Talking with Eadfrith

Nov. 28, 2012

The problem with an "as you go" blog is that you see not just your triumphs, but your areas in need of improvement, a warts and all affair. I decided to add some darker outlining near the top cross which is not successful; it will require judicious use of artists' tape and perhaps the light touch of a blade here and there to correct.What is successful is the overall look of the upper right quadrant with the lettering and pink background which gives a better idea of the final work.

While waiting for Sue today (reminder to readers: Sue = wife) at the doctor's office to get help for her malady, I studied some of the carpet pages from the Lindisfarne Gospels.  It was apparent that artist, Eadfrith, struggled with some of the same problems I do, lines that don't quite meet across the juncture of a knot or open just slightly approaching another crossing point. I felt an odd sense of relief that after 1300 years, culture, tools, and our surroundings have changed but we faced the same artistic challenge.  It was a common element that gave the feeling of communication with a great master across time.

A Full Day

Sometimes life pushes our goals a little farther away.   I didn't sleep well and my wife was sick, so I ended getting up late. Though I was able to draw, I didn't have time to take photographs of the picture and do the food shopping. The need for food won today.  I got home from Fred Meyer at 1 :15 pm and had to be at my job at the casino by 2 pm, so I got the food to Sue, who then made me a quick bagel and I was out the door posthaste to make it to work on time.   Work was slow, and my mind wandered to what I might do to finish this drawing and how to approach my next project.

While I won't have the photos until tomorrow's blog, I can tell you that the lettering is now in place. Having completed all the elements in the upper corner it became evident that I needed to make the outlines of the knot work darker.  The bright colors of the figures, the pink background and dark blue lettering draw the eye away from the cross, thus the lines of the knotting need to be emphasized to balance the composition and make the viewer conscious of the delicate crossing patterns in the cross.  Though the size of the cross makes it possible to see it across the room, the details are appreciated best from six feet or less away.  It is, after all, an elaborate document and not a poster.

My mind is now allowing itself to think of my next project.  The design process for Thus Spake the Prophets is complete except for small changes that come to light  as the color work progresses.  Part of  my mind seems to always be involved in designing, and I have been looking earnestly at the Lindisfarne Gospels  for design inspirations for another picture involving a tree and a great number of singing birds.  Typically I will also look at the Book of Kells, and more recently have been investigating other Northumbrian and Irish illuminated manuscripts.

So tomorrow will see more artistic progress, and a trip to the doctor to try to give Sue the upper hand against her menacing cough, fever, and crashing headache.

Nov. 24, 2012

The figures are here and the pink background is in, and tonight and tomorrow I should have time to do the first text of the piece and the outlining .  It will truly give the best idea of the completed piece.

In the meantime, to give you more information about the figure I have chosen from the Ethiopic Bible, I here repeat the introductory paragraph from the British Library:


The Ethiopian church was one of five Oriental Orthodox churches which rejected the council of Chalcedon in 451 A.D., thus forming a separate tradition from the Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic churches. At the time this manuscript was produced, Ethiopia was undergoing a religious and artistic revival. The volume is a faithful copy of a 15th-century manuscript, and was probably commissioned by Emperor Iyasu (ruled 1682-1706). Historical notes in the manuscript suggest it was copied for the church of Debra Berhan Selassie, which remains one of Ethiopia's most well-known churches.

I like the variation this gives the page.  It seems that so many people's concept of the apostles and religious figures are not far removed from  hirsute late sixties Beatles or Eric Clapton pictures with robes and sandals.

The floating lion

Nov. 22. 2012

I have a lion floating in the air! Our guardian of the secret names of God.  The lion, of course, is a traditional symbol for God (and the Gospel writer, John).  If you refer to the original illustration  there will be  two rows of names to follow underneath the lion and to the right  of the figure to the left.

The figure is based on those found in the Ethiopic Bible, which is part of the collection of the British Library.

Nov. 21, 2012

Detail of top

At last, two arms are done and the work on the text and pictures can begin in the upper right hand corner.  Here will be the secret names of God as revealed by the angels and their  guardian who sits with his own book in  hand.  What does he read?

Details of the two larger circles appear at the left and give a better idea of the nature of the work.  Not done, but I am starting to get a sense  that my ideas and color scheme may produce something of beauty. If you can convey ideas as well, then you have succeeded, but only time will tell.

Detail of right arm

              

Inspiration

Folio 27, Lindisfarne Gospels, British Library

You may know this is from the Lindisfarne Gospels, which most researchers place toward the end of the seventh century ad.  I include it because this manuscript and the Book of Kells are the two sources of inspiration I refer to most.  Much of the inspiration is visual, of course, but another contributing factor is the dedication and thoughts of the makers.  The Lindisfarne Gospels are one of the few artistic achievements of the time where we know the creator, Eadfrith, who became bishop of Lindisfarne after completion.  But for almost all other art of the time , the artists are unknown to us.

