Carnival

 "Carnival" Oil on Canvas 77x122cm Tom Cullen 2010

"Carnival" is part of a pair of paintings in which I further explored my boundaries in abstract representation. The Sean Scully "Walls of Light" works which I saw in the Dublin City, Hugh Lane Gallery in 2010 left a lasting mark in my creative unconscious. I was in awe at the scale of his works and the way he could convey

many different themes and subjects by simply reducing his paintings to blocks and stripes of colour. In the first of my two works "Mona Lisa", I chose to re-interpret the Da Vinci painting in a contemporary way, abstracting the colour and transferring to my own building blocks. The second piece, later to be called "Carnival" explored the boundaries of contrasting and subdued colours. I also focused more strongly on how the colours meet and merge with each other.

"Carnival" detail

I used chalk to divide the canvas into sections and when I was satisfied with the scale, I painted over an ultramarine base. The red and blacks are overlayed several times, so as we can see the contrasting colour shining through underneath. Although there is plenty of colour variation from one row to the next, I also chose to use toned down colour in the rest of the painting. In addition to warm and cool greys that appear, the yellow block in the lower centre has a glaze of black to intentionally reduce the vibrancy of the painting.

"Mona Lisa"

Understanding how each segment of colour touches the next was really important to me when working on this piece. The painter Mark Rothko, was the master of this colour field technique and an artist that I often turn to for inspiration and ideas. A sense of spirit is always important to me both when I am painting or engaging with another artist's work. Breaking the rules of linear convention, such as in the bottom two rows when the blocks break at the same point was also significant in my ambition to push my own artistic boundaries. 

According to Wikipedia, "Traditionally, Carnival is a festive season which occurs before Lent and involves a public celebration or parade combining some elements of circus, mask and street party". Colour is integral to the vibrancy and ambiance of "Carnival". It seemed an appropriate title to this piece, having been through such a journey of colour, contrast and spirit. I hope the viewer, therefore may sense some of the energy and jollity associated with Carnival when engaging particularly in the light and colour of this painting.

"Carnival" is on show at the W3 gallery, 185 High St, London W3 9DJ  "Art of Carnival" Exhibition, now extended to July 25th.

Santana performing "Carnaval" at "The Oakland Coliseum, Oakland CA.

Above: Opening Night of "The Art of Carnival" at W3 gallery, London.

World like a dewdrop......

World like a dewdrop    Acrylic on canvas    122x76cm     Tom Cullen 2011

"World like a dewdrop

Though it's only a dewdrop

Even so, even so."

Issa

                                    I painted "World like a dewdrop" in 2011, having read and been influenced by  Japanese haiku poetry. I wanted to explore and interpret some of the principles of haiku in a visual way and through my own language of abstract expressionism. The question of scale interested me. I wanted to develop a relationship between a small entity in the painting and the larger expanse of the canvas itself, using vibrant colour to dictate both harmony and contrast.

                                           Haiku poetry emerged in Japan in the 16th century and has it's roots in  the tradition of Tanga and the developments of Renga. In original format, it consists of three lines of five, seven and five syllables respectively.There are nine haiku rules, which include stating that the poem should be simple and immediate. It should also have connections with real events, sights, sounds or emotions. Another technique used is the contrast between the large and the small, the cosmic and the individual or the profound and the everyday. By comparing the world to a dewdrop for instance, we are forced to change perspective.This may alter our pre-conceived ideas and meanings about our relationship with the world.

                                 There are also links with the Zen Buddhist concepts of Change and Impermanence, Suffering and Compassion, Simplicity and Momentariness, Non-self. Everything is in constant state of change and suffering is key to human existence. Compassion for ourselves and others is essential to combat pain. By learning to live with a little, keeping life simple and by trying to live in the moment we can also come to terms with the human condition. Ultimately ,the idea of a permanent self and ownership is an illusion.

