Mary, Queen of Scots Part Two

ACEO, 2.5 x 3.5 inches, watercolor and gouache, July 2007.

After her forced abdication and flight to England in 1568 Mary was arrested at Carlisle and held prisoner. Later that year an "inquiry" (to all intents and purposes a trial) into her involvement in the murder of Lord Darnley, her previous husband. There was little chance of Mary getting a fair hearing - The man in charge of the prosecution was the James Stewart, Earl Of Moray, who was ruling Scotland in the name of Mary's son. She was also unable to appear or speak in her own defence. In fact she believed no court could try her as she was a Queen. The inquiry was held at York and centred on some letters known as the Casket Letters allegedly sent to Bothwell (the man who had abducted and raped Mary who she had then married) by Mary. The authenticity of the letters has been a controversial subject and it is doubtful now if anyone will ever now if they were real or forged, but at the time they were considered to be proof of Mary's guilt. She spent the next eighteen years of her life confined to various hoses, a virtual prisoner. In 1570 she was implicated in the Ridolfi plot, which planned to marry her to the Duke of Norfolk, depose Elizabeth and become Queen. After the plot failed Mary was barred from the succession but though she was an obvious threat Elizabeth could not face executing her., as she was an anointed monarch, like herself. Mary became a stone around Elizabeth's neck. Mary was of course outraged and bitter at her continued confinement and Elizabeth's refusal to see her or help her regain her throne. She became the focus for English Catholics who wished to place her on the throne - Elizabeth had been excommunicated by the Pope and her assassination encouraged. Plots continued to revolve around her. Her involvement in the Babington plot provided the evidence and excuse to get rid of her. Babington was a young Catholic who planned to assassinate Elizabeth and with the help of other Catholic monarchs place Mary on the throne. Unknown to him he was also corresponding with double agents. Secret letters in code between Babington and Mark were intercepted and decoded before being sent on and Mary was found to be giving her assent to the plan. The plot uncovered, Babington suffered a cruel death by hanging, drawing and quartering. It was now impossible for Elizabeth to ignore the serious threat Mary posed - she had direct evidence. Mary was placed on trial at Fotheringay Castle in 1586, and was found guilty of treason. Elizabeth, who had for so long tried to avoid the situation was faced with signing her death warrant. Mary was executed at Fotheringay on Feb 8th 1587. The execution was poorly carried out - it took three blows of the axe to kill her, the first slipped and hit the back of her head. It is said that when her head was lifted to be displayed the executioner was left holding a wig, Mary's head still on the ground - no one had known she was grey haired. She was 44. She was embalmed but her body lay in a lead coffin in the castle for a year until it had to be removed and was then buried in Peterborough Cathedral. It was later exhumed and moved to Westminister Abbey after her son, James I became King.

Portrait Commission Part Two

8 x 10 inches, watercolour.

This is the second part of the portrait commission. I just got him finished. I think he came out OK. The picture of his sister had grown on me over the last couple of days. I'm sending jpeg's to the client on Monday so we will see what he has to say!

Robert Dudley, 1st Earl Of Leicester

ACEO, 2.5 x 3.5 inches, watercolor and gouache, July 2007

Robert Dudley was the favourite of Elizabeth 1st and is often thought to be the man that she loved most.His father had been the Duke of Northumberland and had been executed for his part in the attempt to place Lady Jane Grey on the throne. Robert and his brothers were also arrested, and were imprisoned in the tower at the same time as Elizabeth, but like Elizabeth he was later freed. When Elizabeth became Queen in 1558 he was made Master of the Horse. There is no doubt that Elizabeth had strong feelings for him and there were many rumours about their relationship. Dudley was married to Amy Robsart but when she was found dead at home at the bottom of a staircase many believed she had been murdered by Dudley to free himself to marry the Queen. It actually had the opposite effect, Elizabeth well aware how damaging to her reputation such a scandal could be. Dudley was sent away from court for some time though they remained lifelong friends. In 1563 she even offered him as a husband to Mary Queen of Scots. In 1573 Dudley is thought ot have secretly wed Lady Douglas Sheffield and though he had a son with her he later abandoned her for Lettice Knollys, the Queen's cousin who had become recently widowed. The two had previously had an affair and they secretly wed. When Elizabeth found out about the marriage months later both were banished from Court. While Dudley later returned to court and the Queens favour, Lettice was never welcomed back. They had a son but he died aged four. Dudley died in 1588, most likely of cancer. Elizabeth had received a letter from him just a few days previous to his death. She wrote "His Last Letter" on it and kept it in her treasure box until her death.

