Payne's Gray

Mixed media acrylic paper and canvas.  This work is part of an exploration of the colour Payne's Gray which was always recommended to me, in art school, to use for black.  20 in x 20 in

Mixed media Acrylic painting

Approx 22 x 14 inches. 

Sensory Drawing 5

Collage imagery, acrylic paint, ink, 17 " x 24" .



Last day of the course, was pretty much a free day to work on something relative to the week. I did two large collages, about 20 x 30". Magazine imagery, acrylic paint, indian ink. One is titled "News" influenced greatly by the turmoil in the Middle East and fuel crisis - isnt it about time we had alternatives??!! The other .. well... in my mind I titled it "Breathe" but not 100% sure about this. Not quite finished yet.

On my way this morning I stopped at a nearby beach, and got out to watch and photograph the surfers. Good swell at the moment. The beach is very close to Wellington airport as you can see.

The course was a demanding one, as artists we need to be able to 'see' but this week was practice in seeing not just visually but using our senses to 'see' and then creating works to describe that. It will take a while for this to work through in my mind and inform my work, I know it will.

Sensory Drawing 4

All sensory drawing works are 17" x 24" on 130gsm cartridge.

Today we were drawing taste! Vietnamese mint, apple, hot chili fire sauce, Dan's curry he made us for lunch - hot and medium versions, lime. Strangely I drew similar images for Vietnamese Mint and one of the curry pictures, didnt notice til I uploaded the photos.

Sensory Drawing 2

Today we drew smells/scents. From the top - Incense (moody, mysterious, rich) , Basil (sharp, spiky, pungent - was the fresh herb), Lavender (yes lavender!! made me think of triangles dancing and sharp bright colour); the next two are incense, and the last picture is oregano (earthy, sharp but mellow, warm and sunny). The scent ... not the items!

Sensory Drawing

Spending the week in Wellington and exploring drawing inspired by the senses. Am quickly putting up some of what I created today.Everyone's work was very different, mine abstract, many drew realistically. Ink (sumi and/or indian, acrylic paint, compressed charcoal, chalk pastel, charcoal pencils white and black).

I was trying to describe the sensation of touching the various plants/trees in the bush and gardens surrounding the art school (we walked through them first thing Monday) in the first and last works, the second is the feel of a hard piece of dried seaweed, gritty with sharp edges, the third was drawn in response to running my fingers over the back of a small paua shell.

Some drawings & more MM collages

Threw together some more mixed media collage/drawings inbetween painting endless pieces of canvas with gesso, Paynes Gray and sumi ink. And dunking rolled canvas in paint. More to follow on that. These quick drawings are done with a cane stick pulled from a sushi mat, forcing myself to just draw quick and not agonise over correctness. Hopefully I'll get them sent away for ICE. And in the middle of my mess the kitten. Since jumping out a window and spending the night outside she's been clingy. A friend visiting took this picture before I put her out of the studio (the kitten of course, not the friend!). The kitten likes to try and catch my brush as I paint, or knock over the rubbish basket and make a mess.

Also attached to this post are some recent drawings, from life drawing group (pastel and charcoal, blue portrait is done with a chinagraph pencil).

Mixed media collages

So different from my current work but similar to what I've done in the past. Magazine imagery, ink, acrylic paint. The faces are quickly sketched with a thin bamboo stick dipped in sumi ink. Just playing.

Mixed media collage

As a break from my current work I started making collages for Dale Copeland's ICE. The upper one does not have a reflection on it, is part of the imagery. This is so different from what I've been doing over the last six months which is materials and process based, non derivative, and something I used to do. I quite enjoyed it, is rather random. No particular meaning. Hand painted papers, magazine paper, acrylic paint, sumi ink, pencil.

Continuing the PG / ink

Love gesso but wasn't working for me, used something else. Created many small works from which I'll be working forward.

Mixed media

Recently I was involved in a one day exhibition of working artists... most of us were working at the venue so that people could view our process. Many stopped to talk and ask questions, and I sold Red Nude and Dream (mixed media collage drawings).

These are a couple of works in progress I began while there, starting with the heavy printmaking paper, then adding various media, some of my own monoprint material, antique text, drawing.

'Red Nude'

10 x 14 inches mixed media background with charcoal & ink drawing, the charcoal drawn and brushed on. The initial drawing was sketched from a life model, and completed today at Alison Gordon's studio. Has been a while since I made it over to the monthly gathering of artists. Everyone brings some artwork to work on, we talk, eat a yummy lunch together, check out each other's work, and talk and talk.

Mixed media drawing

Charcoal, acrylic paint, collage, indian ink on grey cartridge paper 24 x 16 inches.

Drawn from life then worked on in studio.

Speculation

This painting is on canvas, 15" x 30" mixed acrylic media.

Sunday at John's

I have to take my camera next week and photograph the amazing etching presses John is building and engineering. Anyway, I actually remembered to go today (forgot last week - "Sunday School" in John's studio for local artists who care to get together and spend a few hours working in company). I worked on more backgrounds, not very exciting to view.. but am enjoying the layering up of the surfaces. Then I started drawing over a couple of them. Just getting started. I noticed some shapes in the colours so began to draw from those, so a lot more to do yet.

Mark making

Some works in progress. Top pic is embossing of one of my collographs on printmaking paper. Then an indian ink sketch on mixed media base. Followed by the beginning of a life drawing on a mixed media base, and the last picture a drawing in progress and I was drawing flat which is soooo wrong, I'll have to start correcting before i get much further, but it's in charcoal pencil so I can make improvements (trying to draw the main male character of a book I'm writing, he's not a real person... he's in my head).

Spent time today at the studio of my artist friend John. We were talking about process and product and he made a comment, "I'm not making art, I'm making an artist." Found that interesting, because I talked in my last blog entry about the making of the art, the process, as being the art. Probably sounds convoluted. It is.

Anyway, we had got together for our "sunday school". John showed me how to stretch canvas, I've never learned to do it properly. And gave me his secret recipe for making a primer to use instead of gesso. I've never liked gesso on on canvas, though I love using it on paper. Makes a great surface to work on.

I had taken a collograph that I made a while ago, and we experimented, John used his wonderful press to emboss some of my paper that I'd taken to work on my mixed media bases. I'll be thinking of how I might incorporate this process in my work. A clean embossing on white paper looks fantastic but I'm all about layering so will have to come up with an idea that fits.

Still working on adding to the mixed media bases but I'm starting to put marks on some of them.