It is difficult for an artist today, myself included, to consider not signing a piece he or she has completed.  Yet ornate and glorious pictures and illuminated manuscripts were completed by masters unknown to us.
Only toward the Renaissance did artists sign their work  and gain individual recognition outside their immediate circle.

One of the reasons I create crosses is to do homage to those nameless artists who created such items. Would I be willing to devote myself so completely and not want to claim ownership of my artistic craeation? Then there is the power of the symbol itself.  I was surprised at how many people were drawn to the power of the image whether or not they were believers.  I was surprised that how the image made others categorize my beliefs without ever talking to me.

I have been lucky enough to go to Jarrow and Lindisfarne and read Bede's Ecclesiastical History and other translations of works by his contemporaries. I try to gain insight and hope I give some sense of the dedication of those artists whether I am doing a cross or secular design. Of course, the viewer is the real judge.

And still the east arm is not quite done...

Nov. 19,2012

Sunlit studio, working on Violet's Cross

Today's picture was taken this dark autumn night as I waved lights around my tiny studio and try to get images of progress for the day.  What should happen is to take the photos outside  in the late morning, but I tend to think, "I'll just do a bit more before I take the shot for the day."  By the time I finish that little extra there's no light.  You can see the added design on the east or right arm and the knot work there is almost all done.

This is my studio on a sunny summer's day with the working drawing for Violet's Cross (see day 2) on the wall, a photo of the violet I decided to use as a model (viola labrodorica), pencils, sketches, and a fairly small north facing window.   Will be enlarged when the blog goes viral and the money starts pouring in.

Something new!

Nov. 18, 2012

Tomorrow we'll see our first pattern that isn't knotwork! A small round spiral pattern, found in abundance on the famous Chi-Rho page in the Book of Kells, sits in the lower part of the east arm of this cross.  It is a single motif here, the object being to add interest but not take away from the rest of the knotting or the pictures and text that will appear on the page.

Also tomorrow I will pass 100 total hours since October 3. Then the last sections of the working drawing were   falling into place  -- a twist to the snake, a fourth figure added to make a better balance (suggested by my son, Christopher), finalizing color schemes and the appearance of the text.  On the 18th, I cut the Bristol board to size and began tracing the design in orange. Some artists prefer to make this initial drawing in graphite then erase as they add color, but I use a light color that I can successfully incorporate into the final and therefore I needn't erase before the other colors are added.

Comic relief

There is no picture today since I have not been well, but I wish you to read the following email I sent to my children.  It is not based on a true story, it is a true story.

Hello, my children

I just wanted you to know that last Thursday, the Ebb Tide Gallery had a day long promotion "Girls Night Out," part of a city wide promotion in Gig Harbor to get people to shop locally.  Mom had some knitted items there under "Krissie Knits," for whom Mom works as an independent contractor.
Krissie, is, of course, Kris Jenott.

It seems "Girls Night Out" was wildly successful.  Though Mom's things were on display only a few days, Kris texted her that evening to let Mom know she had sold $75.00 of knitting. Kris then said I had also sold a bookmark, which will net me around $2.35. Did I mention that her things were there only a few days?  Did  I tell that my year's net income at the gallery only slightly exceeds $75.00?  Is this what they mean by passive-aggressive, as Mom silently knits with Sadie by her side and the needles click "in your face, in your face, in your face"?

Just wanted you to know.

Love, Dad

Interesting how social media influences the way we work.     It now seems to me that doing all the cross first will lead to more boredom on the part of the viewer, so I will complete the final section by section starting with top right corner for greater variety of style and color..  Were I doing it for myself I would have completed the cross first then worked toward the outside.

 With headaches and a scratchy throat from my stretch without my regular asthma medication, it is time for me to get some sleep first before color work.

More tomorrow.

On Wealth

Nov. 15, 201

Very briefly, you see that I have started my advance into the East circle of the cross.  It has been a long and tiring day, doing artwork in the morning, going to work at the casino for eight hours, then returning home to clean and look for my missing asthma drugs.  

 I did sell  a bookmark at the Ebb Tide Gallery in Gig Harbor for $2.50.  Will sort out how to invest the profits tomorrow.

The business side of things

Nov. 14, 2012

I worked at the Ebb Tide Gallery doing my time of service there and spent a good while speaking to Kathy Thurston, who is president of the gallery.  I am scheduled to leave the gallery at the end of December for the simple reason I haven't sold enough work to cover my rent there. She suggested I get work made into tiles. I know from looking at the sales figures that they keep regular cash flow for her and she seems to cover rent.  Unfortunately, it is likely I would need to order more than I can afford now but it is worth checking out before the end of the year.  Selling one larger piece between now and the end of the year would make it possible to stay there and perhaps order tiles to pay the rent. I will keep my fingers crossed.  In the gallery the business side of art is forced upon you: the logistics of hanging and changing the layout, money, planning for the future, doing things to keep traffic coming in and ways to draw the community and visitors into the gallery who will view and hopefully purchase art.

