SURVIVAL

Survival of the Fittest – Coloured pencil on pastel board

As part of my preparation to start a new theme or as in this case, re-visiting one, I like to work on drawings that I have discarded in the past, preferably related to theme I intend to work with.

One of the drawings I did not include in my Bread exhibition is featured today. I did a little more work on it and I’ll have it on ’standby’ in case I make a sale at my forthcoming Bread exhibition.

I need to get back into thinking bread and by working on past drawings I am able to get into the bread mood.

How do you prepare yourself if you are about to re-visit a theme or commence a new one?

I shall feature another example tomorrow.

Richard

PATIENCE

 

All artists need patience, ‘stickability’, focus and application especially when their work is demanding because of its technique, detail or its expected time frame. You certainly need patience when things aren’t going well. The ability to deal with timelines effectively not only requires discipline, but patience as well.

Coloured pencil artists are no exception in fact their work often requires extreme patience. Cps are small in size and cover very little area for a lot of effort. Most coloured pencil works are not as large as most watercolours, oils or acrylics, and they are very labour intensive. But they are a very ‘direct’ medium and are great to use when accuracy and detail are required, but a high degree of patience is essential.

Probably the greatest challenges for cp artists are miniatures (100cm sq) and very large drawings (over 7000cm sq). I have experienced both; the smaller size is akin to microsurgery, while the other could be compared to climbing a mountain.

I struggle to be ‘patient’ with most of my work at some stage of its creation. The answer? By working on more than one drawing I add variety to each week in my studio. In fact I often have three quite different pieces ‘on the go’ at the one time. When I start each morning, my mood determines what I shall do for that day. There are days when all I want to do is work on some photos or draw on my computer. I may decide to write a series of blog posts (as I’m doing now). If I feel relaxed and motivated, I tackle something that requires a lot of concentration and that’s usually a cp drawing.

I’ve been working on a commission over the past few weeks and it’s almost finished. But I haven’t worked on it for more than two days in a row at a time. It’s been a demanding drawing; enjoyable, but demanding, hence the need for breaks now and then, sometimes as much as a week. I hope to have it framed next week.

I don’t always enjoy working with coloured pencils. There were days when I would push myself to finish a drawing regardless of how I felt. This is not the way to work! I now handle my time a lot better in my retirement ….retirement? I haven’t really retired ….. I’m just heading in a new direction!

You should only work on your art when you want to, not when you have to. Patience doesn’t necessarily evolve from experience it comes from discipline.

The art process is in most cases quite therapeutic and encourages patience. Don’t take your work too seriously and you’re bound to find it enjoyable and that in turn will give you plenty of patience!

Today’s image and detail is from Shoreline Lake St. Clair, a very large and detailed drawing that required lots of patience!

Richard

GOING WITH THE GRAIN

Finnen Bread – digital image

Last Wednesday morning I took a series of photos of a loaf of bread that I had been given. It is known as a Finnen loaf, a bread full of seeds and extremely heavy and wholesome.

Today’s image is taken from the loaf’s surface and (for me) has both abstract and landscape qualities.

I am considering a number of ideas and I’ll explore them in more detail over the coming weeks.

I am still interested in seeing bread as a landscape object, rather than just ‘bread’ as we all see it. Let’s face it, when you look at a loaf of bread, you don’t see a brick do you!

By exploring this theme I hope to develop another way of interpreting bread in my art.

Richard

RETAIL THERAPY

Within a week or two I will be displaying some of my ‘bread’ art at Banjo’s Bakery, Kings Meadows. I approached Roger the owner, last week and asked him if I could hang some work in his bakery/café. He actually operates two only 200 metres apart, but this particular retail outlet has an excellent wall which will be fitted with a series of hooks that will enable me to hang 6 drawings.

Am I a glutton for punishment or what!

My first exhibition of ‘bread’ drawings failed to realise a sale, but I thought it best to get the work out of my studio and into the public domain. At least I have paid for my framing and Roger isn’t charging me any commission.

I am presently working on new ‘Bread’ ideas and hope to complete some more drawings in case I sell some of my existing work.

Today’s featured image is a collection of some of the work that I intend to display. There are more that will be featured later on this blog along with an exhibition update.

Why a bakery, not a gallery?

