Morantart

“As music is the poetry of sound, so is painting the poetry of sight, and the subject-matter has nothing to do with harmony of sound or colour.                         Whistler

“Before the problem of the creative artist analysis must, alas, lay down its arms.”                  Freud

“Once I drew like Raphael but it has taken me a whole lifetime to learn how to draw like a child.”                       Picasso

“There are paintings you can look at every day and seeing them means little, and there are paintings you can see once and never forget.”                         Miro

“The modern artist must attack his own rational sensibilities in order to make room for spontaneous growth. A vicious circle operates. The attacked surface faculties fight back in self-defence and overnight the spontaneous from the subconscious is turned into another deliberate and stylised manneristic device. This in turn stifles further spontaneity and has to be overthrown by another burst from the depths. This is the schizoid in modern art.”                                  Anton Ehrenzweig

“I sometimes begin a drawing with no pre-conceived problem to solve, with only the desire to use pencil on paper and make lines, tones and shapes with no conscious aim; but as my mind takes in what is so produced a point arrives where some idea becomes conscious and crystallizes, and then a control and ordering begins to take place.”       Henry Moore

“Day after day we live far beyond the boundaries of our consciousness; without our knowledge, the life of the unconscious is going on within us. The more critical reason dominates, the more impoverished life becomes; but the more of the unconscious, and the more of the myths we are capable of making conscious, the more of life we integrate.”                            C. J. Jung

ITALY 2008

In May I exhibited again with Paola Trevisan at the Galleria De Marchi in Bologna. This show was an international exhibition of small works titled ‘Little Treasures’

Yet again, to my great surprise, (in absentia) I was awarded another major prize. This was a fine Raku sculpture by the well known Italian sculptor Silvano d' orsi.

In November of 2008 we flew once again to Italy for the next exhibition at the museum of the Castle Estense. This year the title of our show was ‘Traces Of Memory’ and I was very fortunate in that Trevisan International Art had chosen one of my works for their main advertising posters. This was my painting ‘Come Arrivare’ (How do we get there)?

 With billboard at castle gate

      Come Arrivare?                                               Mixed media on canvas 610 x 760mm

My entry for the exhibition was a suite of four canvases titled 'Music When Soft Voices Die'. This is taken from the beautiful poem by Shelley, who died in Italy in 1822. The poem was for me highly compatible with the evocative title of the exhibition.

 Music When Soft Voices Die       (Four canvases)

On this vist to Italy we travelled around and visited many more great cultural centres. 

We went to Venice:

 Across the Lagoon, Venice.

  Tricia in St Marks Square, Venice.

 Rialto Bridge, Venice.

Padua:

 At the Prato Della Fountain, Padua.

 With Sculptor Joe Sloan and Monica in Padua

 Pisa:

 Baptistry and Tower, Pisa

And Verona: 

 Tricia in Verona

 Christmas star, Verona.

Once again the exhibition 'Traces Of Memory, opened at the great castle to the sounds of medieval trumpets and drums echoing across the drawbridge and into the magnificent courtyard where the soldiers performed an amazing display of traditional flag-throwing. 

 Flag throwing performance at exhibition opening.

The exhibition represented many fine artists selected from all over the world and I was highly honoured to be in such company.

But I was doubly honoured when my name was called out as the winner of yet another award. This was the 'Premio Ercole D’Este della Critica’ (Critics Choice Award)

 With award and 'Music When Soft Voices Die'.

Back to top