Dr Johnson's House

So, here it is at last:

As seems to be my habit, it has rather a long-winded title:
Dr Johnson, his House in Gough Square and his Cat, Hodge
No idea whose dog it is terrorising poor Hodge, though.
His dictionary assistant up in the garrett looks a bit annoyed, so maybe it's his.

The windows at No. 17 all have elegant indoor shutters which I have recreated here using pieces of photocopied cut up Johnson dictionary. I don't think anyone would actually notice these slivers, but I know they're there. I needed to get the great man's great work in there somehow!

Blind Miss Williams is in the window with Johnson's less well-know cat, Lily.
The puddles and pigeons are very London, I think.

Onward and upward ...

First of all, a belated Happy New Year to everyone!

 

I see by my last post that it is exactly a month since I last blogged. Suffice it to say a lot has been happening behind the scenes here, not least my daughter falling seriously ill in Mexico just before Christmas. She is now back home recovering and I am hopefully back on track with studio work. It was a rocky end to 2013.

 

I'm still waiting for the scan to come back from my Dr Johnson's House collage, so that I will next week.

Currently on the table is a design for a bookmark for Keats House which, if I do say so myself, is looking very good. Based on the Ode to a Nightingale and very summery. I am just putting a few finishing touches to it though I did declare it finished on my facebook page (Amanda White Art)

https://www.facebook.com/AmandaWhiteNaiveArt?skip_nax_wizard=true last night. Above is a photo I took when it was still in the process of coming together.

And here's a detail I snapped yesterday:

The Ode to a Nightingale is my favourite Keats poem and one I am happy I was forced to have to commit to memory while at school. As you see I managed to get the "draught of vintage" into the picture.

 

Once the weather is more favourable I will be able to take a better photo. In the meantime I have a couple of doll-portraits coming up and a private commission involving a castle tower...

Like I said, onwards and upwards!