The Dream Thief

Sometimes I do wonder what is going on in my head!

These images pop into it unannounced. Sometimes that's fine as it could be an image of a red deer dressed up as Father Christmas for example. But other times it can all be a bit disconcerting. The idea of The Dream Thief popped into my head when I was walking back from shopping in town. I then lay awake at night while she was gradually being created in my head and I could visualise how she would look.  Then I started drawing her. My pictures often change a bit from the image I have in mind once they start to appear on paper. Originally she had cloven hooves but once I'd sketched her out they didn't really suit. The rest of her looked too elegant for hooves. Maybe that will end up in another painting. Also in my head she was all blues and purples and icy but as I drew her, her head dress looked more like antlers or tree branches so that dictated the colours.

I don't really have all the posh arty words for my work, I just paint and draw what I see whether it's real life or a fantasy image from my head. But either way these images appear and my brain won't let me sleep until I've at least sketched them out. I do love seeing my pictures come to life but it's quite a slow process from the original idea to a pencil sketch, a pen sketch, watercolour washes, gouache highlights and finally pen detail.

When she first appeared in my brain I didn't really know who she was, but as she slowly came to life I felt certain that she stole dreams. Her long legs mean she can reach into any window to steal your dreams and hoard them for herself. I think she keeps them on a shelf and gloats over them while we toss and turn at night unable to sleep as our dreams have been stolen. That would be a bleak world with no dreams and hopes. Maybe she steals our hopes too!

Wonderful

It's half term so I've had a bit of a break with the kids. I took my sketch book with me (of course) and started working on some new ideas. I couldn't take this with me as it's too big. But tonight is guy's night in my house as my daughter is on a sleepover. Boys have been happily playing Minecraft on the PS4 so I've been keeping out of the way and getting some work done on this monster.

The background has become a very blurry version of the Kings of the Wild Frontier logo. I want it to be there but not distract from the portraits so I thought I'd do it in a sketchy style. I might change my mind later but that's the beauty of acrylics, I can paint over anything I'm not happy with. It's becoming a very colourful painting which I hope reflects Adam's flamboyance.

This is an absolute joy to paint. I absolutely love colour and as much as I love painting animals and birds it is lovely to occasionally do a portrait. I really love painting eyes. It also has the bonus of giving me an excuse to listen to Adam and the Ants music for "inspiration". Do I need an excuse? 

I've yet to decide on a title for this and I keep trying out different ideas in my head. Hopefully I'll settle on one when I finally finish.x

Kings of the Wild Fronteir

Well my friend phoned from Australia this morning for a long chat and while I find it impossible to be on the phone and do nothing I can't really concentrate on commissions so out came Adam and I got quite a bit done on his face while we were chatting. I still have some more work to do on this one but here it is so far. I met Louise while at uni in Wales in 1989 and we bonded over a shared love of music. Guns n Roses, Sisters of Mercy, Bauhaus and of course Adam Ant.(And a shared love of dressing up!) A few years ago she sent me a CD she'd made of favourite songs from our uni days and the first track on it was Kick by Adam and the Ants. We even got to meet Gary Tibbs once as he came to our uni in the support band for Kirsty McColl. (He played bass on the Prince Charming album and I think we were the only people there who were excited about it all!). Anyway, we've had a good catch up about holidays, kids, life in general and Adam Ant so now I'm back working on commissions. Adam is going back to the corner of my dining room out of the way while I paint a portrait of a very handsome dog.x

Deutscher Girls

Well I've gone back to the beginning and been listening to Dirk Wears White Sox. Got to really when I'm painting early Adam. It's a good job no one is actually watching me while I paint as I'm singing along at the top of my voice (and singing isn't my strong point!) but how could you not sing along to Never Trust a Man (With Egg on his Face), Catholic Day and Cleopatra! Such a fab album. I'm working my way through all his music as I paint him through the years. And by the way, look at those cheek bones!

Darlin' Boy

I think I have finally finished his face. I've been getting a lot of the background colour done and the basic colours on his hat ready for the detail. I want to make him glow!

I love painting fur and feathers so I'm really looking forward to getting those beautiful feathers on his hat done.  Hopefully I've made him realistic and yet colourful and flamboyant. And as he is still such a handsome man it's such a tough job staring at his face for hours while I paint him!

The bottom half of the painting will be peopled with past versions of Adam, not just to show off his different looks but to show how all these other Adams have all added up to the present one. It's the same with everyone. We all have a past where we have looked different and done different things but they all shape who we are today. They help us grow to become the person we are. What I want to portray here is how all these different Adams are all part and parcel of the same person. 

I've never met Adam but I've read his autobiography and have enjoyed his music for nearly 40 years. I have grown up listening to him and I want to convey what a special place his music and style has in my life. This is a Celebration of Adam Ant. (Not sure if that will be the final title. (I have others jumping around in my head but any suggestions would be welcome.)xx

The Blueblack Hussar

In amongst drawing a lovely hare portrait ( I need to paint it yet), working on the background for watercolour commission of two little girls and also an Alice tattoo design I have managed to get a bit more done today. At least he has two eyes now! It's slow progress but I don't want to rush it. I'm absolutely loving the colours in the shadows on his face In the time it took me to paint his other eye I got through the entire album of The Blueblack Hussar is Marrying the Gunner's Daughter. As I said, you can't rush these things and I want to do the job properly. He's got such a beautiful face I hope I'm doing him justice.x

Huge!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well so far it's been a very busy weekend and so no time for painting. I've had a lovely sociable evening out with friends on Friday night, a shopping trip to Lymington on Saturday followed by a fabulous fancy dress birthday party ( a friend's not mine!) and then tonight hubby and I are going to see Sean Lock at the BIC. Phew! In the mean time I thought you all might like to see exactly how huge my painting is going to be.

It's huge!

Massive!

Giant!

Enormous!

It will be the biggest thing I've ever done!

I've sketched the basic idea out but obviously I have a lot of work to do and an awful lot of detail to add. Well that gives me an excuse to listen to Adam and the Ants while I paint. Tomorrow I'll be getting my paints out and listening to The Blueblack Hussar.x

Cool Zombie

I First came across Adam and the Ants at the grand old age of 7 when I heard Car Trouble on the radio. 3 years later I saved up and bought my first ever LP, the fantastic Kings of the Wild Frontier. That started a life long obsession with Adam. I have gone on to like other music and my children are growing up listening to Guns n Roses and David Bowie, but they all love Adam and his fantastic videos. One of the many things I loved about him growing up (apart from his flamboyant dress sense and fun videos) was the fact that all his b sides were amazing. In a time when most b sides were just an instrumental of the A side, to get a single with such fab music on the b side was amazing. I've since discovered that his b sides were different versions of his early punk music but all it did was get me into punk. I have been lucky enough to see him in concert twice in recent years and am very excited now as I've got tickets to see him at the Royal Albert Hall in May (Eeeek! Excited squeal!!!!!!). So this has inspired me (with a little prompting from my husband) to paint a celebration of Adam Ant. It's huge and it's going to take me a long time but I thought you all might like to see it as it progresses. Here's the start of it. xx

 Adam Ant is the Blueblack Hussar