PICASSO WITH EROTIC PAINTING

Here's my pencil study of one of the world's greatest artists. 
Greatest?
Yes, if one uses the yardstick of how he's influenced the currents that flow through the mainstream of art. There is almost no art being produced today that has not been influenced by Picasso's prodigious and varied output.

The painting on the wall behind him is my version of a mildly erotic Picasso painting. 

Here's what the LA Times said about his erotic exhibition in Paris in 2001:

The first major retrospective of Pablo Picasso's erotic art went on display last week, showing that nearly 30 years after his death, the celebrated Spanish artist still has the power to shock.

In "Picasso Erotique," at the Jeu de Paume museum in central Paris through May 20, brothel scenes painted in the artist's youth give way to more violent images of love, passion and rape in his middle age, followed by the eye-popping voyeurism of the elderly Picasso that leaves little to the imagination.

"This show could never be put on in the United States. The political correctness there acts as a new form of terrorism for the art world," said Gerard Regnier, director of the Paris Picasso Museum.

If you'd like to see more of my portraits, please click here:

https://www.artfinder.com/ray-johnstone

PORTRAIT OF RUDOLF NUREYEV

Now that winter's on it's way out, I'm starting on a series of portraits in pencil.
Pencil?
Yes, PENCIL, because DRAWING is where ALL art starts and finishes.
So here goes, a portrait of Rudolf Nureyev.

Why Nureyev?

Simply because he has an amazing face. The fact that it's androgynous is beside the point.

So t's not the personality - just the face.

You can see more of my portraits here:

https://www.artfinder.com/ray-johnstone

WALKING TO SANTIAGO DE COMPOSTELA

BONJOUR, HOLA, G'DAY
This is Lynne at Roncesvalles near the Spanish border on top of the Pyrenees.
We're planning a walk on Le Chemin de St Jacques (in France) - or El Camino (in Spain) -  and the Way of St James (in English) - for six Australian pilgrims who are walking some of the best bits of the Pilgrim Path to Santiago de Compostela in May this year.
The most important part of the plan is to make sure the snow's gone by May.

MORE INFORMATION ON WALKING ON THE ST JACQUES ROUTE
Find out about walking some of the best stages on the Route to Santiago de Compostela in France - please click here:
http://pilgrimswayinfrance.blogspot.fr

WOMAN AGAINST A GRAFFITI WALL

Bonjour, 

For anyone who's interested, I'm back to my favourite medium - drawing.

Many years ago in a seedy suburb in a big city, I saw a woman leaning up against a wall covered in graffiti. 

Neither the woman nor the wall looked anything like this - only the drawings of the penises did, but one sees them everywhere and they always look the same, almost as if they’ve all been done by one person. 

Anyway, that’s where the idea for this drawing came from. If you like you can see more of my erotic drawings at the link below. (But please don't click on the link if you don't like this kind of thing). Merci.

https://www.artfinder.com/ray-johnstone

THE LION IN WINTER

Well, the lioness in winter, I suppose, so as not be confused with the 1968 movie that starred Peter O'Toole, etc.
So, having survived jihadists and snow in Amman and Istanbul, here we are back in Mézin where winter still reigns supreme.
In an attempt to remain sane, and as a reason to get out of bed everyday, I'm back to painting regularly, having decided to concentrate on three main subjects: Animals, Portraits and Nudes.
If you want to see how I've treated these subjects before, here are some links:

ANIMALS
http://www.saatchiart.com/art/Painting-RED-WOLF-ENDANGERED-ANIMAL-SERIES/183452/2383410/view

PORTRAITS
http://www.saatchiart.com/art/Painting-ANDY-WARHOL/183452/2275293/view

NUDES - MALE
http://www.saatchiart.com/art/Painting-MAN-WITH-TWO-TATTOOS/183452/2733470/view

NUDES - FEMALE
http://www.saatchiart.com/art/Painting-TATTOOED-TORSO/183452/2733416/view

Finally, here's my latest effort in my ANIMAL series:

After the kill

JAW, JAW IS BETTER THAN WAR, WAR

ANOTHER POLITICALLY INCORRECT INSTALLATION

Following on from my 'Politically Incorrect Pole' (scroll down to read), here's another example in the garden at La Petite Galerie.

Primitive man is considered a politically incorrect term.

However I don’t think the preferred synonym early man applies to my representation of the power of the thing given. 

French anthropologist Marcel Mauss identified this as reciprocity. It occurs when someone gives something to someone else, expecting a fair and tangible return. 

In colonial history primitive man almost always got the shitty end of the stick.