New Bottlescapes &c.
were at
The Scotch Malt Whisky Society, London
from 24th November 2008 to late January, 2009
MéNAGEs à TROIS...
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New Bottlescapes &c. were at The Scotch Malt Whisky Society, London from 24th November 2008 to late January, 2009
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ménages à trois... xi/VIII
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Most of the xi-VIII series of Ménages à trois BottleScapes are on 'deep' canvases, most 20 x 20 cms, but all also 2 cms deep, so that the picture isn't flat at all...
It may even carry on round a corner....
Above left: side view of footlights of "The Tenor Gets The Girl..."
Above right: side view of "Ménage à Trois: Chat-Up..."
20 x 20 x 2 cms
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The Tenor Gets The Girl...
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Winds Light to Variable... |
Moonlight Serenade... |
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All at sea...
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Cross Words... |
It Happened One Night... |
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Le Rouge & le Noir...
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Straight... |
A Case of Black & White... |
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Crème de Menthe frappée...
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Nightcap... |
In flagrante delicto... |
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Chat-up...
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Stand-off... |
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20 x 20 x 1 cms |
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Tell-tale...
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Five o'clock shadow... |
Scotched... |
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No nonsense... |
A Long Night's Journey Into Day |
Making merry... |
20 x 40 x 2 cms
Groovy...
I just wondered...
Midnight's Snackers...
Chaud...
30 x 30 x 2 cms
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Enter the Spaniard... |
Gin-bruising... |
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Dénouement... |
Howard's First Hangover... |
Oh, and finally:
The Perfect Picnic!
"Hard Cheese & Whisky à Deux..."
BOTTLESCAPES...
My first "Bottlescape" pictures, done in 2007 to celebrate the centenary of the Entente Cordiale, were exhibited in Marseilles; they were inspired by the famous painting by Winston Churchill; see below for an account of the first pictures...
They had a certain literal quality and a fascination with Churchill's handling of light; the 2008 series for the Scotch Malt Whisky Society starts with much more liberal versions and an interest now in the dance of forms...
All are crayon & charcoal on canvas with a varnish wash, 30 x 30 cms.
A HISTORY OF MY BOTTLESCAPES...
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left & right: Bottlescapes I & II, Homage to Sir Winston Churchill
[both now in private collections, France]
with, centre: "Bottlescape" by Sir Winston Churchill
Churchill's witty, domestic painting — much of the perspective plays on the presence both of half-bottles and a jeraboam, let alone the size of the cigars — and did the greatest of men really have a measuring globe on his crème de menthe? — has always been with me since my parents gave me a print of it for my 17th birthday.
For the present exhibition in Marseille, in honour of the Entente cordiale and not to overlook the much older Auld Alliance between France and Scotland, I have done my "Bottlescapes" to include iconic mentions of La Tâche (my picture is splats after all), Château Brown, Casanis or Jannot (the most marseillais of pastis) and as in the original, Johnny Walker, champagne (Pol Roger for Churchill, Moët & Chandon for the Entente cordiale) and Cuban cigars; the Bass beer-mat is in honour of the Cubists, who, with Manet, seem to have had this as their favourite beer, and behind it all, a bottle-party-crasher, a can of Irn-Bru, in honour of the Glaswegian pulse of the city of Marseille...
Left & Centre: details of the sides of "Bottlescape II [2007]" (50x50);
right: ditto "Bottlescape I [2008]" (30x30).
