Another foliate head for Marly to choose from. Peter says he thinks I’m channelling the spirit of Ben Shahn with these, and I can see what he means!
Another foliate head for Marly to choose from. Peter says he thinks I’m channelling the spirit of Ben Shahn with these, and I can see what he means!
And this image is just as strong as the red guy–!
You and I are of like mind Mary. This one too would do the job well.
I adore this verdant spewing foliate face – its is brimming with the zest and zim of Spring life reborn!
My first attempts were pedestrian, too reverential to source materials in roof bosses, capitals and misericords. It was only when I let rip and gave free rein to my own feeling for the subject that it took off. ‘Zest and zim’ is a good expression, and exactly conveys what I was after. Thank you Paul. I’m so pleased you like these.
I like the introduction of green. All 3 are such powerful images (top of 1st post, 2nd and now this one) I can’t decide which I prefer, who makes the final decision? I guess it HAS to be you.
All the images are worthy of publishing, we are all lucky to see the thought process. So-a future book perhaps?
Liz, I’ve wilfully been avoiding green, just because of the obviousness of the colour in matters of foliate heads. I like the idea of other colours being a surprise to the subject. However, green and red go together rather wonderfully in graphic terms, and so I’ve introduced a zingy green here, hopefully to good effect.
I’m already thinking there may be a green-man related project for me beyond this cover, but maybe that’s just because I’m on a roll. I’ve found in many ways that all work leads to the next project, even though the connections may not always be obvious. I’ve had an illustrated Bestiary on the back burner for some time now, with a text by Dave Bonta (see Via Negativa in the blogroll at right) who’s done far more work on it than I’ve had time for. Making these simplified tree-man images has fanned the embers of my enthusiasm for the bestiary, probably because I’d always imagined a chapbook as the end result, and chapbook suggests the wood-cut-like simplicity of what I’ve been producing for Marly’s cover.
Clive, he is splendid, the leafy-barky stem-and-leaf spewer! Love the color.
Oh, and I see what Peter means. Reminds me of a Shahn segmented menorah with spiky flames. (And especially if you were to add the words as cutouts, as you mentioned before…
You combined it with that chain-mail effect that Beth mentioned as well–like that!
the first one from the second batch still wins :–)
Hello stranger! I’ve been wondering where you’ve been. You owe me a catch-up e-mail! (-;
I am playing catch up with your posts on foliate heads, sorry to be tardy in commenting. I loved the gentleness of the lyrical one, but this one is just brilliant and my favourite with the leaves and bark effect on the head.
Oh please don’t apologise. The Artlog isn’t supposed to be homework. I’m just glad that you drop by when you can. (-;
you are on a roll!!
fantastic…