Nothing is lost

When I use a word, says Humpty Dumpty in Wonderland, it means just what I choose it to mean.

When I hear Humpty Dumpty's word it means whatever I understand it to mean.  It isn't necessarily the same thing.

When I look at a painting it means what I want it to mean.  Regardless of what the painter intended.  Anyway a painting that only had one interpretation would be a pretty lame painting.

My Dog Sighs & Midge, Angels ever Bright and Fair

A couple of years ago I bought a print of a picture by My Dog Sighs and Midge.  It showed two figures, kind of like mother and child.  It was painted on a page of sheet music, a piece of music called Angels, ever Bright and Fair, by Handel, c1750.

Angels are not really part of my belief system, my world view is basically This Earth The Only Heaven.  I don't feel the need for cherubim and seraphim. I bought the picture for the picture, not for any deeper reason.  But something special happened.

Earlier that year my daughter had given birth to a very premature baby. Twenty weeks. Baby Aubrey was not ready for the world.  It was the worst day of all of our lives.  After a little while when I looked at Angels, ever Bright and Fair I saw my daughter holding Aubrey.  Keeping her safe for ever more.  My love for the picture deepened.

And then my daughter told us she was expecting again. And once again she gave birth prematurely.  This time at 25 weeks, a month before Christmas. This time was different.  Thanks to the NHS, and Little Miss Fury's own fighting spirit, she made it. It wasn't an easy ride but she did it.  Then, whenever I looked at Angels, ever Bright and Fair, I started to see a different picture.  I saw Aubrey looking out for Little Miss Fury, keeping her safe.

It's nearly a year later.  Little Miss Fury is stronger and stronger, Now when I look at Angels, ever Bright and Fair the roles have changed.  Now Little Miss Fury is looking after her older sister, who will remain forever young.

Midge currently has an exhibition in Southsea.  My Dog Sighs spans the world.

Vinyl countdown

Exhibition at Play Dead, Southsea, July 2016

Eins, What is love?

When all else fails, play dead

 Tim Childs, This Kiss

Never speak words you don't mean

 Dice 67

 You have to be careful creating your own reality; you can get lost in it, so lost that it is hard to get back in the real word

 Korp, Worms

I said I was sorry

Midge, To sleep, to dream 

Peace will come and with it sleep

 Miss Wah

The past is not ever dead, it's not even past

 M-One, Hell is round the corner

Evil doesn't need a reason to exist

My Dog Sighs, Soul Girl 

Do right woman, do right man

 Nova, Sharron

What doesn't kill you makes you bitter

Angela Chick, Radical in paradise

Play dead. Rest in peace

art on vinyl from Play Dead and Pie & Vinyl present 33rpm, July 2016

quotes mainly from Play Dead by Anne Frasier

Alice - where art thou?

 Alice, Midge & My Dog Sighs

One of the stand out pieces at My Dog Sighs and Midge's exhibition in Portsmouth recently was Alice (pictured above).  Alice was painted onto a page of found sheet music, titled Alice (romance) by J Ascher.  Alice must have been a favourite for Midge and My Dog as they chose variations on the theme for the advertising posters and flyers.  Here she is without musical notation in the Kings Window:

Together in Solitude, Midge and My Dog Sighs

So, what did Alice (Romance) by J. Ascher sound like?  Well, let's find out:

Not easy to pick out the lyrics at first listen.  However, the wonders of modern science can help with that.  So here's another instructional video:

"Alice, where art thou?", written by Joseph Ascher in 1861, was one of the most popular songs of its time. This typically sentimental ballad of a melancholy man lamenting the departure of a girl taken too soon is one of the quintessential standards of the popular music of the late 19th century. It was, like so many others, overplayed, and it eventually sank into oblivion.  

Mike Moss

Not totally into oblivion as Mahler allegedly borrowed it for his Rheinlegenchen.  As a piano piece it was much loved but challenging - another reason it may have sunk into oblivion.  Here are two manufactured versions of the song, the first a modern one generated by computer, the other an Ampico Piano Roll.  Both are worth watching and listening to. Enlightening.