                                        After a few variations of visual interpretations in the form of sketches, I settled on the above concept for the completed painting. So,"World like a dewdrop" emerged - a work about the basics of space, scale and possibility. When the opportunity arose to submit a painting for the "Celebrating Sanctuary" exhibition at the W3 gallery in Acton, London it became an appropriate choice. After all these are important elements which any refugee might face. The world can be a big daunting place, but also can be a small inviting place also. I hope in the context of "Celebrating Sanctuary" that this work might encourage us to look afresh at the refugee's dilemma. I also hope it might inspire new hope for those who seek safety and protection.

                                    

                            "World like a dewdrop" is on show at the W3 Gallery, 185 High St, Acton Town, London from June 5th - 22nd as part of the "Celebrating Sanctuary" Exhibition which is linked to Refugee Week (16th-22nd June).

"Through the Fire"

A film which tells the story of three remarkable Somali women who risk their lives to run essential humanitarian projects. When the world abandoned them and their communities, the refused to give up or walk away.

Above: Opening Night at the "Celebrating Sanctuary" Exhibition at W3 gallery, Acton, London.

                                    Autumn 1964
                                                    (for Karen)

Autumn 1964
Tom Cullen

Red apples hang like globes of light
Against this pale November haze,
And now, although this mist is white,
In half-an-hour a day of days
Will climb into its golden height
And Sunday bells will ring its praise.

The sparkling flint, the darkling yew,
The red brick, less intensely red
Than hawthorn berries bright with dew
Or leaves of creeper still unshed,
The watery sky washed clean and new,
Are all rejoicing with the dead.

The yellowing elm shows yet some green,
The mellowing bells exhultant sound:
Never have light and colour been
So prodigally thrown around
And in the bells the promise                         
Of greater light where Love is found.

                                                                                             John Betjeman  

                                         The word "Autumn" comes from the old French word  "autompne" or "automne" in the modern language and was later modified to the original Latin word "Autumuns". There are rare examples of referring to Autumn in the 12th century, but more common by the 16th. Before this "harvest" was usually the term used for this season.
                                         Autumn marks the transition from summer into winter in the northern hemisphere in September and for the southern hemisphere in March. It is a season that has inspired artists, musicians and poets for centuries.  Autumn is often associated, for instance in poetry with melancholy. The summer has gone and the chill of winter is on the horizon. Skies turn to grey and many people can turn inward physically and mentally.


Detail from Autumn 1964 Oil on Wood 27x80cm Tom Cullen

              
                       Keats "To Autumn" written in Sept 1819 echoes this sense of  melancholic reflection, but also emphasises the lush abundance of the season. It is also a time of "mellow fruitfulness" and "bounteous fecundity". In the "Wild Swans of Coole", the poet W.B.Yeats referred symbolically to the maturing season as representing his own ageing self.
                                    

                     However, for myself, it was the experience of both the intensity and the fantastic variation of colour at this time of year, that eventually allowed the John Betjeman poem "Autumn 1964" to emerge into my art. I didn't intentionally set out to do a painting about the season or even the poem itself. However, I had become interested in poetry as a medium and as part of a group project, began to experiment with transforming the rhytmn and sounds in to marks of colour.



Detail from Autumn 1964 Oil on Wood 27x80cm Tom Cullen

                I used found material - four vertical wood panels, which symbolically began to represent lines of verse, held together by two horizontal pieces at the top and bottom. The layers of browns and ochres which dominate the main part of the piece were completed after a wider pallete range of various colours were formed in the underlay.
                       I positioned the two rectangles and the square in a way that they break up the panels.  This was to convey a sense of linearity and to provide contrast with the looser brushstrokes. To complete this piece, I positioned orange coloured card on the back allowing this hint of colour to shine through the gaps in the panels.
                       Towards the end of this painting and in the weeks that followed,  I began to reflect on Betjeman's vivid description of a bright November day and particularly the lines "Never have light and colour been so prodigally turned around". So this painting emerged as a kind of dialogue to the Betjeman poem and an abstract, symbolic interpretation of this colourful season we call Autumn.

"Autumn 1964" read by Betjeman and set to music by Jim Parker

"Never have light and colour

Been so prodigally thrown around"

"Autumn" from The Four Seasons by Vivaldi

The Four Seasons (Italian: Le quattro stagioni) is a set of four violin concertos by Antonio Vivaldi. Composed in 1723, The Four Seasons is Vivaldi's best-known work, and is among the most popular pieces of Baroque music. The texture of each concerto is varied, each resembling its respective season.

