Printing/Moth

I will have to either draw a smaller moth or shrink my original drawing on the computer, due to financial restraints at college we are supplied with very small copper plates for etching and my drawing is too big (would have been nice to have known this before I spent so much time on it!). But this is not really a problem as it gives me time to re-assess my final print. 

So in the meantime.....I have completed 3 prints (one too light, one too dark and one good) of a  soft ground etching on the plate supplied. I  created a background on my plate consisting of some scrim and a quarter of a leaf embedded into a ground which is rolled onto the copper, then put through a press, the scrim and leaf is then removed leaving indentations and finally  ink rubbed and rolled onto the plate and printed onto damp Somerset paper. This took most of the day to do, but I really enjoyed it and am pleased with the results, will  post photos when the prints have dried, they have to be left under pressure until dry to prevent warping.

Next week I will be adding to my plate using Hard Ground Etching, I will probably draw a smaller moth as the detail in the bigger one will be lost on the small prints, but if all goes well I may buy some copper plate and make some larger prints. The drawing can go into my project sketch book as this is all assessed with the  final outcome.

I am planning an artist book consisting of prints and stitching on paper, about "shadows" (Jung) and things, under the surface,   from the unconscious and archetypes. Until then it is back to the drawing board (commission) and I have to collate all my photos, info etc on all my gallery visits, artist inspiration etc from the last year into one "journal" 

Today

Just got in so thought I would make a quick post whilst grabbing a cup of tea before getting dinner.
Today went well, three of my group did presentations  and I was reasonably happy with mine, I think maybe I could have put more detail in the actual Power Point (I certainly had enough information in my notes) but on the whole I was happy I covered the brief, and I enjoyed the discussion afterwards on all three, I did mine first as I get a bit nervous and like to get these things out of the way.
Next we had a presentation by visiting artist Fiona Cassidy.
 Life drawing was good this afternoon and surprisingly I enjoyed drawing Jane (our female model)in charcoal, more than I did the one of Andrew (ditto male) I did in pencil, I think it maybe that I spend less time worrying about details with charcoal so the whole thing ends up much looser and (relatively speaking) fresher.
So this evening will be spent on my "moth" drawing ready for etching tomorrow, it really should have been done in the "reading week" but I spent most of that on the commission!

I have just finished my Moth so thought I would add it here.....
I rather like how it's turned out, just hope it is suitable for etching tomorrow
It's a death head moth hence the skull patterning on the back

Tues 23 Feb

Well it is now 22.00 and I have just about finished my presentation for tomorrow, I decided on the beguiling of Merlin for the thick (aesthetics) and Kandinsky's Accent in Pink painting for the thin, hope I have it right, will know tomorrow that's for sure.

The basic principle for the aesthetics stuff (sorry too tired to remember correct terms;-)) is thick aesthetic art has deeper meaning than the surface values, ie a narrative, story or expression of something. Art with thin aesthetics has no obvious deeper meaning and is taken at face value, ie the beauty of line, form or colour. It sounds very straight forward, but I have had the devil of a time finding something for the thin, as even abstract art very often has deeper or less obvious meanings. Anyway I make no apologies for showing Edward Burne - Jone's version of Nimue's (Vivian) betrayal of Merlin again and also Wassily Kandinsky's Accent in Pink.

checking in

Thought I would post as I am becoming rather neglectful of late, thats not to say I have not been doing any art work. I am still working on the coloured pencil commission for my college course, I can't believe how long its  taken me so far............admittedly I have scrapped a couple of starts and cannot spend as much time as I would like on it due to all the other bits of the course and real life getting in the way. I am still thinking I have made a huge mistake doing it in pencil not pastel, but did not see how else to get the detail in!
We have just had half term/reading week and once again I haven't managed to finish (or even start) the work we were set as I have spent nearly the whole time on the commission, but did manage to fit in a visit to the Bristol Galleries, which I have to admit to enjoying very much after setting out without much enthusiasm.
So tonight and tomorrow will be spent catching up, I have a Power Point presentation to prepare on Thick and Thin Aesthetics in Artworks which I have looked at but finding it difficult to choose a painting for the thick aesthetics as I love so many, will most likely be something by one of the Pre-Raphaelites, as I just love the style of painting and the romantic and mythological themes, or maybe John William Waterhouse, who in the strictest sense was too late to belong to the P-R brotherhood but painted in a similar style and context, and I do have the most fabulous book about his work ;-)
I also have to do some research and prepare a drawing for etching on thursday (which I am really quite exited about),  but again I have some ideas for this as it is to be used in our 10-week projects we are just starting, more information on this in later blog as I don't want to write loads tonight (and I am not sure it makes interesting reading for others) for now i will just add a few paintings I have considered for my presentation
the first is the Beguiling of Merlin (by Vivain, Nimue or Vivienne) by Edward Burne-Jones

and the following three are all by John William Waterhouse

Crystal Ball /skull                                                                                         Lamia

Boreas

Monday

Busy working on SW commission, so not much to post. I have decided to plow/plough? on with the CP version as I have invested so much time in it already, and I think it is looking a little better today. I may take it into college tomorrow for advice...........
Rather a raw wind here and Oskar and Maisie have been in the warm all day, so has been quite companionable working with the two of them in the same room.



Not taken today, but rather apt!

Cat Nap.

barking up the wrong tree?