Moving on, here's a cornet version which you might recognise

And here is why you might recognise it  - if you're a Brit and watched tv in the '80s.

Together in Solitude, Midge and My Dog Sighs

footnote: Anouk: Together Alone and Urban Solitude.  Just sayin'.  The eyes have it.

Midge and My Dog Sighs - Together in Solitude exhibition

Lucky dip, reasons to be cheerful, artwork by Midge and My Dog Sighs

This evening Together in Solitude, an exhibition of collaborative art by Southsea artists Midge and My Dog Sighs, opened at the Coastguard gallery, Clarendon Road, Portsmouth.  Each piece is painted in acrylics on old, weathered sheet music paper and features a figure in Midge's distinctive style with a face by My Dog Sighs.  

Alice, Midge & My Dog Sighs, 2014

In the run up to this exhibition most of this week's Corn Poppy posts have featured My Dog Sighs. However Together in Solitude is not a My Dog Sighs exhibition; it is very much a joint venture.  These pieces depend on both My Dog and Midge equally.   Most visual artists work alone (unlike musicians who like to play with each other).  To collaborate there needs to be a high level of trust - you really don't want someone mucking up your masterpiece.  But here we have two artists complementing each other's work, creating synergy, something that is more than the sum of its parts.  

Love's Young Dream, Midge & My Dog Sighs, 2014

 A Soldier and a Man, Midge & My Dog Sighs, 2014

Birds' Awakening, Midge & My Dog Sighs, 2014

The third element, after Midge and My Dog, is the paper.  It is both  a backdrop to each painting but also the inspiration for each painting.  On another medium the paintings would be missing something.  Like this they are complete.

 Remembrance, Midge & My Dog Sighs, 2014

 Akice, Midge & My Dog Sighs, 2014

Cradle Song, Midge & My Dog Sighs, 2014

Spot the artist.  Some of the best street artists around were present including a big showing from SSOVA who are going to be remembering Ben Naz this weekend (more on that later).

With such a selection on view how could you choose one, just one?  Well, sometimes something just stops you in your tracks.  It's like falling in love.  Hard to explain but you know it when it hits you.

Angels, ever Bright and Fair,  Midge & My Dog Sighs, 2014

It's this one.

The Exhibition is at Coastguard Studio, Clarendon Road http://bit.ly/11eaSPZ PO4 0BY until November 19th, open Saturday to Tuesday 10:00 until 6:00 and Wednesday 10:00 until 2:00.

And finally, thanks to The Agent . . .

 Free Art Friday, My Dog Sighs, 2014

Together in Solitude - Midge & My Dog Sighs (1)

Paste up by Midge & My Dog Sighs, Southsea, November 2014

This week sees a joint exhibition featuring two Southsea artists, My Dog Sighs and Midge.  Here's the hard sell:

After testing the water with a campaign of street art collaborations My Dog Sighs and Midge have decided to join forces in their home town of Portsmouth for a collaborative solo exhibition.   

Detail from The Heart Bowed Down by Midge & My Dog Sighs, 2014

Midge's quiet and emotive characters blended with the melancholic faces of MyDogSighs are a perfect match. Painted on locally sourced antique Music sheet, hidden narratives run through both the music titles and the intricately painted scenes that echo a softness, and sometimes sadness, causing thoughts of longing, love and loss.

Ever of thee I'm fondly dreaming, My Dog Sighs & Midge, 2014

The venue is the Coastguard, a Southsea pub recently converted into a gallery space. The show will be the inaugural exhibition in this exciting new creative venue.   

The Heart Bowed Down, My Dog Sighs & Midge, 2014

Proud of the city and the support it has given them both, Midge and Mydog have aimed to make this exhibition as Portsmouth-centric as possible. Materials, printing, framing and kind sponsorship from local breweries and businesses have meant that entire show has been planned and produced, sourced and inspired within Portsea island.

Together in Solitude, My Dog Sighs and Midge

Together in Solitude, Celestial Season

There'll be more My Dog Sighs over the next few posts

 My Dog Sighs, Portsmouth