Sunday, July 28, 2013

Sunday - studio and the Sex Pistols

Great viewing this afternoon on iview - the film on the Sex Pistols, The Filth and the Fury. Hard to believe it's nearly 40 years since that band got together under the Machiavellian Malcolm McLaren.
When I'm doing work that's not incredibly taxing I keep company with ABC - the radio and when I can work and watch - iview. The realisation that Punk started so long ago is incredible I was 20.
Now watching their story and hearing them on original tape and since as older individuals it's just amazing that they lasted so long. There was a natural split between the 'original' three and Johnny Rotten who then became close to the new 'John' Sid Vicious. The other huge mistrust was between Rotten and the band and McLaren - such a lack of connection there. This is really worth watching if you were around in the mid to late 70's. Still great to watch no matter when you were around because I reckon that punk sound has had a huge influence on music since, and fashion.


Anyway this afternoon I did some drawings to get the images into my head.


 I use oil pastel because it's very direct, very flexible, you can work in layers - I think of oil pastel and dry chalk pastel as pigment first and particular characteristics second. I love soft oil pastel when you work in layers, colour into colour - when it gets muddy then just scrape away the excess.


I like to see the physical movement in the work.


These are just thumbnails but I am dealing with proportions and pattern


Amazing how general these look but all grist for the mill!


 Funny how this one without any strong sense of base is my problem at the moment.




Second Session

Saturday afternoon studio time. Thinking of structure and the individual compositions. Have photos to refer to but need to be a bit more familiar with the six images and then play with paint.
Painted a second layer with acrylic calming down the colour and aiming to get the main structure.



Straight acrylic - thicker than first layer - calmer colours, more contrast.


The horizon reference helps read the whole image
 

The colour of light will be the main challenge which is another reason why breaks between studio time is good for problem solving.


Foreground features can be added later. To get a sense of space the sequence of the layers and tones of colour is crucial.



Also paint application can show difference in zones to help read the work.


The process I follow is based on a pattern of studio time every few days. I use size 12 bristle brushes, Matisse paint - I have tubes and pots. I like to use old paint and old brushes. I like to use lots of paint using brush, spatula and fingers, acrylics 'flatten' when the moisture dries. I will move onto oil paint next time after some coloured drawings to get the composition sorted.

Thursday, July 25, 2013

Small Works for Winter Happy

Winter Happy at GIGS, Gateway Island, The Causeway, Albury Wodonga. Opens 4pm Saturday August 24 2013.  This is a group show with Nan Hoysted, Mary-Jane Griggs, Susie Losch, Portia Janson and Mary Rose Riley.

I've started a series of small works based on the winter sunrise that I see some mornings from my loungeroom window. I've been photographing these spectacles on and off since winter 2012. It's an uplifting start to the day.

 Small canvases staring with acrylic.

Very loose and not worrying about too much



 Always lovely to start a work




 I will always reach for the paint before any other medium





But I also love mixed media and have made many small mixed media paintings since 2006 for my personal postcard exchange project and also for the 2012 Brooklyn Art Library Postcard project in NYC.








Capturing the warm light on a shower in front of a huge cloud will be challenging. Keeping a visual freshness as well as capturing the sense of the source is the task.



Such amazing shapes in the sky, each morning a new show.
I have seen some unbelievable skies over 20 years. Red clouds hanging in front of leaden canopies. Incredible colours, the effects of light diffused by atmosphere is hard to beat. The question arises - why try to paint it? Not trying to reproduce but celebrate.



Friday, July 12, 2013

Brain change - from studio to work

No studio today preparing for back to work. But printed out photos of paintings for VD as I like to have a visual record of studio work at hand.


















Working across forty canvases is challenging but fun. The trick is to keep them moving and not to get too involved with just one.










There are still a few at the earliest stage but I have worked on most about three times now. As long as I finish the weekend having done some work on all forty plus worked more on the panoramas and the small works for GIGS I will feel ok.












Some of the trees feel reminiscent of gum trees but most don't and I don't want to be literal- I'm creating what will be a large installation of small canvases that need to work as a whole.
Playing with shape, colour, paint, how to deal with surface, playing with dividing the composition, paint effects. The familiarity of the subject allows flexibility.


The other project feels more difficult at this stage possibly because it's different to the tree project, smaller scale and working across the suite of canvases rather than individualising them at this stage.





Early days and haven't decided how to 'dilute' the tight patterning but will keep thinking and processing. This will be a long process I think!