Haagenbrau House, 24th October 2011

Expressionist sketch of Haagenbrau House. This was drawn in pencil and charcoal. Dusk was approaching and it was a grey and windy day. 24th October 2011.

Twisted Town, Aerial View October 2011

This is my view of Twisted Town from above, we all live in Twisted Town. Sketched in pencil and charcoal October 2011.

The buildings and perspectives look different when viewed from different angles.

Narfon Tordat Industries 10th October 2011

This is a sketch of Narfon Tordat Industries, sketched on 10th October 2011. It is a strange place, I will often explore in order to find a scenic photograph or a place that can inspire my painting or a place to sketch that has some character.

Bridge at Black Potts Weir, 8th October 2011

This is the bridge at Black Potts Viaduct, a railway bridge over the Jubilee River. Under the Viaduct is a Weir, so the area can be referred to as either Black Potts Weir or Black Potts Viaduct (the later more appropriate if you are crossing by train).

I have taken my usual liberty with altering some features of the landscape but its main elements are recognizable enough.

Its hard to see much purpose to this bridge as it doesn't really seem to lead anywhere, as further up there is a road bridge and footpath next to it while this bridge seems to lead into a tiny area of woods leading on to short path connected back to the road bridge! Its almost like the bridge was installed as a joke for hikers, to make them think they may actually be getting somewhere. Perhaps it is just for a few residents on the other side where the River Thames connects.

This is a quiet area and although the odd jogger might run past or a local family on their afternoon stroll, it is a place on the outskirts of Eton towards Datchet. It isn't a place where people are usually likely to explore or even find.

This bridge was the place I filmed several scenes for my short abstract expressionist film 'Surface Blur', towards the end of that film you can see the Black Potts Viaduct.

This is production still from 'Surface Blur' taken on the bridge itself:-

Here is the film itself:-

 

The bridge also appears in my short film, 'Inspired Thought', here is a beuatiful production still from that film, taken from a similar but different view to the sketch:-

Here is the film 'Inspired Thought - Jungfrau Director's Cut' where you see the bridge clearly in a couple of scenes, you also see Black Potts Weir:-

Varnoch Grove - Under Daylight & Tungsten September 2011

This is Varnoch Grove, drawn with pencil and charcoal September 2011.

The first photograph is taken under artificial daylight (i.e. cool blue white) the second photograph is taken under tungsten (i.e. warm light). You can see this makes a big difference to how the picture looks. The first photograph has a directable LED beam and so the sky has been focussed on to give the illusion of light in the picture, where the tree canopies are. The lighting conditions under which a picture is viewed clearly and sometimes dramatically alters the nature of what is seen. If you can the internet for famous paintings you will notice many different images for one painting due to the different lighting conditions of photography. The question may arise, What does the real image look like? Of course there is no true answer to this as seeing as the picture can not be viewed without light and every light will alter the way the picture looks. You may be able to make an argument that warm light is an artificial light and therefore the artificial daylight is the most normal rendition of an image as seeing as warm light needs technology/electricity. However, daylight changes under natural atmospheric conditions (season, elevation of the Sun, cloud etc). Warm light can also be imitated with a natural source such as fire (such as candlelight or a fireplace), so it can not be said that warm light is altogether artificial either.

Zayd Depaor talks about features of Landscapes and Architecture that inspire artists, photographers and cinematographers.

Filmed in the Memorial Gardens, Stoke Poges, Buckinghamshire.

This was filmed on the Canon FS200, this short piece was edited on OpenShot video editor for Linux.

To see more art by Zayd Depaor see the following:-

http://www.artbreak.com/zayd_depaor

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http://www.youtube.com/user/ZaydDepaor
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http://picassomio.com/zayd-depaor.html
http://www.flickr.com/photos/zayd_depaor/
http://www.paintingsilove.com/artist/zayddepaor

http://zayd-depaor-films.blogspot.com/

The All Merciful [Ar Rahmaan] - Acrylic on Canvas

Ar Rahmaan - The All Merciful. Acrylic on Canvas painted in the style of Islamic Symbolic Abstract Expressionism.

Ar Rahmaan is one of the most frequent Names of Allah from the Qura'n. It means 'The All Merciful' The aspect of 'rahmah' [mercy] that Allah extends to all of creation.

