Bert Ernie loves purple. He especially loves lilac. So when he wanted to create an abstract painting about delightful sugary treats he knew he had to choose the right colors for his palette. In Bert’s minds eye he pictured a shop for lollies that had lilac walls.
Abstract painting can be about anything the artist wants. In this case it was to be totally about joy. The joy of eating lollies. The joy of color.
Dimensions: 60x90cm
Painted: 2018
Materials: Acrylic on MDF board
Private collection
The story behind Explosion in a lolly shop
One day I was out riding my bicycle when I passed the local lolly shop and maker of all things sweet. There were numerous police cars and fire trucks at the front of the building. Further investigation was needed – surely this wasn’t just an overindulgent lunch break by the local emergency services members? I went into the building to have a look.
Somebody had planted a mild and somewhat gentle bomb in the shop. The resultant explosion had blown all of the lollies, chocolates, and confectionery up into the air and scattered them over the shop. The sheer quantity of colored sweet delights that were thrown into a chaotic, random display of visual beauty meant I just had to capture the scene. So I whipped out an easel, a bit of board, some brushes and paints. For the next hour and a half, I painted furiously. Oh, and I occasionally stopped to sample one of the sugary treats. Or two or three. Actually, I ate a lot of confectionaries.
The transformation of the scene (or maybe it was just a pleasant dream) into a painting provides a sense of my joyful and crazy self; as well as my mastery of abstract expressionism. This painting, viewed at a distance appears somewhat homogenous. Then as the viewer gets closer, its composition changes and more of the subtle and intricate detail becomes visible.
Bert Ernie
Detail views of abstract painting Explosion in a lolly shop
