New paintings and regular art updates.
Urban sketchers Stoke-on-Trent challenge today, Light. I had got some new permanent markers so decided to do something colourful. I did use a fine liner pen and a 6b pencil. Also used an almost dried up pale blue felt pen to add some shading to the window frame. The standard lamp has a lampshade covered in sequins. (speckles on the drawing). There will be another challenge in a couple of days. I wonder what it will be….
22.4.20, about a month into lockdown. I wonder what was going through my mind? I don’t think I was as nervous then as I am now. I was thinking about food. Now I’m thinking about not going out, despite the pubs opening up carefully and hairdressers and other non essential shops. Do I feel like going out? No, I think this is too early. Especially where alcohol is involved. I’ve seen groups of four or five men walking past the house, looking like they are off for a ‘good night out’.
What can I say. I understand people need to escape. I feel so tense I’m shaking. How do refugees and people in war torn areas survive? We are lucky. The problem might cause massive problems with wealth but I want people to be safe and survive this. Ah well, maybe I will do another drawing x.
my attempt at the great wave after Hokusai.
I’m writing an assignment about the artist Hokusai and his ink and wood block print, The Great wave, or The Great Wave off Kanagawa produced around 1830. He had previously painted two other great waves in 1803 and 1805. There is a collection of 36 views of Mount Fuji by him.
I found out that he had been influenced by an artist called Shiba Kokan, who in turn had been influenced by Western Art. The Portuguese first started trading with the Japanese as early as 1543 and later the Dutch came along and started to trade with them in 1609.
Hokusai’s first waves were not as stylised as the Great Wave, but over the intervening 30 years he honed his style. His wave painting has a low horizon which gives it a more western and also menacing feel. The wave towers over three fishing boats, threatening to swamp them, Fingers of water claw the air in a very fractal pattern, and a tiny Mount Fuji sits in the background, apparently encircled by a threatening sea and lowering clouds.
Did you know the wave emoji is based on Hokusai’s work, and this in turn is linked to the waving hand emoji. There is a site called emojipedia that gives lots of interesting facts about emoji icons.
I wont go into great detail about the assignment, but I had to link in semiotics and other ways of critically appraising art works. I was up till 4am trying to pull it all together!
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Oh I do like playing with paint. For example this is a little canvas I’m working on, it’s a WIP, (work in progress). I was thinking of adding some patterns and decorations to it. Maybe in the sky. Some stars, a comet, maybe a pattern in the glass. I haven’t decided yet. It’s another acrylic on canvas. I was trying to make more of a stylised character out of it.
Better get on and do some more work on things.
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I use a piece of plastic to keep my acrylic paints moist between using them. A little bit of each paint sticks to the plastic. So I pressed it against a tiny 3 inch square canvas. I did it over and over, rubbing the plastic down onto the canvas and turning it round each time. When I looked at the result I thought it looked like reflections on a pool so added curves to look like ripples from drops of rain. Just simple…
I might turn the orange splodges into goldfish….
Quick sketch with pencil colours and fine line black ink.
Two square canvases and a square card. All sitting on my little easle and a paintbrush and plastic tub I use for a palette.
I lined around the coloured pencil to define the square shapes and subjects more, but I didn’t want to overdo things. I do like being challenged to draw different things. Been loving USK prompts.
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What to do with our art group? The other one I’m part of is doing a Cezanne project based on a still life. Each of us chooses a square (1 of 9) So I wondered if we could do the same in the other group? But we have decided to do hexagons and include our own ideas inside them. I’m looking forward to what people create. Then I will have to stitch them together, maybe in photoshop.
Doing art in lockdown has ket my mind on track. Being in groups of artists challenges me to do different things. It helps my practice, and helps me learn.
The woman with green eyes stared at her, there was something intense about the gaze. Powerful, insightful. She seemed to look right through the young girl.
Come here, it was an order not a request.
Timidly she stepped across the carpet. The sides of the big tent bellowed in the breeze. Your hand! The girl placed her hand, palm up in the womans larger one.
I see your future, you will marry, you will be happy. But first, you will have pain and worry.
The girl shrank back. Her eyes averted. The woman cupped the girls chin in her free hand and pulled her face gently upwards. The light caught the girls deep brown eyes.
Your sisters are jealous, they will not let you rest. But one night on the strike of midnight your fate will be sealed, and healed!
The girl shook her hand free, it was too much to think about, too much to dream about. Thank you, she had to say it.
The woman smiled, goodbye Cinderella, she said.
How did she know my name?thought the girl.
I’ve been watching a painting programme late at night with an artist called Bob Ross I think. He does half hour programmes (think they were done in the 1980’s?). He cheerfully shows you how to do landscapes. He does a painting in half an hour. Showing how to paint layers to build up depth and distance. Each layer adds to the image. I’m not keen on his art, its very formulaic, but it’s interesting. I decided to paint along with him last night. It’s a very small canvas but I couldn’t keep up! At least I got a vague result.
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I don’t know how it happened. I just mumble on here and sometimes people like what I say.
Maybe I should assess how I write things. I’m sure my grammar isn’t correct. How is it that people are following this? I don’t think I’m particularly profound. I have some strong feelings, that people should be treated fairly and equally.
I talk about my art and how I create it. I’m not pushing sales of my paintings. If someone is interested they can get in touch. I like talking about science and nature and the environment. I try and keep informed but I’m not an expert.
What else? I’m getting older and hope I can use my experiences to help people if I can.
I really like trying to write poetry. I wrote something called ‘unexpected item in the bagging area’ a comic poem about my experiences of using a self checkout at the supermarket. That was my first poem here a couple of years ago and it kickstarted my writing.
I occasionally write short stories here. I tried writing to photo prompts but I struggled with keeping to the image. I also write short, five word, challenges where you have to include a word, FOOL for instance. Also the challenge of writing limericks, working out how to rhyme things.
I also love sharing my art. Lots of funny little pictures, or murals, or acrylics on canvas or even urban sketchers and other art groups that I’m interested in. I do a lot of digital stuff and I’m on a college course on illustration.
So thank you for following me. I can’t promise to be interesting and exciting all the time. I think I’m learning to write and blog, and your help is much appreciated.
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Mallaband-Brown