Photography

Mount Olympus: Origin of the Olympic Ideal

greek statue close up museum mount olympus the vibes

Home of the gods and the origin of the Olympic ideal. Mount Olympus was the seat of Zeus, and the games were held in his honour at Olympia. A permanent crown of angry clouds reign above the peaks, ample inspiration for legends and myth.

clouds above mount olympus greece
I’ve stood at the foot of this mountain gazing in awe, wondering if Spielberg was inspired by such an imposing view. You can imagine how the ancient Greeks saw gods in these clouds.

ancient greek carving museum mount olympus the vibes
Exploring the mountain itself is an adventure: wild boar bigger than cars, shrines, snakes and giant waterfalls.

mount olympus greece view from olympic beach the vibes

In the shadow of the mountain is a museum, containing art, jewellery and sculpture so sophisticated you would think it was crafted in modern times. Walking round with my mouth open, I was amazed at how advanced ancient Greek culture was. It’s easy to see how this was the cradle of modern civilisation.

ancient greek statue museum mount olympus the vibes

ancient greek earthenware pot museum mount olympus the vibes

ancient greek mosaic greece mount olympus museum the vibes
Greek culture is rich and colourful, and wandering from Mount Olympus down to Olympic Beach you can see how a different kind of deity dominates. The churches have brightly decorated interiors, adorned with icons, murals and relics.

greek church mural katerini greece
If there isn’t a church to hand, there are shrines everywhere. Even on the beach!

shrine olympic beach greece the vibes

shrine interior olympic beach the vibes

Beach Bar, Olympic Beach greece the vibes
We finally found some holy wine…(don’t run, Panos!)

tyre flower displays olympic beach the vibes

beach sports olympic beach greece the vibes
Angela Merkel was spotted swimming in the sea…

Sea life, Olympic beach greece the vibes
Greece is a wonderful country which I’ve visited many times. Unfortunately Germany is hell-bent on destroying this proud nation, imposing draconian sanctions on the people, causing widespread poverty and suffering. For some bizarre reason, the western media portrays the Greek people as deserving of punishment, and nothing could be more wrong. The people unfairly pay the price of their corrupt government (Spain and Italy seem exempt from similar penalties: I mean, really. Italy!) As Sea Monster Merkel spies oil in the Greek sea, you can rest assured she will make the nation a slave to her appetites.

Despite the economic upheaval, tourism is alive and well, and you can support the Greek people by taking your vacation there. Take a look at my trip to idyllic Santorini here.

Categories: Art, Photography, Travel, Vibe Monitor | Tags: , , , , , , , , , | 14 Comments

Prey – Oil on Canvas

The Vibes Prey Male Nude Oil on Canvas

Prey by Mark Wallis,  2000, oil on canvas.

Click on the image to see the uncensored version (PG – frontal nudity)

This is a detail from Prey, my second attempt at oil painting. In the full work, the model is stretched out in cruciform, and the photograph I worked from (by Jim French) appealed to my atheist nature. I was fascinated by the religious overtones and dramatic lighting, and the implied restraint of such physicality. There is drama in the male form which is rarely mined.

The piece was exhibited in Amsterdam’s Warmoesstraat, a bohemian stretch of galleries and bars between Centraal Station and The Dam Square.

One of the things which intrigued me about this painting was people’s reactions: people either loved it or hated it with nothing in between. Most people saw a face in the torso, found it striking and evocative or grotesque and offensive. It was good to provoke such extreme reactions. Art should always aspire to be something greater than the sum of it’s parts.

Categories: Art, Photography, Random | Tags: , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The Bones of Buzby Berkeley

buzby berkeley kaleidoscope image x-ray bones

You might have realised by now that this isn’t the place for cupcakes and kittens. I found an x-ray of a hand on google images and fed it through my app-du-jour, Kooleido. The results look like something out of a Buzby Berkeley musical, (which featured kaleidoscopic aerial shots of formation swimming teams and feathery chorus girls.) I wonder if Buzby teamed up with Tim Burton or H R Giger (who designed Ridley Scott’s Alien) would it look something like this?

Buzby berkeley kaleidoscope image x-ray the vibes

Buzby berkeley kaleidoscope image x-ray the vibes

Buzby berkeley kaleidoscope image x-ray the vibes

Buzby berkeley kaleidoscope image x-ray the vibes

Categories: Art, Design, Photography, Random | Tags: , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

Psychedelic Blue Man

Kaleidoscope image oil painting delft kooleidoLast week I showed you my oil painting, Blue Man and this week I fed the image through Kooleido, a kaleidoscope app on my iPhone. I love the religious overtones of mandala-style psychedelic images, and I’ve found the movement of a kaleidoscope quite hypnotic (Believe! Believe!) The result is almost like Dutch Delft ceramic tiles, although with sprawling knots of naked men. Imagine that…

Kaleidoscope image oil painting delft kooleido Kaleidoscope image oil painting delft kooleidoKaleidoscope image oil painting delft kooleido

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Blue Man – Oil on Canvas

The Blue Man, oil on canvas Mark wallis the vibes

Blue Man by Mark Wallis, 1999 oil on canvas. Click on image to enlarge

Oil paint is the most fantastic medium, versatile and rugged. The smell of linseed oil, the rolling of sleeves and the dirtying of hands are my idea of painting. Mistakes can be moved or wiped and the colours can be propelled around the canvas with as much passion or restraint as you like. Most artists I speak to are afraid to use them, but the rich, deep colours last for ever and the results speak for themselves.

Blue Man was my first attempt at painting in oils, and although it’s 13 years old I’m very proud of it. That and the fact that it sold before it was even completed. It’s a bold image which reflects how I felt at the time which was a bit frayed around the edges, and like early Hockney I based the painting on a photograph from an adult magazine. This particular image appealed to me enormously as it smashed the myth of men and their emotions. To see a big strong man in such a vulnerable pose was enigmatic and inspirational.

I still can’t do feet…

Categories: Art, Photography, Random | Tags: , , , , , , , | 30 Comments

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