July 2018 - some work from Jane

Jane has sent in 3 images of some recent screenprints which she'd like comment on.  Jane, I hope you don't mind if I suggest alterations!

Jane no. 3

Jane no. 2

Jane no. 1

These are very exciting images, and I really like their graphic simplicity.

There is just one problem, and it's on all of them!  The tonal jump between the top, darker, slice of sky and the blue layer below it is too great.  That horizontal line distracts the eye from all the interesting stuff in the foreground.  So, that applies in its simplest sense to nos.1 and 2, where the layers below that top layer just need darkening a little.  You will still get the tonal stepping, but less dramatic in that one place.  Please see adjustment to no. 1, below.
Between the two, I prefer no.1.  I think the addition of the extra white elements in n.2 are diluting the elegance of just having those two areas in no.1.

Now, no.3.  Very brave use of colour.  However, the tonal lightness of the sky now becomes a real problem, because that distracts you away from the colour conversations.  Those lower layers of sky need more significant darkening, so that they still exist, but it's the joy of the colour which we now savour!  See adjustment below.  Strangely, looking at the adjusted images now, it looks as if I have lightened the top layer, but in fact I darkened the next layer down (pale blue) - especially in no.1 - optical illusion?  Digital reading error?

So, well done Jane, and I hope that helps.  Maybe you disagree, and that's fine.  They stand up very well.

Jane no. 3 adjusted

Jane no. 1 adjusted

October 2017 - New Work from Elizabeth

Elizabeth never fails us!  She's been beavering away, and has produced the following pieces of work, saying : "It is some time since I have sent you anything mainly because I didn’t think there is anything worth sending !   However, I think it is about time I sent something and show you what I have been trying to work on.    The first work is working on things from photographs and I am not sure about them.  Also a few of the better sketches."     

Elizabeth 1 - 5 min sketch

Elizabeth 2 - boats

Elizabeth 3 - boats 2



Elizabeth 4 - Lonely Road, after a painting by
John Atkinson Grimshaw

Elizabeth 5 - Mara

Elizabeth 6 - Shells with book of Paul Nash

Elizabeth 7 - Summer Flowers

You are modest, as ever, Elizabeth!
The first piece, the 5 min sketch, is a little difficult to see.  I have tried boosting it, but that's as far as it will go.  However, what I can see of it, and really like, is the leaning gesture, and the HANDS.  Lovely big hands taking the weight in a most believable way.  The only thing I think you've been too conscious of, and looks a little less convincing than the rest of the drawing, is the head.

Now, these two boat pictures I am really happy about!  You are using your paint as an extension of your looking and drawing, and that's absolutely what you need to do, as we have said a few times before!  They each make a different statement, and they are both unarguably 'Elizabeth' in style - good!  I love the simplicity of your no. 2, where you've used just line, giving the whole thing an ethereal feel, and then no. 3 has that wonderful interplay of marks and colours.  They are both very nice statements - more please!
Now, your no. 4 is completely different in feel and execution - it is more of a conventional 'watercolour' in its look.  However, that is right and proper for the subject, because you wanted it to look soft and moody, and a bit melancholy.  You've used the colours in a lovely wet, fluid way, and that all adds up to a very evocative statement.  Most importantly though, even though it has a more conventional style in terms of the paint application, the way that you've represented the trees and the more distant landscape has still been done beautifully with marks, and dots and dashes - so very much 'you' still.  It's very nice.  Just take a little care with the figure.  Even if you're just representing the essence of a figure, the gesture still needs to work.  Think of some of Turner's little squiggles in the distance in a painting, you could still believe it as a crouching figure, or whatever.

Your portrait of Mara works beautifully - nothing much I can add to that.  It's useful to compare it to your no.6  'Shells and Paul Nash' though.  I like the simple colours, but I'm not convinced by the form of the shells.  The central conch-like shell is a good example - it doesn't really have much fullness, and it's not so easy to read the opening into its interior.  It's difficult, I appreciate, because a lot of shells are rather amorphous shapes, but all the more reason you need to define their form.
Your no.7 'Summer Flowers' is different again.  It's rather like a glorious fabric design!  It's got just enough detail in it.  Any more, and the whole thing could have become very overworked.  I do like the sense of light coming from behind.