You can buy this painting here.

Portrait Commission

8 x 10 inches, watercolor.

This is one of two commissions I'm working on - this girl and her brother. I'm still not sure I am hapy with this painting - the likeness is there but I'm not sure it's there enough (though it has been the case many times that I am just fretting and the client is more than happy). I am doing her brother later in the week.

Elizabeth, The Virgin Queen

4 x 6 inches, watercolor and gouache, July 2007

Elizabeth was crowned Queen in January 1559, beginning a reign that was to last 44 years and be considered a "Golden Age". She was aided by Sir William Cecil, who was to become her chief advisor until the 1590's. She had a lot to prove - not just as a woman. Her sister Mary's reign had left the country in debt and religious instability. She was also considered by some to be illegitimate. Generally however she was popular and well thought of, considered intelligent and learned. She set about tackling religion. The Act of Uniformity was passed, outlawing Catholic communion and stating that the Protestant Book Of Common Prayer was to be used for all church services. Then the Act of Supremacy was passed, confirming Elizabeth as Supreme Governor of the Church of England and giving her the power to remove from office anyone who refused to recognise this. One long and hard battle that Elizabeth fought with her councillors was over the question of marriage and the succession. As a woman Elizabeth was expected to marry and provide an heir. However, though she entertained the idea on several occasions, using her availability as a bargaining tool, it is doubtful she ever seriously considered marriage to anyone. She was linked for many years to Robert Dudley, her favourite. Scandal was narrowly averted when Dudley's wife was found dead t the bottom of a staircase in 1560. Many believed she had been murdered by Dudley to free himself to marry the Queen. It is doubtful Elizabeth ever seriously considered marriage to Dudley and later offered him to Mary Queen of Scots as a husband. While there are many reasons put forward as to why Elizabeth refused to marry, such as deformity or fear caused by the memory of her mother's execution, the most likely is simply that she did not want to have to share her power with a husband. She also remembered the hostility aroused when Mary had married a foreigner. Also, as the only Protestant Monarch in Europe she could not seriously entertain marrying a Catholic. Elizabeth became seriously ill with smallpox in 1563 and came close to death. The situation highlighted the need for a successor to be named but again Elizabeth refused to do so for fear of encouraging plots and rebellions. In fact religion was the force behind the Northern Rebellion of 1569 and the Ridolfi Plot of 1571. While both failed, the former led to the Queens change of policy of from one of toleration to one of persecution and to harden her Protestant line. The Ridolfi Plot involved Philip II of Spain, her sister Mary's husband and was a result of having her cousin and rival Mary Queen of Scots on her soil, having recently been chased out of Scotland. Mary was another problem she would have more trouble with as her reign progressed. This painting is based on the Darnley portrait, painted when Elizabeth was in her early 40's.

This painting is for sale here.

Princess Elizabeth

ACEO, 2.5 x 3.5 inches, watercolor and gouache, July 2007

Elizabeth was the daughter of Henry VIII and his second wife Anne Boleyn. She was three when her mother was executed, after which her title and her place in the succession was taken away and she was known as Lady Elizabeth. She lived with various governesses throughout her childhood. One in particular, Kat Ashley, would remain her friend for life. Elizabeth was very bright and intelligent and by her teens could speak and write six languages. When she was 14 she went to live with Katherine Parr, her fathers last wife, who had married Thomas Seymour after Henry's death. Elizabeth's half brother Edward had succeeded to the throne and as he was still a child his uncle, Seymour's brother Somerset, had taken the role of Lord Protector. A few months later Elizabeth was sent away by Katherine, upset at her husbands flirtatious and inappropriate behaviour towards Elizabeth and the relationship that seemed to have developed between them. Katherine died later that year. Six months later, after a failed attempt to kidnap the young King, Seymour was arrested. It was believed for a while that Elizabeth was involved in the plot and had encouraged Seymour with ideas of marriage, but she was eventually found innocent. Seymour was executed. Edward died in 1553, and a more dangerous time began for Elizabeth. After the failure of the Grey plot to take the throne, Elizabeth's elder sister Mary was crowned Queen. Mary was a devout Catholic - Elizabeth was Protestant. While they appear to have had a good relationship, the question of religion was a difficult one. Mary agreed to marry Philip of Spain, another Catholic monarch. The unrest caused by this resulted in Wyatt's Rebellion. Although the rebellion failed it led to Jane Greys execution and also Elizabeth's arrest and imprisonment in the Tower, as she was believed to have been involved. However, although some called for her execution, Mary refused to go along with the idea and Elizabeth was released after two months. She was urged by Mary to convert to Catholicism. Mary began to persecute Protestants and became known as Bloody Mary. Elizabeth never converted but put on enough of a show of trying to to keep her safe. Mary died in 1558, leaving Elizabeth as the heir to the throne.

