Back to it

The holiday was great. A whole week of walking, eating, and generally enjoying being away from technology and the rat race. I took my guitar with me and strummed a bit each day (still not very good but I know a few chords now and can manage the odd tune. Currently enjoying playing/singing Drunken Angel by Lucinda Williams).

I did some sketching - nothing more than a couple of minutes for each one but having younger daugher there sketching too did make it more fun - and it meant she joined us on most of the walks.

Monday's class was a bit of an anti-climax after that. I just don't seem to be getting to grips with this class. It's three hours and you'd think I'd manage to get something done in that, which I liked. But no. I have an idea, i just can't seem to get to grips with and it's a bit irritating. I did start a painting which is the basis of the idea but I don't seem to be able to resolve much and what made me feel worse was that after I thought a good discussion with the tutor about what I was trying to convey, he didn't even pass comment at the end of the evening on what I'd done. I guess he didn't like it. He was pleased I have lots of things to think about but I could tell he didn't like the way I'd started. Still, I have a lot of work to do to resolve it.

In contrast to this the Tuesday class tutor was so encouraging and that does seem to help me work better. I'm not sure what the difference is. It's a shorter class but somehow the tutor seems more interested and comments on sections which work and helps me to resolve things that don't. He encourages me to try different techniques and it just seems to make me feel less pressure. I mentioned that I was having problems separating the two modules between the classes and he suggested that I don't try. Just concentrate on producing and working on my ideas and leave the division of work to when it is essential - which is another few months. His encouragement and attitude did make me feel I was doing fine and I ended up producing at least one piece I quite liked.

All good inspiration :-) .......

Deja Vue

This time last year (to the day) I left one job to start another. I had a weeks holiday first. Yesterday, I finished one job and this morning am getting ready to go on holiday to the Lake District (where I hope I'll get loads of sketching done). When I get back I start a new job. I have a very strange sense of deja vue. I hope that this time moving won't be as big a mistake as I made last year.

On the positive side, it was the catalyst which made me decide to resign and try to concentrate more on my art studies. I think I can honestly say this last year has been one of the most unsettled in my whole life, or unsettling.

Being back at college and into the routine of going to classes has definitely been a good thing these last two weeks. The summer was difficult because I really didn't have much motivation to do any art but now I feel a new sense of motivation and a determination that I really have to try hard to make this part of my life work.

So, in amongst the packing and sorting things before I go I'm frantically thinking about what materials to take with me - should I take lots of paints or stick with pencils, oilbars, charcoal and pastels? My materials rucksack is overflowing and I know I'm about to pack just about everything.

I'm excited already about the colours and scenery I hope to find and just pray that there will be a little sunshine along the way. It's been about four years since we were in the Lakes for a holiday and I really, really miss it. SYD (significant younger daughter) is studying art too so the car will be very full of all our things. Hopefully we'll get a bit of walking in too. I'm so excited.....

Anyway, less typing and more packing.............................later x

Flat

Sometimes I get flat moments. Tonight is one of them. I didn't do any sketching today. I will have to do better tomorrow and not let my demeanour get in the way of art.

Developing Drawing Class

Last night's class turned out fine eventually. I couldn't really get into it at the beginning. We have a temporary tutor for the next two weeks and perhaps this felt like an interruption to the flow of last week. I had a chat with him and although he thought I could be developing work from last week, there was a still life to work on - similar to last week and for me it was good because it was also structural - I was happy trying something different to make sure I have a larger body of research to work on.

The lighting was very different and there were more objects to concentrate on - if we wanted to. I started sketching in pastel, for no particular reason other than that I hadn't used pastels for a while. The result was ok but nothing special. I wanted to concentrate more on the scale and proportion but the tutor asked whether that was important to me. I suppose it isn't really.

We then went on to do some printing and I liked the effect I got. I used ink and oilbar on newsprint and the tutor liked the different textures I'd obtained. I then went on to do a very quick oilbar sketch on card. I liked it but he felt the background was too busy. I am quite happy with progress so far this term. I've done a bit more research on Frank Auerback and Mel Bochner (I wasn't keen on his work really but the other tutor suggested him to me). This tutor suggested Franz Klein, whom I quite like but perhaps feel some works are too primitive, and Giacommeti's sketches - I can see the link in this sketch.

