Tag: Pantomime

Liberty

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Scenery painting from a few years ago… I think I got the arms too long, the flame too small and the head too small too! But anyway it gives an impression of lady liberty. This was done for a pantomime just before or after the pandemic. I can’t remember.

And….. I think all that is happening in the USA at the moment has pantomime qualities. The two ugly sisters are obviously two billionaires. The fact that in a pantomime they would be men wearing drag is very ironic!

Who is Aladdin or the hero of this panto? Who can say, but it needs to be someone brave who will stand up to bullying! Maybe he should be a Robin Hood character instead, taking from the rich and giving to the poor?

Lady Liberty could be a Cinderella figure, she is there to support the huddled masses and the poor. She understands their situation as she is an immigrant from France.

Finally the whole thing is stage managed with boos and hisses… Evil takes control for a while but Good will triumph in the end. And the baddies will be banished!

Panto painting

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Before covid (bc) I painted a series of pictures of places the cast of the pantomime I was in travelled through to get to Gretna green in Scotland (they had no sense of direction). This was one of the destinations.

This popped up on my Facebook memories. Imagine 8 or 10 people walking along and each painting being moved across the stage behind them. It was fun.

Looking out for him.

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An old digital drawing from about 7 years ago.

I used to like singing “blow the wind southerly” and actually got to sing it in a pantomime a few years ago. We were pretending to be in a singing competition and I tried to sound like Catherine Ferrier?

It’s about a woman waiting for her lover to come back to her from across the sea. It’s very old fashioned but lovely and it’s a contralto piece that suits my rather deep voice. Anyway I did this digital drawing after being inspired by the song. X

Legacy?

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Lost mural of Burslem Riot that was destroyed in a fire

My legacy is my art. I have painted for years. I hope that someone wants them when I’ve gone.

I was involved in painting several murals over my time as an artist, but sadly most of them have been destroyed in one way or another. I painted a mural in the stairwell of the Unemployment action centre in Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent just after I finished college. Then we found the building was going to be demolished. So myself and a friend got permission to go in and take photos. Unfortunately the photographs came back blank. The film had not been attached to the spool and was not exposed!

Then I painted some murals with a council art group. Over a few weeks we worked on a school canteen (alien/ sci-fi landscape) a ward at a hospital (images of Stoke-on-Trent to aid elderly patients memories), and a memorial for the 1914 to 18 war. All of these were demolished.

Finally I did twelve murals at the Leopard Hotel in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent. This took me the good part of two years on and off. The painting above was a mural I did of the Burslem riot of 1842? I researched it and a lot of the characters were based on local Burlem residents and people who worked at or frequented the Leopard. All of the murals were destroyed in a fire that burnt down the hotel.

I have also painted scenery for the local pantomime and Mystery plays, but I don’t know what has happened to them.

What is the legacy you want to leave behind?

So if this isn’t my legacy what is? All the paintings and artwork I have created over the years since I was a child. Not all of them still exist. Art turns out to be quite ephemeral in some ways. But I’ve sold enough that, if no one wants the ones I still have, the rest have gone to new owners. Even if they were to appear in charity shops, I hope that some do find good homes.

Panto tonight! ❤️

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The Penkhull panto was on tonight (and Friday and Saturday) and I really enjoyed it. It was strange being in the audience, but I got a chance to see the whole thing. It was written by the director who is also one of the cast. Jennifer Whittaker-Vyse.

They didn’t use my Scottish panel in the travelling scene (where Robin heads to Scotland to rescue Maid Marian, when she had been sent there by the evil Sheriff). But they did use the ones I painted a few years ago, including the houses of Parliament, the London Eye, the Eiffel Tower, the Pyramids, Sidney Opera House, and The Statue of Liberty. So basically the cast pretend to walk as the boards are carried being them. I think it didn’t quite fit the theme? Oh well. I got a thank you in the programme.

Overall it was a good show, silly and fun, with modern and ancient action. The pixies seemed to be rapping? As in all productions there were a few tiny fluffed lines that turned out to be hilarious! The lock Ness monster showed up too and people enjoyed singing along with the songs.

The best thing is there is no sponsor, so no advertisements shoe-horned into the production. There were cheers of ‘it’s behind you’ and ‘oh yes it is, oh no its not!’. If you don’t know pantomime check it out on Google or Wikipedia. Loved it!

Stag and thistles

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A stag and thistles against a Scottish Saltire. The Penkhull Panto is not having scenery this year except for some smaller A2 panels that I painted a few years ago of various scenes from around the world. I offered to paint something representing Scotland and found various images of Scottish jewellery depicting Stags and Thistles in a semi celtic design. This is my interpretation of the idea. The blue and white of the saltire is a good background to the design. I used two A1 boards glued together for strength (£10) and it is painted in acrylics with some silver metallic pen highlights. I hope they like it.

Panto time

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Penkhull Pantomime this year is Robin Hood. It will be on in Stoke on Trent again next week, the Penkhull group is performing at our local village hall. I was not able to take part in it this year because of my ill health, but I am pleased that they will be using some small paintings of scenes I originally did three years ago. I’m trying to source some fibreboard so I can do a final painting, it will be based on a celtic design that I found and as it’s about Scotland there will be thistles and a stags head. I haven’t painted it yet but no doubt I will post about it when I’ve completed it. The photo here is me waring a mob cap in a performance I was in back in December.

Late for Panto…

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Well I decided to go back and join in our local penkhull panto because I need to start getting out and stop moping about. So… Its been in rehersal for weeks, so I’ve not been cast as anyone but I should be helping with the scenery. Maybe some props, it’s bringing back good memories…

The production is Robin Hood and we already had a script from a couple of years ago. It’s not on until the new year. It should be a laugh…. Oh yes it will be… Oh no it won’t.. Oh yes it will

Memories of panto

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Some of my scenery painting from a couple of years ago. I had to paint the backgrounds but also one of the stars of the show climbs into a mangle (that squashes clothes to get the water out) and he comes out flattened, a bit like a Tom and Jerry cartoon. I also painted the back of him on the other side so if it came out wrong way round it would also work. Behind me and the actors portrait is a bit of my scenery. It shows an old market or bazaar where Widow Twankey has a stall. If I can I’d like to try and do the same again if my arm and shoulder improves.

Panto hat

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This large papier mache hat was made for out pantomime a few years ago, it was about a meter wide. Painted to look like an old Spode pottery design. With roman or grecian patterns round the cup. I wish we could be certain that the pantomime we are rehearsing at the moment. This is a photo I found on my phone because I’m trying to clear off some of them to make more space, but I’m keeping this one.