This painting is for sale here.

The Bird Of Paradise

6 x 7 inches, watercolour and gouache, July 2007.

This is my second enrty in the EBSQ sites "Ripped Off" show - the first , "Stripey Socks" is here. [link]The idea of the show is to choose a partner and do a piece using one of their paintings as the inspiration. This was based on a painting by Rachel Cruse called "The Nightingale" - you can see them both together here.[link]

Lady Jane Grey

ACEO, 2.5 x 3,5 inches, watercolor, gouache and gold ink, July 2007.

Lady Jane Grey is often known as "The Nine Days Queen" due to the short length of her reign. She was born in 1537 and was a great-granddaughter of Henry VII through her mother, Frances Brandon, who was Henry's sisters daughter. Frances was by all accounts something of a monster, aggressive and domineering, and she felt Jane to be too kind and gentle and tried to harden her with regular whippings. When she was nine Jane was sent to live with Katharine Parr, Henry VIII sixth wife. This was a happy period in her life. Jane was an extremely intelligent girl and had a good education and a fierce intellect. After Katherine's death her husband, Thomas Seymour, tried to arrange a marriage between Jane and the then King, Henrys son, Edward IV but without success. Edward, though King, was still very young and his Protector was Seymours brother. However, John Dudley, the Duke of Northumberland seized power and the Seymours were executed. Jane's mother Frances then began to negotiate a marriage to Dudley's son Guilford. It is difficult sometimes for us to understand that women, more often than not, did as their parents told them without question - hence Jane, though she did not want it for herself, agreed to the marriage.Edward IV was always a sickly child and in 1553 he died, aged 15. He had left a will naming Jane as his heir, but the legality of the document was questionable. Mary, Henry's first daughter by Katherine of Aragon was the rightful heir, but she was a staunch Catholic - Edward, as a Protestant, did not want her to become Queen. Northumberland, along with members of the Council and her family told Jane that she must accept the Crown. At first she refused, angering those assembled. Her parents reminded her of their duty to them but although Jane knew that what was happening was wrong, she felt utterly powerless to resist and realised she was nothing but a pawn. She asked God to tell her what to do, and, as she received no answer, accepted the Crown. She was proclaimed Queen on July 10th. Unfortunately, although Northumberland tried to capture Mary, she escaped and the people supported her - on July 10th she rode into London, triumphant, and she was declared the rightful Monarch. Jane and her husband Guilford were imprisoned in the Tower. Mary was, against the advice of her councillors, lenient on Jane. However, after Wyatts Rebellion, a protestant uprising against Mary involving Jane's father, the order was given for her execution. She accepted her fate gracefully and peacefully and was executed on February 12th 1554. She was 16.
Jane's father was executed a week later. Her mother, Frances married a man half her age three weeks later. She received a pardon and lived at Court with her two other daughters. She apparently acted as if Jane had never existed.
This painting is for sale here.

Mary, Queen Of Scots

ACEO, 2.5 x 3.5 inches, watercolor, gouache and gold ink, July 2007.

