"My Paintings", by Douglas Lyell...

The sea is a source of endless fascination to me. At times it is overwhelming. It is difficult to do justice to it’s power and majesty. That is why I don’t copy photographs. The feeling, the noise, the force and the power of the sea are truly awesome, and present a real challenge to any artist. I live in Cornwall the most extreme South Westerly point of the British Isles. The Cornish people have good reason to both love and fear the sea, as a bringer of both life, income, and also death. Of course I am well aware of the environmental debate regarding rising sea levels and environmental catastrophe. I wouldn’t consider myself to be an “environmentalist”, I am more like a Jehovah’s Witness. I believe that one day the sea will overwhelm this decadent civilization as the instrument of the Wrath of God. 

What would remain of this technological society if the sea were to rise and wipe all of it from the face of the Earth? Very little. Our flimsy technology would leave almost nothing in the archeological record. I believe that civilization ebbs and flows. There have been many times when a global culture has existed and many times when it has been destroyed. I think that I have lived a past life on the lost continent of Atlantis, and this is why I am constantly and irresistibly drawn to the sea. The sea is the origin of life, in my paintings which are all developed from drawings, I try to become the sea and create a gestalt from my inner mind and my environment. On stormy nights I can hear An Mordros, the sound of the sea, from my bedroom window. It is a constant reminder of the weakness of men and the power of the sea. I am intoxicated by this power, and I feel the vibrations of the air and the sea as they penetrate my aura.

I am aware of some current scientific concepts regarding the nature of light. Light appears sometimes as a wave and at other times as a particle. The sea is a constant reminder of all of this arbitrary theorizing. It certainly brings to mind how the wave nature of electro- magnetism brings power to humans, but can humans survive a global catastrophe, if the polar ice caps were to melt? Could humans protect the Earth from an unexpected cosmic collision?

I generally draw at the end of a granite pier, next to the harbor of Porthleven. Sometimes I take a walk along the cliff tops around Porthleven to do my drawing. I am a very right brained person who relies on intuition and synchronicity. I am not terribly logical when it comes to art. I have tried to convey some of my experiences of the sheer mass and movement of the sea as it rises up around the pier. I do not “copy” anything when I paint. I draw merely to  retain my impressions of what I have seen and felt. My drawings are calligraphic records of these multi- dimensional perceptions. My paintings are all about freedom, touch and feel. There are usually some areas in my paintings that are not covered by paint. This is quite deliberate as I value spontaneity highly; I am always keen not to overwork my paintings. I like to feel the vibrations of my drawing instruments and brushes; it all relies on ephemeral values which are quite difficult to explain to left brained people. I always like to use different hues of blue to give an idea of depth. The depth of both the sea and the sky which is reflected in the sea. When I stand before the sea I feel the spirits of Atlantis, and the dread before the awesome power of the Creator!

If you are interested in purchasing one or more of my paintings please e mail me at douglaslyell@yahoo.com