No. 7 - mirrored!

Cheekily, I have played with it to see how it could be a mirrored design!  What do you think (probably hate it)?

The wonderful thing, though, is that you are doing so much experimenting, and trying different way to represent your ideas.

Thank you for sharing it all with us, Elizabeth.







SOME EXCITING WORK FROM STEPHANIE!

Hi again,  Stephanie has sent in some tremendous work, with the following comments :

 

"I have been doing a wonderful course this summer on ‘The shape of colour’ at the art Academy, which has suited me tremendously. I have had the greatest fun experimenting with pure pigments and acrylics, layering colours up on colour, and experimenting with different surfaces: board, canvas (primed and unprimed) and pure stretched linen (expensive and delicious).  My photography is not great, but here are some examples:  I have done about 20 and want to do a series of 50 square canvases.  It’s like learning to be Rothko. I am trying to put these in order:

No. 1  was a collage.  We had to play with contrasting colours.  Then (No. 2) I decided to try and paint these….and started with a  layer of vivid pink followed by blue on linen, which is the second painting.  The teacher suggested a band of contrasting yellow.  On reflection I would not have added it. 

 

Stephanie no. 1

Stephanie no. 2

Stephanie no. 3

 

The green (No. 3)
got out of control, and was too shiny: on board.

The red and blue (No. 4) was more what I was originally trying to do, but a bit predicable.  Taping up areas didn’t work well as they bled, but I quite like that.

No. 5 - The yellow is an experiment in pure tone, drawing you in.

No. 6 - The orange to see what it would look like.

 

Stephanie no. 4

Stephanie no. 5



Stephanie no. 6



Stephanie no. 7



Stephanie no. 8

 

Nos. 7 & 8 - The purples because I was playing with this extraordinary violet and electric blue and was messing about.  They are all about 30 X 30. I have a lot more….

I hope everyone has a marvellous summer and that we meet again in the autumn."


WOW!  Stephanie!  What brave and interesting paintings.  So much to talk about.  Forgive me if what I am saying has already been said in your class, but it's so that we can all share and understand why things work or don't work.

No. 1 is a great way to start.  It's just like the exercises in the Itten book that I used to flap under everyone's noses.  Doing this with bits of collage really gives you a feel of how colours talk to each other.  Some of them sink into each other, and some of them lift clear.  Some of them contrast in terms of hue (like purple and yellow) and some in tone (again like the purple and yellow).  It's also a really good way to see HOW MUCH of any one colour works - ie. in this particular piece, you wouldn't have wanted lots and lots of yellow.  Such a good way to play with colour possibilities.
There is one thing with paint that can't be anticipated with collage, and that's to do with the edge qualities.  The collage creates sharp edges.  Once you are working with your brush, you are creating soft, fused edges.  These determine how the colours speak to each other as well.  It's very interesting to compare nos. 1 & 2, because although the colours are similar, the edges are completely different.  Reds and purples grow out of each other in a most tantalising way. 
That's very true of no. 3 (greens).  This is primarily a tonal study, because all the colours are related, but how the patches work spatially is determined by their edge qualities.  They float above or sink in as a result.
No. 4 is interesting because it straddles these different elements.  Some of the edges are soft and brushes, and some have been exaggerated in their black-edged hardness by the pull of the tape.  I like that tension.  It's less 'beautiful' than the softer edged ones, but I think it makes it more arresting.
Nos. 5 & 6 are all about the spatial qualities of tone and edges.  In both of them, you are using a lighter tone in the centre to draw you in.  In the yellow one, that change is very subtle and gradual (yellow is so light anyway), and then in no. 6 the change is more obvious.  The edges are still ambiguous though, and it's almost like a light shining out.
Now, nos. 7 and 8 are very much more complex, and .... fabulous!  The reds & violets hum and shimmer and sulk in the background. These two are taken onto a new level by the little explosive elements of yellow in each.  These create a different energy and scale to the  rest of the painting.

MOST exciting Stephanie.  How great to have found this course.  get as much from it as you can, and thanks for sharing it with us!