Mary Stuart had an eventful and tragic life. She was born in 1542,the daughter of James V of Scotland and Mary of Guise, his French wife. James died days later and as there were no other male relatives, Mary became Queen of Scotland. She was crowned nine months later. Henry VIII wanted to marry Mary to his son, Edward, but instead a treaty was drawn up with France and it was agreed Mary should marry the French Dauphin. She travelled to France, aged 5,and lived at the French Court for the next ten years, marrying Dauphin Francois in 1558. She was considered intelligent and a beauty. A year later she was crowned Queen Consort Of France. However, in 1560 Francois died. A few months later Mary returned to Scotland, a country she hardly knew. During her time in Scotland she was to make one bad decision after another. Her life at the sophisticated French Court had not prepared her for the often difficult and treacherous complexities of Scottish politics. Religion was also a problem, Mary being devoutly Catholic while many of her subjects had embraced Protestantism. The preacher John Knox in particular spoke long and loudly against Mary's Catholic ways and the evils of women rulers. Then there was her cousin Elizabeth, Queen of England. Mary wanted to be named as Elizabeth's successor (Mary was next in line and many Catholics saw her as the rightful heir to the throne and Elizabeth as a heretic). Various meetings were arranged but the two Queens never ever met. There was certainly an element of curiosity and jealousy between the cousins - the reports of Mary's beauty intrigued Elizabeth. Elizabeth told Mary she would name her a successor if she married a man of her choosing, and she put forward Robert Dudley. Mary was insulted and refused as Dudley had long been known as Elizabeth's favourite and was rumoured to be her lover. Instead she married Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley, who was her cousin and also had a claim to the English throne. Elizabeth was furious. Neither were the Protestant Lords of Scotland happy either - they rose against Mary and Darnley but they were defeated and fled. Mary soon became pregnant but the marriage was an unhappy one, Darnley being a spoilt and vain individual, rude and arrogant and greedy for power. In 1566 Darnely conspired with the very Lords who had risen against him and one evening broke into Mary's apartment and murdered her Spanish secretary David Rizzio, stabbing him to death in front of her. Mary was heavily pregnant at the time and not long after gave birth to a son, James, in 1566. Then, in early 1567, the house where Darnley had been staying exploded and Darnley was found strangled in the garden. Many believed Mary had been involved in the plot to murder him and her reputation sank even lower. Worse was to come. After visiting her child and returning to Edinburgh, the Earl of Bothwell, generally believed to be the prime instigator in the murder of Darnley, abducted Mary and raped her. A month later they returned to Edinburgh and she married him. The other Scottish Lords raised an army against Mary and Bothwell. She surrendered on condition the would let Bothwell go. They imprisoned her at Loch Leven castle. She miscarried twins. She was then forced to abdicate in favour of her son, the year old James. In 1568 Mary managed to escape Loch Leven dressed as a servant. She raised a small army but it was defeated and she fled over the border to England and her cousin Elizabeth's realm. Part Two to follow....

This item is for sale here.

Hanako - Finished Work

So this is the finished painting. It's watercolor and gouache, 4 x 6 inches ( postcard size). Once I thought it was finished I mailed a scan to the client for his approvel. He asked me to make a couple of small alterations, which were no problem, until we had an image he was totally happy with. Job done!

Hanako - Sketches

I got a commission this week. I had done a piece for this client previously, so it was gratifying that he came back . As he had done before, he supplied photos of his friend and a couple of suits of armour - the brief was to turn her into a bloodied, battling warrior in armour. The Japanese girl, Hanako, had been photographed fencing, which made things easier as far a the pose went. However, placing someone in a suit of armour poses certain problems, but not insurmountable ones. As usual on a job like this I did a couple of loose paintings in my sketchbook to work out the pose, composition and colours I wanted to use. These scans were then e-mailed to the client so he could choose which he preferred. It's often the case that it's the first sketch that is the one that gets chosen, but on this occasion the client found it hard to choose as he felt both worked well. In the end he went for the sketch with the arm raised above her head and the three -quarter length figure. I then went to work on the finished piece. As the client was leaving for a holiday at the end of the week there was quite a tight deadline but that just adds to the fun really!

Stripey Socks

5 x 7 inches, watercolor and gouache , July 2007.

This was painted as part of a show on another art site, EBSQ. The show is called "Ripped Off". The idea is to choose a partner, another member of the site, and then choose one of each other's works to "rip off" - in other words, do your own version of it. I'm partnered with two people and this is the first. The original painting is by Tyler Smith and it's called "Midge 2". Click here to see both images together.

Jane Seymour

ACEO, 2.5 x 3.5 inches, watercolor, gouache and gold ink, July2007.

