Hello Everyone,
We promised to keep you updated regarding new works coming into the gallery! This week we are delighted to offer amazing new paintings by Mark S Payne.
Since the start of the year Mark has been busy creating the most incredible oil paintings based around four classic book covers, three of which have been inspired by the great novelist H.G. Wells; The Invisible Man, La Guerre des Mondes and L’Homme Invisible. Carnes Fine Art is hugely excited to offer and display ‘The Invisible Man’ in the gallery and we highly recommend viewing this amazing work in the flesh.
Mark describes his love for books. “Real books, as tactile objects that you can feel the weight of in your hands, leaf through, and into which you can simply disappear. Of course, like most booklovers, the excitement of a new novel, especially of a favourite author, is always an occasion to be savoured. But I find the books I treasure most become old friends. I love to revisit them, and celebrate down the years their graceful journey as they age – so often to marvel at their maturity, and sometimes to stand back with wonder as my youthful friend has become a classic! I love the feel of these my inanimate friends, who live with me and in me so vividly. Their stories, their feel, their warmth and their comfortable familiarity, – it is all these qualities that inspire me to paint them.”
Most of the books Mark has recreated into stunning oil paintings are very old and have had many owners, yet their fine condition suggests a much pampered life in careful hands. Others have not been so lucky, with creaking spines, dog-eared pages and with fading colour, they may be battle-scarred, but they are still as precious. Many of the books Mark paints are now quite rare and sourcing them has required great patience, while others, he has simply stumbled upon, languishing unnoticed and un-remembered on dusty shelves in second-hand book shops. Good design of the cover is timeless and as precious as the content; such books deserve to be noticed and admired.
While wanting to honour and pay tribute to the original jacket designers and their unquestionable talents, Mark’s paintings are portraits of some very old, well-loved books, the way they are now. Novels, poetry, history and a range of subjects all attract Marks interest. It may not be possible to judge a book by its cover each and every time, but a great engraving or a modern jacket certainly promises much.
The paintings themselves are much larger than life with every tear, crease and blemish, carefully and accurately recorded. Marks aim is not just to reproduce the original cover artwork like a poster, it is to paint the whole book as a real, three-dimensional object with all its imperfections – the evidence of life – so that when mounted and sensitively lit, the illusion is created of a real, giant 3D book. It really is a living thing.
Carnes Fine Art have wonderful brand new artwork and sculptures in stock and there are many more pieces arriving over the coming weeks. Next week we will share further news and pieces with you created by another one of our super talented artists!
Due to the pandemic and the ever changing rules we understand that you might feel apprehensive visiting the gallery which is why we are happy to offer private appointment viewings. We kindly ask you to contact the gallery in advance to arrange a mutually convenient day and time for you to view our artwork in a safe controlled environment. We continue to monitor the situation in line with the latest Government guidance and take great care to ensure the gallery is a safe environment for all.
If you are unable to visit the gallery please remember we offer video / FaceTime appointments too. We already have video clips of many pieces on our website however we can provide videos of any piece, please just ask.
As always, please do not hesitate to contact me for any further assistance.
Keep safe.
Best wishes, Bradle
