Wide awake, now. . . Well, a great deal has certainly occurred in the past five or six months. We, as a modern society, have faced contagious diseases before, yet nothing of this magnitude has been seen before.The lockdown has been an unusual thing for me; as an introvert, I am accustomed to staying indoors … Continue reading A wretched wee update
The Macabre Art of Alison Mackenzie
Untitled. Alison Mackenzie is an Inverness-based artist and illustrator whose main work is, I think, commissions for local theatre; but she has chosen to work in a florid, Gothic, grotesque style, inspired primarily by Guillermo del Toro, that connoisseurs of the macabre and wyrd should find much to savour in. With work partaking on Kafka … Continue reading The Macabre Art of Alison Mackenzie
Terry Jones, 1942 — 2020
Find the fish. R.I.P. Terry Jones, Monty Python man and comedic polymath. Mr. Creosote, Brian's mother, and child-ridden housewife, his roles were often unforgettable. Terry Jones and Angela Carter discussing THE BLOODY CHAMBER in BBC's PAPERBACKS, 1981.
Jonathan Miller, 1934 – 2019
Sir Michael Hordern is watched by a phantom on a lonely Suffolk beach after his theft in WHISTLE AND I'LL COME TO YOU. The English Renaissance man, Jonathan Miller, whose talents extended to opera, theatre, television, literature, humour, and medicine, has died today. Though his projects were many, many of us will always remember … Continue reading Jonathan Miller, 1934 – 2019
The Art of Robert Powell
Another Scots artist who rejects naturalism in favour of an aesthetic dedicated to the imaginative, strange, and unique, Robert Powell is an Edinburgh artist whose art is ''interested in encyclopaedic and organisational forms, in representations of reality whose straining after universality is constantly subverted as they are enmeshed in a web of cultural and personal … Continue reading The Art of Robert Powell
The Art of Cathy Rose
Untitled. Perhaps I will call it TRAPPED, or ENTRAPMENT? I am not in the habit of visiting Pinterest very often, but, sometimes, in that vast cybernetic labyrinth, one comes across something very interesting. In a gallery of images inspired by the Brothers Quay, I came across one Cathy Rose. Cathy Rose is an American … Continue reading The Art of Cathy Rose
J.G. Ballard
Ballard photographed by Fay Godwin. He seems in the middle of some psychic rapture or inspiration. Ten years ago today, James Graham Ballard passed away. The prophet of the motorways and the suburbanisation of everything, when phantasies proliferate in mass media, desires are summoned by technology, and no-man's lands invite the wandering eye, we … Continue reading J.G. Ballard
Patrick McGoohan
Number Six, a man who keeps to himself, is stalked by Rover. It was on this day, ten years ago, that the terrific Patrick McGoohan passed away. A formidable and moody presence, the dullest of dramas was always enlivened by his charm and elegance. The Prisoner is one of my all-time favourite things ever … Continue reading Patrick McGoohan
The Fantastic Art of Norman Shaw
Untitled. I have been aware of the art and writings of the Highland artist, Norman Shaw (born 1970), since 2014/15, but, for a while, I could not find his website nor the artwork, even though I had written about him before. Mr. Shaw has a recognizable style and aesthetic that chimes with me; most … Continue reading The Fantastic Art of Norman Shaw
The Art of Stefan Zechowski
Untitled. Another fascinating yet obscure artist who has been brought to my attention. Stefan Zechowski (1912-1984) was a Polish artist who had the misfortune to be active in the era of the Stalinists, who did not look kindly upon his work. His home was set alight by a neighbour, resulting in the loss of many … Continue reading The Art of Stefan Zechowski