Back home, I found time to work with the pencils again, focusing on the soothing and serene side of the artist's equation.  Maybe tomorrow, someone will buy one of my works and the two sides of the equation will balance.

A social gathering

Nov.13, 2012

The soldier of the arts marches on: lemon yellow, carnelian, apricot, crimson alizarin, yellow again, perahps a bit more apricot, outline in crimson alizarin, outline again in prussian blue, then onto the next section, background in buff titanium and turquoise, then use primrose blender.  Stop, check, tidy up loose ends and begin the next section: lemon yellow...  Check for excess pigment and remove with a utility blade and then remove errant lines with artist's tape and perhaps a blade again, taking care to remove only the pigment -- don't dig into the paper! We are boldly marching to the East circle, where new challenges and changes await us.

Violet's Cross

Art work began at 5:30 am for an hour,  then back to bed, phone call from Kelly at 7:30, back to bed, work for an hour, eat, clean-up, chores, then out to Kris Jenott's.  Sue and Kris discuss some contract work for Krissie Knits, while Kris' Mom, Violet and I talk about the picture I did for her last year and the whys and wherefores of using colored pencil.  Along with coffee and cinnamon rolls, a splendid time was had by all.

The  North arm of the cross is finished and now I start on the East arm.  I realize now that the tracing, coloring, shading, and outlining of the design take me about an hour per square inch to complete.   I try to put myself in Wearmouth or Jarrow or Lindisfarne about 700 a.d., thinking of the work that went into each page of great illustrated books like the Lindisfarne Gospels. The vellum would be prepared (i.e., kill cows and then scrape and treat their hides),  materials for pigments located and all my sketches done on wax tablets. We don't even know many of the tools that were used, but the results were magnificent.

Now I  read Bede's Ecclesiastical History of the English People on a Kindle, view a CD of the Book of Kells, or look at theLindisfarne Gospels on the British Museum website, and I don't lose friends on a regular basis to the plague.  I can get used to modern comforts.

The Residents Show Their Feelings

When you have done a piece that you feel has the potential to be something beautiful and meaningful,  you may have to remind your family and pets to treat you with the reverence deserving of  your newly elevated artistic status.  In my case, it has been a struggle. It took several hours over two days to get our camera and tripod positioned so I could take pictures of the art in progress without constant manipulation of the paper, camera, and lights. Finally, I established an efficient work area and left my paper for a minute to get a coffee.  In that minute, our cat Sophia made it known that the warmth of the lights and soft paper were there for her comfort rather than any special purpose I might have in mind.


This morning I finished the top of the cross, which I feel is a strong part of the overall design, even if Sue does think it bears a strong resemblance to the Death Star.                                                                                                                                                                            

Thus Spake the Prophets, Day 2

If I this page were produced at a 7th or 8th century  monastery the final would be done on carefully stretched and prepared vellum, usually from young calves, which would give two pages per calf. Sketches would be done on wax tablets which could be scraped and the surface melted and reused and the vellum would have grids inscribed on the back to guide the artist.  The pigments used in the Lindisfarne Gospels came from as far away as Asia (lapis lazuli is found in the blue ink).  I used the simpler method of locally purchasing sketchbooks and papers then plotting out the knotwork using a light box.  My colored pencils come from the far less distinguished sounding Jerry's Artarama but they are of great quality serve their purpose well. 

The detail you see here represents about 35 hours of  in the color work alone.  First an outline is done in orange, which will be drawn over in two darker colors to form the outlines, and four different colors are used in each shaded section, which vary from 1/20 to 1/8 inch wide.  The background is four to five layers of turquoise over buff titanium and then overlaid with a lighter color to add smoothness and depth in much the same way as a painter uses thin washes to add depth and intensity to a colors in a painting.  It is painstaking, but I must pay attention to all the details to provide vibrant colors in so delicate a design.

Thus Spake the Prophets

  image copyright Curtis j. Christensen 

 This is my working drawing for a piece called "Thus Spake the Prophets" which  I have been working off and on since January 2012, when it was commissioned by Kris Jenott.  It is a vision inspired by illuminated manuscripts; the is text set in a graceful and mysterious alphabet that invites the viewer to decipher its  meaning.  An angel paints an important list in the top panels. In the middle ages, it was thought that if one knew the secret names for God,  their prayers would be answered faster and more efficiently. The angel helps us by showing us those names.

The picture is done in Caran D'Ache Luminance 6901 colored pencils on Strathmore Bristol Board. This medium allows me to shade the knot work adding a depth, flow, and softness not found in most  knotwork designs.

You will be able to follow its completion on a daily basis with photographs and words until I present it to Ms. Jenott.  Welcome along for the ride.