“James VI & I Oak of Meadows Midst” [1st/2nd February 2022] by Matt The Unfathomable Artist, drawing with black ink, blue, green, H, HB, 4B and 8B pencils, signed in black ink on 280gsm 250mm x 300mm gesso primed canvas [pad], digital image 3380 x 2895 pixels.
In this drawing entitled “James VI & I Oak of Meadows Midst” we see the trunk of this magnificent 1612 tree, resplendent with its own fallen branches about its trunk.
Spiritual, biological, botanical and conservational themes can be found through my chosen composition.
Glimpses of the Van Gogh style can be seen in these fallen branches, along with the wistful Picasso-like ‘branch eye and mouth‘ to the upper-right of my sketch-drawing. There is an ‘M’ face to be seen in the lightly drawn knarl of the tree, upper mid-page.
If you then view the ‘M’ face as a nose, you can envisage two large eyes either side, looking directly to our left. Interestingly, this focal point is actually where ‘The Inhabited Lights Engine’ photograph artwork is derived from. You can click the link here to view this earlier artwork Moonlight and the Lights Engine.
I would like to confirm categorically that the ‘face’ is entirely 100% chance. How extraordinary. This truly amazed me with quite some wonderment as to how I didn’t notice such an obvious face in my own artwork. A man in the moon occurrence. Or rather a centuries-aged tree revealing its own character with watchful purposeful poise.
The upright log props up the fallen post, mid-lower page. I should know, since I placed the log there for that very reason quite sometime ago.
Here is the photographic inspiration for my artwork:
“James VI & I Oak of Meadows Midst – photograph” [1st February 2022] by Matt The Unfathomable Artist.
I thought I would also include an unedited close-up photograph of the knarl for art viewers to see for themselves:
Close up of the Oak tree with an imaginable letter at the centre – photograph by Matt The Unfathomable Artist.
“Charcoal Stegosaurus Branch” [1st February 2022] by Matt The Unfathomable Artist, sketch with black ink, H, HB, 4B and 8B pencils, signed in black ink on 280gsm 250mm x 300mm gesso primed canvas [pad], digital image 3360 x 2865 pixels.
On 18th January 2022 I took a few different photographs of the branch you see, above, in my sketch entitled “Charcoal StegosaurusBranch”.
This branch originally featured in another sketch called From the Fused Horse Chestnut Tree. You can click the link to view that earlier sketch.
Immediately my imagination thought of the stegosaurus depictions we have all seen in popular media.
Here is the photograph inspiration for my “Charcoal Stegosaurus Branch” sketch:
“Charcoal Stegosaurus Branch – photograph” [18th January 2022] by Matt The Unfathomable Artist.
I included black ink work for outlines on the branch. A few of the sticks include black ink work too. The sketch composition is designed to be fun, impressionistic and texturally contrasting. This is achieved through layers, H through to 8B pencil work.
“Sunlight at Wren’s Nest Pond” [31st January 2022] by Matt The Unfathomable Artist, sketch with H, HB, 4B and 8B pencils, signed in black ink on 280gsm 250mm x 300mm gesso primed canvas [pad], digital image 3480 x 2963 pixels.
With “Sunlight at Wren’s Nest Pond” I do believe this has the idea of music. Obviously there is an element of sound to seismic waves, featured in the artwork above.
Therefore, when I view this artwork it gives me the sense of sound.
Here is the photograph inspiration:
“Sunlight at Wren’s Nest Pond – photograph” [29th January 2022] by Matt The Unfathomable Artist.
I try to bring the blue haze lightflare, mid-lower of the photograph, into this pencils artwork with a dash of blue colour pencil.
Perspective is magnified in an impressionistic manner. A bird’s nest is included into the sketch, to hint at Wren’s Nest Pond. The pond meanders into a stream at the feet of these trees you see here.
“Fine Faithful Grit” is inspired of a particular film – both versions. Along with living harmoniously off the land, work, news events and modern cultural phenomena.
“Moonlight in Meadow Three“ [24th January 2022] by Matt The Unfathomable Artist, sketch with HB and 2B pencils, signed in black ink on 280gsm 250mm x 300mm gesso primed canvas [pad], digital image 3430 x 2925 pixels.
An atmospheric moonlight sketch from a photograph includes two curious faces in the sky. The moon itself is ‘compass drawn’ using a spherical temperature gauge. Seismic waves form the undergrowth amidst the trees.
Three rows of seismic ‘M’ grass also represent Earth’s climate, wildlife and habitat plight. The idea of flames is shown over the trees’ canopy. Branches wrap around the moon, as if the moon itself has its ‘head in its hands’, Edvard Munch style.
“Look! Thy moon gifts shining light throughout darkness of thine howling night.”
Here is the photograph inspiration:
“Moonlight in Meadow Three – photograph“
Next sketch is entitled “European Robin on a Wooden Post“, also sketched using a photograph from Meadow Three in my local Nature Reserve:
“European Robin on a Wooden Post“ [January 2022] by Matt The Unfathomable Artist, sketch with carbon and colour pencils, signed in black ink on 280gsm 250mm x 300mm gesso primed canvas [pad], digital image 3411 x 2941 pixels.
As I walked towards the metal gate at Wren’s Nest Pond, this European Robin was already perched five feet from me, comfortable with my approach.
dear Robin then skipped two feet to the left, onto the wooden post you see here in my sketch. It was there dear Robin stood whilst I happily took portrait photographs. A curious face is clearly visible between the wooden posts. Once again in this instance, the curious face was pure random chance.
