RA Summer Exhibition – 17th August 2014 (Final Day)

It has been around 17 years since I last set foot inside the Royal Academy, when I visited the 1997 ‘Sensation’ exhibition.  I was only 17 then and was actually rather taken aback by some of the exhibits, one of which made me almost physically sick.  However, this exhibition was much easier on my eye (and stomach), and I found the whole experience absolutely inspirational and refreshing; such an array of vastly differing works, all pieced together like huge puzzles on the walls of each room.

The sheer volume of works makes it difficult to give a full walk-through of the exhibition, therefore I am going to just concentrate of those pieces that stole my attention as soon as I walked into the room they were displayed in.

Kenneth Draper RA, Forty Days 10.10.2013 – 18.11.2013 : Reminiscences, Reflections, Echoes and Ghosts; I was astounded at just how many different marks the artist had made with a pencil.  I took me back to my earlier exercise as part of my Drawing 1 course, and I realised just how many marks I hadn’t made myself, or thought to have made.  Wispy tendrils, dots and dashes all combine to create soft tones, most of which possess an eery texture.  It appears as thought the artist interpreted a certain memory or dream from each day into a small drawing, before mounting them in this fashion to create an interesting collage.

Kenneth Draper RA: Forty Days 10.10.2013 – 18.11.2013 : Reminiscences, Reflections, Echoes and Ghosts, pencil on paper, 2013

Anthony Green RA, The Faimly, Sherborne St John, oil on MDF; I don’t believe I have ever seen a painting such as this before, with such an extreme take on multiple perspectives.  I supsect this over-exaggeration is intentional, and that the artist was aiming for an almost panoramic view of the sitting room and its occupants.  I was unable to find a full image online, but there is this one detail on the artist’s own website.  I can relate to this piece; there are children present, Lego scattered all over the floor and what appear to be the parents presumably relaxing (or trying to) on the sofas.  Story of my life!  When looking closer, I noticed a figure reflected in the mirror that isn’t present in the composition itself; the artist perhaps, tucked in a corner painting from life?  The style is representational but with more excitement in the colours and mark-making with the brush that can be seen here in the sofa and the carpet.

Andrew Green RA: detail of The Family, Sherborne St John, oil on MDF

Ken Howard OBE RA, Double self-portrait, oil on board; without an image to refer to, it is rather difficult to point to why I like this work so much, but I’ll try my best.  The esteemed Ken Howard has produced a masterpiece with a diptych feel about it, a ground divided into two halves and each depicting a version of himself.  On the left, we have him in his youth, possible in his 20’s with a crop of thick brown hair and strong chin and shoulders.  On the right, the older version sees him with whitened unruly hair, ageing skin and a much softer bodily appearance.  The approach is not one as to create a realistic image but one that instils a certain energy in both faces due to the variety in colour and marks used.  I’m not sure of the execution of this painting, but it is certainly one that has made me think about a similar portrait of myself; perhaps one as a child, and one as I am now (I am only just into my thirties, so may have to wait a while for a white-haired version!).

Fred Cuming RA, Cloud Studies (Camber and Rye); once again, I am unable to find an online image of these paintings but include here a sample of another of this artists work, to show his particular style (see below).  It seems strange that I am drawn to this artists work only to find out he trained in art in Sidcup, Kent – where I was born.  I love the way his work veers towards abstraction, and responds purely to the mood and atmosphere of the moment with vivid colour and bold brushstrokes.  I especially like his main subjects; paintings of the sea and cloud studies of towns along the east and south coasts of Kent, where I have spent many a childhood holiday.

Fred Cuming RA: Camber Sands, oil on board (example of work – not in Summer Exhibition)

Its perhaps not surprising that I was drawn more towards the paintings that have an element of ‘beauty’, or truth to them.  I understand abstraction and installation art as valid art forms (many works here were bordering on or firmly in either of these categories), but they are not my preferred genres.  Maybe I need to remove myself from my comfort zone and start dabbling with abstract work, possibly in the later stages of Painting 1…

References

http://www.kennethdraper.com

http://www.anthonygreen.org.uk

http://www.thompsonsgallery.co.uk

 

 

Leonardo da Vinci: Nature Studies

I have always admired da Vinci’s drawings, probably more so than his paintings.  I can appreciate the time and effort that has gone into producing such intricate works of astounding beauty.  What adds to this enjoyment for me is knowing that da Vinci had an affinity with Nature, referring to it as his ‘greatest teacher’ throughout his many writings.

