Christmas At Sea

Inspired by the song Christmas At Sea  from Sting's 2009 album If On A Winter's Night... , which the beautiful lyric was written by Robert Louis Stevenson in 1888, I did this painting of a sea scene. First time I heard this song was when watching a documentary about the making of this album, winter is not my favourite season ,specially in London as it's always depressing and wet. However this song ( the whole album)  changed my feeling, it made winter tough but magical, it make me able to feel the power of belief not only in the religious sense but also in the spiritual way, that could bring up hope though the darkness.

It absolutely became one of my favourite album of all time and surly the best songs to listen to during winter.

winter-sea.jpg

All day we fought the tides between the North Head and the South
All day we hauled the frozen sheets, to 'scape the storm's wet mouth
All day as cold as charity, in bitter pain and dread,
For very life and nature we tacked from head to head.

Thograinn Thograinn
Thograinn thograinn bhith dol dhachaidh
(I wish we were going home)
E ho ro e ho ro
Gu Sgoirebreac a chruidh chaisfhinn
(To Scorrybreck of the white-footed cattle)
E ho hi ri ill iu o
Ill iu o thograinn falbh
Gu Sgoirebreac a' chruidh chais-fhionn
(To Scorrybreck of the white-footed cattle)
E ho ro e ho ro
Ceud soraidh bhuam mar bu dual dhomh
(The first blessing from me, as is my right)

We gave the South a wider berth, for there the tide-race roared;
But every tack we made we brought the North Head close aboard:
We saw the cliffs and houses, and the breakers running high,
And the coastguard in his garden, his glass against his eye.

The frost was on the village roofs as white as ocean foam;
The good red fires were burning bright in every 'longshore home;
The windows sparkled clear, and the chimneys volleyed out;
And I vow we sniffed the victuals as the vessel went about.

The bells upon the church were rung with a mighty jovial cheer;
For it's just that I should tell you how (of all days in the year)
This day of our adversity was blessed Christmas morn,
And the house above the coastguard's was the house where I was born.

And well I knew the talk they had, the talk that was of me,
Of the shadow on the household and the son that went to sea;
And O the wicked fool I seemed, in every kind of way,
To be here and hauling frozen ropes on blessed Christmas Day.

hello 2014

During the Xmas holiday, I was suppose to do quite a lot thing according to my original plan, but somehow just couldn't start any of them. It was the most gloomiest depress period of time I ever experienced so far and the cause of that still remain unclear. Most of time I woke up around 12 at noon, trying to do anything but fail, outside the house,  the sky fall dark very soon, when evening arrive I regret that I did't achieve anything again but too conscious to sleep.The weather was stormy , rain fall for days and weeks, most of the south west area flooded badly.

Until I realize it was more than a month since last time I updated my blog. Now the holiday finished and I'm back to work and all of sudden, I could draw and write again!

When I realize the almost robotic routing of life somehow could provide me a hint of confidence and relaxation. I am very confuse about this strange condition, which is the idea of complete freedom actually scares me but on the other side, the pressure and boredom from work drives me crazy, which make the freedom sound so sweet.

What a paradox of life. 

Anyhow, I did a small drawing today at work, inspired by one of my favourite artist Shanu Tan's Illustration story book Tales from outer suburbia,  the way he create different texture for different material of painting is amazing. I bought this book years ago but when I start read it again recently the story and drawing strangely seems completely new to me again.

Wish everyone who reads my blog a late happy new year. 

new-year.jpg

Song of Seikilos

Few years ago, I read this amazing article about the song of Seikilos. It's the oldest surviving example of a complete musical composition, including musical notation, from anywhere in the world. The find has been dated variously from around 200 BC to around AD 100. The song, the melody of which is recorded, alongside its lyrics, in the ancient Greek musical notation, was found engraved on a tombstone, which says

" I am a tombstone, an image. Seikilos placed me here as an everlasting sign of deathless remembrance "

Once I heard the music after restoration on youtube, I had this weird sensation of familiarity as if I heard it before. Different from the morden day ancient Greek film BGM, the melody, is so pure clam and simply beautiful, moved me deeply inside. With drum, flute and harp accompaniment , I can almost imaging an warm summer evening, the folks of ancient Greek gathered together at one small square in the city with marble stairs, not far way, the food market was just closing down, People took fish, vegetables and bread back into the basket prepared for tomorrow. In the corner of square sat a small group of people with music instruments, wind gently lift up their sleeves as they were arranging  the position to sit or stand and carefully turning the strings. Then the nightfall, the sound of flute and harp raised, music started. And I was the strange listener stood on a distance hill, so far way that it took the music note 2000 years to reach me. But it did, eventually, without knowing a single world of ancient Greece somehow I feel that I can understand it.

Hoson zēs, phainou
Mēden holōs sy lypou;
Pros oligon esti to zēn
To telos ho chronos apaitei 
While you live, shine
Don't suffer anything at all
Life exists only a short while
And time demands its toll. 


Later on I found the translation of the lyric ( above, with English translation ) and that's exactly what I feel about this song. Sun rise sun set, moon rise moon set, earth spinning day and night. Days, months, years and decade pass, we come and go, nothing changes.

So I did a little drawing according to ancient Greek vase design while listen to this song.
Also you can click the audio track below to hear the beautiful Song of Seikilos.

End of the World

I'm a big fan of Haruki Murakami. Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World  is definitely one of my favourite book of his. From last week I started a personal project of making the map of the town of End of the world based on the novel. The almost desolated like town that make me feel lonely but enchanting.

Although I know that no one born in modern world could ever manage to settle down in a bleak place like this, however I still wish there was a town like this somewhere in the world, isolated from rest of the universe. And I know, inside that town, the beast will walk, the shadow will fade and the old dream will be stored in the skull and left on the dusty library bookshelf.

God's in his heaven, All right with the world.

Click here to visit my Etsy shop if you would like to purchase the print of this map.
or any other question just simply contact me by : guobetty@gmail.com

Click the thumbnails below to see details in large scale.