The Inquiring Minds of Artists

I found this on Notes and queries page of the Guardian, 13th August in response to a question about art.  It is written by one Brian Smith, based in Berlin

"Art is hard, visual philosophy, a kind of research.  It progresses, learns and is a more or less systematic inquiry into the world, whose goal is knowledge as well as money, love and general world-changing"  

Evelyn Glennie

Dame Evelyn Glennie

I spotted this feature in the Sunday Observer today.  I like what Glennie  says about knowing when she had reached her work limit and no longer gave into the temptation of saying "yes" to everything for the experience.

I also like her idea about being patient when you learn a new piece of music "It takes time to seep into the cells of your body".  I think this is the same when making a drawing or painting, or learning anything really.  She also remarks that when we lived in caves, "people used their whole bodies to listen, bringing all their senses together".

Anatomy at the Ruskin School of Art, Oxford

Here are a few drawings from the Anatomy course I did at the Ruskin School of Art in Oxford between 20th and 26th July, 2015.  The course was led by Sarah Simblet,

 and Eleanor Crook  and was an intense and thorough immersion in human anatomy.

The human form is a new subject for me, but understanding our anatomy gives a strong structure for drawing and developing ideas.  I am presently overwhelmed by information and grappling with everything that we worked on during the 7 days.  My first step is to review my notes! Now, here is a subject that is going to take a while to seep into the cells of my being.

New ideas for making drawings

I love this drawing (above) by Aurore de la Morinerie (see previous post), and I played around a little today with a similar approach when making up a few sketches on cloth.  I have rediscovered georgette as a fabulous silk which is also good to draw on - better than crepe de chine or velvet - and I love its lightness and transparency for scarves.

Also I do get a freedom when working on cloth, especially at this time of year when I am about to start displaying my work at the Edinburgh Fringe.  Here are some lighting sketches, which might eventually lead to a different way of making drawings and paintings.

Aurore de la Morinerie

I am loving these drawings by Aurore de la Morinerie, a French illustrator and artist.  These are drawings of clothes by Galliano, I spotted them in Vogue a few months ago, immediately tore out the pages and am now rediscovering.  I cannot find out much about de la Morinerie, for now her work will speak for itself.

I used the top drawing as a starting point for exploring a different way of drawing horses.
See next post.

Back to green OR Fifty Shades of Green

Today I resumed work on the painting course after about 3 weeks away from it due to shows.  I am still working on the view from the studio window, trying to get a sense of the movement and form of the landscape.  This twisting form on the right is a drainage ditch which often floods with water.  It is lined with hawthorn bushes.  A couple of  weeks ago I walked along it to get a better feel of the the lie of the land.  The hawthorn was in bloom at the time and it was magical.  

I like the pace of this kind of work, and the time taken to get to know the subject, which gradually reveals itself over days and weeks.  I like the challenges and surprises of translating it into paint.   Here is the image a few days later, a bit faded out on LH side due to phone pic.

Another go today, trying to get tree in foreground.  This is looking so traditional, but it is fascinating exercise in looking....!!!

Here is a fresh version, done in about an hour today.  I am getting to know the subject now, at last. So can start to take it further, not that I have here.  Colours are simpler and brighter, tree in foreground important.

 

SAMUEL BECKETT KRAPP'S LAST TAPE

I am no expert on the thinking of Samuel Beckett (above), maybe sometime the light will switch on and I will get it.  But I was listening to Robert Wilson speaking on Radio 4 this evening about performing Beckett in Krapp's Last Tape currently at Barbican, London.

I was struck by what Wilson said about acting and what he learnt by meeting Beckett.
It is obvious, but so true, that "learning the steps" and "learning the form" is boring, but only when you "are totally mechanical" do you have the freedom to "fill up the form" and express feeling.

This applies in the visual arts, as well as in music and drama.  It is probably true of crafts as well and all skills.But the kind of feeling and expression varies.  Complicated. tbc