Adam and Eve - Spoiler warning!

New painting up.
 http://www.markpeatfield.co.uk/portfolio/page7/index.html
Adam & Eve or 'After the fall'.
As promised a quick explanation (but no tinsel) as I do not like be needlessly cryptic. The sphere contains a field of alert awareness for we are what we are aware of. Freely substitute 'Being', 'Buddah nature', 'Christ nature', 'Consciousness' the Kingdom of God or, my favourite, 'foetal awareness' for the term alert awareness. The spinning disc is Mind, a source of largely unproductive and mostly random thoughts - the source of Buddha's suffering. I've read somewhere that the mind generates many thousands of thoughts a day. As conscious entities we watch and hear (lens and small trumpet) what it produces and assume, erroneously, that we are responsible and in control of what is generated. A subset of these thoughts are 'Me' or ego thoughts. Much of what emerges from the eye-trumpet is from the Mind (ego driven drivel). Reality is accessible to the sphere only after coming in from the eye-trumpet. The lens can momentarily raise itself to look above the disc but the lens is heavy and the non-stop thoughts are too compelling - especially if they are 'Me' or ego thoughts.   Before the fall the lens would have effortless roamed the sky to be lost and found in the moment (Tolle's Now). But now it is so difficult. What is more fascinating than what I think and feel and my life story? Nothing, absolutely nothing which is why we are all, for the most part, psychotic.
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Very different

The next painting is going to be very different and will be based on the following sketch.



It's about as bleak as I can get but looks comical. There may even be bright colours. Looks like nonsense imagery but is actually a carefully considered symbol for the human condition. Expressive symbolism? I don't like being cryptic for the sake of it so I may even annotate it. Hell, as it's coming up to Xmas, I might even put tinsel on it.


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Location:Winery Lane,Walton-le-Dale,United Kingdom

New painting up - a Preston morning. Recent paintings

It's on the experimental side. It does what I wanted it to do but that doesn't mean anyone is going to want it on their walls. Tricky chap Art. Winter comes to Preston earlier than anywhere else (on the planet!) Decent light is now a valuable resource. I get maybe two hours every alternate day. It's like living in Mordor sometimes.
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I forsake the iphone for the ipad - to be sung to the tune of..

I've just noticed that none of the previous links I've posted work. So much for the iphone app. Let's try the ipad and then work up through the Apple ecosystem until it works. First a test link.

Recent paintings!

That should take you to my website. If it doesn't I shall sob brokenly over my half finished cappuccino and share my sorrow with the woman who owns this cafe. I'm starting another Prestonian, surreal landscape. I might even include some little figures. Imagine a Goth and trippy Lowry. Sent from my iPad.

Location:New Hall Lane,Preston,United Kingdom

Two new paintings up - #subdued

As promised a still life in sombre, joyless colours following a rubbish week .
http://www.markpeatfield.co.uk/portfolio/page7/index.html
Also a bleak and oppressive landscape. A sort of abstraction of the Prestonian (!) landscape. Dramatic sunrises, gas rings, chimneys, characterless tenements. I'm beginning to dream these things. Oh God, I know what's happening. I'm metamorphosing into a 'local artist'. Maybe I should get a badge or maybe a hat.


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Location:Winery Lane,Walton-le-Dale,United Kingdom

Productivity in the midst of wretchedness.

Be still my beating heart, two new paintings planned. A still life and landscape. I'll do the still life first. You probably can't make it out from this photo but there is much confusion about what colours go where. I have very little idea what colours to use and for me this is an interesting state of affairs. I know I don't want bright and cheerful colours because I do not feel bright and cheerful. The truth be known I felt rather wretched this week. Now I think about it last week wasn't great either. The colours are probably going to be subdued, sombre and cold. My sulky disposition has chosen my palette for me. Painting is never difficult, just go with your gut.





This blog writing is a lot easier than I thought it would be. The important thing is to do it in a cafe with a nice cup of coffee. There is nothing more calculated to dry up the writing juices than sitting back in the flat in front of the computer with the intention of writing a blog. It needs to be impromptu. This means I sacrifice things like quality
and professionalism but at least I write something even if it does have a certain rambling quality. I also dictate to Siri which, as you can imagine, makes me immensely popular in quiet cafes.
I sketched out an idea for the landscape. I then transported to sketch onto some canvas. The design changed radically. Not sure what to do, I'll sleep on it.

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Location:New Hall Lane,Preston,United Kingdom

A space themed painting up.

The new painting is called 'Prospecting on Titan'. http://www.markpeatfield.co.uk/portfolio/page13/index.html
If that doesn't make real men clench their jaws and look skyward then I don't know what does. I've placed it in a new  'Space' part of the portfolio. I like the emerald ghostly form of Saturn hanging in the ultramarine sky (Titan's atmosphere is mainly nitrogen so it might even have a weather system). The rocket and the astronauts are an imposition in a serene and tranquil landscape. But maybe they are quiet, noble and civilised - like interplanetary monks. I learn't one important thing from painting this. I have little patience for detail. My broad and frenzied brush strokes are not suitable for the tranquil majesty of space and it will be a little while before I do another of these.

New painting! And test of blog to email functionality! FUN!

Near Centenary Mill

Not really the bleak industrial landscape I'd planned. I think I must be warming to Preston as there is something of the magical here. It's the strangest thing. I'd carefully planned the composition and colours. The colours were going to be very similar to Melancholy 2, a sort of nauseating medley of greens and yellows as if an underwater scene. The finished product has both the composition and colours I'd wanted yet the feeling is entirely different. What happened to bleak industrial dehumanisation and alienation? I'd be quite happy to wander around this landscape and take in the crisp night air.

This painting replaces Zen apples in the Recent Paintings section which means it's available for £30 inc. p & p. while Zen apples in now in Summer where it is now £40.00
For those who are thinking of the 'lucky dip' where you order the next painting for £20 it's going to be some sort of retro space scene - a special for my Father.

This is my first attempt to have a blog sent out via twitter, facebook and email. I have no idea what it will look like. I might have to make the next one prettier. I'm trying to streamline and automate. The idea is that I paint, I publish, I paint. Not that I paint, I spend days figuring techie stuff out, I forget to eat and sleep, I publish, I leave the flat in disgust, I paint.

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Mark Peatfield