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| J.M.W.Turner. Death on a Pale Horse. 1825-1830. Oil on canvas. Tate Gallery, |
I enjoy art and paintings, even thought I might be a fine artist once upon a time. That was before I jumped from a tiny pond into a big one and found I wasn't as good as I'd thought.
The Tate Gallery in London London
So, based on those experiences and dreams, I made the hero in Cold Comfort an artist (among other things). Riley's paintings are dark and stormy, reflecting his view of life. He's a sailor, so much of his work involves rough seas and sails whipping in the wind. I (and therefore he) love J. M. W. Turner. Riley's style is similar but bolder, depicting harsh seascapes. In his house, Claire finds a small painting that gives a clue to the images that haunt Riley's dreams.
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Joseph Mallord William Turner (1775–1851) The Shipwreck circa 1805. Oil on canvas Current location: Tate |
In her house, Claire has a portrait of her mother by contemporary Alabama artist Jackie Williams and a reproduction of Norham Castle Norham Castle
That's one of the benefits of being a writer. You can create worlds, situations, dream up characters, and give them the ability to cope with it all.
Do your interests drift into your writing? Do your characters sometimes fulfill unrealized dreams?
4 comments:
Hi Ellis, now I understand why you are so selective about your book covers.
My interests are deliberately based in my books as a teaching mechanism. Years back I heard Miriam Grace monfredo speak about her mysteries. In them she teaches about the women's movement.
In my books, I teach about the law.
Thanks for an interesting observation.
Una Tiers
LOL! Yes, I have definite ideas about covers and what they should accomplish. I love doing them but have a lot to learn about the software. Photoshop is great but NOT user friendly.
Using the law as a background for your book gives you a great platform and adds so much to the story. Judge vs Nuts sounds fun as well as interesting.
Having been an art major, there's usually something of that in my books. Turner's paintings are amazing. I'm also a fan. I have a character in InSight who's an artist, another who loves Vermeer because I do. My main character in Murder Deja Vu is an artisan, and still another book is all about the Isabella Stewart Gardner heist--Vermeer again. Musician writers incorporate music into their books, just as lawyers (Una) and doctors turn their professions into crime novels. We can't help ourselves. It's part of who we are. Great post, Ellis. As always.
Polly, I love Vermeer too. I saw The Lady in Blue at the Rijksmuseum. Magnificent! But you know, it took me a long time to like van Gogh. I think it was the swirls. They could make me queasy. I do now, but I had to work at it.
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