Drawing in the Grampians - II

So what did I produce on my week away?

I had a couple of goals in mind. One was just to do some serious big drawings, with an attempt to get them to some sort of completion. I managed two.

For me, drawing is about seeing and recording. If you spend alot of time, carefully observing something, you manage to see so many details. You can feel yourself change as you get deeper into the picture. It's almost like a light switching on. Whilst I would love to make great drawings, that's not the main aim of my ongoing 'need' to draw.

The next aim was to have another try at painting. I find I need to separate the two aspects of drawing: the line or structure, and, the colour. So I figure, with painting, that I can record colour. I've been reading a book on Fred Williams, whose landscapes are disceptively simple with big blocks of colour and 'blobs' of colour for the smaller features.

I tried several times, and while they weren't successful, they were a step in the right direction. I decided to use gouache, rather than watercolour or oils. It allows you to paint thinly or thickly and dries quickly. My colour matching wasn't great, but that's the subject of the next blog!

I attempted to put down just blocks of colour, then I painted over them a stiff brush to make ragged dot marks and a sponge to also try and get texture into the picture.

I then took the first picture back to the cabin and tried again. Working from a picture in 'the studio' isn't a skill I've achieved yet, so a worthy first attempt.

Oh, and I did finally, on the trip home, draw an olive tree.

And, don't they photograph well.....

Heidelberg Theatre Company Arts Space - find me there!

The Heidelberg Theatre Company, as well as putting on a full program of plays also has an Arts Space. I have been asked to put my artwork in this space in time for their next play: 'The Judas Kiss'.

I was a little hesitatant, however, after installing yesterday, I'm quite happy with the result. It does reflect where I am at the moment with paintings, prints and a woven wall hanging.

Thanks Leanne for the invite.

The play starts on the 8th July and finishes on the 24th July. The theatre is at Turnham Avenue, Rosanna.

Review week

My blogging life has slowed to a trickle, changes in routines and competition for computer time (I compete with THREE males for access) have been responsible for this situation. With Review week over and a two and a half week break before I start my next semester studies, I'm hoping to re-organise (read tidy-up/clean-up) to enable more regular blogging.

As I mentioned, this week is Review week. We each bring in our folio of work and talk to a group of four teachers, two of mine and two of the other wonderful teachers, and they 'review' the work and talk over with you, the first six months. There is no 'mark' as such, but you do need to have done work.

My main problem was the amount of work I hadn't finished. I seem to be working, but not finishing. I was concerned, however, none of the teachers were. They liked what I was doing and saw the amount of work I had put into what had been done so far. It was a lovely session and very affirming. I've been feeling good for a little while now about what I'm doing, yes successful markets and positive teachers does wonders for the self esteem.

So I thought I'd show you some of my work.

I have three subjects where folio work is important: drawing, sculpture and painting, each has a wonderful teacher and in the case of painting, two teachers. They are all amazing artists in their own right and we all feel very privileged.

Drawing has provided real solid progress. I hadn't expected this, as I've done drawing over the years and approached it from the practice point of view, I hadn't really expected to learn so much so early. I've included the last picture for the semester and it represents alot. It's in colour, something I've always had difficulty working with. I was happy with the result at the end of the class, and I was shown and understood how I could have improved it further. Such alot!

Sculpture was really what I started this course for. I wanted to understand the process and learn techniques that would be useful. We had to do, in the end four sculptures: a cardboard mockup, which we would translate into a wooden structure, a found object sculpture and we also carved into polystyrene.

None of these were finished. However, I am very pleased at their progress and they will be completed both over the next two weeks and early in next semester. Saving time at home to do work is going to be important for this subject.

My found objects, eventually, all came out of the workshop, those odd knitting needles, empty cotton spools, that for some reason I'd kept?, and all those swatches that I've done over the years provided a wealth of colour. See, all you doubting Thomas' swatching is useful!

I'm calling the piece 'Landscape'.

My polystyrene wall piece is from the drawing I did as a result of my visit to the Yayoi Kasuma exhibition in Sydney. This has been such fun carving into polystyrene and the piece I felt that I knew where I was going. Further sanding and painting is required.