Examples of where this name occurs:-

It occurs in the first chapter of the Qura'n, "Ar Rahmaanir Raheem" (al Faatihah 1:2)

The Qura'n says, "Say: "Call upon Allah, or call upon Rahman: by whatever name ye call upon Him, (it is well): for to Him belong the Most Beautiful Names. Neither speak thy Prayer aloud, nor speak it in a low tone, but seek a middle course between." (al Israa 17:110)

and "Gardens of Eternity, those which ((Allah)) Ar Rahmaan has promised to His servants in the Unseen: for His promise must (necessarily) come to pass." (Maryam 19:61)

and "Not one of the beings in the heavens and the earth but must come to ((Allah)) Ar Rahmaan [The All Merciful] as a slave." (Maryam 19:93)

and "On those who believe and work deeds of righteousness, will ((Allah)) Ar Rahmaan [The All Merciful] bestow love." (Maryam 19:96)

and "When it is said to them, "Adore ye ((Allah)) Ar Rahmaan!", they say, "And what is ((Allah)) Ar Rahmaan? Shall we adore that which thou commandest us?" And it increases their flight (from the Truth)." (al Furqaan 25:60)

and "If anyone withdraws himself from remembrance of ((Allah)) Ar Rahmaan, We appoint for him an evil one [shaytaan/devil], to be an intimate companion to him." (az Zukhruf 43:36)

The subject of 'rahmah' [mercy] has been addressed much in the Quran and ahadeeth [sayings and actions of the Prophet Muhammad {saw}].:-

Jareer reported that the Prophet Muhammad (saw) said "Those who show no mercy to people will be shown no mercy by Allah." (BUKHARI, MUSLIM)

Mua'wiyah ibn Qurrah related that his father reported that a man said 'O Prophet of Allah, when I slaughter a goat, I am merciful to it.' The Prophet (saw) replied "Even if you are merciful to a goat, Allah will be merciful with you." He repeated this twice. (TABARAANI, BUKHAARI in 'Adab al Mufrad')

A'mr ibn Shua'yb reported from his father, from his father that the Prophet (saw) said "He who does not show mercy to our young or recognize the right of our elders is not one of us." (ABU DAWOOD, HAAKIM, TIRMIDHI, AHMAD, BUKHARI in 'Adab al Mufrad')

A'bdar Rahmaan ibn A'wf said he heard the Prophet (saw) say "Allah said 'I am Ar Rahmaan. I created kinship [ar rahm] and I derived it from my Name. I will maintain those who maintain it and I will cut loose those who sever it.'" (HAAKIM, BUKHARI in 'Adab al Mufrad' similar from AHMAD, TIRMIDHI, ABU DAWOOD)

Abu Hurayrah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon him) said, "Allah has divided mercy into one hundred parts; and He retained with Him ninety-nine parts, and sent down to earth one part. Through this one part creatures deal with one another with compassion, so much so that an animal lifts its hoof over its young lest it should hurt it". (BUKHAARI, MUSLIM)

Abu Hurayrah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: I heard Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon him) saying, "When Allah created the creatures, He wrote in the Book, which is with Him over His Throne: `Verily, My Mercy prevailed over My Wrath"
(BUKHAARI, MUSLIM)

The mercy is symbolized in this painting by the green of life, provision, resurrection and Paradise. The soft sweeping curved strokes also are gentle in nature and easy upon the eye. The picture has harmonized colours indicating mercy.

Ditton Park, Berkshire - 26th September 2011

This impressionist location sketch is based on a view of Ditton Park, Berkshire. The House was once owned by the Crown under the reign of Elizabeth I. It is also the place where the British Radar Defence system was conceived in the 1930's.

I sketched this in pencil alone, 6B for the darkest areas.

From the photograph below, you can see that I have changed many features and given my usual loose and impressionist-expressionist treatment of topography, effectively recreating many of the elements of the scene. 

The overall effect on the viewer is that he will recognize the scene to be the real scene before him but also not recognize it to be the reality before. General but not in particular detail, impressionistically but not photographically, artistically but not scientifically.

You would perhaps prefer to live in the real building with straight walls rather than my somewhat distorted impression with expectedly unstable walls.

Jubilee River at Eton October 2011

I sketched this quickly a couple of evenings ago, it was past sunset, light was fading. One of my short films includes part of this scene from another angle.

I have sketched in my impressionist style of sketching, in this case that means getting a feel of the main components in the scene and applying a very loose treatment of the features with no concern about detail.

It is almost as if, each element of the landscape is only taken as a guide or inspiration and then every component reinterpreted and transformed. This is probably my favourite style of 'location art'. I don't like the idea of precise detail and proportion in my artwork, as at that point the work gradually loses identity and artistic signature. Accurate realism in art reduces all works to the same or similar output regardless of the artist and I don't believe that to be appealing in terms of diversity, expression and style.

I used charcoal and pencil for this. I did intend to apply slightly more detail to this, but I think I will leave it as it is.