Tag Archives: abstract art

Crusader’s tomb day 4

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Above: Island. Acrylic and oil on 14×10″ wood. Rose Strang 2024

This is one of today’s paintings as part of the Crusader’s tomb series I’m working on this year. (previous posts here – post 1

post 2

post 3

post 4)

I imagined our crusader, David de Lindsey visualising his home, as he lay in bed being looked after by Carmelite monks in the Middle East . He might dream of the landscape he’d pass on his voyage back to Scotland and Luffness, so the painting above is a sort of Bass Rock of the mind. It’s an island anyone entering the Firth of Forth would see as they sailed past.

I’m working on this series intuitively, allowing imagery to surface as it wishes. Here are two more paintings in progress from today’s session in the studio –

I’m exploring the traumatic side of de Lindsey’s experience, the painting above shows a quickly sketched copy of the danse macabre on red background from a Medieval painting. Underneath is the faint suggestion of a horse – a romanticised image associated with crusaders. The colour of the red oil paint also makes me think of a wax seal – a promise or signed contract maybe.

I’m using these images I suppose to explore the way we’re drawn to causes through powerful imagery. We’re such visual people and I wonder if those with visual impairments are less susceptible to (for example) political campaigns since they can’t see slogans and imagery!

At the same time the imagery I’m choosing is a way to say something about the idea of faith and the spirit, because we do share archetypal images in imagination, so the image above the red painting directly above might suggest spirit, and it echoes yesterday’s painting. Return II

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More paintings soon …

Achiltibuie series

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Above ‘Achiltibuie 1’. Oil on 5×7″ wood. Rose Strang 2023

It’s been a very experimental time these last few weeks, not least since it’s impossible to find time to paint on a regular basis, or to focus on one subject with all the projects going on. My studio is temporary till next year and consists of a tiny kitchen alcove, until we find a new home somewhere rural where we can stretch out a little. Needless to say I can’t wait, but it’s a laborious process.

The painting above is from a series I’m painting of my impressions of Coigach and Achiltibuie where we stayed for a few days back in May. I’ve always loved the impressions of landscape that remain in imagination after driving through it. One of my favourite artists, Ilse d’Hollander, had a similar approach – she’d cycle through the countryside of Holland, then return to the studio to create semi abstract impressions. A ‘painter’s painter’ as she was described, she wanted to say a lot with little, more about distilled memories of her short journeys. A sense of space, or light, or distance for example.

I particularly enjoyed this short video about her work, beautifully filmed and edited by Gauitier Deblonde …

Ilse D’Hollander film

Despite all the distractions, I must find time to paint a series for the upcoming winter exibition at Limetree for November. I’m also getting together a little project with my friend and collaborator Atzi Muramatsu. I’ll be creating small portraits in oil on wood of Atzi and members of a small string quartet. The quartet will then play for one night at The Scottish Arts club in November. It’ll be a nice little project, meaningful but manageable!

I’m exploring some more abstract approaches at the moment, or mixed media anyway. This piece was created with plastic, cold wax and oils. Quite good fun, it’s good to loosen up – not to always feel you have to stick to the same approach.

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‘Waterfall’. Mixed media on 15×15″ wood. Rose Strang 2023