The concertos were first published in 1725 as part of a set of twelve concerti, Vivaldi's Op. 8, entitled Il cimento dell'armonia e dell'inventione (The Contest Between Harmony and Invention). The first four concertos were designated Le quattro stagioni, each being named after a season. Each one is in three movements, with a slow movement between two faster ones.

At the time of writing The Four Seasons, the modern solo form of the concerto had not yet been defined (typically a solo instrument and accompanying orchestra). Vivaldi's original arrangement for solo violin with string quartet and basso continuo helped to define the form.

"Forever Autumn"  Justin Hayward

"Forever Autumn" is a song by Jeff Wayne, Gary Osborne and Paul Vigrass. The original melody was written by Wayne in 1969 as a jingle for a Lego commercial. Vigrass and Osborne, the performers of the original jingle, added lyrics to the song and recorded it for inclusion on their 1972 album Queues. Their interpretation was also released as a single and gained moderate commercial success in Japan, selling more than 100,000 copies and becoming a top-20 hit on the country's record chart.

The best-known version is the recording by Justin Hayward from the album Jeff Wayne's Musical Version of The War of the Worlds. Wayne wanted to include a love song on the album that sounded like "Forever Autumn", and he decided that the best course of action was to simply use the original song. Hayward, of The Moody Blues, was hand-picked by Wayne to sing it (because, Wayne said, he "wanted that voice from 'Nights In White Satin'"), and it was recorded at London's Advision Studios in 1976. The song reached #5 on the UK Singles Chart in August 1978.

 The song begins with music that sounds almost like a medieval pipe tune, and the song is noteworthy for the lines of its chorus:

"My life will be forever autumn Now you are not here"

"Going Home" series

Detail from Going Home 1. Acrylic on paper 2012   42x30cm

                               The "Going Home" series of sketches was painted in one session in February of this year. From a family photograph, I extracted three basic colours - black, violet, white and chose to experiment with these. I used acrylic paint for fast drying qualities. Also, I chose paper to enable me to make quick marks when required and this also allowed me to vary the overall proportions from one piece to the next. I worked in a spontaneous way, varying the compositions as I painted and returning to the same theme if it felt appropriate.

Going Home 2.Acrylic on paper 2012   21x11cm

          The overall effect in these pieces may be considered dark or mysterious. It is always important for me to push boundaries in any painting session and to change according to the moment.   The same limited colour palette in each painting has helped retain continuity  in these abstract works.

Going Home 3. 42x30cm

                                             Last year, I spent  several months caring for my mother who was sadly diagnosed with dementia. Despite the trauma of seeing a parent losing their cognitive ability, I saw this situation as an opportunity to develop my life experience. Common effects of dementia include attention, language and problem solving. Especially in later stages, those afflicted may become disoriented in time, in place and in person. The patients short term memory is likely to be affected whilst the long term remains functioning. Because of this, it is quite common for dementia sufferers to request or even demand to "go home" because the memories of their origins are more potent and more comfortable to their present surroundings.

Going Home 4.Acrylic on paper 2012  42x20cm

    During the process of making these paintings and after, I began to  reflect on these valuable days spent with my mother and the whole nature of "home" and it's significance in our path of life. "Home" by definition is "a place of residence" - the place in which a person grew up or feels they belong. But "home" more importantly, may also relate to a mental or emotional state of refuge and comfort. The state of a persons home has been known to physiologically influence their behaviour, emotions and overall mental health. 
                                            So, although this sense of wanting to "go home" is exacerbated in old age and dementia, the desire to go back to our origins, to a place where we have a sense of belonging  and where there is love, is also part our human condition. This is proven, I believe by the vast amount of literature, poetry and music which has devoted itself over the years to the subject of "Going Home".      
  

Going Home 5.   28x21cm

Going Home 6.   39x21cm

                                  

The photograph which inspired the origination of the "Going Home" series.

This series is dedicated to my mother Bertha,

someone who continues to inspire me creatively and someone certainly worth "Going Home" to.

