I call this picture Poor Yorick because that’s whose skull Hamlet is holding as he speaks. I love Shakespeare and here is my low budget version of “the Danish play “. I hope the director at bottom can pull it off, and that our swooning Ophelia doesn’t catch a cold. Speaking of Ophelia, I … More Hamlet, Prince of Denmark
Here are two little pictures that share a circus theme and the idea of transient spectacle. Above we see the diminutive circus master, perhaps conveying financial woes to the company. Here we see a reproduction of a painting that has long since been painted over and so no longer exists, reinforcing our theme of transience and … More Little Circus
This week’s blog is dedicated to my daughter Holly, who talked me into starting this blog, designed the website and has always encouraged me to get my artwork to a wider audience. She is studying abroad for six months and will be sorely missed. Strong Women In Greek mythology Medusa was a gorgon who could … More Strong Women
Snow, even with global warming a regular feature of our winter here in London, Ontario. There’s always something magical in the way it falls or how a heavy snow can make the world go so quiet. To paint it requires some tricks and a few false starts. I’ve shot paint off the bristles of a … More Snow
Merry Christmas to all my great friends and followers of this blog. Health and happiness, Barry
Christmas- hopefully a happy time with family and friends. It is thought that an ancient Roman emperor moved the birth of Christ to the “pagan” celebration day Saturnalia to promote Christianity as the official religion of the Roman Empire. I’m sure today’s version would surprise him! We’ll cover all the bases in this blog starting with … More Merry Christmas!
This week we present a whimsical picture inspired by a book I haven’t actually read (though the story of Captain Ahab and his vengeful search for the great white whale seems to belong to popular culture). Here we see a whaling ship in the distance and the dreaded Moby Dick gliding silently below. Although our … More Moby Dick
As winter approaches, I look back longingly to the warm green days of summer. There we find Flora, the Roman goddess of flowering plants. Using simple shapes and transparent washes of colour, I feel I have successfully communicated an image of innocence and vegetable growth. As Picasso once wrote, “it takes a long time to … More Flora
This week we shall screw our courage to the sticking place and present three drawings of Macbeth and the witches from Shakespeare’s Scottish play. A battleweary Macbeth is greeted by “three weird sisters ” who prophesy his future in mysterious terms. The first drawing was done with compressed charcoal on paper. I like the deep … More Macbeth and the Witches
A proscenium is the decorative arch which spans a theatre stage. The theatre is a theme that I have often been drawn to in my work. I first invented this image as a poster illustration for a Planet People concert poster. I then painted a second giant version on a bed sheet in black and … More Proscenium
Barry Trower 