Life Drawing with Pina

Enrolled myself in another life drawing class mainly to jumpstart my creative efforts. This one was taught my Pina who taught portrait drawing at the SCC. She asked us to try 3 techniques: continuous line which produces some funky results, block shading to get the mass in and basic shapes eg circles and ellipses to build up the figure. It has been so long since I've been tutored I'd forgotten these techniques.


Pina says that drawing is a good discipline for the artist: like Barr exercises to the ballerina. Ground work and practice. I tend to agree with her.


Love the figure; just can't work out how to turn them into sellable art works that's all. I intended to paint but couldn't get my act together in the end. These fortnightly classes are perfect for me as it affords time in between to get going on other creative ventures.

First Exhibition Opening

After much preparation, Cath and I made it to the Opening Night. It was a huge social event which was well attended. Many of our friends and family turned up and the place got very busy at one stage.

Our art was exposed to the public eye and it was lovely to be congratulated and be told which paintings were favourites with friends and why. At the end of the night, I sold 4 paintings (50%) and Cath sold 2. There were numerous leads to commissions and requests for other paintings seen at our house and on this blog: "why isn't that here?". All excellent publicity and a big boost to ones self confidence as an artist: that the art was appreciated and saleable. These pictures were taken before everybody arrived - just so that I don't publish photos of others without their permission!

As well, I enjoyed catching up with friends and acquaintances - Roger and I appear to have a vast network and we don't have enough time or energy to catch up with one and all so it was a perfect opportunity to at least see people. To those who came, a big thank you for your support.
As for the analysis of what people liked: they liked the beachscapes. These evoked good times and warm weather. Just exactly what I like about Sydney and why I live here.

The hanging

Cath and I spent 3 hours last night hanging the paintings up for the exhibition. We had to conquer the gallery's system and get up a precariously unstable step ladder to adjust each piece. We were aided by Andrew, Cath's partner and the owner who gave some good advice on placement.

Anyway they are all up and I have 8 paintings and Cath has 6. They look great but must say it's given me another perspective of gallery work. There was also the lighting to consider and it made me realise that it is harder to hang pictures on a long wall : things cannot be so easily grouped.

Preparations are now well advanced though owing to the pianist ill health the jazz interlude has had to be cancelled. Looking forward to a great social night!

Sunbathers

By far my favourite setting is the beach, water and rocks. These inspire paintings much more than other subjects. What is more, I seem to paint them from the heart and picture myself once more enjoying summer.

This painting was done from a series of photos I took of Wylies Bath. These sunbathers are languidly warming themselves before plunging into the inviting baths. I believe that these are the first figures I've painted for quite a while. I really enjoy drawing and painting figures but stopped because my sister-in-law the art teacher said my landscapes were better.

She is probably right. I have a tendency to paint like I draw, which means lines and detail. Painting is of course, based on getting tones right. Here I've deliberately ignored details and focussed on tones and it has worked out well.


The Australian sun is very bright which means that there is high key: great contrasts between light and shadows.

Upcoming exhibition invitation

For those who browse my blog, I'd like to extend the invitation to our up-coming exhibition.

Cath, my exhibition partner and I work very differently. I'd gotten the main body of work ready last term and so been cruising along. Cath on the other hand, probably need pressure to get going because when we met last month she had several incomplete works. Since then, she has completed quite a few and is sending me action lists regularly. Luckily somebody is on the ball as otherwise it would be a last minute rush.

Zen and art

Toddled off to see the exhibition at the Art Gallery Abstractions last week. This was not an exhibition of abstract works but rather the evolution from figurative art to abstract art. In other words, it translated into layman terms the journey for plebs like me. Very impressive collection of impressionist and modern art. Lovely Cezanne, Matisse, Derain and Picasso. We are very lucky to live in a country where great art can be enjoyed.

Abstract art is surprisingly difficult to do well because the essence of the subject is extracted and depicted. For abstract art to be good, (and not merely a collection of shapes and colours) I think what it is depicting should be clear to the viewer.

Speaking to Sue my sister in law and art teacher, it is apparent there are two extreme approaches to art; either plan and execute a work painstakingly or do lots and be prepared to throw most out but these will have that spontaneity and freshness that the other lacks. This is such a succinct way of putting my current struggle!

The media does dictate how free one can be. Painting on stretched canvas tends to restrict me - the composition has to be fully determined as you can't easily cut off a section as you can with paper. Furthermore, the time one has to do the work also plays a part. Many of my best works were done at a life modeling session, where poses are short. The trick is therefore find the happy middle where you plan without stifling serendipity (allow zen to play it's part).

Orchids

My mother in law grows these wonderful orchids that are in bloom now and lasts for weeks as cut flowers. She cuts some for me every year and I thought I'd paint them expressively as practice. So that the brush strokes are clear, I magnified the orchids and cropped the composition.

I textured the background ala Vincent and indicated the leaves. Resisted as best as I could the impulse to smoothen and blend colours on the petals. It's rather therapeutic to paint still life. They don't move and if you put an artificial light source on, it doesn't suffer the problems of landscape either.