Photographing the work has also provided a really good idea about the finish. I want to paint it show varying tones of grey to highlight the height changes. With the sun on the work, it really shows the possibilities. It has no name, yet. (Suggestions welcome)

The last work is my painting. I have struggled with painting. This is the first time I've used oils and my first canvas. To say I was happy is almost an understatement. I called it 'Thursday Afternoon' (thanks to Aileen and Dina - I'm not really good at names) as it is the view out of the 6th floor window. It was my 'landscape' for the first year exhibition and drew lovely comments from many.

These pieces represent a major leap for me, To be able to show them and to think they represent the first six months of four years means alot.

All the inspiration I can give is for everyone to follow their dream whatever the challenges and barriers, it can be an amazing journey.

Pencils

Thursdays are my full day of my course. In the morning I have 'Artists and Exhibitions'. This involves visiting and talking about all sorts of exhibitions which will culminate in an 800 word essay in a few weeks.

This week we visited the John Brack exhibition at the NGV Ian Potter Centre. It was amazing. I think most of us are familiar with his Collins st painting but over the 50 years of his painting life he created a portrait of his world in all sort of styles and on all sorts of subjects. The exhibition is big and having spent all morning there, I was convinced that I needed at least one more visit.

The exhibition is on till August some time and it's well worth a visit to see this iconic Australian artist.

My own personal response focused on the objects he used to represent the human condition, in particular the pencils and pens. I just love the way these inanimate objects become alive and the way he distorted surfaces and space to give you a particular view of things. This he did with alot of his paintings.

He also included beautiful rugs in many of his portraits, in particular the nudes. Apparently to show a connection to the past and to add colour and texture, I couldn't help trying to make more of them. Just showing my biases.

With the exhibition running through my head, this is what I came up with.

The other half of Thursdays is devoted to painting. I'm currently working on my first oil on canvas and large painting. It's a cityscape and for the moment I'll keep it to myself. More news later as it develops.

School holidays

For the school holidays this year we decided to take a family trip to Sydney. The boys were keen to go, though, when pressed, had no idea why? It's a big city? We drove up, stopping overnight at Bowral - home of the Bradman Museum. Yes, we did visit this amazing museum, obviously well funded and extensive in its' coverage of both Don Bradman and cricket.

For the textile lovers amongst you, there was even an exhibition of the baggy green cap and it's construction. For the non-cricketers, it is the cap that is presented to players when they make the Australian cricket side. Iconic.

Bowral is in the Southern Highlands, about an hour out of Sydney and is very picturesque. This is the scene from our rooms that greeted us in the morning.

More about the trip later....

I did, however, want to tell you about the wonderful exhibitions I managed to catch in Sydney.

The first, at the Gallery of NSW was the exhibitions associated with the Archibald Prize (portraiture), the Wynne Prize (landscape) and the Sulman prize (everything else!)

My oldest came along and it was great to have someone to discuss the various works with and what 'should' have won, etc. etc. Yes, he is still happy to be seen in public with his mother. He also came in handy as at approximately 6'4" (sorry not metric for height) we used him as our meeting point, as he's easy to spot above the crowds.

The Art Gallery of NSW is always worth a visit, if only for their very excellent Australian painting collection. All the ones you know! See what's on there at: www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au

The other exhibition I wanted to catch was 'I walk the line: new Australian drawing" at the Museum of Contemporary Art on Circular key. My drawing teacher has work in this exhibition (loved it - portraiture on books on the shelf). This was a broad survey of drawing ranging from stunning strong portraiture, through a traditional drawing executed directly onto the two storey wall of the gallery, to, video works....all drawing!

On a whim, I caught an exhibition by a japanese artist named Yayoi Kusama. I am always drawn to Japanese art and culture, so much so that I wish I could work out a way to travel and study something(???) there. The exhibition was called 'Mirrored Years' and it was absolutely astounding. It too was a survey exhibition covering a broad range of her work.

I can only recommend that you have a look at her work on her website: www.yayoi-kusama.jp There are pictures from the exhibition in Sydney there. Wikipedia also have an entry for her: www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yayoi_Kusama

The exhbition is on till the 8th June, so if you're in Sydney have a look. For more on the gallery have a look at www.mca.com.au

The power of all these exhbitions for me was their breadth. Landscape, drawing, an art life, can be as broad, as diverse as you make it. Landscape can be 'Red reef', a crocheted reef (Yes, I know it's be done before, interesting though that it turned up here and it was well done.) A drawing can be a three dimensional work, intricately executed. And an artistic life can explore different ideas over a long time. (Yayoi Kusama was born in 1929 and is still producing amazing new work)

There was much to think over and absorb.

