Posts from the ‘NormNews’ Category

Nov 22

Norm Profile: Norm in the Jungle

Continuing my introduction to the Norms which I painted in the past, and expanding further upon the (variably) tropical theme of my Spanish season, the next Norm stepping into the limelight is Norm in the Jungle. This was the first Norm I ever painted. I gave him as a gift to my grandmother who always adored him, and continues to enjoy him still.

I’m not sure why I chose the jungle as the backdrop to my first Norm. I’ve always been drawn to the idea of a jungle, as I have been to forests with their dark creepy corridors between trees, naturally sheltered by the canopy of vast tree tops and low hanging luscious flowers and furry palms. I think I can identify two sources of inspiration for this fascination. Firstly the stories of the Moomins written and illustrated by Tove Jansson which I was obsessed with as a child. Through her vivid descriptions and beautiful illustrations, she really conjured the idea of a magical midnight forest, full of little creatures hiding under the trees, each plant and crag and corner being imbued with a sense of mystery and adventure.

Image via Wikipedia

The second influence is the art of Henri Rousseau. I adore Rousseau. He’s a great inspiration to me, first and foremost because, like me, he was a self-taught artist, and that lack of teaching can really be seen in the wonderful naivety of his art, as it can be in the work of other self-taught masters such as Frida Kahlo and Van Gogh. Thus in his work there is none of the pretention of a taught artist, but a vivid, often childlike imagination illustrated through wonderful scenes of jungle animals and full and voluptuous vegetation. My favourite work is probably “Tiger in a Tropical Storm (Surprised!)” which we are lucky enough to have hanging in London’s National Gallery free for all to see. All of his jungle works have the power to transpose their audience to the tropics… which is amazing since Rousseau never went to the tropics himself. He actually sought inspiration for his jungle scenes from the Jardin des Plantes in Paris!

Well, Norm in the Jungle was painted a long time ago (in 2005), and as I hope to show you later this week with the exclusive unveiling of four new Norm paintings, the Norms have come on a lot since. But my obsession with jungles and plants remains still. Here is a painting I did in the summer, also out here in Spain, called “Paseo Banus”. A pure celebration of the wonderful plants which grow habitually out here in Andalucía.

Paseo Banus (2011, Acrylic on canvas)

Nov 17

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Norm Profile: Matador Norm and the beauty of the Corrida

As part of my introduction to the Norms which I’ve painted so far, it is only appropriate, since I write this is sunny Spain, that the first Norm to take the stand is Matador Norm. He’s a popular chap: Used as the principle publicising image of my 2006 solo exhibition “Between Me and My Reflection”, he was one of the first paintings to be sold on the opening night. The buyer (who’s name, of course, I am not at liberty to publicise) is the owner of one of the UK’s most prominent men’s fashion and accessories brands and I was therefore delighted when the sale was made – the buyer obviously has excellent taste! While Norms have always been popular amongst my dedicated art-loving followers, it did not surprise me that Matador Norm had particular appeal. The image, with its warm golden colours, the sparkling costume of the Matador, and a slightly retarded looking bull, all flanked by a curious crowd of spectator norms, combines to illustrate the spectacle of the bullfight which is now synonymous with Spanish culture across the world. Read more

Nov 16

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In honour of Hockney: the DigiNorm

So three days into the blog and already I’m jetting off and finding the editorship of a Daily difficult to achieve away from the wireless comforts of the Daily Norm head office. So as I was sat on a flight to Spain today (a few norms in tow, playing dominoes together in my bag) playing with my iPad and finding it ever so slightly limited in airplane mode, I decided to go all Hockney and play with the application ‘Brushes’. Hockney swears by it. He creates (or can one say ‘paints’?) a new iPad painting/picture on a daily basis, sending them round to the lucky few recipients who no doubt pass them on to countless friends who can then boast of having an original Hockney in their inbox. While this poses a justifiable question mark over the value of a digital image which can be mass produced an infinite number of times, it is easy to understand why Hockney loves this new medium – the luminescence of the backlit iPad screen is something which no conventional canvas can boast, no matter how well lit from in front. Hockney recently had an exhibition of his iPad works in Paris, and more will be on show, I gather, in his blockbuster expo at the Royal Academy in the new year. Any how, it was with this in mind that I doodled myself today and have to admit, with a bit of patience, it’s a pretty cool medium, especially in this new digital age. So in advancing the spirit of the Norms’ regeneration in the digital age, I present to you my first iPad painting… The DigiNorm!

Nov 15

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Introduction to the Norms Part I: Kelsen’s Theory of Normativity

I’ve already said that my Norms first emerged from the strange depths of my imagination in a law lecture when, no doubt, I should have been focusing on other things. As even the brightest law student will tell you, it isn’t always easy to concentrate in law lectures, especially when the subject is jurisprudence, where the very idea of legal philosophy fills most budding lawyers with abject horror, and then, inevitably, boredom. One such lecture introduced us to the legal theorist Hans Kelsen, who’s Pure Theory of Law (“Reine Rechtslehre”) has become a staple of jurisprudential study and was itself a radical modernist legal theory when first published in 1934. Like most legal theorists, Kelsen was trying to establish why law is what it is, how it works, why it is obeyed, and what it says about us as a society, our moral compass and the importance (if any) of religion as a backbone to society’s legal machinery. All fairly irrelevant questions you may think: The law is what the law is and that’s that. And you may be right – it’s certainly a question that went through my mind on a number of occasions when I first started studying jurisprudence. But the subject throws up some very interesting questions which make for a fascinating dinner table conversation, even for the most unwitting philosopher. Read more

Nov 14

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Welcome to the Daily Norm!

Welcome to the Daily Norm, a daily exploration through Normville, the world of the Norms, the little white blobs who have pervaded my artistic output for some years. Through this blog, I hope to introduce you to the lives and times of these blobby little creatures, where they can be found, who’s who in the world of the Norm, and what they’re thinking too.

Norms began as small sketches in my law degree notes, filling my pages where no doubt there should have been complex legal observations and academic discussion. In 2006 they made it onto the canvas, and the first collection of norms I painted sold out in one night. They reappeared briefly in 2008, but haven’t been painted since. Following popular demand, the Norms are back, and this time, they’re venturing into cyberspace! So please follow this blog, and let the norms provide you with a little daily diversion. Also be sure to check the sales section of the site regularly, so that you too can bring a little bit of Norm magic into your home.

Norm you later,

Nick (Editor/ Artist)