TROPICAL ABSTRACT

On Friday, I completed a very quick drawing of a leaf pattern from my ‘collection’.

As you can see, I’m not set up for any serious drawing at this stage. I do have a drawing board and all the required accessories, but I need some pastel board, and I should have some by this week.

I get a lot of joy out of drawing patterns in Nature. For me, they are a great source of inspiration for ideas when producing abstract art.

When one draws one should ‘interpret’, not copy. I don’t see the point in a clinical reproduction of something. One can’t develop a personal style working this way. You need to see through your own eyes. We all ‘see’ differently and it’s not just about skill.

The ability of an artist to produce something truly personal is to be treasured and admired. Why is it then that people always flock to art that is ‘photographic’? Such art has done all the ‘explaining’ for you. There’s nothing more to work out, no imagination required. When you look at such work for a second time, you only see what you saw when you first looked.

Maybe I’ve just answered my question.

Richard

TROPICAL GRAPHITE

While Val was completing an exam paper (fancy having to do an exam on holiday!) on Wednesday morning, I sat and drew one of the leaves I had collected on our morning walk using the pencils Val had given me last Christmas.

It was too hot to sit outside (29c at 8.30am), so I opted for air conditioned comfort while I drew. This was the first piece of artwork that I had attempted since arriving in the tropics a little over  a week ago.

This is a simple ‘look, see and draw’ sketch. All I wanted was to hone my observational skills and try out my set of Derwent Graphites. The pencils are great to work with. I used 110gsm cartridge as support, but if I had of opted for say, a heavier watercolour paper with a medium finish, the result would have been better. This drawing is about 28 x 14 cm in size.

Observation drawing is about getting down as much information as is needed within a certain time.

I spent about 75 minutes on the drawing and it was a good way to ‘shake off the cobwebs’. My next drawing will be about the patterns and shapes from my leaf collection and will be more about abstraction than realism. The funny thing is that one has to ‘look’ and record such work in a realistic way!

I shall post some examples next week.

I have been invited to speak at the next meeting of the Cairns Art Society on April 9th, and I’m looking forward to meeting the members and ‘networking’.

Richard

ABSTRACT OF THE MONTH (APRIL)

“The complexity, yet simplicity of the structure of a leaf created so many delightful spaces to visit. Each section worthy of a painting in its own right – the texture, the dividing veins, the way nature has added its own marks led me on an interesting journey - Nature Trail.” Margaret Baker, Artist.

Margaret’s painting is worthy of high praise and I’m proud to feature it as the first in my Abstract of the Month series.

Abstract art is gaining momentum in Northern Tasmania and recognition in what has been a traditional art market.

One can see the details that are typical of an Autumn leaf, but there is much more to this painting than mere representation. This painting is a textural delight. The canvas has become a ‘skin’ full of soft tones and delicate raised areas. it adheres to the ‘traditional aspects’ of an Autumn painting – decay, fractured colours, fading, crumbling and deterioration. But there’s structure and certainty in its composition.

This is a beautifully balanced painting, that gives visual pleasure and is a bridge-builder between realism and pure abstraction.

Richard