I was encouraged by my third report, since it showed that I was making progress in being able to be more expressive in my drawing style. I agree with many of the observations that my tutor, Clare Wilson, made regarding my latest work. Her observations show that I am starting to get a sense of what works and what doesn’t. I am starting to experiment beyond my previous learned style.
It is interesting that despite the fact that I felt my tendency to be literal and illustrative was still too prominent in some pieces, such as my study of the ladies in the boat, Wilson saw a “confident use of colour and observational drawing skills. The shadows and reflections across the water in the foreground are particularly effective.” I have always loved reflections, so it was encouraging to see that I was able to capture the reflections in both this artwork and my line study of a townscape in a satisfactory manner.
I was however, disappointed by the fact that my cloud studies did not seem to work. From what I understand, my use of chalk and oil pastels, in combination with watered down acrylic was too cloddish and did not portray the translucence and lightness of clouds. I’ve seemed to be able to portray clouds when they were not the focus of the artwork, such as when I did my drawing of the church and the scene of the women in the boat on the water, but when they are the focus of the artwork, my interpretation is too clumsy. I will need to work on this.
My disappointment caused me to do some more searching into ways in which to portray surfaces. I watched the video interview of Ian McKeever, Mystery to the Viewer, as recommended by Emma in the 5 April 2016 edition of WeAreOCA. (WeAreOCa, 2016) Ian McKeever raised the point that a painting “raises a level of curiosity…because you don’t understand it…You should be seduced into them…but, actually, they shouldn’t give you any answers.” (Ian:McKeever: Mystery to the Viewer, 2014) I have been noticing more and more that drawings which are purely figurative and literal no longer appeal to me. I want to view a drawing which makes me wonder why the artist drew in such a way. Why their choice of subject matter, composition, color scheme etc.? He goes on to say “…bring that mystery to the viewer and that sense of openness, that they might come to the painting and think, Oh I see this for the first time.” (Ian:McKeever: Mystery to the Viewer, 2014) I remember how after studying Georgia O’Keeffe’s paintings, I was challenged to look at flowers anew, to observe their intricate and superlative beauty. This is what I need to strive towards, to make the viewer contemplate something figurative in a new manner, or to create a sense of mystery that intrigues the viewer.
While watching this video I asked myself the following question: How do I make a drawing have a presence? Ian McKeever spoke of investing a painting with a life force, an energy, and to make a painting autonomous. How do I ensure that my artworks appear to have these qualities which will help them to cause the viewer to pause, contemplate, and spend the time to try to fathom out its mystery?
It is interesting that despite the fact that I felt my tendency to be literal and illustrative was still too prominent in some pieces, such as my study of the ladies in the boat, Wilson saw a “confident use of colour and observational drawing skills. The shadows and reflections across the water in the foreground are particularly effective.” I have always loved reflections, so it was encouraging to see that I was able to capture the reflections in both this artwork and my line study of a townscape in a satisfactory manner.
I was however, disappointed by the fact that my cloud studies did not seem to work. From what I understand, my use of chalk and oil pastels, in combination with watered down acrylic was too cloddish and did not portray the translucence and lightness of clouds. I’ve seemed to be able to portray clouds when they were not the focus of the artwork, such as when I did my drawing of the church and the scene of the women in the boat on the water, but when they are the focus of the artwork, my interpretation is too clumsy. I will need to work on this.
My disappointment caused me to do some more searching into ways in which to portray surfaces. I watched the video interview of Ian McKeever, Mystery to the Viewer, as recommended by Emma in the 5 April 2016 edition of WeAreOCA. (WeAreOCa, 2016) Ian McKeever raised the point that a painting “raises a level of curiosity…because you don’t understand it…You should be seduced into them…but, actually, they shouldn’t give you any answers.” (Ian:McKeever: Mystery to the Viewer, 2014) I have been noticing more and more that drawings which are purely figurative and literal no longer appeal to me. I want to view a drawing which makes me wonder why the artist drew in such a way. Why their choice of subject matter, composition, color scheme etc.? He goes on to say “…bring that mystery to the viewer and that sense of openness, that they might come to the painting and think, Oh I see this for the first time.” (Ian:McKeever: Mystery to the Viewer, 2014) I remember how after studying Georgia O’Keeffe’s paintings, I was challenged to look at flowers anew, to observe their intricate and superlative beauty. This is what I need to strive towards, to make the viewer contemplate something figurative in a new manner, or to create a sense of mystery that intrigues the viewer.
While watching this video I asked myself the following question: How do I make a drawing have a presence? Ian McKeever spoke of investing a painting with a life force, an energy, and to make a painting autonomous. How do I ensure that my artworks appear to have these qualities which will help them to cause the viewer to pause, contemplate, and spend the time to try to fathom out its mystery?
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Fig. 1. McKeever, Ian. Advertisement for Alan Cristea Gallery.
Summer Exhibition. 2012.
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I found my answer to my contemplation about clouds in the fact that Ian McKeever's work, such as his one used to advertise the Summer Exhibition at the Alan Cristea Gallery, at times seem billowy and cloud-like. However, unlike my pastel interpretations of clouds, they are not thick and cloddish. Rather, they are ethereal, built out of “lots of very thin layers.” (Ian:McKeever: Mystery to the Viewer, 2014)
I want to keep pushing my methods and materials to be able to portray the life-force, or energy of the subject I am drawing. Practicing to apply layers in a way which is subtle, leaving the heavy cloddish interpretation, in order to increase the mystery and intrigue of my own artworks. I wish to also continue my quest to find different means of self-expression, seeking ways to free up my style further.
Illustrations
Fig. 1. McKeever, I., 2012. Summer Exhibition. [Art] (Alan Cristea Gallery- 34 Cork St). Available at: http://www.artslant.com/lon/events/show/228866-summer-exhibition
Works Cited
Ian:McKeever: Mystery to the Viewer. 2014. [Film] Directed by Kasper Bech Dyg. Denmark: Louisiana Chanel. WeAreOCA, 2016. Ian McKeever talks about painting. [Online]
Available at: http://weareoca.com/education/ian-mckeever-talks-about-painting/ [Accessed 9 April 2016].
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