never-ending gallery

[LisaLCFan]

Hey, Geoffrey! I did not realise that my name caused an increase in activity around here -- if that is true, how nice!

Your recent pictures of Leonard have been rather dark and gloomy. I mean absolutely no offence whatsoever when I note that the last one looks a bit like Alan Rickman playing Julius Caesar.

Cheers!

[Geoffrey]

LisaLCFan wrote:
>Your recent pictures of Leonard have been rather dark and gloomy.

yes, his fans like the happy ones best, and my 'grocer of despair' images do little to uplift their spirits. sadly, we are in the middle of a dark and gloomy winter here in norway, and it seems to permeate one's general outlook, so let's be optimistic and hope that the spring, with its flowers and festivities, will bring more colour and joy.

>I mean absolutely no offence whatsoever when I note that the last one looks a bit like Alan Rickman playing Julius Caesar.

no offence taken. on the contrary, simply spending time with you, albeit in this abstract digital world, and regardless of the substance of our communication, gives me nothing but a feeling of appreciation. 'julius caesar' is a movie with which i am unfamiliar. i have, however, seen the late mr rickman in a number of other roles. the scene best remembered is when he falls from a skyscraper in 'die hard', but that would undoubtedly be a film genre a lady of your intellect would frown upon.

it has been estimated that about 110 billion homo sapiens have existed on this planet during the past 50,000 years, and all of them, as far as we can tell, with different fingerprints and faces - more or less. it is therefore inevitable that some variations of the human face are so slight that a certain camera angle, or a small irregularity made by a portraitist, can be enough to make one person look like another. i think this is why it is generally accepted that portraits are the most difficult, and why many artists shy away from the challenge.

leonard cohen is now deceased, so to make a portrait one must use a photograph, and ideally create an original version, avoiding aiming for an exact copy, for then it is transferring, as opposed to expressive art in which something of the artist can be found. this is one of several areas in which i struggle, feel i have much to learn, and why i prefer not to call myself an artist.

leonard never sat for me, but i did meet him a few times, and there are, of course, many videos of him on the internet. all of this makes it much easier to see if one's attempt at making a true likeness is successful. add to this the fact that he has several easily distinguishing facial features, such as his deep cheek creases, his special nasal bridge, the elongated upper lid creases, the way he slightly raises the left-hand side of his mouth during a smile, the chin crease that tends to curve downwards to the right, etc., etc.

[LisaLCFan]

[1] ...yes, his fans like the happy ones best...

[2]...'julius caesar' is a movie with which i am unfamiliar. i have, however, seen the late mr rickman in a number of other roles. the scene best remembered is when he falls from a skyscraper in 'die hard', but that would undoubtedly be a film genre a lady of your intellect would frown upon....

[3] ...avoiding aiming for an exact copy, for then it is transferring, as opposed to expressive art in which something of the artist can be found...

1. I like happy things best, period! It does not matter whether it is a portrait of Leonard or most other things! I suppose I do not have a gloomy disposition, despite sometimes succumbing to gloomy moods. I do hope that some optimism and cheer find their way to you, especially if they have been absent as of late.

2. I am not aware of a Julius Caesar movie in which Alan Rickman played the title role -- I just thought that your portrait bore a resemblance to both men, and thus that my comparison was "funny".

As for "Die Hard" -- au contraire! -- I sometimes very much enjoy an action film, and Die Hard is a classic!

3. I would say that something of you can be found in your pictures -- you have a distinctive style which is apparent to me in your various works, and so perhaps you are a better artist than you may sometimes think, at least, in that respect!

I think that your portraits of Leonard are exceptional (even if I am not a fan of the dour expressions) -- having seen a few photos, videos, and live concerts of his, you seem to capture his likeness very well, indeed (even if I am sometimes reminded of the likenesses of other people!).

[Geoffrey]

LisaLCFan wrote:
>you have a distinctive style which is apparent to me in your various works, and so perhaps you are a better artist than you may sometimes think, at least, in that respect!
>
>I think that your portraits of Leonard are exceptional . . .

this is so very good of you, to let me know these things, lisa. the trouble is that i live in norway, applied for and was granted norwegian citizenship many years ago - and scandinavian social attitudes are quite different to most other places in the world. we have the 'janteloven' ('law of jante') ingrained in our behaviour, in our culture, an unwritten socialistic law that is not easy for outside people to understand. we generally obey this law, because to do otherwise makes one appear big-headed, narcissistic or arrogant.

this is partly why i agreed to undergo the irreversible process of auratransformation, treatment discovered by danish author anni sennov who died a short while ago, which i have mentioned earlier. to have one's ego permanently replaced by a creative spiritual energy is like having one's soul break free from prison, an enticing prospect, and a sort of antidote to janteloven. yet this is complex, and will sound unreal to conventional ears. it was you, i believe, who earlier mentioned plato's 'allegory of the cave'.

https://www.lifeinnorway.net/what-exact ... anteloven/
https://annisennov.com/the-body-crystal ... -in-short/

[LisaLCFan]

I usually find that most people believe what they want to believe.

[Geoffrey]

strong coffee

[Geoffrey]

I usually find that most people believe what they want to believe.

perfect response. something does not need to be true in order to be believed.
in few words you succinctly present the result of much psychological research
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new pencil sketch-pad! paper curling up because i put water on it

thank you to the 'collector' asking for a better angle.
my sketching book is at a friend's home -
all i have here is a low resolution copy,
but good of you to take an interest

[Geoffrey]

blue crayon & water (update, scanner had wrong configurations)

[Geoffrey]

my life in art

[B4real]

strong coffee
coffee.jpg

I don’t normally like strong coffee, Geoffrey...... but in this case I most certainly do

[Geoffrey]

strong coffee
coffee.jpg

I don’t normally like strong coffee, Geoffrey...... but in this case I most certainly do

hi bev. everything ok with you? so nice of you to write. sometimes i feel like charlton heston in 'the omega man'. coffee is supposed to be good for you. good for blood circulation, good for mental stimulation. best to drink it black, no milk or sugar - that's what all norwegians do. that painting of adam, yes, funny how it came to be, actually. i had tried several attempts but gave up, couldn't get the damn coffee dark enough no matter how little water i added - so abandoned the idea. couple of days later i was doing something else when i looked at the coffee still in its little pots (i use jamjar lids) of various strengths; typical of me i hadn't cleaned up and thrown it away. i noticed that the strongest coffee had stiffened up, almost like tar. i dipped a brush into it and tested it on card paper, and lo and behold it was real dark. so i had accidently stumbled upon how to overcome a problem that many coffee painters complain about, and for a few minutes i was like alexander fleming when he discovered penicillin. anyway, enough of that, have some very important news! after throwing out all the sugar on new year's day my bathroom scales tell me today i've gone down 3.4 kilos - YES!!! as jeb bush might say: "please clap!"

[LisaLCFan]

...sometimes i feel like charlton heston in 'the omega man'...

Why -- because albino mutants are trying to kill you?

[B4real]

hi bev. everything ok with you?

Yes, thank you, Geoffrey!

i noticed that the strongest coffee had stiffened up, almost like tar. i dipped a brush into it and tested it on card paper, and lo and behold it was real dark.

And I thought it was just Adam’s hair gel It's interesting what oxidation can do!

i've gone down 3.4 kilos - YES!!!

Excellent weight loss

[Geoffrey]

Excellent weight loss

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" . . . yes, and wasn't it a long way down!"

[Geoffrey]

"i don't have any fans, only friends"