Where It’s Sweet and Close and Warm

Acrylic on canvas. Dimensions: 60 x 50 cm

Do you feel, as I do, that sometimes you just want to escape from the world and all its troubles, switch off, or be transported to an idyllic situation? This is the essence of fantasy, and why I have also had a strong connection with the writings of Tolkien and the music of Ronnie James Dio.

In essence, this is what the painting is about. Let’s deal with the title first (WISACAW for short). It’s a line from a Rainbow song called ‘LA Connection’ from their ‘Long Live Rock n’ Roll album. The story behind the song is interesting, and relates to the making of the album in 1978, particularly the traumatic experiences of Rainbow’s keyboardist, Tony Carey. If you know anything about Rainbow, you will be aware that Ritchie Blackmore (its co-founder) had a ‘revolving door’ policy where members were hired and fired at an alarming rate. In 1978 Carey was firmly in the Man in Black’s sights because, apparently, the keyboardist could be annoying as he talked too much. However, the degree of persecution from Blackmore’s practical jokes went to the extreme, including bricking up his room, throwing a medieval javelin through his closed door and getting him busted for allegedly carrying drugs. All this took place within the confines of the Château d'Hérouville in France, where seances took place and a haunted vibe prevailed. Dio wrote about these events, highlighting the fact that Carey would be constantly ringing his Mum up on the phone for comfort  (she lived in LA).

The (abridged) lyrics are as follows:

Oh, carry home my broken bones and lay me down to rest

Forty days of cries and moans,

I guess I've failed to pass the test.

I've been sent away not a thing to say

I'm banished from the fold,

iIm a fallen angel who's lost his wings and left out in the cold

Ooooh LA connection

oh LA. connection

LA. connection, yeah

Operator place a call keep secret put it through.

Investigator knows it all he's at the window I wonder who.

I’ve got to cut the line and let me drift, find a haven in the storm,

I got no time i need a lift where it's sweet and close and warm.

Feel I’m balanced on the brim should I lean another way?

Like a flame that's going on the dim needs blessing from the day, oh

So, I identify a lot with these lyrics, as I know what it’s like to be bullied.

The inspiration for planning this painting was to imagine my most idyllic scenario. The central figure is someone in peaceful repose (perhaps even dead?) contained within an underground cocoon, at one with the earth (or is it a womb?) There’s a nod here to the 2D art of Lorna Graves, who often depicted simplified figures like this. It also relates to our cat, Lou, who has a sleeping chamber which we call his ‘clam’ (he’s occupying it as I write this). I thought, wouldn’t it be wonderful to have an adult version of this? (I can’t find any for sale anywhere). The scenario also harks back to a time in my childhood when we built an underground den, complete with tunnel and large chamber. It had a little peephole from which you could extend a periscope to view for possible intruders. Although we shored the tunnel up beneath, as they used to do in old mines, it was still quite dangerous, and once Dad discovered it we were told promptly to cave it in and never to repeat the exercise. I guess there’s also an element of Pink Floyd impinging here too. You may be familiar with the lyrics for ‘Breathe’ from The Dark Side of the Moon:

Run, rabbit, run

Dig that hole, forget the sun

And when at last the work is done

Don't sit down, it's time to dig another one

Outside this safe cocoon is an idealised setting reminiscent of Hobbiton from The Lord of the Rings. Crowning the hill is a tree (probably a beech or an oak). I love trees and, inevitably, they have to be close to my comfort zone. The surrounding grassland contains reeds, meadows and long grass. Another halcyon time of my youth was when I would lie down in the grass for long periods and stare up at the sky, watching the clouds pass. The smell of the vegetation permeated my nostrils. Despite the attractions of this setting, I was always torn between such a home with its friendly neighbours and second breakfasts, and the Elven house of repose at Rivendell where Bilbo Baggins ended his days. So, I thought, ‘Why not have this on your doorstep too?’ The scene on the left of the painting shows Rivendell in the distance and Loudwater flowing from Elrond’s house in a waterfall (I’ve always wanted to live by running water). Listen to Rush’s song, ‘Rivendell’ to get some of the vibe relating to this magical place.

Still further beyond, are Tolkienesque mountains and a baleful sun, which represents the trials and threats of the outside world. We ultimately have to face these (just as Bilbo and Frodo did,) but it helps to have our safe havens - if only for a little while.

As far as techniques are concerned, I restricted myself to using purely acrylics on a linen-based canvas. I was often tempted to apply collage, but managed to resist. The closest I came was to use acrylic skins in the mid-ground. I lift my hat to Gillian Naylor too, using her style of infilling sections with herringbone patterns. I even tried her ambidextrous approach of painting the mountains with two hands simultaneously. I couldn’t carry this off for the whole painting, mind you!

Finally, I continued the painting ‘round the edges’ in a wraparound style, which is my wont. Someone recently asked me at an exhibition why I did this. I tried to relate how I like to produce works which reveal something different depending on the perspective of the viewer. I’ve shown the different views in this blog.

WICASAW took me a long time, with lots of repairs and corrections along the way, but I finally abandoned it (that’s how I refer to finishing artworks). I hope it connects with you in some way.