1001 paintings

Some time ago I was given '1001 paintings you must see before you die'.

It has sat on my shelf and I view it with some puzzlement, as I always have difficulty with the concept of HAVE to, it always begs the question...well, what if I don't?

However, great paintings can make you see the world differently, how to express feelings, colour, form, all sorts of ideas, invoke memories and just please the eye. So I decided to systematically 'look' at the pictures, even though they're not the real thing. I have seen some in my travels and I'm sure I'll see some more of them in the future. Right now, the book will serve as the beginning of a different sort of journey.

The book is organised by the different centuries, which is good for comparison and seeing the change in art over time, but I think I might just open up randomly and look at just one. A sort of I Ching of painting. So here is the first:

'Entrance to the grand canal, Venice' by Bernardo Belloto. c1741

This shows in incredible detail the magnificance of Venice from the extraordinary grandeur and, if you look closely, also the intimate details of daily life. This is a important, busy, beautiful place.

This was an interesting first choice and it brings back memories of my first trip overseas (some 25 years ago) where I made my one and only visit to Venice.

I did love staying there and wandering the streets and canals, riding the water ferries and getting lost! The colours in the painting are muted and soft with touches of light. I have a different memory, however, looking back at my photos reveals that little has changed.


The colours are surprisingly similar, as is the city. Alot of what I loved about Venice was also the small and intimate, the houses, tiny waterways and walkways.

Lovely memories.

PS. I haven't put in a picture of my wheel yet, but 'Yes' I do have a little Poly wheel, made by Phillip Poore of New Zealand.

There is a wonderful website documenting New Zealand wheels, past and present. What a wonderful resource: www.nzspinningwheels.info

I've finished a painting

I've finally sorted out a little computer issue that has made blogging difficult. Should be good now.

I have been busy! I've finished another painting. This was an incredibly good exercise in colour. Being a technique where you only apply dots of paint and you build up layers of all sorts of colours, I'm happy with the result and may just have sorted out some of my colour issues.

I really don't always comprehend the use of colour, but this exercise and the mantra 'it's only paint and paper, so it doesn't matter', have helped enormously.

I have also completed this scarf, which was really an exercise in casting off and casting on. I used a beautiful boucle to hide the cast off and on edges, which don't always look good. It created a really great ladder up the middle. Though it does take a long time and boucle doesn't make it any easier, I'm happy with the result. So much so, it's gone straight onto Etsy.

Painting

I've been working on my sculpture, nominally titled 'Watching'. The proposal to Woollahra needs to be sent off on Wednesday, so there will be pictures for tomorrow. Love the sculpture so far, have found it difficult to do all the paper work, but it is coming along.

I have been to painting. It's still not finished, but only a bit more to do. I'm happy with it, for a first attempt in a long time.

The use of colour in painting is where I fall down. It's used to suggest shadow and depth in a way I'm still not sure about. This painting has come more easily than usual, a very helpful teacher is good. We'll be trying fabric next!

Painting classes

I started painting classes yesterday. Fortunately, I haven't finished the picture, so none is appearing on the blog. I am likely not to finish, as this seems to be how I work, in any medium. But I am determined to improve this aspect of working. Next week, I'll work on it, and, attempt to finish.

I am happy with the class, the first thing she bought in was some Balinese puppets to paint, so she has won me over already. She offers enough advice, but is not overly hands-on.

I have just received the Jul/Aug edition of Selvedge. It has a stunning cover, hot summers are evoked and the magazine is full of Indian block printing. Wonderful pictures. Unfortunately, I get the feeling that there is a little too much selling of product, so I'm going to have a good look at this issue to ensure I'm still getting the articles. I know that there is a promotion of artists in this, but from the distance of Australia, currency exchange and postage, don't encourage the use of the artists showcased in this way.

I did love this article on the lei. Aren't they beautiful, and not your tacky tourist form. Really beautiful artform.

There was also an article on photographer Tom Walker. I don't know the name, but as he's done alot of work with Vogue I did recognise one of the photos.

I've always been attracted by the Princess and the pea fairytale and I love this version of it. Made me think of why I like it, searching for the perfect princess is not really something that I would want to promote. But are we sure she's a princess....or just some very savvy female who's worked out the game! I also love the shabby sheek of the photo.