Wednesday 18 July 2012

My Cunning Disguise

Hello everyone

In my last post we discussed the merits of one foxy lady, artist Claire Duguid, although again I'd like to stress that you pay attention to her paintings ;)

Not to be upstaged, artist Dylan Lisle also has some foxy offerings and trust me, they are smack you in the face, drop dead gorgeous.
Take a look at this:


















'Sionnachuighim', oil on canvas by Dylan Lisle.

Some of you have been highly impressed by my perfect pronunciation of the intriguing title, 'Sionnachuighim' which, translated from Irish, literally means, 'I play the fox'. Inspired.
This incredible painting warrants a detail:


















I have so far managed to resist the temptation to stroke fox's nose.
If that wasn't good enough for you, it gets better:


















'My Cunning Disguise', oil on canvas by Dylan Lisle.

What can I say? A mysterious and compelling image I'm sure you'll agree.
'My Cunning Disguise' just begs the imagination to go wild. My personal interpretation is this:

Being an artist involves occupying what can often be a strange and uncertain world, often lonely and sometimes demoralising.
Exhibition opening nights are a classic example, and what many artists dread the most. You see, when you have locked yourself away in solitude to concentrate on the work and painted your 'babies' with every fibre of your being (in Dylan Lisle's case he has worked on this exhibition for a year and a half), its only natural that, given the time, financial and emotional commitment to an exhibition, that you are nervous of how the work will be received. I must say that in Dylan's case, as with Claire, there were no 'smart arse' comments, only praise and admiration for his undeniable skill and subtle story-telling.
I believe 'My Cunning Disguise' to epitomise much of how Dylan Lisle feels as an artist. In those dark moments of uncertainty, you have to dig deep to garner the courage to keep going, to remain a true professional at all times. I have no doubt that during the opening of this exhibition Dylan Lisle was experiencing that excruciating 'out of body' experience which I'm sure is all too familiar to many an artist. Yet, and much like a fox, he did so with with stealth, charisma and resourcefulness, all of which are essential qualities required of a credible artist.
I find 'My Cunning Disguise' a stark and tender painting and I adore the caught 'off guard' and behind the scenes atmosphere: the precious disguise, the make up, has been taken off and been lovingly to tendered to.
Surely we can all perhaps relate to this? Do we not all have days when we need to pull on a 'thick skin', an act or performance to get us through the day and be the person we are expected to be?

Speak soon x

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