In our last Kick-About, we played with the bright, decorative possibilities of the bauble. This week, things take a livelier turn with Saturnalia—a prompt drawn from an ancient midwinter festival known for its loosened rules, reversals, and moments of mischief. As always, the works that follow were made in a short time—and for all previous editions of The Kick-About, go here.
Graeme Daly
“Celebrating the debauchery and gluttony of Saturnalia, I nabbed some primordial illustrations and paintings from the public domain for a series of collages. They feature people in poses with their parts on full display, fruit and flowers strewn around Roman architecture, and plenty of vices to capture the provocative nature of the festival. I love a bit of collage and really enjoyed this one.”
@graemedalyart / vimeo.com/graemedaly / linkedin.com/in/graeme-daly / twitter.com/Graeme_Daly / gentlegiant.ie
James Randall
“You have to love a pagan party – particularly the spit piggy cooking away. Then I thought, what would happen if the gods paid a visit to Brisbane for a late-night fling? They would probably end up down along the river waterfront, where there are a lot of bars and restaurants. Then after the party, where would a drunken god end up? Possibly down at a big riverside construction site – somewhere to pass out! Sorry, I don’t know where this stuff comes from!”
Gary Thorne
“This seductive painting, alongside other Saturnalia-themed works, leaves one feeling that excess is sometimes a liberating thing. I hear the devil saying “any old time”, whereas the moral compass says “only in moderation”. So I’m going with the devil… cheers, fellow KA’ers, here’s to that rather wasted feeling.“
Vanessa Clegg
“It’s a take on the Christian Nativity, but cut through with Saturn and Saturnalia, where everything is turned around dress-wise. Actually, panto would’ve been a fun direction to take it — but too late (oh no it isn’t!).”
vanessaclegg.co.uk / vanillaclegg
Kerfe Roig
“Despite the partying, I’ve always thought of Saturnalia as having a dark, haunted, theatrical atmosphere. The giving of statues as gifts on the last day of the festivities appealed to me as a subject ripe for collage. I’ve also given a nod to the fact that this act of gifting supposedly led to its counterpart currently practised during Christmas and other solstice-inspired celebrations. I’m not sure where the staircases came from, but they make a good stage for dancing.“
kblog.blog / methodtwomadness.wordpress.com
Charly Skilling
“So, Saturnalia: roles are reversed, workers get to throw off the restrictions and monotony of everyday life, and there’s a joyous celebration of each person’s individuality. I did not have enough of me this week to create the magnificence of a national festival – this is definitely more small-town “Saturn-night” than empire-wide Saturnalia – but I have tried to capture a flavour of the mood in this piece. Hoping you all have a super Saturnalia, wherever you may be!”
Tom Beg
“These started out as a basic attempt to replicate the circular mosaic patterns used by the Romans but then eventually ended up as these colourful celestial-like things which I imagine could adorn the ceiling or floor of some great temple.”
Phil Gomm
“As regulars of the Kick-About will know, I like a ghost story at Christmas and this festive-ish edition is no exception. I was very drawn to the Saturnalian idea of misrule and breaking with social convention, and to the idea of Christmas being wrapped like pretty paper around less civilised things.”
You can read the complete short story here
philgomm.com / behance.net/Phil_Gomm
Our next prompt is chosen for its New Year associations with good luck, abundance, and fresh starts.
Red's Kingdom 
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