Notes from Assignment 1 tutorial. Text in red added by Bryan. My response in blue.
Overall comments
- Possibly making too much work which is delaying submission dates. Make less work which is fast, loose and less refined which will create momentum.
- Look at other artists that I want to influence me and relate them to my work.
- I don’t need to use a wide range of media. I experimented with a wide range to find out what worked for me. If I know where my strengths lie, no reason why I shouldn’t migrate towards them.
- Interesting drawings, full of character. The course is about investigating the world using drawing and investigating the possibilities of drawing.
- If during the drawing process, I keep trying to find ‘something’ it will become elusive, just need to keep making work.
- Directionally link my work to other people’s work and link back their work to mine. Use hot links to help navigate through the site. Link from exercises to Parallel Project.
- It’s easy to write about mistakes rather than successes. Learn more from mistakes rather than succeeding.
- The blog is very organised, I reflect well about what worked and what didn’t, what was enjoyable and why.
Feedback on assignment:
Demonstration of technical and Visual Skills, Quality of Outcome, Demonstration of Creativity
Project 1 is a strong, interesting submission. The slideshows are good.
- Huge amount of work, all the drawings have something about them. I’m looking at the world and by using drawing I’m understanding that moment in the view, and the interaction between the architectural and organic shapes. I’m looking at things we notice and ignore.
- Some of the drawings have lovely gestural moments. Even the ones that don’t ‘work’ are still interesting as they have links that relate to each other and have potential. Interesting use of tracing paper overlays. Reflect on the gestures and how moving when drying affects the drawing itself, perhaps.
- If things that aren’t working, I look at solutions which I link to other people like John Burns.
- There is a large selection of different styles of drawings which make a rich submission in the first project.
- The drawings using the sharpies outlining the shapes are quite nice.
- The lino cuts are pushing through the exercise into something new. The linocut background and the ink drawing are fighting for attention, two pictures going on at the same time, one that is flat, abstract pattern and one that is a still life. Both in conflict/tension with each other. Mixed material and motifs background become the foreground. It’s good to push some exercises further to see what happens. Well done.
- Build my practice by improvisation. Respond to the work I make, no need to have a philosophical/analytical plan. You’ll probably develop ideas alongside the tactical work. It’s good to avoid illustrating ideas. The work can, however, embody ideas. It’s a subtle but important difference.
Human form:
- Nice studies which show tension of the skin.
- Regarding Rodin’s drawing, trying to mimic other people’s work is a good thing but I need to find my own style by making work. Often this can come by not quite managing to mimic the sale of another artist.
Ass 1: Tutor really liked Ass1 even though the size and physicality of it is unknown.
- There is architectural/structure which is not dissimilar to Project 1.
- My best work has a kind of architectural quality about it, it has structure and an angularity about it. I seem suited to follow an architectural direction.
- See the work of Deanna Petherbridge.
Parallel Project
- Make as many of the projects feed the PP as possible.
- There is an interesting tension between the underpainting which is chaotic, the structure of the building which is collapsing, and the grid like rectilinear that’s in conflict with the swirly ink drippy background. My comment: I like to work from life as I get a better response than working from photos.
- Look at preparing coloured paper to work on. Experiment with differ colours and white.
- The PP can be a simple. It doesn’t have to be complex or political. It needs to produce interesting work that you can reflect on.
- Some of the work in the PP may relate to ruins and the romanticness of ruins Turner and John Piper’s ruins after the blitz. There is a political edge to my idea, the workers side of it, but at the moment there are no workers in your images.
- Find a text relating to 2013 Deller exhibition that you can argue with. Write a commentary about if agree or disagree with it. Keep thinking about it and do some work on it.
Research
Context, reflective thinking, critical thinking, analysis
- Elizabeth Blackadder: interesting observations carried forward. Compositional analysis not really needed. Professionals have an intuitive response rather than a planned one. I must not think about right or wrong. My comment: the reason I did the analysis was to see if it was planned or intuition. Fair point.
- Relation between Blackadder and Matisse: I said that Matisse uses fewer objects than Blackadder. Argument is that although Blackadder does use more objects, Matisse has more sophistication by using reflective surfaces to double up objects/ elements, windows to include a landscape in the composition and paintings on the walls which is a painting within a painting. My comment: I hadn’t thought about or noticed this. See my blogpost about ‘comparing and contrasting’ as an analytical method: https://www.oca.ac.uk/weareoca/student-galleries/compare-and-contrast/ . A very useful post. I will take the ideas forward for more analytical comparisons, especially in research points. I have recently purchased T.J. Clark’s ‘the Sight of Death’ which is an in depth look at compare and contrast between two paintings.
- I’ve set up the Blackadder composition too analytically and not intuitively. I investigate a lot of options which is good, which may lead to option paralysis. Follow the most fascinating lead.
- My comment: Without carrying out the Blackadder analysis I wouldn’t have found an interesting path to follow which made the later drawings just happened. Make it clear on the blog that the contextual research influenced you in a practical way. I have updated the blog to reflect this.
Learning Logs or Blogs/Critical essays
Context, reflective thinking, critical thinking, analysis
- Embolden artists names and link to other parts of the blog to demonstrate how your work is influenced by others.
- Generally the writing is good and unpretentious. Well done.
- Try and analyse as much as possible Description is fine but only gets you so far. Taking on details and specific parts of images can really help. Ask yourself things like:
- What works, what doesn’t work, and why?
- Are there any ‘happy accidents’ and how might they be used effectively in other work?
- I need to tale these two points through to the next part of the course. I tend to describe process too much and my analysis would benefit from this technique.
Critical Review
- Because I’m not experienced in essay writing, look at How to Write About Contemporary Art by Gilda Williams. I need to find a subject and an angle. First draft due at Project 3 or before if possible.
- Possible subject: how industry has been romanticised. Make a study of one or two art works have some relevance directly relate to PP. I am still looking for two artworks that I can focus on.
Suggested reading/viewing
Context
- American artist Charles Sheeler. Additional research pint to be added to blog.
- Mandy Payne artist makes paintings of brutalist buildings like blocks of flats, much more ridged than mine. https://mandypayneart.co.uk/ Additional research pint to be added to blog.
- John Piper (1903 1992) https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/john-piper-1774 Good for thinking about romantic ruins and use of mixed media. Additional research pint to be added to blog.
- Recommend watching Age of the Image on BBC 4 and write notes to upload to blog. I am currently watching the series and will update blog with summary.
- Recommend writing about anything that is over and above the course document that you find interesting.
- Gilda Williams How to Write About Contemporary Art. I have recently purchased this book.
Alison MacPherson: Investigating Drawing 