TAOPOET : Review

Serendipity, One Pixel at a Time



Anthea's Immortal Images is a beautiful spot to stop and look around. It's published in the UK by Anthea Rocker, an art- and dog-enthusiast who's built a site of interesting images and observation that's worth checking out. I found this gem in a Google image search for something with snow and tree. Liz Wright, hosted on Anthea's site, filled my need with her Divided Tree in Snow, a painting of warmth in the midst of an icy afternoon. Her winding, overlapping dark branches invite a contemplative stance.

Wright has a large collection at the Bridgeman Art Library and lives in Portland, on the near-island of Dorset, UK, which is kept from becoming a true island by a thin causeway joining it with the mainland. The moods of her surroundings are reflected in her paintings: gently pastoral, openly comfortable, and quietly surreal. The land- and seascapes of her home on the left edge of the Atlantic remind me very much of my family's home on the other edge of the ocean. Indeed, I thought her Portland and Bath were creative interpretations of New England's Portland and Bath, and I was eager to learn what a Maine girl was doing over in the British Isles.

But she wasn't a Maine girl, and her town names predate mine by centuries. One of the beauties of the Internet is that it's a worldwide touchpoint for creative minds. Liz's paintings, in their soft, elegant dreaminess, inspire me halfway around the globe. She calls her island a “microcosm of the development of civilisation,” and I tend to agree with her. The pebble and cliff images of her Chesil Beach paintings may offer glimpses into the geology of our evolution.

Another artist in Anthea's gallery is Fermin Rocker, whose clean, quiet images of mid-20th century city life and strife invite the imagination to consider a faster but cleaner past. Barry Ball, the third artist featured on Anthea's site, is a painter of abstract images that resonate both industrial and pastoral chords. His Memories Without Nostalgia offers Rorschach ambivalence, reminding me of home, heaven, and hovel. Anthea's links page is largely broken, but her link to Brian Pike's gallery and nam-myoho-renge-kyo, are well worth the side trip.

Visit Anthea's Immortal Images, and add a little beauty to your day!

Original artwork: Divided Tree in Snow
Oil on Canvas 36" by 24" (1997)
© Liz Wright
used with permission
Anthea's Immortal Images

Text ©2004 Wendy Blake
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