Recent drawings from the artists' model

Ranging from 1 and 3 minutes for the quick gestural ones to about 20 - 25 minutes for the longer charcoal and chalk on toned paper drawings.  Click the image to see full size

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Two new composition designs

This is a drawing that I will be turning into a painting soon...

 

 

 

 

This is a collage of drawing and digital.  It will be a Diptych of two oil paintings presented in one frame.  Probably.

 

 

Studies, form abstractions, and progress shots for current painting

Digitally altered compositional study for painting

 

Sculptural abstraction of figures

 

More broadly considered abstraction of figures in composition

 Study from model from life for a limb of the far left figure

 

study of head and shoulder of far left figure from life model

 

Study for hand of left figure from life model

 

Study of leg of left figure from life model

 

study for arm and hand of lower figure from life model

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

iPad paintings stroke by stroke on you tube

Recently I have been experimenting with the ipad as a painting tool.  I don't think there's much chance of it taking over from pencil, charcoal or ink for drawing - it is still not responsive enough to be really useful as a drawing tool - but for painting studies where areas of colour are being massed in, it is really useful.  The advantages for me are primarily:

1.  It's mobile (until it runs out of batteries) - no need for a whole box of bits and pieces for painting

2.  It saves a huge amount of time in mixing paint - you can just select the colour you want, and colour pick anywhere on the canvas.

3. You can use the tablet to photograph a drawing and paint over it as a way of beginning, or photograph a painitng and paint over that in order to try things out.  

4. The app that I am using to paint with, "Brushes", has the advantage of recording the process of the painting, stroke by stroke so you can look back at how you approached the process.

 

I have made a Youtube channel and put a few videos of these stroke by stroke sequences up at:

http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCx8WotSn6QX_W4ECOLu3Oeg?feature=watch

 

 

Creativity resources

A friend posted the link below to a lecture given by John Cleese on creativity:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VShmtsLhkQg

This is one of the very best discusssions I have seen on what is scientifically understood about the mysterious process of coming up with original solutions or ideas.  It is also one of the most practical - John Cleese is an astonishly brilliant guy, and evidently not just because of the Ministry of Silly Walks.

One of the key insights from this lecture that really rang true to me was the idea that creativity is a process of bringing together ideas or frames of reference such that a new meaning or solution is produced.  Seen this way, a huge portion of our actions are somewhat creative.  For example, simply drinking a glass of water from a glass you have never seen before involves taking the learned action of drinking a glass of water and applying it to the new situation with a new glass.  The link in this case is easy but the fact remains that a connection was made within the new context.  Of course, this is not what we usually call creative - but it seems that the difference between the glass of water and an unexpected insight that we would usually think of as true creativity is really a matter of degree: in the latter the parts that are brought together for the solution are conceptually further apart and not usually seen together.

This leads me to another resource that I was recently told about, The Creativity Web by Charles Cave that has an excellent section on Synectics:

http://members.optusnet.com.au/charles57/Creative/Techniques/synectics.htm

Synectics is defined on the site as :

The term Synectics from the Greek word synectikos which means "bringing forth together" or "bringing different things into unified connection."

Max Ernst is quoted as saying that :

"Creativity is the marvellous capacity to grasp mutually distinct realities and draw a spark from their juxtaposition"

As well as the discussion of syenctics and other relevant quotes, this website has an excellent list of "trigger questions" that are highly relevant to the artist:

http://members.optusnet.com.au/charles57/Creative/Techniques/syn_quest.htm

The rest of the site is worth a look too.


Returning to the lecture by John Cleese, I found the distinction of an "open" mental state to the "closed" mental state particularly useful.  Cleese describes the "open" state as one in which the mind is able to comfortably play with ideas and problems, and is allowed to make any connection, in the hope that a workable solution could be around the corner.  In contrast, the "closed" mental state is about getting stuff done - often associated with a feeling of tension or mild anxiety, where working through in a linear way as efficiently as possible is desirable.  As he points out, to be creative, we need to be able to get into both states - the open state in order to come up with new ideas, and the closed state while following through and bringing the idea into existence.  Managing the two states seems to me one of the central problems for any creative pursuit.

 

 

 

 


 

Practise Hand and Foot Studies

These are studies that I often do in the morning as practise.

 

I would love to be able to work from the model daily instead but hands and feet have the advantage of not asking for payment!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Atelier Art Classes Summer Show 2012

Atelier Art Classes students and teachers, and the rest of the family at Salisbury Studios Queensland Incorporated is currently holding the end of year show.  A very high standard, well worth seeing, including technical student studies through to professional artists in a variety of media.    

 On until 16th December 2012