Monday Class

Today I managed a bit of sketching before class and then worked on some structure paintings in class. The tutor thought they were all a bit "samey" and "blue" - which was right really. They were all similar and I was working on them all at the same time. He thought that they were losing the form I had in the sketches and that I should probably work on them a bit further apart - I had them all together on my board - and he suggested working with different grounds so they were different. I suppose I was just using the same colour and the overall effect was a bit too bright. I think I understood what he was saying - i.e don't lose the feel of the sketches and what they were of.

North Berwick

Started sketching my guitar this morning but wasn't very impressed with the result so went for a walk. It was another gloriously sunny day so I took loads of photographs to help with research. I have a flickr site which I post most of my images to but might transfer some of the art research ones to this site at some point.

Sunshine and procrastination

I only managed one quick sketch today - a building project near where I'm currently working. The weather was just too good - and hot. Hard to believe this is October. I think the sketch is probably more for my environment module. Unfortunately the ink ran out of the printer today so I have to buy some more before printing off some more images I want to use for development.

I'm also trying to teach myself how to play guitar, so sat in the sunshine and strummed "Drunken Angel" by Lucinda Williams - I'm not great, but it's coming on. I'd really like to do a good painting incorporating my guitar - it's such a beautiuful shape.

Working

Having now set up this blog, I'm happy that it should help me keep working on the research and inspire me to continue to think that I really could be an artist. The summer seems to have gone now and it's time to forge ahead with dreams. I haven't felt like an artist for months but starting new classes has given me that kick I needed. I've even tentatively signed up for another two theory modules. I'm hoping that this space will help me record what my tutors discuss with me and from there I should be able to devlop my interests and keep track of all those brillian ideas I have!

Inspired

After the two classes, and especially the Tuesday night one, I was inspired to work on the image I had been doing. I scanned it in and selected a few areas to zoom into. There were some areas which I don't like but a few tiny bits which I'd like to try to develop.

Also took sketch book to work and did one image and took some photos of the structure being built outside. While it's really annoying working next to a new build, it's very inspirational watching something new rise out of the ground - and so quickly!

Developing Drawing

Second night feels like deja vu - same talk. The class is in a studio I didn't even know existed but must have walked past several times over the years. There was a very disconcerting cloud of smoke and a smell of burning in the main sculpture court but after checking fire exit positions most people gave up worrying about it.

I haven't had this tutor before and he was really nice. He listened to what I was saying, gave me confidence to forget about assessments and conventions and just try to work out how I want to do things. He showed me how to get a great line in oilbar by masking off with a piece of card. It's an effect I liked and used a couple of times in the piece. (Still life with lots of upturned chairs). I really loved the lines and structure of the piece and enjoyed playing with the oilbar. He asked if I always drew "like this" - I'm not quite sure what that meant but he then recommended I should look at the work of Frank Auerbach. I will do that tomorrow online and see what I think. Great class and it's inspired me again to work more on my own.

Beginning of term

Characteristically of late, I was so disorganised I nearly missed my first class. A quick dash home to change and grab materials left me harrassed, hot and bothered. I barged in to a full meeting, inadvertantly knocking into people with my rucksack and eventually collapsed into a chair, trying to stifle my heavy breathing from rushing up the stairs. But all was well , it was a new speaker this year but a recycled script allowed me to realise, I hadn't missed anything important.

My first class of the year is called Aspects of Painting. Again, my organisation skills ensured that I only packed oilbar, charcoal and pastels !! I had a useful discussion with the tutor about how the class will fit into the module i'm doing. I'd brought old sketchbooks to show some of the work I might like to develop but was aware that I was so unsure about the subject matter that the tutor said I should start afresh. Ah well, so much for trying to prepare a little.

I worked on a still life in oilbar but felt distinctly like I was back in term 1, year 1. Still, it was good to get back and nice to meet new people.