You may leave any comments on the above or share what "home" means to you in the box below.

   

Through The Edge Of Darkness

                              Through The Edge Of Darkness  Oil on Canvas 122 x 77cm                                                            

                       
                           "Through The Edge Of Darkness" was painted at "The Hampstead School of Art", London  somewhere between 2007 and 2008. I had become influenced by the emotional, spiritual works of abstract expressionist Mark Rothko. He had experimented, making paintings into experiences of tragedy and ecstasy - the basic conditions of existence.It is said the aim of his life's work was to express the essence of the universal human drama.
                          I began this piece by using a camcorder, taking blurred still pictures of parts of previous paintings that I was interested in. After taking fifty or so miniature photographs, I selected a couple which I worked up into large scale oil paintings. I used a layering process to give a sense of depth - there are reds, ochre's for instance beneath the white and pinks underlining the grey and black. I used a large brush to soften the edges between the three main areas to help them merge and create a sombre effect.

With brother Joe  c1965

                          "Through The Edge Of Darkness" is about facing our worst times - tragedy and despair, pain and suffering, disappointment and loss. We have all been there at some point. Last year, for instance, was not too bad for me until in August,  I got the tragic news that my brother Joe was terminally ill. He was just four years older than me and we were very close "blood brothers". One of my earliest recollections of Joe as a young child was him giving up half of his own pocket-money to buy me a set of crayons. Such was his nature. I remember that sense of wonder looking at these fantastic colours and I began to use them. I expect these early creative experiences influenced my direction in art later on. Later we went to the same school together and he showed me the ropes around the school and yard.
                           Joe was warm, generous, compassionate and good humoured. He was extremely intelligent but yet also had the ability to be simple and engaging. I now realise how much music and literature he introduced me to. Despite being in different countries, we linked up and made contact online several times a week.It is true that life will never be the same without him and since he left us, yes, I have felt the pain.

"Through The Edge Of Darkness" Detail

                        
                           So, looking at "Through The Edge Of Darkness" now, I am reminded of this sad loss. Rothko stated "The people who weep before my pictures are having the same religious experience I had when I painted them. And if you, as you say, are moved only by their colour relationship, then you miss the point". 
                           I hope, therefore the viewer may not just engage in the colour and techniques of this work, but may also be moved by their own personal and individual experiences, whatever that may be. 
                           And I expect if Joe was here today, I sense he would say "The key point of this painting is the not the darkness at all but in fact the Light that is shining through."

IN MEMORY OF FR. JOE CULLEN O.P.

                                                                         1957-2011

                                            

Stanza

Stanza Acrylic on Canvas Tom Cullen 2011   

                                                          I completed the above canvas "Stanza" after producing some sketches at the Slade School of Art, London earlier this year. These early sketches experimented with linking painting to poetry and selecting colour on a more random basis without a mathematical sequence or any pre-conceived ideas.

                                            When working on the completed canvas,after placing the black acrylic underlay, I painted the first red square in the top left and I continued painting left to right. During this process, I selected  colour which simply seemed to work, ignoring any other rules such as whether the colour was warm or cool, primary or secondary, contrasting etc. As the lines developed, it became more complex because the colour selected had to work in relation to the others and it became important to maintain the overall balance in the painting. There is a pattern to the placing of these squares in 8-9-9-8 line format which links to the suggested concept of poetry. In addition, each colour is painted freely which hopefully conveys a sense of primitivism or even a child-like quality.Using a wide palette range of vivid colour on top of the black base provides vibrancy. In addition, I avoided  linear convention by breaking symmetry between the top and bottom /left and right of the canvas.

                                                           This  work is fundamentally, an exercise in the nature and life of colour itself to convey a sense of rhythm, harmony and freedom often expressed in poetry.Hoffmann once said "It is not the form that dictates colour but colour that brings out the form".Colour can set a mood,attract attention or make a statement. It can be used to energise or cool things down. By selecting the right colour scheme, you can create a feeling of elegance,warmth or tranquility or even convey a sense of youthfulness. Given this, I hope the viewer might feel a sense of some poetry whilst engaging in this colourful piece and maybe even the excitement of the child within.

