GIF Experiments: 14 (4 Variations On One line From An Unpublished Poem)
by Steven McCabe
In my computer floating freely I found a digital file of (shall we say) cartoonish ‘Druid-monk’ images. He’s working beneath a light bulb (of course) and creating an icon of spirals. One is a cauldron-spiral. Perhaps I was thinking of manuscript illumination.
Then I found an ink drawing/collage from my (rather dark) 2011 exhibition at Propeller Centre for the Visual Arts in Toronto.
After combining them in Photoshop I was going to call the series ‘Temptation at the Manuscript Factory’ – humour inspired by a miniature I’d created many moons ago for an art gallery and gallery owner (both gone) who annually held an International Exhibition of Miniature Art. Instead I worked with a line from my unpublished poem Celtlandia Has Fallen.
Celtlandia Has Fallen is a sort of a quest poem, inspired by ancestral yearnings. There is something in the DNA stirring. In the Continuous Vegetal Style I served her. I don’t remember this, but in the poem ‘I’ do.
poemimage 
❤️
Thank you Brenda.
Spiral on the chest: Jarry’s Ubu
Thanks Tom. I hadn’t thought of that (consciously) but yes!
I’m inspired to give this a try myself. I’m too busy these days to do the slog work of video editing, but this has possibilities! As you’ve shown. Thanks!
It is a cool ‘medium’ (is that the word?) though time consuming, as you say, to create the images and then go through the process of editing and placement, etc….I use an older version of Photoshop. Crazy how much time things take!
I’m using a video editor, Filmora, and it’s easy as can be. When I get one I like, I’ll post it.
Sounds good!
The time you take to create these images is worth it. There’s always so much to think about in them.
I love the Druid-Monk and your “light” humor. It could be titled, Bulb, Book, and Candle, an homage to the1950 Broadway play by John Van Druten adapted by Daniel Taradash. It starred the seductive Kim Novak as a witch who casts a spell on her neighbor, played by James Stewart. Were you ever bewitched by a witch? 🙂
Thank you Jeanie. I’m glad you think it worth it. Light humour! Yes I guess it is. 🙂 ‘Bulb, Book, and Candle’ indeed! It had occurred to me the paint brush resembles a candle-flame so in a way he is painting with ‘light.’ More light references. You know, I never heard of this play! How interesting for you to make this connection. I will look it up. I believe I have been bewitched but more by someone ‘witch-like’ qualities than an official witch. But maybe you mean in a way that influenced this posting. I will think about that! Thank you for this insightful and thought-provoking comment Jeanie!
Ancestral yearnings. Celts, Druids, the fallen. Something is calling to you Steven.
Those things I think you are familiar with. Yes. It seems to be the case that something somewhere is opening up a channel. It’s connected to ‘meaning’ also and doesn’t seem to be going away. I’m not sure what comes next (if anything). We shall see. Thank you Teri.