Dear Readers,
I'm glad I get to refer to all of you as 'readers' now as I can confirm my blog has been read by people, yay! I have had a few inspirational adventures recently to rescue me from my daily grind in the shoe shop I work in. The first of which was a wee trip to the cinema to go and see The Great Gatsby, which was seriously good! If I had to use cliches, I would be using the phrase 'visual feast'. The set design and costume design were amazing and the whole nostalgic, trance-like feel of the film set me off on an artistic endeavor. I doubt I am alone in being inspired by Gatsby as the film has already created some serious fashion trend ripples. Everyone is after an eclectic 20's style look. It seems everywhere I look people are also desperate for vintage deco style interiors as well and it is on this note that I decided to channel my new gained inspiration.
Well with all due respect to F. Scott Fitzgerald I believe that sometimes once in a blue moon, a love can be rediscovered and celebrated sometimes. I looked back at original copies of The Great Gatsby and found some amazing little prints and since, I have been hand painting reproductions of the original illustrations. They have a very bold and almost kitschy feel.
I am also looking into screen printing variations and using art deco patterning as well. If all goes well I should hopefully be selling these online in my Etsy Shop Tipsycups and at craft fares etc. I really like the yellow ocher shades alongside black and white. I've been using gouache paint as it gives a really opaque finish and gives solid colour blocks which are synonymous with Art deco style.
In stark contrast I also visited a Buddhist monastery, (which I think I am correct in saying) is the only one in Scotland. It was such a surprise as it's tucked away in the middle of nowhere in the Dumfrieshire countryside, which is remote and quiet. What I discovered was a hive of activity and multiple buildings of worship and temples etc. There was a huge peace garden as well which was beautiful.I did, however, also find some inspiration that reflected my Deco style such as the peacock pictured below often patterned in traditional deco style.
Above is me in the middle of the peace garden, and to the right is my new friend, Mr peacock, who totally owns the roost at Samye Ling. He was strutting his stuff in a very impressive and scary manner haha.
What struck me more so than anything about the Buddhist Tibetan style buildings was how much of an emphasis mathematical skill and numeracy was placed on design of architecture and rituals alike. Such as the repetition of the Buddha figure 1000 times in the main temple, or how matras/ prayers are repeated either 100 to 1000 times. There is an underlying sense of balance, affinity and decimal precision. which I decided might be a pretty good mantra to take with me when completing any design work in the future. There you go, every day is a school day after all!
Lastly but not least, I have also, as you may have noticed been playing about with my blog header. I finally decided on the design used which is an illustration of me in my studio space :) hope you like it!
Until next time,
Scott.