Artists from the Middle Ages had to rely on books from which to draw natural forms, while their Renaissance contemporaries had the advantage of being to draw directly from nature.  Perhaps one of the most striking of his drawings is Drawing of a Lily (c. 1475).  Executed in black chalk, ink and a brown wash, the specimen seems to glow from within despite the fact there is no realistic colour.

Leonardo da Vinci: Drawing of a Lily, c.1475 – black chalk, pen and ink and brown wash

Da Vinci was renowned for his interest in botany and took many walks during which he would examine trees, flowers and grasses to ascertain their various forms.  He often made wax casts of leaves so as to study them more closely.  Such was his affection for nature that he also took to writing short fables about how the trees and plants felt pain like humans.  He drew conclusions about their inner workings, simply by studying and drawing the outer properties.

Another of his drawings – Oak and Dyer’s Greenweed (c. 1505-10) – utilises similar colours in the drawings, such as browns and reds, however this time the specimens seem to be radiating colour due to the use of pigment within the negative spaces surrounding them.  The result is reminiscent of terracotta, almost like a relief sculpture, due to the similar colours of the paper and tools used.

Leonardo da Vinci: Oak and Dyer’s Greenweed, c.1505-10 – red chalk on pale red paper

I attempted to recreate this technique by using tinted pastel paper and sepia and sanguine oil pencils, with white pastel pencil for highlights.  My aim was to gran a leaf or two from the garden but the adverse weather put paid to this.  Instead, I used some pieces from my ever-reliable pot pourri pot.  The sanguine oil pencil was used to draw in the outline of the objects, with the darker sepia to add shading and white pastel to pick out the highlights.

Sanguine oil, sepia and white pastel pencils on A4

Da Vinci also had an obsession with water, which is something I shall be studying myself in future as I am somewhat a beginner when it comes to drawing water!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

References:

http://www.leonardoda-vinci.org

 

 

The journey so far…

I am at a strange place at the moment, with regards to the courses I am doing with OCA.  The only way I can deal with this is to get my thoughts and feelings down, on this blog, so that I have a record of this point in time, and hopefully something to refer back to when I find things are a little slow-going.  Its a summing up of my progress so far, if you will, as well as a list of future goals and aims.

Since having my baby son in September this year, my coursework has all but been put on hold.  That’s not to say that I haven’t done anything at all; I still set out to produce a quick sketch in each of my A6 sketchbooks most days, as a kind of visual diary of things I see during my day.   I find this helps me to maintain momentum and enthusiasm for the course, and just art in general.  However, I have been doing these almost exclusively in the medium that is always close at hand; a ballpoint pen or biro.  Most of my art equipment – including my fancy pencils and pens – have to be packed away due to little sticky fingers therefore its so much easier to grab what happens to be visible and easily accessible.  My aim is mix it up a bit in future, possibly by making up a small pencil case with a few select pens and pencils and leave it somewhere that I can access quickly when I want to do a quick sketch.  Yes, I shall try and prepare this today – if and when the children are occupied.

Going back to having just had a baby; things are tough, time-wise.  I’m not looking for sympathy, but maybe a little understanding about my situation – which is what I have had so far from my tutors and the OCA in general.  I have a supportive husband but even he gets frustrated with the children and a crying baby when I want to just slink away and get into student mode.  So as not to be unfair to him – as he needs a break too, having gone out to work all week – I find that I can only manage an hour here or there each week, out of guilt for him having to watch the children.  Its hugely frustrating, and I don’t see the situation improving until the baby is older and able to settle himself, and when my middle son starts attending school more often.  That way, I’ll (hopefully) have big chunks of time during the day when the youngest naps, to dedicate to my work.   I cant wait!  I had approached the OCA asking advice about deferring or possibly cancelling the courses, but my gut instinct is that things will improve and I should stick with it.  I was told that putting both courses on hold for 6 months, and then starting with just one again would be an idea but I really dont want to lose momentum on either of them.  I had already informed my tutors I’d need more time than I had intended (a year to do both Level 1 courses), so now I will give myself a more realistic two years.  Apparently I just need to let Student Finance England know that….