Jane Seymour was Henry VIII third wife. She had been a lady-in-waiting to both Katherine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn. They were married eleven days after the execution of Anne Boleyn in 1536. Jane was considered plain, but virtuous. Certainly her marriage to Henry seemed to be a successful one - partly because she wisely chose not to interfere in matters of Church and State. She became pregnant in 1537 and in October that year gave birth to the son Henry had so long craved for. The labour was long and difficult though and Jane became ill. She died twelve days later. Throughout the rest of his life Henry regarded his marriage to Jane as the happiest . A mural of the Tudor painted while he was married to Katharine Parr shows Jane Seymour seated as his wife. He was buried with her when he died in 1547.

Katherine Parr

ACEO, 2.5 x 3.5 inches, watercolor, gouache and gold ink, July 2007.

Katharine Parr was the last of Henry VIII six wives. She had been married and widowed twice before and was 31 when she married Henry. She had already begun a relationship with Thomas Seymour (brother of Jane) but once the King proposed she was unable to refuse him. Henry was in his 50's by this time, hugely fat, bad tempered and suffering from gout, a leg ulcer and possibly syphillis. They were married in 1543. Katharine was an intelligent and religious woman, though her views and ideas were more radical than Henry's. They often argued about theology and her enemies tried to use this against her and have her arrested - however, she managed to convince the king that her arguments were only to take his mind off his illnesses. She was on good terms with all the King's children and helped fix relations between the King and his two female children Mary and Elizabeth. She was widowed again when Henry died in 1547. She married her previous suitor, Thomas Seymour soon after. She died a year later, age 35, after giving birth to a daughter.

Anne Boleyn

ACEO, 2.5 x 3.5 inches, watercolor, gouache and gold ink, July 2007.

Anne Boleyn was Henry VIII's second wife and arguably the most famous. Her exact date of birth is unknown, but after spending several years in the French Court as a lady- in-waiting she returned to England in 1521 making her court debut in 1522. She soon made a name for herself and was considered the most fashionable woman at court, though she was wily enough to keep her distance from men. Anne's elder sister Mary had been the King's mistress for a short time, and soon enough his attention's were caught by Anne. While not considered conventionally beautiful for the time (red/blonde and pale were considered attractive) she was intelligent and vivacious and accomplished at music and dancing. She was also ambitious and realised that if she succumbed to the king easily she would soon be tossed aside. Her refusal to be seduced only stoked Henry's fire. By 1528 he had proposed and she had accepted - the problem was Katherine of Aragon (see previous painting). This situation brought about the break with Rome, the formation of the Church of England and the Dissolution of the Monasteries when the wealth of the Church was appropriated by Henry.It also allowed him to divorce Katherine and marry Anne in 1533. She gave birth to a daughter, later to become Elizabeth Ist, later that year. However the relationship with henry was already showing signs of strain. She became angry and upset when Henry took mistreses. She was interested in political and religious reform, and was opinionated - she would often argue with the King. In 1536 she had a miscarriage and lost a son. Anne's downfall has caused much discussion and controvery. It is generally agreed that the charges of adultery, incest , treason and witchcraft that she was charged with and found guilty of were false and she was innocent, as were the four accused men who were executed, one of them her brother. It is likely that Anne's political enemies, along with her failure to produce a son, were the driving forces behind it. Certainly her reputation was tainted for many years, and the rumours of her having six fingers and of her bewitching character lasted centuries. By the time of Anne's arrest Henry had already began his relationship with his next wife, Jane Seymour. Anne was found guilty and was sentenced to burn, but Henry commuted the sentence to beheading. Rather than by axe, Anne was beheaded by a sword in 1536, a French swordsman brought to England for that purpose. A coffin was not provided and she was buried in an arrow chest, her grave unmarked.

Etsy Shop

Etsy: Your place to buy & sell all things handmade MarkSatchwillArt.etsy.com

Claire

Watercolor and gouache, 5 x 7 inches, June 2007.

I painted this portrait of my friend Claire as a present for her 40th Birthday this weekend. She had a party Saturday night - it was good fun, I saw a couple of people I haven't seen for a while and spent a big chunk of the evening talking to Claire's mum about art and life and diet. I don't really get out enough these days so it made a nice change. Oh, and she liked the painting too.