ABSTRACTING TULIPS

I have enjoyed a successful fortnight working for my next one-man show, this time at the Brave Art Gallery in Longford, Tasmania. I aim to produce a series of ‘cleansed’ landscapes, some of which border on the abstract due to their minimal detail.

The clean lines of sown and ploughed paddocks feature prominently in the first 6 paintings that I have produced. I am now turning my attention to tulip fields that form part of the rich tapestry of farmland in North West Tasmania.

I have featured 2 paintings today of tulips at Table Cape. As you can see, the bottom image is a work-in-progress, but there’s enough detail to show you the nature of my subject.

From a distance fields of tulips are seen as bands of colour and this suits my way of seeing. I love the simplicity of these fields and their vibrancy. There is a ‘loudness’ that I find appealing, and these paintings will add a touch of ‘dazzle’ to my exhibition.

Although landscapes in their own right, I want to include areas of very little detail and clean, well-defined areas of colour.

Art is not simply about what one sees, it’s about what fires your imagination.

Where to after the tulips?

Following a series of ‘tulip’ paintings I intend to ‘move’ to the Midlands area of Tasmania, a landscape that is very different to what I’m currently working on, then to Tasmania’s North East, again, different with its own unique appeal.

Tasmania is packed with subjects crying out to be painted!

Richard

WHERE TO NOW?

Top: “Whimsical Autumn”

Below: “The Magic Stream“

The past fortnight has been a rewarding time for me that’s realised 4 new paintings in my ‘whimsical’ theme. I’m enjoying this work immensely. It’s a lot freer than I’ve been used to of late, less contrived and from time to time, I’ve changed my mind in regards to the content, without any change to the over all aims of the paintings.

But where to now?

I’ve yet to frame any of the 6 paintings that I have produced in this theme. I’m hoping to exhibit 1 or 2 at a major exhibition in June. What will the (buying) public think of this new direction in my work? The only way to find out is to ‘jump into the deep end’.

I was contemplating a show of this type of work next March, but my present thoughts are about having a ‘type’ of retrospective exhibition featuring examples of my work from the past 40 years.

Back to the present. I need to take this ‘new’ work a step further. I like the whimsical dare I say ‘innocent’ approach, but I fear that I may end up with a vast collection of similar-looking work. The answer? Look for a broader, different subject area, but still continue with my present style. I don’t won’t my work to be ‘serious’, but I expect that I will choose serious subjects. The challenge then comes to take a light-hearted look at them.

Another highway on my journey of discovery…

Richard

HAPPY DAYS?

Whimsical Landscape 3

Prismacolors on pastel board   40 x 40 cm

Things haven’t been easy since my one-man show last month where I only sold 2 paintings. I have struggled to maintain any real momentum and that has strangely enough, seen the ‘birth’ of a less-serious series of paintings that can be classified as ‘whimsical’. One may even call them ‘happy’, ‘cheerful’, ‘naive’, ‘innocent’ etc, etc. I’m not sure where these paintings have come from. I suspect they are from my ‘vulnerable’ side, and are a last-ditched attempt at producing something that will acquire a red dot. maybe they are a product of my frustration and (at times) annoyance as to the ‘buying’ public’s attitude towards my work.

I got very close in the recent Tasmanian Art Awards with one of my ‘bricks’, a large abstract that I consider the best painting I’ve done since returning from the mainland after a year’s holiday. But (as has been the case before), I wasn’t close enough. Where did I go wrong? Is it worth pursuing the theme of abstraction that has been my ‘raison d’etre’ for the past 3 months? Is my (current) obsession a waste of time? Should I make more of an effort to make my art more ‘sellable’? So many questions, so few answers.

Next March will see me with another one-man show, this time at the Brave Gallery in Longford. What will I exhibit? It’s not a huge gallery, so 16 – 20 paintings will be enough. Abstract or realistic? Commercial or individual? What will I paint? Should I paint and instead, exhibit some of my new digital art? Reality or pipe-dream?

I’m looking at another substantial framing bill. Is it worth the money?

If I was true to my art, I would exhibit the series of abstracts that I have been working on lately. I find this series fascinating, but as I have only sold one to date, I fear that it will be an exhibition in a ‘foreign language’ to art patrons.

Aiming for a ‘sellable’ exhibition is just as dangerous. What if nobody likes my ‘realistic’ work? It can be too dear, even too cheap in people’s eyes. I have been criticised on more than one occasion because my art is (perceived as) too cheap!

I am seriously thinking of having an ‘ecclectic’ show, featuring a broad range of work from nearly 40 years of art. This would not be a retrospective show, but an overview of the range of art that I have covered over the past 4 decades.

Whatever I decide, I must do so within the next month or two.

Now back to the present…… maybe I should continue with some ‘happy art’ and see what happens.

