Tuesday, February 7, 2012

Fascinating info on Angus, the Green Man and some creative play

I was thrilled to receive some fascinating background information on the carving that inspired my "Whimsical Man" painting below ( which I will now call "Angus, the Green Man").

I received these details from Bobby Watt of RJW-Gem Campbell Stonemasons Inc. who commissioned three similar carvings for their Ottawa headquarters. These carvings, each by a different master carver, depict the Mr. Watt's journey from Scotland to Canada.  The carving I chose to paint  - the first in the series- was done by Danny Barber over the winter of 2008-2009. It is a "jack o' green, or green man, which is a long tradition with carvers in Europe. Foliage of thistles, Scotland's national flower, springs from his mouth.  

I can't wait to start painting the other two beautiful carvings and you will see how the foliage on each of these "Jack o' green" changes to symbolize  a different stage of Mr. Watt's journey! I only hope that I can do justice in my own way to the artistic talent of these great carvers and to the passion for stone that made these gems possible!
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These last two or three days, I have done lots of playing with acrylic gels, tissue collage and metallic paints. Here is a finished painting resulting from all that play.This is a mixed media painting full of fantasy and textures.

The original is on a 16" X 16" X1.5 gallery wrapped canvas. The paints are acrylics and metalics; the numerous textures were created with acrylic mediums and gels, stencils and stamps. This was such a fun painting and quite a departure from my usual realistic works!
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10 comments:








  1. TriciaFebruary 7, 2012 at 5:31 PM
    Christiane, I have a small book called "A Little Book of The Green Man" by Mike Harding. Quite interesting history.
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    1. Christiane KingsleyFebruary 7, 2012 at 5:47 PM
      That's super, Tricia. I will try to find a copy. Thank you!
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  2. RosemaryFebruary 9, 2012 at 10:24 AM
    Great informative post, Christiane!  Love this new experimental work!  Beautiful painting!
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    1. Christiane KingsleyFebruary 9, 2012 at 10:48 AM
      Thank you for visiting, Rosemary. I am glad that you enjoyed the post.Doing experimental work once in a while is so liberating:-)
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  3. Ross LynemFebruary 9, 2012 at 9:54 PM
    Hi Christiane. Thanks so much for stopping by today! Your visits are always greatly appreciated. 
    Christiane, i think you are onto something here with the gels and the acrylics. This is a terrific piece. Very nice. I just love the textures you have achieved. Lately i have hoped to try multi-media. Now you have inspired me to give it a whirl. And i enjoyed your story of the Green Man. Thanks for sharing this with us.
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    1. Christiane KingsleyFebruary 10, 2012 at 12:18 PM
      Ross, it is always such a pleasure to visit your blog and admire your fantastic paintings! 

       I am glad that your enjoyed the info concerning the Green Man. I intend to paint the other two Green Men carvings.

      Do give mixed media a try: it is so much fun!
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  4. debwardartFebruary 10, 2012 at 3:57 PM
    This is interesting story of your painting - and good luck on your show!  I've been playing with acrylic mediums lately, too and doing things I never thought I'd do!  What's up with us - are we growing as artists?  Or is there something in the air blowing down from Canada, eh?
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    1. Christiane KingsleyFebruary 10, 2012 at 6:12 PM
      Deb, I'm not sure if an artistic air is blowing from Canada (lol), but I think we feel that spring is not too far away and we are becoming a bit bolder  with our art:-)
      I went out again today to buy another gel - the pumice gel, this time ...I can't wait to play with it.
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  5. Theresa PadenFebruary 28, 2012 at 6:14 PM
    I love this one!! Glad you are having fun with experimenting and you sure are getting fantastic results!
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    1. Christiane KingsleyFebruary 28, 2012 at 7:13 PM
      Theresa, I am very pleased that you like it...I was not too sure what to think of this painting at first: it was such a departure from my usual style. But I love it now. I am not sure where I will go from here with this mixed media technique.
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