Art Project course gallery No. 5
Art Project: Here Be Dragons…
Our starting point this week was the feast of England’s patron saint, Saint George, which was on Thursday 23 April.
Christian iconography depicts Saint George as a soldier or knight either fighting or accompanied by a dragon in line with the legend of the saint who allegedly fought and killed a dragon, later converting the locals terrorised by the beast. George is later martyred for his faith on April 23 303.
Saint George has been depicted by artists since the 5th century yet the idea of dragons exist long before and can be found in ancient and contemporary cultures and religions across the world where the creature appears in a number of variations. Whilst dragons were dreaded in some societies, in others there were worshipped and revered as mystical messengers or symbols of good fortune.
Dragons have also popped up in pop culture in a number of guises – from Lewis Carroll’s Jabberwock and Tolkein’s gold-hungry Smaug through to Peter, Paul and Mary’s 1962 hit Puff The Magic Dragon and the Hungarian Horntail in J.K. Rowling‘s Harry Potter saga. Some dragons follow convention and are shown as a large, scaled, winged reptile that breathes fire, whilst other dragons deviate from the usual depictions having human characteristics or features from other animals…
Here’s a selection of artwork and prepatory studies made by some of the Art Project course artists taking part in the project.
Look out for another gallery of work coming soon…
Lorna Howell – St George and the Covid-19 Dragon
Acrylic on paper
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Lorna Howell – Saint Without Boundaries – Patron Saint of 10 Countries, Beloved of Icon Painters and Tattoo Artists Alike
Lino cut, acrylic and collage
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Jane Goddard – St. George and the Dragon
Acrylic on paper |
Dieter – Georgia and the Dragon
Graphite and acrylic on paper
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Dieter – The Red Dragon
Acrylic on paper
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Jill T. – St George Slaying The Dragon
Watercolour on paper
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Jill T. – Celtic Dragon
Ink and acrylic on paper
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Tony Townshend – The Truce
Acrylic on paper
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Lynn Laws – God for Harry, England and St George (Henry V)
Mixed media
Lynn Laws – Riding on the Back of a Winged Dragon
Mixed media
Lynn Laws – Beware the Darkness of Dragons
(Tui T. Sutherland)
Mixed media
Maurice Prendergast – From the Red Book of Hergest, The Mabinogion
Mixed media
Harriet – Fiddling While Rome Burns
Collage: paper on paper, pen and acrylic
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Harriet – Greek Vase Dragon (after 6th Century BC Greek vase)
Wax crayon, watercolour and graphite on paper
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Harriet – Eyes Shut Dragon
Ink on paper |
Harriet – Tree Dragon
Watercolour and ink on paper |
Jill C. – Dragonfly
Watercolour on paper |
Jill C.- Dragon
Watercolour on paper
Christie Archer – Dragon Tattoo
Watercolour sketch
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Christie Archer – Dragon Tattoo
Collage
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Christie Archer – Dragon Tattoo
Digital design |
SRW – Yellow Dragon I (After Milen Tod)
Gouache on watercolour paper |
SRW – Yellow Dragon II (After Milen Tod)
Gouache on watercolour paper |
Chris – Draco Hybrida
Watercolour and graphite on paper
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Jo Melhuish – Red Dragon
Ink on paper
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Jo Melhuish – A Dragon’s View
Ink on paper
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Hilary – Dragon’s Bad Hair Day
Acrylic on paper
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Hilary – Look Behind Yooooou
Acrylic on paper
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Paula – “When Can We Cut The Cake?”
– My Nephew’s 5th Birthday Party, November 1990
Gouache on paper and collage
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Vanda Foster – Dragon I
Ink on paper
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Vanda Foster – Dragon II
Digital print and watercolour on paper
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Diana Boydell – Warrior
Ink on paper
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Jane Clark – Chinese Dragons
Linocut prints on paper
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Jane Clark – Chinese Dragons (After Warhol)
Linocut and gouache on paper
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Jane Clark – Reclining Dragons Visit Sheffield
Linocuts printed on found images of work by Sheffield based artist
Florence Blanchard
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Jane Clark – Yin Yang Dragons
Watercolour on paper
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Sylvie Fenton – Le Dragon
Acrylic and chinese ink on wallpaper
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