"Colour is crucial in painting, but it is very hard to talk about.There is almost nothing you can say that holds up as a generalization, because it depends on too many factors: size, modulation, the rest of the field, a certain consistency that colour has with forms and the statement you are trying to make"

                                                                   Roy Lichenstein

   

Acrylic sketches on paper exploring colour and poetry

"Instead of trying to reproduce exactly what I see before me, I make more arbitrary use of colour to express myself more forcefully....to express the love of two lovers by the marriage of two complementary colours....to express the thought of a brow by the radiance of a light tone against a dark background....to express hope by some star........someones passion by the radiance of the setting sun"

                                                                                                    Vincent Van Gogh

" Colour helps to express light, not the physical phenomenon, but the only light that really exists, that in the artist's brain"

                                                                                                         Henri Matisse


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Hymn to the Mother of God

  

Hymn to the Mother of God  2008 oil on wood   99x68cm

                                            Coming home, one May evening I found these panels of wood - part of an old defunct garden door lying carelessly by the kerb.It is always exciting using found material for painting and I could almost sense this door was waiting for me to inject a new life. After giving it the usual preparation and treatment,I primed it in a black matt paint,waiting anxiously for it to dry.

                                            I painted the blue and white stripes thinly in oils, allowing visibility of the black underneath and allowing the colour to float, hover and vibrate.Next,I worked on the purple horizontal bands, using a darker tone allowing the viewer to be drawn towards the centre panels.Finally,I painted the very top and bottom panels in a subtle grey to push these areas back and to give prominence to the blue, white and purple panels.I intentionally did not alter the holes in the left side panels leaving it raw and incomplete.I regard the work therefore,as being unfinished, but maybe this conveys a sense of honesty. In addition, doors themselves can be symbolic and are commonly used as metaphors in many cultures and art forms.  

                                        So does the abstract painting "Hymn to the Mother of God" metaphorically represent a Madonna for the twenty first century? Does it echo the music of John Tavener?  Is there a suggestion perhaps, of a value in connecting with ones spiritual roots, wherever they may lie?  Maybe it is not a religious painting at all but questions our own psychological state and values. However, that is for you the viewer to decide. All I know is that if I had changed my route home that summer evening, I may not have found this material and painted "Hymn to the Mother of God" at all. And you may find both these films deeply moving.    

               

                                

Hymn to the Mother of God" is a piece of music by John Tavener released in 1995. Drawn to it's mysticism, Tavener joined the Orthodox Church in 1977, studying and setting music to the writings of the church fathers.His "Song for Athene" was memorably performed at the funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales in 1997. Subsequently,he composed a piece based on William Blake's poetry "Eternity's Sunrise" dedicated to her memory. Although remaining Orthodox, Tavener has more recently explored Hinduism and Islam.    

               

Mary, a Jewish woman of Nazareth in Galilee is identified in the New Testament and in Islam as the mother of Jesus through divine intervention. Christians believe that she conceived her son miraculously through the Holy Spirit, whilst Muslims believe she conceived by the command of God. The bible records Mary's role in the events of the life of Jesus from beginnings to crucifixion. Apocryphal writings tell of her subsequent death and bodily assumption into heaven. Many Christians believe Mary as mother of Jesus is the Mother of God. Muslims regard her as Virgin Mother of Jesus, who is considered a prophet of Islam. Throughout  the ages, the image of Mary became a significant subject in art,music and literature. Although not recorded in the Gospels,the image of her cradling the dead body of her Son is a common symbolic motif in art called a "pieta" or "pity".   

             

       Source for material in italics: Wikipedia 2011.                                                                                                                  

 "

                                 

Medugorje in western Bosnia & Hertzegovina has become a popular pilgrimage site since 1981 due to reports of apparitions of the Virgin Mary to six local Catholics. Mirjana Soldo reports receiving messages on the 2nd of each month as demonstrated in this film from October 2010.

PLEASE LEAVE YOUR COMMENTS ON "HYMN TO THE MOTHER OF GOD" BELOW: