ABOVE: This is a compositional reference photograph for a portrait of the Artist's Mother.
Artwork Title: URIEL MEANS ANGEL
AN ARTWORK IN PROGRESS
by Neville Williams (2022) ©️Arts Law Australia
Size: 122cm(H) x 92cm(W) x 4cm(D)
Media: Indelible ink, acrylic, collage on canvas
I talk here about the progress or rather lack thereof with a portrait of my Mother that has been on my "to do" list for far too long.
What is/are the barrier(s) to us getting on with the things that are important to us? We all too often let distraction take us away from what should be our priorities.
I am an artist and should have the discipline to proceed without allowing everything else to get in the way.
I would like here though to share some facts about my Mother and this expressing in itself is some of the homework any artist needs to do to understand and be inspired to do the doing.
My Mother is both a very bright and striking lady in her personality, very precise, methodical, accurate and a perfectionist. If something, anything is going to be done then it needs to be done properly and completely.
She lives by those rules.
To paint my Mother in a loose “free spirited” expressionist way would not be a true reflection of her though her life has been full of colour and vibrancy. She most certainly is living it. Uriel is usually the life of the party but reluctantly she is slowing down now.
My intention (at this point) is to use for this portrait the technique of the dot principle that you can find in the workings of earlier colour television sets, the old world art of Seurat's pointillism, ancient and modern Aboriginal art or even the infinite stars in the universe. She is all of this.
It is a simple thing a dot yet it can express so much. Building up the dots to form a complete picture here will show something of her discipline, persistence and a certain formality that is ever present in her life. I think this has something to do with a good slice of her life being lived in the healthy practise of physical culture. This conditioning over decades has allowed her to continue on at the age of 91 even if not as strongly as she used to do.
Her name Uriel comes from one of the “Archangels”. I wouldn’t though describe my Mother as a religious person. She certainly does respect the value of life - hers, everyone and everything around her. There is a dignity and reserve about Uriel.
Mum treats others with a kindly respect even though there are those who don’t necessarily deserve it. In that Australian way she is an encourager of the underdog. In fact she is a most suitable example of a dying breed of Australian who’ll have a go and give others a go as well. No pretensions. What you see is what you get - open and honest, friendly and genuinely warm.
She has tried hard over her lifetime to do the very best she could and succeeded. She most certainly takes her responsibilities to her family very seriously and knows what the word commitment means.
Simple, happy, laughing and joyous are descriptives that fill her life being on this earth. Uriel is one of those people who is gifted with being truly interested in other people and it is not unusual for complete strangers to share with her the story of their life within five minutes of meeting her.
There will be here the suggestion of a stained glass window that frames her life as one of the “iconostasis”*.
An ordinary person living an extraordinary life.
Shown (adjacent) are a few of the hundreds of "mandalas" hand coloured by Uriel.
Mum is loved by some, warmly liked by most and judged by those who don’t know themselves. But that happens to people who give off an unencumbered light.
Uriel knows that she is something good without being full of herself.
The love I have for her has been earned through year upon year of unconditional giving on her part.
To be truthful Mum doesn't care whether this portrait gets done or not.
She doesn't feel the need to see herself immortalised.
But it is important for me to acknowledge her contribution.
Uriel is a National Treasure and should be recognised and treated as such. She has most certainly earned her way and the title of "elder". NW☺︎
* "Iconostasis" - A wall of saints, angels or leaders of our humanity.
