the lectures use digital
presentations and I can
bring my own projector
and lap-top computer
LECTURES
TROMPE L'OEIL the art of illusion
This talk is firmly based on the practitioner's experience and point of view.
I begin by considering what it is that makes the brain accept information provided by the eye - the messenger - and how it blindly has to come to an instant decision on whether a painting is really three dimensional or simply a flat representation.
I briefly cover the theory of perspective and go into the parts that colour, tone and shadow play in a trompe l'oeil painting, before discussing examples.
The lecture is illustrated with diagrams and photographs, which explain the theory, and also examples of actual tromp l'oeil paintings, including the work of Corregio, Crivelli, Tiepolo - and some of my own.
TO HELL & BACK painted church interiors
The reasons for painting decoration on the walls of places of worship are explored - from the earliest examples of representational art found in the caves at Lascaux in the Dordogne area of France and done fifteen thousand years ago.
I trace and explain the development of church painted decoration from the simple naturalism of the art in the Roman catacombes, the strangely detatched and mysterious mosaics and murals of Byzantium to the Gothic terror of Doom and Hell.
I go on to tell how in Southern Europe the Renaissance brought church art out of Hell, but the Reformation in the North preferred to banish it for three hundred years.
Finally, I show how in the nineteenth century there came a revival of interest in painted church interiors, which continues to this day.
A RIGHT ROYAL ROOM painting murals in Riyadh
As a painter of large scale murals, I have been fortunate to work for many interesting clients and in some extraordinary places. One of the most exciting commissions was painting the walls of a large public room in a Riyadh palace.
Apart from two trips to Saudi Arabia, all the work was done in a barn in Nottinghamshire and then about one hundred pieces - some as large as ten feet by eight feet - were sent by air like a flat-pack to be put together in Riyadh.
The lecture tells the story of this commission, which took one year, from the first approach, through the design stage, the construction and painting to the final installation.
THE COLOUR OF LIGHT contemporary stained glass
The general perception of stained glass today remains firmly fixed in the Victorian image. This lecture attempts to change that view.
I begin by tracing the history and some of the techniques, then move on to discuss how the art developed through the Pre-Rapaelites, the Arts and Crafts and Art Nouveau movements, leading eventually to the brilliant designs of John Piper, Marc Chagall and more recent artists who, through being makers as well as designers, have rediscovered the essential point of the medium: the revelation of colour and light.
ABRACADABRA OF THE MOUNTEBANKS the development of stages, scenery and effects in the theatre
This lecture traces the architectural line of development of theatres from the ancient Greek (Epidaurus) through the Medieval (Mystery Plays performed on wagons or multiple platforms), Renaissance (Teatro Olympico) and Victorian (gilded picture frames prosceniums) to the many different forms the theatre takes today.
At the same time, from my experience as a professional theatre technician, I discuss the development of theatre machinery, scenery and lighting and explain how some of the magic of stage effects is achieved.
BARBAROUS OPULENCE JEWEL THICK Cardiff Castle & Castell Coch
The talk covers the historical development of two Welsh castles and the families who held them.
CARDIFF CASTLE: from Roman fort and Norman motte to country house conversion by Henry Holland for the First Marquess of Bute at the end of the eighteenth century followed by the mid nineteenth century recreation by the Third Marquess and his architect, William Burges.
CASTELL COCH: also a Norman motte, but abandoned in the early fourteenth century to await rebulding from the ground up by the Third Marquess of Bute and William Burges.
WILLIAM BURGES architect, & the Third Marquess of Bute
A unique artistic collaboration between two men over a period of sixteen years, which only ended with the death of one.
William Burges was the architect and designer of everything from interiors and furniture to jewellry, tableware and church plate. He was an extrovert with a great sense of humour which permeated everything he did.
Lord Bute was the patron. He was immensely rich, a scholar and a mystic; serious minded and introverted.