Richard

SIMPLIFYING

Midlands Landscape

40 x 17 cm

Prismacolor pencils on Canson pastel board

I’ve been involved with art for over 4 decades and the longer I paint, the more I want to simplify my compositions. The ‘less means more’ principle has been of particular interest to me over the past 6 months.

It is said that a painting is more about what you leave out rather than include. When painting compositions with little information it’s a case of ‘what do I leave in’? This is not an easy task as it requires careful thinking and planning.

I’m a bit ‘over’ realism. I’ve painted that way for a long time and it’s been my love for abstraction that has driven me to explore art that contains more imagination and requires greater engagement by the viewer.

Today’s painting is the culmination of 6 months’ work where I sought to simplify my landscapes to the ‘edge of reality’, semi-abstraction with a hint of realism.  This began with my ‘brick’ series and has grown into what you see today. I’m not sure where this simplification is headed, but I feel challenged by this direction and intend exploring it fully until I get bored or come to a stage where the work becomes ‘stale’.

During this time I have been working on a second, different approach that actually ‘parallels’ this work. It is too is semi-abstract, but not as much, as features some recognisable landscape features.

I will feature this work on my next blog post.

Richard

BIG ART

How big are your paintings? Do you enjoy creating big artworks?

Most coloured pencil artists prefer smaller artworks and there’d be a number of reasons.

1. Working with coloured pencils can be physically demanding and very  time – consuming.

2. Working on large areas takes an extreme amount of patience.

3. The cost of framing large paintings is a real issue for many artists.

4. Who wants to buy large paintings?

5. Are coloured pencils suited to large-scale art?

This can also apply to all other 2D art mediums. People feel a lot more confident and ‘safer’ when working to a small – scale. I notice that on the Internet there’s a lot of work produced that is around 30 x 20 cms. This size can be produced in a relatively short space of time, varying from several days to several weeks. Those that venture outside that size frame certainly are aware of how much time is involved in completing a painting. But dose size really matter? I think it does.

Before I commence any painting I decide on how big it will be. This will determine what kind of reaction and ‘presence’ I hope to gain from  those who will see the painting in question. I am after a reaction, and scale can be an important factor in the painting’s success of failure.

I love Jackson Pollock’s ‘Blue Poles’ in the Australian National Gallery. If it were smaller, it would cease to be the painting that it is. It has to be big in order to gain the response it ‘needs’.

Small paintings ‘draw’ you into their frames to closely examine what is occurring. Big paintings (should) stand and ‘shout’ at you.

I am not afraid to send my coloured pencils across a full sheet (120 80 cm) of pastel board as indicated in today’s photo of a painting that I am currently working on for an art prize. In this case time is not an issue. I want my image (story) to be ‘in the face’ of each onlooker. I want this painting to ‘shout’. I have the patience to get the job done, but I work in bursts of a day here, half a day there, complimenting this painting with another slightly smaller one, that is another from my ‘Brick’ series.

Just because one works in coloured pencil doesn’t mean that one can’t think and paint big.

Richard

DIGITAL ART

Most of my artwork is rendered in coloured pencil, but I do from time to time, work in paint and digital media. The latter is of particular interest to me. I have a photo blog  where I post examples of the many photos I take.

Some of my photos get ‘extra attention’ and the result is that I have developed a folio of digital artwork that I hope to market through the Brave Gallery at Longford, Tasmania. I have included some examples of my work.

My subjects are landscape-based, but I try to introduce an abstract look and feel to each image where possible. Some of my work is ‘extremely’ abstract, while others are recognisable as ‘known’ objects.

I am aware of the ‘mass production potential’ of digital art. Mass printing lessens the value of each artwork. I have negated this by only printing one example of each image, to maintain its value and uniqueness.

I am a big fan of digital art and see huge potential in this technology. It all depends on how much control the artist has. We can be easily seduced by machines that take away  our ability to think and manipulate images in order to ‘say’ something that is from ‘us’ and not a program.

Having a good grasp of the fundamentals of art is essential. You can’t rely on ‘chance’, because the odds of creating something worthwhile is so limited. Of course, experimentation is part of the digital process, but it’s recognising a ‘result’ that realises the benefit of sound art training.

Art is all about ideas, not replication, the latter being the domain of craft.

Digital art can result in a multitude of images. Subjects can be random. This is a great release for me as I usually work in themes. I find digital art gives me a great deal of freedom, but it’s the taming and harnessing of this technology that is the real challenge.

 

Time for a new iMac…

My photo blog is: artklekosphotoblog.blogspot.com

 

Richard

CARBON TAX

Carbon Tacks

Coloured pencil on pastel board   80 x 40 cm

Global Warming is a huge issue here in Australia and opinions are varied from ‘true-believers’, those who say ‘no’ to those who are in denial (of most things). There is no doubt that the climate has changed, and not for the better. Into this debate comes the Carbon Tax, an initiative of the Federal Government in its attempt to reduce the amount of (polluting) carbon we annually create in this country. This tax can be offset by buying ‘carbon credits’, an initiative that has resulted in the planting of thousands of trees that  store carbon.

