February | 2021 | Christopher Stott

From February 2021

The Art of Real Happiness

“No age has a monopoly on misery,” and with that quote, the book featured in this painting starts the guidance on how to live an abundant life.

Published in 1950, The Art of Real Happiness is a reconciliation of old-age religious beliefs and modern psychology. I always try to have a book on the go, and I have been reading history books lately, and if there is one theme that is consistent through millennia, it is the collision of “old” and “new” ways of thinking.

It seems as though we are entering a new era where our conflicting ways of thinking, our myriad of philosophies and beliefs are colliding. And as a quiet observer of the world around me, I find myself straddling feelings of excitement and worry.

16 x 16 inches / oil on canvas

What Must I Do To Get Well? And How Can I Keep So?

What Must I Do To Get Well? And How Can I Keep So? is the title of the book featured in this new painting. A question that continues to plague us, and in the 1890s, Elma Stuart published this book in the hopes to help some find the answers.

A little rant: everything happens in cycles, nothing is new, we are having the same experiences our ancestors did, the only thing different is the phone in your hand (and some other nifty tools like indoor plumbing and refrigeration).

As I flip through the book, I’m amused at how the ideas and philosophies in it can be found in advertisements and influencers that now dominate social media. We have added some more wisdom and inventions along the way, but the gist of it all remains the same as it was 130 years ago.

What Must I Do to Get Well and How Can I Keep So? / 16 x 16 inches / oil on canvas / framed

What Must I Do to Get Well? And How Can I Keep So? / 16 x 16 inches / oi on canvas

On the Cover

I was pleased to see my paintings featured on the covers of some literary publications in the United Kindom recently.

Aesthetica Creative Writing Award 2021 & The North January 2021

My painting Nine Clocks was one of three paintings I had in the Aesthetica Art Prize 2020 last year. You can read about that exhibition here. Aesthetica also has a writing award and their tradition is to use one of the visual images from the art prize to feature on the cover of the anthology for the writing award.

Aesthetica Creative Writing Award 2021 / Nine Clocks by Christopher Stott on the cover

The Poetry Business from the United Kingdom publishes The North Magazine twice a year, so it was nice to have them reach out to me to ask if they could feature one of my paintings on the cover. It’s validating when poets and writers are able to connect my work with their craft. They chose The Relationship Between Blue & Green from 2015.