But they shared a dream, one man sparking ideas from the other, and together produced marvellous creations, particularly at Cardiff Castle & Castell Coch in Wales and Mount Stuart on the Isle of Bute in Scotland.
MOUNT STUART ten years painting in a Victorian palace
This is the story of the ten years I spent working in one of the most extraordinary houses ever built.
I briefly discuss William Burges, the High Victorian architect, and other nineteenth century architects whom he admired or who influenced him. I describe the meeting between him and his patron, The Third Marquess of Bute, and I touch on the buildings they worked on together in Cardiff.
I go on to describe the actual building of Mount Stuart on the Isle of Bute in Scotland - although not by Burges himself but the work of nearly all his craftsmen - drawing conclusions on what inspired its design.
Finally, I deal with the three projects I worked on for the late Lord Bute and his wife, Jennifer, in the then still unfinished house: the ceiling of the former Smoking Room, the walls of the Horoscope Room and the Marble Chapel which was finally completed for Johnny Bute after his father's death.
IN PREPARATION
MARKING TIME mural painting from prehistory to now
This talk will discuss the reasons for painting on walls from the earliest time, including graffiti from Rome to the present day.
It will also include prehistoric cave paintings, the murals of early civilisations, the church's role as patron, leading to the secularization of art from the Renaissance and finally something about the murals being produced today - both indoors and on the exterior walls of possibly boring flats and offices, turning them into interesting buildings.
STUDY DAY
FROM THE BARBAROUS TO THE OPULENT Roman fort to Victorian palaces
SESSION ONE: The history of Cardiff Castle up to the time the Butes inherited at the end of the eighteenth century.
SESSION TWO: The work undertaken by the Third Marquess of Bute and William Burges at Cardiff Castle and Castell Coch in the nineteenth century.
SESSION THREE: Mount Stuart, destroyed by fire and rebuilt using the same team which worked at Cardiff but halted at the death of the Third Marquess in 1900. Only to be continued under the patronage of the Sixth Marquess and more recently his son, Johnny Bute, during which time I completed three major painting projects in the house over a period of ten years.
TROMPE L'OEIL the art of illusion
This talk is firmly based on the practitioner's experience and point of view.
I begin by considering what it is that makes the brain accept information provided by the eye - the messenger - and how it blindly has to come to an instant decision on whether a painting is really three dimensional or simply a flat representation.
I briefly cover the theory of perspective and go into the parts that colour, tone and shadow play in a trompe l'oeil painting, before discussing examples.
The lecture is illustrated with diagrams and photographs, which explain the theory, and also examples of actual tromp l'oeil paintings, including the work of Corregio, Crivelli, Tiepolo - and some of my own.
TO HELL & BACK painted church interiors
The reasons for painting decoration on the walls of places of worship are explored - from the earliest examples of representational art found in the caves at Lascaux in the Dordogne area of France and done fifteen thousand years ago.
I trace and explain the development of church painted decoration from the simple naturalism of the art in the Roman catacombes, the strangely detatched and mysterious mosaics and murals of Byzantium to the Gothic terror of Doom and Hell.
I go on to tell how in Southern Europe the Renaissance brought church art out of Hell, but the Reformation in the North preferred to banish it for three hundred years.
Finally, I show how in the nineteenth century there came a revival of interest in painted church interiors, which continues to this day.
A RIGHT ROYAL ROOM painting murals in Riyadh
As a painter of large scale murals, I have been fortunate to work for many interesting clients and in some extraordinary places. One of the most exciting commissions was painting the walls of a large public room in a Riyadh palace.
Apart from two trips to Saudi Arabia, all the work was done in a barn in Nottinghamshire and then about one hundred pieces - some as large as ten feet by eight feet - were sent by air like a flat-pack to be put together in Riyadh.
The lecture tells the story of this commission, which took one year, from the first approach, through the design stage, the construction and painting to the final installation.
THE COLOUR OF LIGHT contemporary stained glass
The general perception of stained glass today remains firmly fixed in the Victorian image. This lecture attempts to change that view.