Here is a quick photograph that provided the composition for my sketch:
“Multicolour Lights – version one“ [8th January 2022] by Matt The Unfathomable Artist, digital photograph 8146 x 6075 pixels.
Here are my thoughts on ‘Multicolour Lights’, versions one and two.
“Multicolour Lights – version one“ is ‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind‘ [1977 by Steven Spielberg] inspired, through photographic chance, yet not for the first time in my ‘lights’ series of artworks.
I have yet to formally list all my sci-fi references to my ‘lights’ series of artworks.
“Multicolour Lights – version two“ could look like alien writing or code. Or perhaps UFO lights, also now classified as UAP – unidentified aerial phenomenon. Alternatively this might symbolise a well known adult Sci-Fi film’s destructive countdown symbology, shown at the end of the movie to the sound of alien laughter?
We could therefore interpret this as a sign of humanity’s existential precipice? I prefer to let the art viewer decide how they wish to perceive, believe or understand my art idea.
As with fictional movies.
“Multicolour Lights – version two“ [14th January 2022] by Matt The Unfathomable Artist, digital photograph 8146 x 6075 pixels.
Why? Well, I never made the ‘lights’ series with any preconceived designation. Whilst {} do look forward, at times.
Gladly I should write, else what good is a precipice to a journey?
To view other ‘Lights Series’ artworks by me, please click the links below:
“Untitled Photograph #2“ [1st January 2022] by Matt The Unfathomable Artist, artistically edited from a natural photograph, black & white digital image.
What could this be?
What does this mean?
Random or design?
Beautifully symmetric or strangely unknown?
Editing process explained:
The third light’s reflection (from left to right) became obscured through editing the brightness. Due to this unintended editing alteration, I used the second light’s reflection to replicate the third light’s reflection 🎨
I then artificially edited the second and third light’s reflections. The first and fourth light reflections underwent changes through earlier editing adjustments.
The background lighting which highlighted a ‘trees silhouette’, is darkened, to present the image as astronomy, natural phenomena or lights by design 🆒.
For the purpose of understanding the potential for artistic involvement, upon your natural instincts with a photograph or an artwork in progress – please take a look at the original unedited image:
“Untitled Photograph #2 – cropped, unedited“ [1st January 2022, digital image] by Matt The Unfathomable Artist.
The unedited image, though cropped, immediately above, still has an arty quality. I just needed to bring out the best from the photograph with my artistic idea. It should be noted this image is taken at a well-known lake in my local town. I stood and knelt whilst taking photographs from a singular position on a wooden fishing platform.
The precise time of this photograph you see here is 1924hrs on 1st January 2022.
My ‘lights’ series of photographs, which so far include the Moon, a human inhabitance, planets and industrial structures are inspired from certain science-fiction movies I love. With further artistic influence from particular classical books and specific past artwork writings I have created and published.
To view my past ‘lights’ series artworks, please kindly click the links provided below:
“Lungs of the Earth – Left Branch Perspective” [25th December 2021, photograph] by Matt The Unfathomable Artist.
In keeping with our planet’s trees being the “Lungs of the Earth” I thought it would be appropriate to include some photography representing this idea. I took these photographs spontaneously whilst walking in Meadow Two of my local Nature Reserve.
“Lungs of the Earth – Mid Branch Perspective” [25th December 2021, photograph] by Matt The Unfathomable Artist.
These photographs beautifully contrast against a grey wintry sky. The camera is angled approximately fifty degrees upwards perpendicular to level ground {#1}. Circa thirty five feet lineal distance from the tree itself {#2}.
“Lungs of the Earth – Right Branch Perspective” [25th December 2021, photograph] by Matt The Unfathomable Artist.
All three photographs are the same tree, the “King James VI & I Oak of 1612“. You can see this magnificent tree in late summer, including the fused horse chestnut tree sketch and photograph from my past blog article entitled: From the Fused Horse Chestnut Tree.
The description perspective is viewed from the entrance to the Nature Reserve at Meadow One. Whereas the photograph is taken from the otherside of this mighty Quercas Robur, in Meadow Two, standing position as above {#1, #2}.
The branches and twigs produce vein-like torrents (leaves, “alveoli”), passing through a heated circulatory ‘sea cycle’ (photosynthesis, “hydrological cycle”), in the manner of lungs, breath and veins, harmonic with Planet Earth.
I would also like to include an up-to-date winter photograph of the fused horse chestnut tree for you here:
“Fused Horse Chestnut Tree – photograph” [29th December 2021] by Matt The Unfathomable Artist.
The branches at the lower-right provide the overhanging leaves, along with the fallen branch also featured in the sketch (see linked blog article – From the Fused Horse Chestnut Tree). You can see the twinned fusion of the tree’s trunk just above the hedge.
I have collected far in excess of one hundred conkers over the years. Such is the beauty of the horse chestnut tree seeds, I decided to make an artwork with these in the Arcimboldo style.
Here is a photographic representation of the Arcimboldo compositional style:
“Conkers, after Arcimboldo – White” [September 2021] by Matt The Unfathomable Artist.
After producing this photograph, shown immediately above, I arranged this seasons conkers all together in a kind of harvest-like display for art loving citizens to enjoy:
“Conkers of the 2021 Season” [September 2021, photograph] by Matt The Unfathomable Artist.
I made two constrasting versions of these artworks here:
“Conkers, after Arcimboldo – Black” [October 2023] by Matt The Unfathomable Artist.“Conkers of the 2021 Season – Black” [October 2023, photograph] by Matt The Unfathomable Artist.
I hope you find these photographic artworks interesting, informative and fun.
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