 

NEW WORK FROM JANE

Due to a complete mix-up on my part, Jane didn't make it to our meeting at the RFH a couple of weeks ago.  Such a shame, and I do apologise, Jane.   However, what this means is that we can ALL see her work, and share in what she's achieved - a real bonus I'd say!

She says :  After battling with the heat etc here are my images of Wellcome Below prints and Granary Square painting.



Granary Square



Wellcome Below III



Welcome Below I

Welcome Below II

What a truly lovely set, Jane.  I think the Granary Square piece is absolutely brilliant.  The balance of colours and tones, the arrangement of shapes - SO super.  The things I would specifically pick out are :
*Those strong reds.  Fabulous.  Especially the small one in the middle (in fact, RIGHT in the middle, is it?)
*The echoes of shapes (the stripes in the foreground, in the little blue 'fence' and in the distant gasometer)
*The change of scale of shapes - the big shapes compared to that section in the middle of compact, small shapes.
*The clever limited palette - all colours related to the blue and the red in some way.

It is SO good Jane.

Wellcome Below III works very well.  It is entirely a study in tones.  So the eye ripples through all the contrasting tones and shapes.  the most important bit, I think, is that triangle at the bottom, and then echoes of that dark tone throughout.  That leads the eye through.  Very nicely balanced and constructed.

Wellcome Below I is a very different visual journey.  Worth everyone really understanding this.  The eye goes through the blue/grey spaces to the golden spaces.  So, it is a 3D experience, wheras no.III (above) is a 2D experience - the eye bounces across the image, and it's only scale and overlap which gives the clue to there being one space beyond the other.  The thing you've done so well, in no. I, is you've controlled the tones of the intense blue and the deep grey, meaning that they sit together, humming gently.  Then the golds and blues in the centre are a bit more varied in tone, creating a fizz of interest to look at in that space.  Very good Jane.

Now, no.II   I find more tricky!  The central area contains gorgeous colours, no doubt about that.  Then, the area at the top is very tonal (like piano keys).  That creates visual conflict.  Which is most dominant?  The eye is drawn to the colours, but those strongly toned bars drag it away and say 'look at me', with a stamp of their metaphorical feet!
The solution?  I think you have to prioritise.  Decide which visual voice is going to be the dominant one, and then work the image around that.

It's quite nice to know you're fallible, Jane.  The first three are so good, and this last one is great in parts - it's just they don't sit easily together.

What do others think?  You can always comment below, or do an email 'reply all' to make a contribution.

Thank you Jane, send through any future things you want to share.

APRIL 17 - New work from Elizabeth

Elizabeth has sent in 5 new pieces, and she says :
"I am still thinking about how I can use David Hockney in my own work not so easy as it sounds  as I don’t want to copy him.   As you can see I am still struggling."

Elizabeth 1

Elizabeth no.2

Elizabeth no.3

Elizabeth no.4

Elizabeth no. 5

Well, well - you've been busy again!  I think the comment I was making about David Hockney was to look at his drawings which were predominantly line (beautiful line, just like yours!), and then he would add AREAS of colour, and not completely colour in.  What you have ended up with here is either/or, and in the past, when you've combined the drawing with bits of colour, that's often when something magical has happened.  Look at the images on https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=david+hockney+drawings&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&sqi=2&ved=0ahUKEwi-_oelsdHTAhVGJMAKHbfFBj0Q_AUIBigB&biw=1230&bih=543#tbm=isch&q=david+hockney+drawings+colored+pencil&spf=196

I will start with your two coloured pieces.  I find them very interesting to ponder at, and wonder what's going on (always a good thing).  However, the colours let you down a bit because they are not really using colour in a very imaginative way.  The window piece (no. 2) is tantilising because of the possibilities seen out of the window, but the colours are a bit obvious (yellow = wall, purple = opening).  Could you do something more with the colour?   OR - more pencil line and touches of colour (as discussed above).  No. 1 is most intriguing.  It feels a bit like some of your 'people with umbrellas' studies from February - is it?  We are visually drawn in by the little hints which refer to human forms, and can't quite work out what's going on, which is what makes it interesting!  You've got away with the colours because not all the 'figures' are coloured quite the same, but just be careful!  I like this one a lot.