I begin by tracing the history and some of the techniques, then move on to discuss how the art developed through the Pre-Rapaelites, the Arts and Crafts and Art Nouveau movements, leading eventually to the brilliant designs of John Piper, Marc Chagall and more recent artists who, through being makers as well as designers, have rediscovered the essential point of the medium: the revelation of colour and light.
ABRACADABRA OF THE MOUNTEBANKS the development of stages, scenery and effects in the theatre
This lecture traces the architectural line of development of theatres from the ancient Greek (Epidaurus) through the Medieval (Mystery Plays performed on wagons or multiple platforms), Renaissance (Teatro Olympico) and Victorian (gilded picture frames prosceniums) to the many different forms the theatre takes today.
At the same time, from my experience as a professional theatre technician, I discuss the development of theatre machinery, scenery and lighting and explain how some of the magic of stage effects is achieved.
BARBAROUS OPULENCE JEWEL THICK Cardiff Castle & Castell Coch
The talk covers the historical development of two Welsh castles and the families who held them.
CARDIFF CASTLE: from Roman fort and Norman motte to country house conversion by Henry Holland for the First Marquess of Bute at the end of the eighteenth century followed by the mid nineteenth century recreation by the Third Marquess and his architect, William Burges.
CASTELL COCH: also a Norman motte, but abandoned in the early fourteenth century to await rebulding from the ground up by the Third Marquess of Bute and William Burges.
WILLIAM BURGES architect, & the Third Marquess of Bute
A unique artistic collaboration between two men over a period of sixteen years, which only ended with the death of one.
William Burges was the architect and designer of everything from interiors and furniture to jewellry, tableware and church plate. He was an extrovert with a great sense of humour which permeated everything he did.
Lord Bute was the patron. He was immensely rich, a scholar and a mystic; serious minded and introverted.
But they shared a dream, one man sparking ideas from the other, and together produced marvellous creations, particularly at Cardiff Castle & Castell Coch in Wales and Mount Stuart on the Isle of Bute in Scotland.
MOUNT STUART ten years painting in a Victorian palace
This is the story of the ten years I spent working in one of the most extraordinary houses ever built.
I briefly discuss William Burges, the High Victorian architect, and other nineteenth century architects whom he admired or who influenced him. I describe the meeting between him and his patron, The Third Marquess of Bute, and I touch on the buildings they worked on together in Cardiff.
I go on to describe the actual building of Mount Stuart on the Isle of Bute in Scotland - although not by Burges himself but the work of nearly all his craftsmen - drawing conclusions on what inspired its design.
Finally, I deal with the three projects I worked on for the late Lord Bute and his wife, Jennifer, in the then still unfinished house: the ceiling of the former Smoking Room, the walls of the Horoscope Room and the Marble Chapel which was finally completed for Johnny Bute after his father's death.
IN PREPARATION
MARKING TIME mural painting from prehistory to now
This talk will discuss the reasons for painting on walls from the earliest time, including graffiti from Rome to the present day.
It will also include prehistoric cave paintings, the murals of early civilisations, the church's role as patron, leading to the secularization of art from the Renaissance and finally something about the murals being produced today - both indoors and on the exterior walls of possibly boring flats and offices, turning them into interesting buildings.
STUDY DAY
FROM THE BARBAROUS TO THE OPULENT Roman fort to Victorian palaces
SESSION ONE: The history of Cardiff Castle up to the time the Butes inherited at the end of the eighteenth century.
SESSION TWO: The work undertaken by the Third Marquess of Bute and William Burges at Cardiff Castle and Castell Coch in the nineteenth century.
SESSION THREE: Mount Stuart, destroyed by fire and rebuilt using the same team which worked at Cardiff but halted at the death of the Third Marquess in 1900. Only to be continued under the patronage of the Sixth Marquess and more recently his son, Johnny Bute, during which time I completed three major painting projects in the house over a period of ten years.