In the bible, Salome dances before King Herod, pleasing him so much that he promises her anything in return. She asks that the head of John the Baptist be brought to her on a charger. Salome Dancing (1987). Here is a quick charcoal sketch with rough abstract marks that I think still manages to set … More Salome Dancing
I’m proud of this tableau featuring a Royal table laden with meat, drink , music and psychological drama. I guess it’s my mini version of “the last supper”. I give myself a high-five for how the candlelight floods such an active but stable composition. As the little guy in front says,”to your health!”, Barry
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
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
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
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
Today we are featuring two imaginary landscapes: The first I titled “Discovery “, referring to the gentlemen in the distance here and what they have found. I wanted the fractured sculpture to give a feeling of crumbling civilization. The second is called “The Earthworms Lament” and is a much more colourful picture from a later … More Strange Landscapes!
Barry Trower 