I still find myself worrying about the amount of non-course related work I am doing.  For example, self-initiated sketchbook work (other than small, everyday A6 sketches), gallery visits and reading.  I LOVE reading about art and wish I had more time to do so.  I was over the moon when I came across another new art magazine in WH Smith last week – called Discover Art – and was so impressed I vowed to get myself a subscription when I could next afford to.  I already subscribe to Artists & Illustrators and buy the perhaps lesser know, American-based International Artist every two months.  I get positively excited when I receive new issues of either of these, and promptly make a pot of tea so as to make the experience of reading them all the more enjoyable.  However, I will get halfway through an article and a child will need feeding/taking to the toilet/stopped from strangling their sibling.  All hugely annoying, and at the same time anticipated and accepted.  Such is the life of a parent!  Don’t get me wrong; I love my children with all my heart but being a student and a mother simultaneously is a whole different ball game…So, another of my desires is to take inspiration from the wonderful art and artists I see featured in these publications, and wholeheartedly let them encourage sketchbook ideas, gallery visits and impromptu material purchases.

When it comes to ingesting larger tomes dedicated to art…well, that’s where I have fallen behind, I believe.  I have managed to purchase some recommended texts for both courses but certainly don’t have the funds for all of them right now.  Or the ability to track them down at the library, annoyingly!  I tend not to enjoy books as much as magazines as they can be wordy, time-consuming and sometimes – I hate to say – a little too smart for me.  But I will persevere with them.  My goal is to set aside an hour or two a week – probably in the evening, at the weekend – to curl up in a cosy chair, switch off and absorb the words as much as I possibly can.  And of course, and findings I feel are relevant to the course, or my learning about art as a whole, I shall include on this blog.

Facebook has been a revelation for me, art-wise.  Although I have been an active member since 2007, it is only since beginning my courses with the OCA that I have joined many groups and liked various other pages.  For example, I joined a group that includes other students, where we can discuss work, post up photos and suggest gallery visits.  Everybody is so friendly and encouraging, and this is just what I need at this testing time.  Another great find was Craftsy, where you can purchase tutorials and lessons in all manner of arts and crafts-related areas.  Just this morning, there was a post regarding a FREE lesson is painting flowers in acrylics.  Well, I promptly saw it as a sign and ‘enrolled’, as I am just about to embark on a flower still life for Painting 1 (exercise – drawing in paint).  Once again, when I have the chance I shall sit and work through this lesson and hope it has a positive influence on my coursework.  Other groups I have joined feature artwork from all over the world in all media, and I also follow posts from the aforementioned magazines and the Society of All Artists (SAA), which I joined last year and had my first painting featured in their gallery pages just a few issues back.  All very encouraging!

An acrylic portrait of my toddler daughter, selected for inclusion in the SAA magazine

Gallery visits – I want to do more.  I want to pack up a bag, including lunch and a flask of hot drink, and just spend a day milling around the galleries of London.  Living only half an hour train journey away, this shouldn’t be so hard to organise, but with a baby in tow things could get complicated.  BUT, I will not use my children as an excuse here!  Galleries easily accommodate babies and pushchairs now, so once Christmas is over and done with, I shall be doing general visits and booking to see exhibitions, with my baby son as a companion.  And possibly some fellow OCA students aswell!

I feel I have successfully managed to get all of my thoughts down, and adding this as an actual post as opposed to a page in a notebook out of sight will hopefully help with the process of just getting on and trying to enjoy the course rather than see it as a chore, and constantly regarding my children as a hindrance when in actual fact they are my first priority.  So, to summarise my thoughts into actions:

• Do not worry about how long the course is taking; my tutors have been informed of my situation, therefore I now have around two years instead one.  Inform SFE of this change.
• Do not worry about how much extra-curricular work I am producing; although I may not be as prolific a sketchbook filler as some other students I have interacted with, I need to keep in mind that I have small children who are my first priority.
• Take inspiration from the many resources that I have available; books, magazines and other students’ work.
• Be spontaneous; get out the sketchbook and fill a page when the fancy  – and inspiration – takes me.  Get together a pencil case with a selective assortment of tools, rather than just ballpoint pens and biros.
• Pencil in special reading time.  Reading about art, that is, not a trashy novel.
• Continue to join and relish the encouragement from art groups on Facebook.
• Attend galleries every few months at least; if I cant get to one that I’d really like to see, then I shall research it on the internet instead.
• Look at scheduling some specific time to coursework.  If I get to spend more time on it each week than scheduled, then this will be a huge bonus.

Here’s to many years of (hopefully) happy studying…

Seeing ghosts…

I decided today was the day to get back into my reading, and I was interested to discover ‘ghosts’, or more specifically, leaving behind evidence of previously drawn marks rather than erasing them completely.  As I read on and looked at works by famous artists – such as Matisse – who employed these methods, it made me realise that I was still working quite rigidly when drawing and that this was the way forward for me when making work in my sketchbooks.

