The Day the Sky Shattered and Flew Away

The Messenger is an unprimed thick canvas banner splashed with pale blue, gold and copper, which form the background, out of which flies a dark crimson bird, hence its name. The Messenger, acrylic and oil on canvas, 1.35 x 1.8m.
The Messenger, 2019, Acrylic and oil on canvas, 135 x 180cm
The Day the Sky Shattered and Flew Away, 2019, Acrylic on unprimed canvas, 183 x 112cm

 

First I was captivated by natures broken grids (Visible, Invisible, Veiled).

 

Then I twirled around amongst the trees and captured the movement of their vertical(ish) lines within Breathing Space.

 

Now it feels as if I have lain down within the central circle of Serenade.

Held close by Mother Earth, I look up to see the sky and the clouds - sailing, shifting, twisting or bumping along as they are gently held, stretched or squashed by the wind.

To observe and also to imagine what might happen if the sky crashed down upon us or exploded into zillions of small pieces - odd shapes, slithers, chinks, chunks and slices of sky: would they reflect light or soak up the darkness?

 

Glacial Burst is an unprimed canvas banner with bursts of deep blue, pale blue and silver, full of movement as the paint splashed from left to right. Glacial Burst, acrylic on canvas, 118 x 136cm
Glacial Burst, 2020, Acrylic on canvas, 118 x 136cm
Is there anyone there? - a rust coloured figure with two antennae appears from / behind a splash of lime green tinged with black. Acrylic on Moulin de Larroque paper, 50 x 50cm.
Is there anyone there?, 2019, Acrylic on Moulin de Larroque paper, 50cm circle
Skyhorse - a joyful combination of splashed blues, yellows and greens to create the central ‘Skyhorse’. From The Day the Sky Shattered and Flew Away series. Acrylic on Moulin de Larroque paper, 50 x 50cm.
Skyhorse, 2019, Acrylic on Moulin de Larroque paper, 50 x 50cm

Energised by some unseen force, maybe they would swirl around the world, laughing, chattering, a cacophony to get the people to look up in wonder, amazement or horror?

Perhaps they would collectively spy the moon, make a beeline for it, and look down upon us.

And if they circled the sun, would the refracted light blind us, and if they zoomed off to visit distant planets would they ever return?

Chamukuy - named after a star, this vermilion, silver, oxide black and yellow circular painting created with splashed, pooled and flicked paint contains a bird like figure striding forth. From The Day the Sky Shattered and Flew Away series. Acrylic on Moulin de Larroque paper, 50cm circle.
Chamukuy, 2019, Acrylic on Moulin de Larroque paper, 50cm circle
Fafnir - named after a star, it contains a rust coloured explosion against a steely and black background of dropped and splashed paint. From The Day the Sky Shattered and Flew Away series. Acrylic on Moulin de Larroque paper, 50cm circle.
Fafnir, 2019, Acrylic on Moulin de Larroque paper, 50cm circle
Ginan - named after a star, it has a mottled vermilion surface, with pools of yellow, and splashed black pits. From The Day the Sky Shattered and Flew Away series. Acrylic on Moulin de Larroque paper, 50cm circle.
Ginan, 2019, Acrylic on Moulin de Larroque paper, 50cm circle

These visions and more are revealed as my feelings and emotions ricochet between awe, anger and wonderment; darkness and light - reflecting the precarious state of Planet Earth and our life upon it.

Uprising has a gold background out of which rises a red and blue figure. Uprising, acrylic on handmade Moulin de Larroque paper, 107 x 56cm
Uprising, 2019, Acrylic on Moulin de Larroque paper, 107 x 56cm
Nocturnal Luminance is predominantly dark blue with shimmering rising clouds of violet and paler blue mixed with incandescent white, all of which creates the vision of a night sky. Nocturnal Luminance, acrylic on handmade Moulin de Larroque paper, 108 x 73cm
Nocturnal Luminance, 2019, Acrylic on Moulin de Larroque paper, 108 x 73cm
Halo has a greeny-yellow ring over a rising line of the same green-yellow over a dark blue background. The texture of the paper gives the forms a mottled look, and the background colours shift between lighter and darker shades of blue. Halo, acrylic on handmade Moulin de Larroque paper, 104 x 57cm
Halo, 2019, Acrylic on Moulin de Larroque paper, 104 x 57cm