While all this is going on we are madly building anything and everything out of concrete, or as one could call it, ‘carboncrete’. Canberra is a great example. It is a city full of trees, wide, open spaces, clever architecture and millions of tonnes of concrete. Pre-fabricated slabs are everywhere, from buildings to footpaths. Many of these paths have thousands of small stones embedded in them, kilometre after kilometre.

When I was in Canberra last month, I took an interest in these  footpaths; landscapes encased in concrete. Some of the small rocks embedded in the concrete were quite beautiful. Many of the arrangements reminded me of landscapes. Here, as in the bricks I have been studying, were examples of ‘landscape memory’. I also thought of how much carbon is associated with the manufacture of each tile and pre-fabricated slab. They certainly aren’t carbon neutral! (Why do we label hydro power ‘clean and green’ when there is so much concrete in dams, pipes, canals and spillways?)

My painting is a ‘tongue-in-cheek’ look at the whole issue. After all, it’s still a landscape, isn’t it?

A carbon forest growing in concrete. What do you think?

This painting has resulted in another  that I’m beginning this week after a lot of research.  If successful, I will enter it in a forthcoming landscape prize.

Richard

A WASTE OF TIME AND ENERGY?

 

It’s been a difficult week since the opening of my exhibition in Launceston. Sales to this point in time have been very disappointing. Comments from all who have seen my work have been extremely positive and I believe that the work on display is well executed and beautifully presented. Where are the buyers?

 

I can identify to a certain extent with artists who depend on their art for a living. What happens when sales are poor? How do they handle this type of situation? How do they deal with it?

 

I’m fortunate in that I don’t depend on my art for an income. Sales and prizes keep me going to the extent that my art pays for itself. That doesn’t stop me from being depressed when I go to such an extraordinary extent as has been the case in preparing for this exhibition, only to find that hardly anyone is interested in buying my work. How do you deal with that?

 

Once I had ‘let go’ of the anger and disappointment I felt (about 2 days), I got straight back into more artwork. By Thursday I had completed 2 abstracts that I consider ‘keepers’. Today’ I have embarked on totally new work for a fresh approach.

 

I have always been interested in ‘light’, especially those images that are to a certain extent imaginative and abstract. Before I commence new work however, I intend to complete 2 paintings of ‘light’ that have been in one of my folders for several years.

 

Art is great therapy. It keeps you ‘busy’ and entertained. Its process is wonderful for healing especially in times of depression.

 

Was holding this exhibition a waste of time and energy? No, because of the following reasons.

 

1. It was a celebration and account of a wonderful 12 month holiday.

 

2. I derived a great deal of personal satisfaction from the process of creating all 30 paintings.

 

3. I made a self-imposed deadline.

 

4. I am pleased with the standard of my work.

 

5. The exhibition realised a new theme, ‘Bricks’, that has already realised success.

 

6. I have ‘grown’ due to the whole experience.

 

Would I do it again? My next one-man show will be at the Brave Art Gallery, Longford, in March next year.

 

Time to get back to painting!

Richard

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

EXHIBITION UPDATE

 

Well it’s all up and finally open and what a lovely opening it was with a great performance by my youngest daughter Shannon, who read a poem by local artists and great friend, Margaret Baker, followed by a wonderful opening speech by dear friend, Mary Machen. I’m pleased with the exhibition both in content and display. Only one sale at the opening, but enough interest to encourage me to think that there will be more sales before the exhibition closes on April 3.

 

Below is the article that was published in Saturday’s edition of our local paper, The Examiner.

 

Later in the week I’ll post photos of the artwork on display.

 

Richard

 

 

 

 

ANOTHER BRICK FROM THE WALL

Austral Brick Landscape DNA

Prismacolors on pastel board   80 x 40 cm

I am involved in 3 exhibitions this month. The first  (Art of Norfolk Plains)is currently running and it’s the exhibition where I won the major prize. The second opens at the Brave Art Gallery tomorrow evening (my entry is the featured photo) and the third is my own exhibition which opens on Sunday afternoon.

The idea for today’s featured painting actually came from a wall of bricks at the entrance to the Austral Brick Company at Longford.  This is one of 9 paintings that I have produced using Austral Bricks as my inspiration. I also have 14 other ‘Brick’ paintings from other locations. There are 6 in my one-man show and 8 waiting to be framed and there are another 12 planned.

This theme has given me a tremendous amount of motivation and inspiration.

I am acutely aware of the danger of similarity and repetition. Once that occurs I shall stop the series and move onto something different. I have put a lot of time and effort into researching and documenting this current theme, but it’s starting to show some dividends.

Today’s featured painting is my interpretation of a striking brick pattern that looks more like a landscape than an abstract design. What are your thoughts?

Next week I will be reporting on my one-man show at the Mill & Providore Gallery in Launceston, Tasmania, Australia.

Richard