Back to Africa: Adventures in Somaliland

[Remington]

Thank you, Dylan... In my slow progress painting at the moment, motivation started to waver... Back on track again thanks to you. The two KARs look great. Is the crouching one a combination of Perry and Woodbine as well? The colonial officer looks brilliant. Nice touch with the fallen pith (Need to get some from Empress) and in general I love the fact that you've even included the inspiration of this scene. When we met at the Tactica, you made it sound as if you don't feel very confident in your painting skills... After yesterday's post... Stop it!

[Plynkes]

I don't really lack confidence, it's more that I'm never satisfied with the results I get (which probably means the reverse: I have too much confidence in my abilities). This has spurred me on to much better painting than I used to do, mind, so I don't really see it as a bad thing. Hopefully it will continue to do so.


The kneeling fellow has a Perry Camel Corps body, but also with another Perry head. Just tried a different head for some variety.

[Remington]

I think I get you. Kinda the discrepancy between the picture in one's head and what one ends up with? This has always been the no. 1 reason for my painting blocks. Glad to see it can have an opposite effect.

PS: Of course cram below makes an excellent point. Trying to bring the picture in one's head and the result closer and closer is what we all strive for.

[cram]

When I went through art college, we were told that it was a good thing to not feel entirely satisfied with what we produced, and its that feeling that spurres you on to produce better work, all the great artists apparently felt the same way about the work they were producing. So yeah I get what Plynkes is saying, and its deffenatley not a bad thing in my eyes.

[H.M.Stanley]

Hey Plynkes

I've just spotted this - very very good work indeed Sir

Funny enough i'm reading Rice's biography on Burton at the moment. Mountains of the Moon only scratches the surface of what the man did [as well you know]

James

[Plynkes]

Haven't read that one, but I did enjoy Byron Farwell's biography of him. I'm currently (slowly, when I get a minute here and there) reading William Harrison's "Burton and Speke," the novel that the Mountains of the Moon picture was based on.

Must say I'm really enjoying it. Really brings the two men to life, notably Burton's obsession with sex, and Speke's growing exasperation, envy and distrust of him. You also get a real feeling for just how unpleasant and squalid it could be trekking through the uncharted wilds of Africa.

[H.M.Stanley]

I've not got out of India as yet with him. He was putting it about there too