It occurred to me that the ‘ghosts’ were all part of a thought process, and that leaving them there would help to avoid mistakes in future i.e. drawing a line in the exact same place from where it was erased.  I also feel there is nothing worse than looking closely at a fine drawing and noticing deep indentations made from a sharp pencil whose erroneous marks were erased.  Therefore, I will be making a concerted effort to not ‘exorcise’ my ghosts and leave them be in future.

Leonardo da Vinci: Preparatory studies for ‘Adoration of the Magi’

Leonardo da Vinci was one of the proponents of keeping his entire thought processes visible, as illustrated in one of his preparatory drawings above.  One can almost envisage him working feverishly, playing around with the marks and creating a fluid drawing that was constantly evolving.  This could be because his figures were always mobile, or that he simply wished to change the pose slightly for the purpose of the drawing.  Either way, I find myself rendered speechless upon looking at his beautiful sketches, and without a doubt they have more of an impact on me than drawings that are too neat and considered.

So, my task is to emulate this style in my future work, with the hope of creating working drawings that avoid being too static, and that have a certain ‘energy’ about them due to all original markings being left visible.

References:

Experimental Drawing, Robert Kaupelis (Watson Guptil Publications, 1980) – page 51

 

Ed Fairburn: Mapping out his artwork…

Once again, Facebook has brought to my attention another inspiring artist whose work has me in awe.  Young Welsh artist Ed Fairburn, an illustration graduate, uses a wide range of media to draw and paint on various surfaces, mainly maps.

Fairburn has said he can put any pose of any figure onto any map – a truly astounding feat.  One has to look closely to see if he has in fact used the contours of the map to create the face or just made them up; the former is definitely true.  Inspired by these beautiful works, I printed out a couple of old maps that are in the public domain and attempted to identify contours that would translate into human figures.

The first I attempted features a robed mother figure cradling a child, in pen and pencil:

A mother and child figure drawing on map, pen and pencil

The second was a less detailed map, however I managed to pick out the contours of a face almost in profile, so went with that:

Female face drawing on map, pen and pencil

I know my pieces will hardly set the world alight compared to Fairburn’s, but I was determined to attempt this unique drawing technique for myself.  Although I may not continue to draw on maps in the future, it has made me aware of the numerous other surfaces and contexts which can be used for drawing, other than a plain white page.

These drawings can also be found in the section General sketchbook content – Drawing 1.

References:

edfairburn.com

 

A useful pocket-sized tome…

Peter Jenny’s Figure Drawing

When I attended the Patrick Caulfield and Gary Hume exhibition at Tate Britain on 3rd August, I made sure to visit the store to see if there were any useful books or resources that could assist me with the course (and simply because I love art books anyway).

I found, amongst others, an extremely useful little book by Peter Jenny called Figure Drawing (Learning to See series, Princeton Architectural Press, 2012).  I figured that as I was on a budget (set by my husband), a small book like this was all I could stretch to and I believed, before opening it, that it would contain step-by-step techniques – the usual you may associate with such a title.  Instead, I had discovered a book filled with 22 exercises to encourage you to draw the figure in a variety of different ways.

Example of using matchsticks to ‘frottage’ figure studies

These included doodling, writing, skeletonising, miniaturising, fragmenting and frottaging – something I have just explored in one of the course exercises.  I was so excited by what I saw that I devoured nearly the whole book on the half hour train journey home, feverishly flicking through the pages.   The directions given aren’t exhaustive, but jumping off points into ways you can experiment, possibly sparking off other ideas.

Example of using spiral motion to create volume

My aim is to work through the book at intervals and play around with some of these experimental exercises, obviously in conjunction with other books I have purchased on experimental drawing (obviously this one is specialist, purely for figure drawing).  I hope that they will open my eyes up to new ways of drawing that I can foster in my future work, and encourage me to become much looser in my approach.  I aim to have added some pieces inspired by this book in the section titled General sketchbook content – Drawing 1 very soon…

Experimental Drawing: contour, gestural and modelled drawing

As it was one of the recommended texts to read for the course (and the only one I can currently afford/track down), I purchased Robert Kaupelis’ Experimental Drawing (Watson-Guptill, 1980 – 30th Anniversary Edition), believing that it would be filled with rather formal, possibly boring exercises written in a stale manner (I may have been unfairly presumptuous  due to its age…).  What I found upon reading the first chapter was a instructional book that adopted a fresh approach to the subject, with lively, friendly banter from the author.  Just what I needed.