The art market in Tasmania is very limited due to our isolation from mainland Australia and the size of our population, so I thought it best to take my art to ‘the people’.  At the least, I am getting my name out into the public arena. In this case it’s a busy café. There’s also the added bonus of people sitting down for enough time to see the work. Many patrons are ‘locals’ and return often for a coffee, so there might be the chance of a sale. With Christmas coming up and a lot more people out and about, it’s a good time to advertise one’s wares. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

I’ve experienced enough setbacks in my art journey, but the thought of another retail failure doesn’t daunt me. At the least, I am getting my name out into the public arena. I have already been called “The Bread Man”, but I’m not sure if that’s a positive or a negative title; time will tell.

So the struggle and the journey continue …

Richard

MIND OVER MATTER

Whenever we look at a piece of art, regardless of its medium, style or subject matter, we make a decision to either approve or disapprove it. In other words we either like it or we don’t!

We arrive at such judgements through our experiences in life. The broader our education and life experiences, the more valid our judgements are; or is that so? We need to understand what we see in order to make such judgements. If we don’t understand, we think that what we are seeing is often rubbish because we need a visual translation in order to appreciate what we are looking at. Everything we know and have learnt shapes our feelings and reactions. Change (for some) and new ideas (for many) are often hard to accept because they go against what we know and what we’ve been taught and experienced in our lives.

I once heard a lady in a gallery commenting on a painting that she disliked  because it depicted a number of blue-coloured sheep, and as sheep weren’t blue, she thought the painting was rubbish! Many art patrons think that all abstract art is a total waste of time because it means nothing to them. They need to see ‘real’ objects to make sense of it.

But what if the painting you were looking at wasn’t what you thought it was even though you liked it? What did you base your judgement on? If you changed your mind after being told its meaning by the artist, what is that saying about the way you see art?

Today’s featured painting is a good example. Do you like it? If so, why, if not, why? What’s the painting about? Did you have to ‘see’ something in it to identify with the painting?

This painting is based on one of the following:

1. A blood-splattered window where the colours have been altered.
2. The four seasons (not the pop group).
3. Bird poo splattered over a window frame.
4. An aerial view near the sea.
5. An unsuccessful prison breakout.
6. A composition with 4 squares

It was number 3. Did you get it right? If you simply liked the painting for its composition, shapes and colours, then you also got it right!

Funny thing the mind, isn’t it?

Richard

ACCIDENTAL ART

IS ACCIDENTAL ART VALID?

On November 20, I am conducting my final workshop for the year with the Launceston Art Society. As I have held three workshops this year on abstract art I thought it would be appropriate to have an “accidental art” theme on this occasion. When I floated the idea with my last class they were very keen to participate. I have been busy collecting all manner of things and I’m really looking forward to the day.

It’s good (and necessary) from time to time to forego all the planning and preparation that we artists do and just “do it” without regards of the outcome. This is an event, a journey of discovery, a time for enjoyment and a chance to release a side of you that may have been “hibernating”. We always want results don’t we? We love control! Why? Because we don’t like to “fail”, we want every painting to work. Sometimes we get impatient and expect results every time, but this doesn’t happen in the “real world”. Careful planning and preparation does not always guarantee success.

Accidental art can work if we know when to stop and celebrate it for its own sake and not feel guilty about its creation from “nothing”. Never start such art with a selling price in mind, this is all about you!

I expect results from every member of my class (no pressure) and I look forward to posting some examples from the workshop.

Have you tried some accidental art lately?

Richard

ALPHAINVENTIONS – A GOOD INVESTMENT

At the beginning of October I celebrated my first 12 months of blogging. I had managed 36,500 hits in that time and I was very pleased with the feedback I was getting. I decided to subscribe to Alphainventions and see if my hit rate would increase. Boy, did it ever!

I more than doubled my total hit rate in that month. I have now passed 80,000.

THANKYOU ALPHAINVENTIONS!

I had been thinking about subscribing for some time but the cost didn’t seem to make it worth the effort. Looking back I now see that it was worth the money and I’ll continue subscribing and review the situation at the end of September 2010.

Living in the Southern Hemisphere I seem to get most of my hits overnight. Being in the reading cycle for longer periods has meant not only a bigger hit rate, but a more consistent one.

Alphainventions is a worthwhile investment and I recommend all serious bloggers to consider this option.