No pictures again this morning (hopefully later if light improves today), having a little crisis of confidence at the moment (whats new!) having spent goodness know how many hours on my college commission, which is a piece for a local wildlife sanctury, consisting of two children and various animals in front of a large tree and landscape background, I am not at all happy with it. Possibly something to do with the fact that after several false starts in pastel I decided to attempt it in coloured pencils, a medium I have only dabbled with a couple of times without much success and as its on A1 mount board a tad over ambitious me thinks! The composition is now working and I have put in the sky but am not sure on the lay down, after about 3+ very light layers of pencil it is looking quite smooth, but I still have some white showing through making it look "crayony" and its becoming a little waxy, so I dont think more layers are a good idea, not sure whether to carry on, revert to the pastel one with the composition that I don't like or start another one in pastel but with the new composition!

Tues

Good day at college today managed to finish the 3 textile moths I have been making over the last few days, but forgot my camera so have no pics today (will try to get some soon) have just the evaluations for the 4 workshops to do by tomorrow p.m. and I should be some where near done! Unfortunately my "saggar Book" has not yet been fired and wont be ready for my assessment on thursday, but as this not my fault hoping it won't go against me.
A couple more doll pics as promised for a friend, this was done for my foundation diploma studies last year ..........
Bi-polar doll

I also want to add this photo of one of my daughter's kittens as she is just so pretty, I am hoping to paint/draw her (the cat) at some stage and also her sister who is also very pretty but completely different in colour (will post a pic soon)

Just a quick update, as I have no new work to post at the moment.
 Had an excellent day in Ceramics yesterday, creating a book out of paper pages and clay slip, similar to the method used to make saggar firing kilns, painting each page with slip then drying with a hot air gun. This will now be fired and hopefully become a very fragile book  (I have a 20% chance success rate according to Simon our ceramics tutor, so lots of crossed fingers please ;-)) I will then use more clay and/or textiles to make further additions, consisting of moths and/or butterflies.
I spent the whole day doing this and expected it to be quite boring, but have to say I really enjoyed the process even if I did take more clay slip home on my clothes and person than I left in the studio! and if doesn't work this time I am quite prepared to try again ;-)
Tidying up my digital photo library I came across a couple of my cloth doll pics, so thought I would post them here as due to changes they are no longer on my (new) website. The second (clown) was made from a pattern, designed by Jill Maas

Ideas for Ceramics

I started my ceramics workshop last week, having lost a week already due to the weather I am very aware that I only have 2 weeks now to do my project.  I have an idea about making a clay book, as perfect and beautiful on the outside as I can get it, but with "things" stuck, squashed or crawling between some pages.
Originally I was thinking of maybe  a small "dead" bird or creature, but think the feasibility of actually being able to find or create this is limited, so am now thinking along the lines of a broken (wings) fairy, not a pretty fay type, but something a little edgy, this would tie in quite neatly to my sculpture project, which partly consisted of casting an ornament of a fairy on a ball which turned out with varying degrees of success and as usual I preferred the broken versions ie minus feet, bits of wing etc. Hopefully this project will symbolize the outward idea of striving for perfection and "good"  the other "stuff" inside is imperfect, or "bad" (or just human?)  - broken fantasy (dream) fairy tale and magic, escapism in reading. Hope this makes sense ;-)
will add some pics of sculpture/3d up soon


oh well  "so little time, so much to do"

Sunday

Well I intended to work on my Secret World (college project) commission this weekend, but as usual things have not gone to plan and I have managed about an hour on it so far! I have been looking after Leah 8 and Sam 2 (my GC) this morning and after watching Polar Express (a little later than I originally intended!!) we did some drawing on big pieces of paper on the floor and I showed leah how to do indenting and relief with oil pastel under coloured pencil which she loved.

I was searching through some old Photo-Bucket photos trying to find some pics I had put up of Kara's (Leah and sammy's mum, and my daughter) two cats a couple of years ago, as leah wanted to print them for her " all about me " box she is doing for a school project, when I came across this small (A4) pastel I did for my sister's partner who is Austrian, and thought I would post it.

I remember thinking at the time that landscape was not my forte', but looking at it now it doesen't seem so bad! The composition is a bit "iffy" but I do think there may well be something in the idea of leaving work you are not happy with for a while (Ok, maybe not a year +) and coming back to it!

On another note I have found more artists to add to my ever growing list of inspirations and influences. When Kev (husband) and I went to Edinburgh at Christmas we visited amongst others the Scottish National Gallery (much to his delight !) I was really taken by a series of very large Embroideries

by Phoebe Anna Traquair (1852-1936)

Traquair was on of the most accomplished artists of the Arts and Crafts movement (which we have just covered at college) and her work is very appealing to me as I have dabbled with textile and needlework as well as being very inspired by the style of her artwork, feeling very similar to Mucha,and even Klimt in the more ornate pieces.

So upon investigation, on Amazon I discovered a very nice little paperback (which I have ordered) and also came across "Doves and Dreams" a book about the lives and careers of Frances Macdonald (1873-1921), sister of Margaret Macdonald, and J. Herbert McNair (1868-1955), the two artists who have hitherto been considered as adjuncts to the Mackintoshes, (The Glasgow four),

the blurb on Amazon quotes

"Doves and Dreams" will spotlight the achievements of two remarkable artists: McNair, the innovator and inspira

tional teacher, and Macdonald, an exceptional talent who produced some of the most remarkable symbolist watercolours of the twentieth century. The original book was rather expensive but luckily I found a second-hand version at about half the price! don't you just love Amazon ;-)

Snow Show 2010

Not many of us managed to get into college today, but those that did were put to the task of creating a blog with a show of snow around the campus....................so thought I would add a few here to show how hard we worked!

not so much The Terracotta Army more a little snow patrol!

snow show Joe

and of course this would not be complete without the inevitable snow ball fight

and some pretty pictures.........

Christmas Commission/

Could not post this before as it was a surprise for my clients husband, but have had an email to say he was delighted with his "girls", so thought I would update. Not a brilliant photo due to lighting and reflections.........