First of all, Happy New Year to all members of the BFFS/IFFS !!!
I am in the process of painting a five pièces sanyete of a cretian bull ceremony of 2500 BC.
This painting of yesterday and today is still ongoing, from a set if Wolfgang Hafer.
(https://i62.servimg.com/u/f62/19/31/59/25/dsc08811.jpg)
As far as comments given by Brian, mine's are the followings:
- A great thank to Mark for supporting this site 24 hours a day across all days of the year !! I needed his support many times for loading shows during the past 18 months, most this year covering a period of ten (10) years, and over 5,000 pictures, and his help was fantastic.
- Same thank to Brian, for his enthusiam, his way of promoting new flats, requesting our inputs in the forum, his help to the 2017 Projects and his motivation on painting flats.
- Eric has continuousely sent his wonderful paintings, in the back of Douchkine, but making me a very little man in painting techniques, but also but also guilty for not painting across the year as i did the other years. My bypass operation contributed a lot, delaying some projects expected to end in Kulmbach 2017, but they are only postponed....
- We had several painters bringing their work to our knowledge, admiring their talents, Brian mentionend several, Mike is one who gave me a lot of desires also, and like many others.
- I commit to bring to conclusion the Projects of the Dervish bust, the Scotts pikemen, and the Agincourt Battle next year, as I went back to my brushes very recently....
- I am hoping that the loading of pictures from many more shows in Europe and the USA will attract more members and passions in the art of flat painting. For non English people, the registration process is a real barrier and difficutly, stopping several for not going further... Something to work on next year.
- I could see that the number of posts, members is slowly declining over thee past 4 years; our committee should work on reviving the members involvement and attract new candidates, the world is large enough, from Asia, South America, Eric and I can try with French people who have an historical language difficulty in speaking something else than French .... Our local Club AMC in Belgium saw the number of flat painters growing since 4 years from one to ... seven (over 35 members).
- The decision to create a separate category in many European Shows from the rondes bosses also contributed to boost flats, mixed and misconsidered when put together. I hope our overseas friends will convince North American shows to do the same too (here, flats weight around 5 to 8% of the total), attracting so new painters and talents.
- I believe also that this Forum, Team of experts should also formalize guidelines on judging flats during competition shows to help non-flat judges to consider the specificities of flats, as they are often mixed and judging both with their unique ronde-bosse experience ... We have also enough experts as Master painters to influence these competitions and North American people are world champions in lobbying organisations to bring their own ideas and interests to an end ... I trust they can do, if they have the will to do it!!
- Let have as objective for 2018 to change the trend of posts and members compared to 2017, and work all on it all together as an International team ...
Happy New Year to all and long life to flat painting!
Michel/Hannibal