Today’s featured work is a series of abstract digital drawings that are variations of the top image. Which is your favourite?

The original image is a bird poo-splattered pane of glass. How do you feel about that!

Richard

PAY ARTISTS BY THE HOUR!

The top drawing is 30 x 40 cm, while the lower is 20 x 20 cm. Which took the longest?

One of my lovely blogging-artist friends was lamenting the other day on how some artists earn thousands of dollars for a piece of work that took so little time to create. She had a point, one that gets “up the noses” of a lot of artists, particularly those who slave over their work for weeks, even months and finally hang it in a gallery hoping for a sale.

I have the answer, pay artists a fixed hourly rate! Joy!!

The only problems will be agreeing on a rate and how you convince potential buyers that your work is worth the advertised price. I have been asked on ‘numerous’ occasions, “How long did it take you to do it?” If you stopped and added up the hours of preparation, cost of materials, travel and the time to actually paint, your “fee” would probably price your work out of the art market.

If plumbers, electricians etc. can do it, why can’t we?

Creating art is not about time or money it’s about one’s desire (need) to say something in visual terms. It’s a journey, therapy, an escape from the realities we face each day. Art priced by the hour is art without integrity. We paint because we love to, or we should. Artists who earn their living solely through their art are under tremendous pressure to produce for the market. If their own truly original work sells they are fortunate. Many artists are forced into a “commercial” form of their art. I wonder if they ever yearn to be truly themselves?

I don’t measure the success of a painting by the time I think it took the artist, I judge whether or not I deem the painting to be a success on its composition, technique, originality, presentation and its relationship to its title.

Good luck to anyone who can create a worthwhile painting in 20 minutes! To me that’s only a 20-minute journey. I prefer to take my time and smell the roses!

Richard

PS. The bottom drawing took the longest time to produce.

IS DIGITAL ART REALLY ART?

Hawley Abstract – Digital drawing

Civilization’s thirst for knowledge has realised many wonderful inventions. Some have improved our lives, even extended them while others we could well do without.

The world of art has never been so challenged by new technology than it is at present. Some artists shun the “new ways” and happily create their art in ways that have been the norm for centuries. But things are changing; the old values are being challenged. New ideas are great, but they don’t guarantee a better outcome than art is presently experiencing.

The basis for producing meaningful art is sound education and worthwhile art experiences. I am unaware of what is going on around the world in art education/training, but I am greatly concerned about the situation where I live in Tasmania. These days there seems to be an attitude that technique is not that important in an artist’s repertoire. I see a lot of art and often it reveals a lack of understanding in regards to technique. Why is there so much “borrowing” of information these days? Why is there so much copying? What’s happened to being original? Don’t tell me we’ve run out of ideas!

Digital art has opened a “Pandora’s Box” in that it seems to have no boundaries or conscience when it comes to creating art. Is this a good or a bad thing?

I think digital art is the reflection of society today and that makes it a legitimate art form and this fact would no doubt send shivers down the spines of “traditional artists’. Art today is tomorrow’s creative archaeology, it’s a record of how we feel now about the things that really concern us (or it should).

The camera and the computer have shaken the foundations of art and this is a good thing. Complacency only encourages creative dullness and there is a lot of work about that is more about imitation than individual response.

The potential of digital art is awesome, but I feel this will come at a cost. The use of “borrowed” images such as photos and scanned illustrations has encouraged more people to participate in art. While that may sound a good thing, there often seems to be a lack of understanding of composition and at times, a total neglect of the value of drawing.

I’m sounding old-fashioned aren’t I! Maybe I am, as I was the product of an art school education, but I believe we should be in control of what we do and not always rely on chance or accident for our successes.

Digital art in the hands of a trained artist has so much potential. Will its place in art history be determined by the economics of the art market or by its intellectual standing?

Richard

DIGITAL ART Part 5.

Today’s image is a detail from a photo I am working on for a photographic competition I am intending to enter. Unlike yesterday’s posted image, this in its entirety is quite realistic.

Using photoshop, I am working on the intricate shapes to highlight the power of the floodwater.

Is this art or photography? Is it photographic art? What’s that? Are there any boundaries between art and photography anymore?

I am looking forward to publishing some of my digital art exploits and hope I get some constructive feedback.

Tomorrow: Is Digital Art really art?

Richard