninth piece shown in The Toys Series. I have an even dozen in the file and every intention of attempting to accomplish another dozen for my upcoming exhibition at The Weiskotten Gallery during the month of July. Initially I was thinking to mount the original paintings alongside the manipulated versions but expense has thrown that idea straight out the window. I'll quite likely choose one, representative painting as a reference point to hang with my exhibition statement. Gee, now I've tired myself out completely thinking about all of the work that lies ahead!

NEW from The Toys Series -

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

The series continues with this cacophony of line and, as I was looking back at these over the weekend, I was stunned to see how quickly the images have changed stylistically. Much of that is due to the filtering process while the initial method of creating the fast and loose paintings remains basically the same. I only mention this as a point of interest ... well, interesting to me at least. I look forward to the time when I have 2 or 3 dozen of these to exhibit. When I arrive at that, ahem, station, I may have a bit of a task organizing them any other way than chronologically; but, what could be more fun?

NEW from The Toys Series -

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

I've been so busy lately that the paintings have been stacking up while attempting to find time to accomplish the manipulations. As it happens, my 5:00pm meeting for today was canceled and I had a bit of unexpected free time to work in the Secret Visual Laboratory. Since no good deed goes unpunished and since nature abhors a vacuum, guess what? That's right! I now have something else to do ... gotta run!

NEW from The Toys Series -

"Big Yellow Whistle"
digitally manipulated tempera-on-paper painting by Mick Mather

Work continues unabated on The Toys Series. A bit less momentum than there was with the initial flurry of activity, but forward progress just the same. The idea that I would mount each original painting side by side with the digital manipulation is no longer feasible but not completely dead as a concept. Either way, I'm off, back to the drafting table for another painting session.

NEW from The Toys Series -

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

As I make progress with these childlike paintings I find myself growing steadily happier with the project. It's very close to taking control, just as The TV Dinner Series of monotypes did in the not so distant past. I suppose that one of the things I like about them is the quick-study and iconic nature of the subject matter and the fact that they can be splashed down without guilt, again, as a child might do. The real work comes after they're scanned and the digital manipulation, filtering and layering begins. In any event, forgive me if I'm repeating myself here, I have a vision of matting and framing each painting alongside the digital transformation. That could be trouble but we'll see.

NEW from The Toys Series -

"Toy Soldiers"
digitally manipulated tempera-on-paper painting by Mick Mather

I've fallen headlong into this body of work. My most recent notion, albeit an improbable one, is to get enough of these completed for my imminent 1-man show at The Weiskotten Gallery at Upstate Medical University here in Syracuse, New York. I don't have a problem with output and I'm certain I can accomplish 2-dozen new works without any problem; getting the digital work printed and all of the work matted and framed is a BIG issue. Anyway, I did mention that there was more to say on these paintings and manipulations, this was part of it. Well, back to work!