What I found interesting was that Kaupelis urges you to use the book as a ‘workbook’; mark the pages, even rip some out if need be!!  Although I don’t personally have it in me to deface even the oldest and most dog-eared of art books, it was refreshing that the author doesn’t take himself too seriously and seems more interested in enthusing readers to jump in and get involved with experimentation, rather than be too precious about the contents of the book.

Kaupelis also recommends ‘living’ with a drawing, which is certainly something I will try when I get a moment to choose one!  Essentially, he suggests carrying a drawing you quite like around with you for several days, getting to know it inside out and experiencing it in every possible way.  Then, he says, you change and carry around a drawing you dislike, with the possibility that you may grow to like it.  Its certainly an interesting exercise, and I shall be looking around for suitable drawings very soon.

I love the experimentation aspect of the book, and the fact it doesn’t set out to teach you realistic drawing skills; this is something I am trying to break away from, therefore this book is a breath of fresh air.  Although I am yet to read the entire book, I can see by leafing through it that it is full of exciting information and experimental exercises.  For example, on page 13, a work from American artist Franz Kline (1910-1962) titled Study for Clockface (c1951, gouache) uses a page from a telephone book to give the drawing extra depth and interest.

Franz Kline: Study for Clockface, c1951, gouache on telephone book page

Three principles of experimental drawing are explained, and below is my understanding of the fundamentals of each

Contour – “a linear means of defining form”

An almost ‘blind’ way of drawing, where visualising your pencil is touching the form as you draw can be beneficial.  Kaupelis describes this drawing process as more ‘tactile’ than slavishly looking at each line before drawing it.  Contour drawing covers ‘partial peek’ or ‘quick’ drawing (occasionally looking at the page when drawing, quick execution); and cross contour (again, presuming the subject is being ‘touched’ by the pencil, lines moving in any direction across the form rather than around it, with varied pressure of marks to suggest form aswell as contour).

Albrecht Durer: Portrait of Agnes, 1494, pen and ink (contour drawing)

Gesture – “a linear and/or tonal means of representing the model’s action or pose”

To draw gesturally  is to suggest forms in their entirety, with marks placed rapidly and as though they are moving in and around the forms aswell as just depicting contours.  This is a useful technique for artists wanting to draw figures that are constantly in motion.  The marks may not be completely familiar as a figure, but can suggest the movement the figure is making.

Andrew Wyeth: First drawing for ‘Christina’s World’, 1948, pencil (gestural drawing)

Modelled drawing – “a tonal means of indicating that forms ‘push back’ into space”

Using a tool such as charcoal or conté crayon turned on its side, you can push the form back by using light pressure for sections that are closer, increasing the pressure as the form moves further away.  Kaupelis warns against starting with a ‘tentative’ outline!

Joan Miró: Nu Assis, 1916, charcoal on paper (modelled drawing)

I intend to try out each of these techniques throughout the course, especially modelled drawing without drawing an outline first!  I can see that being a hard habit to break but also it must be very liberating to simply use a drawing insturment to model and image on the paper, much like a sculptor models something out of clay.

Below are some practice drawings I made in my sketchbook, employing contour and gestural drawing techniques; I’m not sure they are entirely successful but I will persevere!  These can also be found in Drawing 1: General sketchbook content, and I hope to add more work there soon that improves on what I have done here.

Contour drawing of my children eating a TV dinner, charcoal on A4

Contour drawing of my children playing/dancing, coloured pen on A4

Gestural drawing of my children playing/lying on the floor, conte crayon on A4

 

 

 

 

 

An interesting read…

 

Just before I started to course, I purchased ‘Drawing With Children’ by Mona Brookes (10th Anniversary Edition).  I have recently been asked to assist a friend’s 5 year old daughter with her artwork, and always love creating with my own children, so I invested in this book as a resource and guide.

What I love about the book is that despite the title, it is for adult beginners aswell (I know a few of these who I could share the book with).  It aims to teach you to evaluate your own drawing abilities, and consider what it takes to be a ‘real’ artist.

The programmes that the author teaches eliminates the tendency for children to compare their work with others’, which creates a non-competitive learning environment.  I’m keen to learn more about improving my own and my children’s drawing skills as I progress through the book…