Your drawings are, as ever, very sensitive and well observed.  Tell us a bit more of a story.... put them in an intriguing context, even if it's just a mark or a shape behind them.  Your classic drawings are where you have  a figure in a context, but we don't quite know what's going on.  make a bit more space around them.

So - to move on....   I think definitely do more figure drawings, but make them tell a story.  And also try the idea of line combined with colour and your lovely unique marks.  Don't drop those skills.  Keep it up Elizabeth!

MARCH 17 - NEW WORK FROM ELIZABETH

 
Elizabeth is so determined to keep producing work, and challenging herself - it's great.  She says :  "This is my slim work for March and I have done some scratchy sketches.  I went to David Hockney exhibition and really enjoyed it."

Elizabeth no. 1

Elizabeth no. 2

Elizabeth no. 3

Elizabeth no. 4

 

 

Well, I can't think of a better person for you to be inspired by at the moment, than David Hockney.  His quality of line, his willingness to experiment, his intimacy of ideas, all chime so well with what you do, Elizabeth!

On to specifics....   I think the two flower studies are very sweet, and it's good to see you painting again.  No. 2 is particularly lovely, and I have no comments about this one other than that.  It's great!  No. 1 struggles a bit with the strong blue overwhelming the delicate yellow - it's that tonal thing again.  It gets away with it, but struggles a bit!  The blue pattern tends to dominate the gorgeous yellow daffs.  If you made the background less white, maybe a blue/grey, or, give the more delicate daffodil a stronger centre, like the other one, just to make it come forward a little.

Your two figures are OK, but I've seen so much better from you.  I think you were possibly doing this with other people around, so you were more self-conscious about how they 'should' look?  They just been a bit over-titivated, and lost their spark.  Your very suggested and spontaneous drawings are always your best.  I do like the pose of no. 3 though - your awareness of that slight lean, as if she's about to move.  Very nicely observed.

 

So, keep going - keep experimenting.  You put us all to shame.  Always be 'you'!!!  Think how open and honest David H. was.  he did what he needed to do, and that was that.  His line was fluid and honest.  His colours were immense, or very sensitive a brief in other, drawn pieces.  Why not try and do a couple of drawings/paintings of your subjects, but in the style of a D. H. piece - choose a line piece with discrete areas of colour?

FEB. 17 - NEW WORK FROM ELIZABETH

Hello all, and I hope this finds you well.

Elizabeth has made another set of work to share - thank you Elizabeth!  She says :  This is a composition workshop we did at Sutton Watercolourists, not to see who could do the best picture from a  photo, but to look at the range of composition ideas we all had from the same photo.  If you want to see the other ideas they are on Sutton Watercolourists Facebook page.  I found it stimulating and rewarding.  I liked trying out different ideas."

No. 1

No. 2

No. 3

No. 4

What a good idea.  The various versions are not very clear on the Facebook page though.  The big challenge with a photo is always not to become too slavish in the way that you 'copy' from it.  You have steered clear of any bear-traps very nicely.  Your drawing (no.1) is really fabulous.  It is people in the rain, but it's also so much more.  I particularly like the light jacket against the dark shapes on the left, in contrast to the more drawn line.

To be very honest, I am not keep on the intense blue/red pieces - the colour rather takes over from anything else.  the painted forms are interesting, but it's quite hard work accessing them because that colour gets in the way.  What do other people think?
I do, however, very much like no. 4 with its touches of pink.  It all comes back to that relentless conversation about colour and tone.  These are all effectively tonal pieces (drawn/painted shapes on white paper), and so the colour intensity needs to be knocked back, and it's the more neutral pieces which work best.  I do really like no. 4, especially that poor, damp looking person on his own in the centre - telling a story.

No. 5 is very delicate and has a charm to it, again with that single person in the middle.  It maybe needs a little bit more oomph on the left, or trim that left edge off.

Super stuff Elizabeth - now you know it works for you, you could do some more work from photos?  But just remember - try not to us very strong colour in a predominantly tonal pieces.

No. 5