AFTER THE STORM

JAMES LOTT McCARTHY

Surrealism and the Landscape

Surrealism and the Landscape
PHAEDRA

'Phaedra' - Oil on canvas. 22'x30'

Inspired by the album of the same name by Tangerine Dream. The dreamlike and rather abstract electronic keyboard music of early Tangerine Dream in this contemplative yet space-like album made me think of being in a frozen waste land on another planet at certain times.
I am with a small group of close friends who, for some reason, are in a surreal landscape of stone, ice, water and mountains.

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 PHAEDRA II - THE ARRIVAL 

'Phaedra II - the Arrival' - Oil on canvas. 18'x24'

This is inspired by the finale of the 'Phaedra' album by Tangerine Dream then following that with Gustav Holst's "Neptune" from 'The Planets' symphony.

I now imagine that after travelling throughout the frozen 'Phaedra' landscape and beginning to wear down from the cold, we see an inviting, well-lit stately house with an observatory dome built on a cliff, looming ahead.

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Artist Statement

I like to paint spontaneous organic imagery- in surrealism this is known as 'biomorphism'.
Though I consider myself a surrealist I also consider myself a landscape painter.
I'm especially enamored with the scenery of the British Isles. I like their rolling hills and hedgerows, mountains, rocks and streams. I love the gardens and ruins of the British Isles and elsewhere as well. I especially like overgrown ruins  with arches, caves, tunnels and doorways of various kinds that have the appearance of mysterious portals to other realms.
Most of all, I like to depict weather and the changing seasons- especially the serene melancholy of Winter.
The seasons represent the passing of time and our mortality.
I'm concerned with the 'big question': is the last doorway that we pass through in life the doorway to oblivion or infinity?

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Close to the Edge; Seasons Will Pass You By

​Oil on canvas. 15"x30".
Inspired by the song by Yes, it's about the stream of life (or time) flowing by the passing seasons. They are represented in the 4 cave openings on the left. The stream of life eventually leads to the Winter of old age contained within the ice cave. The shrouded figure playing the organ and the woman "in white lace" (Mother Nature) represent both creation and death.
From the bird and babbling brook sounds at the beginning of "Close to the Edge" to the cavernous sounding pipe organ near the conclusion of the piece, this is what I have always envisioned when I've listened to this masterful work by Yes. It wasn't until after all these years since I first listened to this album in 1973 was my vision clear enough to paint it.

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