photo credits ©connie bickman click on photos to enlarge.
Last year Neil Gaiman commissioned me to make art for his house in the UK. We decided on a price and that the rest would unveil itself when I landed and explored the area. I finally made it here last week and have been tucked away studying, exploring and working…My Mom and daughter are here with me, and I am so grateful for their presence and assistance.
This is me, in a phone booth, in the middle of nowhere. There is a lot of nowhere here.
The wind was so fierce I could barely hold the door open. It was spectacular.
This is me working at the kitchen table on three paintings, each on archival quality paper.
I like to work in series so I do them all at once to keep the colors and brush stokes consistant.
There are sheep everywhere, I mean EVERYWHERE.
This is the first study. I haven’t given him a name yet, but he is a proper sheep with top hat and bow tie.
Acrylic on paper 22″ x 30″
And there are crows. So the sheep and the crow become friends.
The eye patch tells it’s own story. Acrylic on paper 22″ x 30″
And the wind, she blows and sings and tells tales of mountain tops, rain drops and warm cups of tea.
The crows were meant to be hooded crows that are popular here,
but they didn’t quite work so I made them black.
Now that I’m looking at this here I realize I need to go back and add another cup of tea in the bottom of the umbrella.Will go do that.
Here is a detail of the Highland Cow and the wind from the above painting.
me, with a view, after the rain let up. it rained for days…
and me & Isabella, my daughter. She had a birthday & turned TWO a few days ago.
She is amazing. I never knew I could love so much.
Here I am prepping the surface for the big paitning. This photos is taken from above, in the library.
You can see the paper paintings behind me…and yes, there are four of them. I haven’t completely worked out the fourth, it is of three sheep behinds standing in the road. They really do rule the world here.
The big one keeps changing as I think it thru.
Yesterday I discovered a book of traditional celtic designs in a bookstore, and bought it. The border will be lush golds and silvers and blacks with a celtic pattern. And there will be a house, a lake, a stone fence and a landscape that bites and chews.
Until later is now, I send warm wooly greetings.
kelli bickman
11:11 studio
fine art – illustration – commissions hudson valley, new york the world
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