The above picture is a working drawing for a painting by Sharon Davson and it is a catalyst to some amazing things.
Sharon started the full-sized oil painting back in 1985, but stopped about half-way through. Inspired by this drawing, I wrote the Science Rhyme Mother of Invention which is displayed on the Environmental Poetry page, here on the Science Rhymes website.
In 2013 Mother of Invention was published in the Canadian school textbook NELSON ENGLISH 10 (see image below).
Fast forward to 2021 and that planned oil painting is still very – unfinished! Along with another unfinished artwork by Davson. The record sale of these two unfinished paintings is setting a new precedence within the art world.
As author, I will be honoured to recite Mother of Invention at an event being held at Parliament House Brisbane on Tuesday 18th May at 10.30am to celebrate this event. Does this mean the painting will never be finished?
Davson’s image for Origins of the Future was inspired by William Blake’s God-like painting The Ancient Of Days. I imagined a Stone Age man, forging his partnership with science and technology through insatiable curiosity. Neoteny in humans refers to our juvenile traits that endure into adulthood. They include things such as our unstoppable curiosity, desire to play and experiment, plus our incredible adaptability.
Writing the poem Mother of Invention, inspired by Davson’s Origins of the Future, was how my Science Rhymes journey began.