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Cranston Fine Arts  Military Art and Artists More Military Artists T - Z  Wood, Brian |
| More Pages : Original Paintings |
| Brian Wood |
He was born in London 19th August 1948, grew up in Tolworth, Surrey, eventually emigrating to Australia with his family. He left school aged 16 and served an apprenticeship in the printing industry as a machine minder. In that vocation he was a lost cause. He was aware of an ability to draw from an early age but only became interested in painting whilst recovering from a broken leg at the age of 20, never regarding it as any more than a hobby. On completion of his apprenticeship he joined the Australian Army, serving in Vietnam as an infantryman come photographer, working in less than ideal conditions. His duties called for him to photographically record his battalions tour for intelligence purposes as well as posterity. He was also prevailed upon to sketch for newsletters etc. After his discharge in 1972, he decided to travel on a working holiday which included working on an oil rig in the North Sea before travelling extensively in Europe, South America and Africa. He settled in South Africa for a period of time working in various jobs and experimenting more seriously with art. He returned to Australia where he accepted a position with the Port of Melbourne Authoritys Emergency Service, performing a number of duties but chiefly concerned with construction and salvage diving. During this period his recreation was his painting and he is completely self taught. Entries into specific exhibitions led to modest recognition by acceptance into the Australian Guild of Realist Artists and the securing of several private commissions. His interest in historical subjects, mainly maritime, has been with him since childhood.
Due to developments beyond his control, his employment with the Port Authority ceased in mid 1991 and he embarked on painting full time. This resulted in his winning a First Prize Award in Sydneys Royal Easter Show for 1993 with Culloden - The Aftermath, which is now hanging in Aros - Isle of Skye Heritage Centre in Scotland. He now lives on the shores of Moreton Bay, Queensland and outside of his occupation of painting, sailing is his main recreation - a natural extension of his interesr in the sea.
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| Text for the above items : |
The Vikings by Brian Wood. This, my personal interpretation of the viking period attempts to highlight aspects of their rich and diverse culture. A superstitious and pagan society, their influence was felt far beyond their native Scandinavia. 1 . The upper background deals with their pagan worship and tales from their mythology. This is represented by Odin & Thor, their principal Gods along with the saga of Sigurd the Dragonslayer. 2. The dominant figure at the centre is Aegir, God of the Sea whose goodwill was all important to the seafaring Viking. The scene now comes into the real world of their ships and seamanship, expertise for which they had no peer. 3. The extension of their seafaring was to raid, trade and pillage foreign shores, resulting in colonisation and settlement, with scant respect for Christianity or the Church. They ventured still further, exploring the unknown world, this is suggested in the two lower corners. 4. In England, the only King to successfully rise up against these Norsemen was Alfred the Great, a Saxon, represented in the lower centre drawing his sword from a swamp. This symbolises the raising of his army from the marshes of Wessex. Their legacy remains with us today, in language and art. |
The End of the Jacobite Dream by Brian Wood. Charles Edward Stuart on Board a French Warship bound for France, takes his last look at Scotland disappearing from view and reflects over the events of the previous year and what might have been. |
Culloden the Aftermath by Brian Wood. This is my personal interpretation of the events immediately following the Battle of Culloden. There is no intention to depict either the shores of LochNam-Uarnh, the Highlands, glens or castles with geographic accuracy. Instead I have tried to portray the scenes following the first 3 days of the battle, the escape of Bonnie Prince Charlie, the destruction and brutality wreaked upon the Highlands and the real sufferers, women and the innocent. 1 . The battlefield scene represents the time from plundering and butchering the wounded to when the ordinary people were allowed on to collect their dead. In the main central figure I have tried to impart a feeling of stoic dignity in the face of an uncertain future 2. The top section represents the form of Prince Charles. Despite the flames and carnage of Culloden, he is firmly supported in the hand of his Jacobite faithful to his safe exile aboard a French warship. Being mindfull that Clan tartans were not in common usage as uniforms of war at the time, only one tartan has been represented as such, that of the Royal Stewart, and that only to signify Charles claim to the thrones of England and Scotland. With his leaving, the sett fades as does he and his ambition. The burning, smouldering tartans signify the proscription of tartans, kilts, plaids etc by Westminster to discourage further rebellion. 3. With the Clans and their regiments broken, neither the natural barrier of the Highlands nor the great chiefs castles would prevent the poison of Culloden seeping into every glen or the fury of Cumberlands dragoons plundering at will. This is represented in the lower section. Armed with sword, manacles and the noose, these, Cumberlands most pitiless embarked on an orgy of murder, rape and pillage. The abyss of prison or exile awaited those suspected of Jacobite sympathies, the gallows for more serious resistance. Battles are fought and won, or lost, as all battles are, but Cullodens aftermath changed Scottish Highland society forever, ushering in a long period of suffering. This painting is my humble attempt to interpret that tragic period. |
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