The Artist Next Door

I have the most amazing new neighbor. She is one of two girls that moved into the second floor apartment next door. Sarah Jane and Scarlett. Do they not sound like characters out of a good Truman Capote or Tennessee Williams novel? Miss Sara Jane I was told was an artist. This town is choked right full of artist so I wasn't all that excited being I have seen a lot of bad art. I had a good long talk with her at the gate last Sunday afternoon as I painted it and the fence. She invited me up to see the paintings in her house but I was too tired after working all day so i begged off. Tuesday I was in a good mood had had a good day and early cocktail party so when I got home I saw that she was home so rang the bell.....


Miss Sarah Jane Whitehouse.

When I walked into the living room and into the dining room this is th3e painting I saw. It is huge. Takes up the whole wall. My mind had taken me right down into that crevasse in seconds it was so powerful and fluid.

This is the painting in her bedroom and is just as big as the one in the dining room. We sat for a good hour directly in front of it and discussed it and her travels in India and Nepal that are part of her inspiration. We were so engrossed with our discussion that we took a break so she could run to the kitchen for wine and I to my house for a highball.

This is her old website. She is going to start a new one now that she is in Maine.

http://www.beantheredonethat.co.uk/sjwcasablancawebsite/bio/bio.html

Ooh I really like the first one. Talented chick.

A highball?

Fabulous work

I dont like the first one at all, but the second one is cool as shit

Did you all notice the two birds in the first one?
The woman in the second one...her eyes follow you wherever you are. I tried it out and got a little uneasy from it.

I ;ove the first one. It reminds me of Pammukale(sp?) in Turkey.

darkeyes80 wrote:

I ;ove the first one. It reminds me of Pammukale(sp?) in Turkey.

it does look like that place in turkey, but I still dont like it


Rodney, have you ever been there?

Never! only know it from pictures and tv and geography in school:P

yea, me too. When I was with my first boyfriend, Hasan, he would show me pics of it and such. I always wanted to go

that first pic is awesome and my fav! Michele just sucks as usual

Dan-I noticed the two birds!

a peacock and a mandarin-duck?

Quote :

yea, me too. When I was with my first boyfriend, Hasan, he would show me pics of it and such. I always wanted to go

I wanna go too, some day.

When I went to Bali, I went to this temple village. It was sitting at a lake and I remember it being unusally cool. and it was misty. Walking around would get you wet on account of all those tiny droplets. There were people around but, it was very quiet. hardly anyone spoke. They were either walking in silence or staring out on the lake. And you could never completely see them through the fog.The only sound you could hear were the little gongs, people would sound at the many Shiva-statues(Bali is a Hindu-island)scattered around the complex and the lapping of the water against the lakeshore. Because of the mist,you could only see for a a few meters in any direction. Walking around was kinda like walking within a cloud with the sounds as your only guide. eventhough, i wasn't alone that day. It felt like I was. Without feeling lonely. Far from it. The air was moist but, not clammy. taking a gulp of air was like taking a sip of 'sky-water'.

THAT'S what the painting reminds me of! i had to look at it for a while(whilst trying to locate those damn birds)before it all came back to me. Now, i love it even more!

Lets discuss the little lamb and the lovely owl. I adore that owl!!!!

as much as I love her style in the 2nd painting-I'm not a fan. i don't know why. it's just as impressive as the first one. but instead of letting my eyes wander over the woman, the crabs, the owl, the lamb....i'm drawn to whatever lies behind these figures. the pool of water dissapearing in the mist. i'm trying to feel what i felt with the first painting:P

I love the little owl and i love the little lamb. i like the woman but, I'm more amazed by the skill rather than whatever the subject matter is or, might be. It's also not the kind of composition I could stare at for hours. like i would the first one.

How big would you say the 1st painting is, Dan? you've said it takes up an entire wall?

darkeyes80 wrote:

a peacock and a mandarin-duck?

Quote :

yea, me too. When I was with my first boyfriend, Hasan, he would show me pics of it and such. I always wanted to go

I wanna go too, some day.

When I went to Bali, I went to this temple village. It was sitting at a lake and I remember it being unusally cool. and it was misty. Walking around would get you wet on account of all those tiny droplets. There were people around but, it was very quiet. hardly anyone spoke. They were either walking in silence or staring out on the lake. And you could never completely see them through the fog.The only sound you could hear where the little gongs, people would sound at the many Shiva-statues(Bali is a Hindu-island)scattered around the complex and the lapping of the water against the lakeshore. Because of the mist,you could only see for a a few meters in any direction. Walking around was kinda like walking within a cloud with the sounds as your only guide. eventhough, i wasn't alone that day. It felt like I was. Without feeling lonely. Far from it. The air was moist but, not clammy. taking a gulp of air was like taking a sip of 'sky-water'.

THAT'S what the painting reminds me of! i had to look at it for a while(whilst trying to locate those damn birds)before it all came back to me. Now, i love it even more!

that sounds ORGASMIC!

Denovissimus wrote:

that first pic is awesome and my fav! Michele just sucks as usual

and that is why art is subjective, dear Jesse :)

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that sounds ORGASMIC!

The lake did not make me come, michele. lol But it was a very special moment. and i haven't thought about it untill I looked at the painting again!

Have you read memoirs of a geisha? I remember when I read it the first time( before the movie came out) i had images of lakes, streets,mountains,valleys,houses,etc...but all shrouded in that same kind of "milky" mist that i saw on Bali. It's like, because everything is partly obscured; there's more possibilities.More room for ideas,thoughts and images.

For example; If I look out of a window, and it's misty outside and say there is a 6ft tree in front of the house. But, I can only see 2ft..from the base- the rest is obscured by the mist, right?
I might be able to see the outline of the rest of the tree it if I look really hard.and I would know for sure that, the tree is actually 6ft tall. it won't get bigger by me just staring at it. Even if I wanted the tree to be bigger...
But because of the mist, I could also choose NOT to look hard and make the tree as big as I want it to be in my minds' eye. Thanks to the mist. It's a metaphor for something and I don't know the word for it :P

no, I never read that book

get them on the Garden!

Nicky I had every intention of doing that. I had even told her about The Garden District and that I was going to do it. Unfortunately there was a negative post so I decided not to say anything else to her about it or have her see this thread.

I do want to share some more of her work though.