Well. Here I am again. Finishing the "other half" of the thing I thought was done.
This one presents special problems. Morpheus was all dark and full of secret fires.
Rather easy to imagine.

Daniel on the other hand is fresh, pale, new and possibly a bit awkward.
As Neil said to me once "A tall, androgynous sixteen year old boy."
I imagine him with different tastes, serious, and maybe a bit fickle.
I want to capture this as well as the challenge of all the white.
To tell the truth, I feel much closer to the character than the original.
For this reason I'm leaving the first drawing more casual than the first...
I plane to change it possibly quite drastically as it progresses.
So...here are the parting shots across the bow of the pirate ship,

"THE GARDENER OF DREAMS: DANIEL."

Stay tuned.

And thanks........

M.Z. July '05

  
 
 
 
 
 

Sorry for the delay.... a roofing incident and some flooding slowed me down a bit.

Well..... here I am. At the stage where all my plans fly out the window. Or at least act they want to. I enjoy this rebelliousness a lot. Confronted with the reality of a vision, I am forced to take stock of how and why.

Generally I'm pleased so far.... though I'm a tad miffed at the background.
Specifically, the roses.
My dear Fhionn noticed something amiss and I had to agree.....
here on the prairie, there are a native wild rose that have a fragrance and form that is just delightful......
I think I'll paint out the ones I've started and change them to something with more meaning.
Overall, I'm looking to invoke a dream like state, like something from a very sweet dream, only vaguely remembered upon waking.

So far...... so good.

Z.

  
         
 
 
         
 
 
         
 
 
 

I owe you all an apology.
The last few weeks have been utter chaos...saving someone I love dearly from a real, formal breakdown,
 having one myself, sort of, and two massive electrical storms that blew out two separate modems
..... leading to re-formatting and the loss of the "in-between" photos of the "Daniel".


I've not been idle, I've done three paintings, however small, and three "found" objects", as I like to do now and again. Oh, I've also moved twice...... so, no excuses, only real reasons.

Ok...... "the Daniel". Tough one to finish. The first Morpheus was ever so much simpler; he's just an icon
really.

The "Daniel" however presented quite a few challenges, not the least was simply getting the subtle nuances of character right. The re-painting of the roses was a tad tense, but ultimately, worthwhile. They more fully reflect personality, as well as satisfying my need to pay homage to the wonderful land, and it's diversity here. The
violet-blue wisteria against the sky was another tough patch that I think I solved to my satisfaction.
This is a much more controlled painting.

In many ways, I'm happier with this version of the sandman that the first one. To my mind richer in color, symbolism, and character. The individual layers of paint reflect back more light, giving Daniel a glow i personally like more than the rather grim and impersonal Morpheus. a gawking, unsure young king of dreams, new to the office.....as potent as the previous, but untried by the traps of time and experience.

I very, very much you enjoy this.......please look for it on eBay in a few weeks.

Thanks again..... and much love to you all.

M.Z.

 
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