Brian Jacques’ REDWALL Chronicles* are a treasure trove in every way: gripping cliff-hanging plots, amazing characterization, plenty of humor—both subtle and downright slap-stick hilarious, AND painterly descriptions on every page.
Now I have the entire series of 22 novels, and am reading them in order. Currently, I am into the 4th book, and have begun underlining or otherwise notating passages which may move my brushes and paints into action.
Above is another rendering of “Mossflower Wood and the Quarry”. When I first painted this 24″ x 20″, I positioned the rocklike slabs at the top, and the nebulous tree shapes and foliage at the bottom of the horizontal format. After matting and inserting the painting in its protective, clear plastic envelope, I accidently turned the piece “upside down” and immediately decided that I would hang the “upside down” as “right side up”. That’s part of the fun of abstract art; it’s flexible and open to many interpretations!
Margaret L. Been, 1/26/17
*I have an inkling that Brian Jacques was a fan of Charles Dickens, judging from some of the hilarious names in the REDWALL Chronicles, especially the names of the scoundrels who are typically personified foxes, rats, stoats, ferrets, weasels, and predatory birds: names like Dripnose, Halfnose, Skinpaw, Ashleg, Ratflank, Darkclaw, Deadglim, Fishgill; and these are merely starters. 🙂
The Messy Palette . . . 