Well, it's possibly because everyone was in the pub all day (!), but I don't have much this month! Both Penny and Pat W. say they didn't produce anything worth sharing. I'm thinking it's hard to get back into it after the break, and hopefully next month will feel better.
ELIZABETH had trouble too, because she lost her contact lens - a serious handicap!
She says " I felt I could not continue with one eye as it was not comfortable so came home. Therefore I have one drawing I did at Kings Cross , a drawing I did on the train with one eye and a drawing I did at home when I sorted my sight out ". Well done for doing anything at all, Elizabeth!
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| Elizabeth 1 .King's Cross |
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| Elizabeth 2. On the train |
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| Elizabeth 3. Window |
I can see that no. 1 was a struggle - it doesn't have your usual inventiveness. It's a great tonal study, and i like the possibilities that exist in the patterning in the lower half of the drawing, but the heads don't quite have that expressive quality that you sometimes get, where the viewer can almost overhear the voices in the drawing.
Having said all that, I really like no. 2 - the original composition is fascinating. You have the structures of the seats represented just in line, and then the mysterious figure glimpsed in between them, as a sort of vignette. It's a bit like a window through, to pick up on your parallel themes!
Which leads neatly on to no. 3, a view through to a window.
This is really lovely. What I especially like is the feeling of light. It takes you through the picture, from the table in the foreground, to the light on the door in the middle ground, and finally to the window frame. The Matisse-like bowl of fruit in the foreground also begins the beautiful journey of discovery through the space. The combination of drawing and gentle painting is really lovely. But it's the tonal composition that really makes it. This is pure Elizabeth, and one of the loveliest things I've seen you ever do!
Brilliant.
After that, we have PAT K, who said " We had a lively discussion before settling down to work-all very pleased to be together as a group once again,and all feeling v.jolly!! We then set about collecting info.for our next series of paintings. Some went outside some stayed in. It was fairly cold on the concourse. We met for lunch, and discussed the work produced in the morning ".
A solid set of drawings, Pat. Nos 1 and 2 have a really useful set of possible compositions. I think you need to be fully aware of what the shapes and divisions of space within them are. You've got curves, diagonals & rectangles as basic shapes. So decide which will be your dominant shape theme, and which will be the variation on that theme.
Then there's the question of 'to perspective or not to perspective?' You don't have to have it in there as an all-or-nothing decision. If you remember conversations we've had before with Jane, especially, about how you can balance allusions to perspective in a painting - it can be read as 2D and then as 3D and then back again. A neat trick to play!
Then nos. 3 and 4 both have figures in them, which is less usual for you. I can see how no.3 could balance the hint of a figure within the more suggested representations of the space, the ESSENCE of it, as you are always trying to achieve. No. 4 could cause you some head-scratching moments though, because it is predominantly about the figures. I will be very interested to see what you do with this.
Just remember, think about the simple shapes, and how they divide up the space. think about the balance of colours (and that doesn't mean the same ones dotted all over the place), and the edge qualities. where does one section end, and the next one begin?
Both Pat W. and Penny were there, but felt they hadn't achieved anything of note, which is a real shame. Next time..............!
So, we now have JANE, who says "I only managed 2 sketches.It was quite cold that day. I liked the shadows in the pub in the first image and the repeat shapes in the second image. Not my best drawing by any means, but thought I would be brave and show it any way".
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| Jane 2 - Kings Cross |
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| Jane 1 - Kings Cross Packet Arms |
Well, I wouldn't be too hard on yourself Jane. These are a very useful set of ideas. They might not be refined and 'finished', but that's better really. You can pluck ideas from them and use them at will!
I do really like the pub interior (no. 1). There's lots of potential for playing with the shapes of the chair backs, and what's there and what's not etc. etc. - I can see this leading to something exciting. No. 2 is a more obvious drawing, I suppose, but still very useful. Remember what I said to pat, have one main theme and then a sub-theme. There's potential for competition between the circles and the parallel lines.
Jane has also sent in some ideas developed from the spiral staircase at the Wellcome Museum :
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| Jane 3 |
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| Jane 4 |
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| Jane 5 |
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| jane 6 |
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| Jane 7 |
Well, how fascinating.
The one I think works best is actually not the obvious one, it is no.7, the very low-key one (well, almost black and white). I really like it's painterliness, and it's open un-self-consciousness. It does exactly what we were discussing earlier - it plays with both 2D and 3D interpretations, especially the very lovely chevron shapes (stairs). It's really nice to see you PAINTING and letting it happen, without trying to be too aware of the outcome. I do feel that sometimes you are too in control, but that's your training as a printmaker coming out I guess!
No. 3 also works very well, because there are elements which you see directly (spiral) and others that emerge in time (dark blue pattern on the floor). I feel nos. 4 and 5 are all a bit too 'in need of attention all over', especially no. 5 with that very aggressive grid on the floor. I like the colours very much, but just remember 'heirachy' - what do you see first, what do then see later?
No. 6 almost hits the spot, but is a bit too full of pinpricks of light, making it a bit too exhausting to look at.
Very good Jane - considering you didn't think the subject had much mileage!
So, well done everyone. Hopefully you've got plans for next month, and let me know when you've got some work to send in.
