Art and Design

Saturday, 15 March 2014

EXAM (ANNOTATION): Observational Drawings

Page One of Observational Drawings

Yarn Spindle

This page of observational drawings features 5 drawings which all came from the same object. This object (photographed below) was a spindle of yarn which was made of various colours and this made the object very exciting to draw. The item relates to my exam question of Weathered and Worn as this object is something that is often used by the elderly to knit with etc. so despite the object not being worn itself, it does have a very strong connection to something being old. Also many elderly ladies may use this yarn to knit clothes such as jumpers and scarves for family etc. and this means that the object created from the yearn will be 'worn' by the recipient. This object will also eventually become weathered and weak if used too much.

To create three of these drawings (two at the top of page, one at the bottom of the page) I used a cross mark making technique, as this would create the crossing yarn look that the spindle has. For the top left hand corner drawing I used pencil and this was a nice effect as it also allowed me to get to grips with the item I was drawing before I attempted to use another medium. I drew the spindle as well as the rope which was laying around the yarn (part of the still life composition I was drawing). For the top right hand corner drawing, I used a combination of graphite and charcoal to create different tones within the drawing. I didn't want to overuse the medium therefore I did not create all of the crossovers in the yarn however I think that this gives the drawing a nice effect. For the drawing in the bottom half of the page, I used a variation of coloured chalk, in the colours; light blue, dark blue, orange, yellow and purple. For this drawing I did add more crossovers as the different tones created by the mixture of colours made sure that the drawing wasn't too overpowering to look at.

The other two drawings on this page are of the top of the spindle as there was a stick coming out of the top of it when we made the still life. I did two very quick one minute drawings of this. The first which is located in the lower left corner was drawn with charcoal which I smudged and used to create marks with. However I ran out of time during this drawing as I was attempting to draw as much in 1 minute and I spent too long on the smudging and detail. The other drawing which is located on the right hand side of the page was a 30 second drawing which, again, I spent too long attending to detail on. As a result of this, you are unable to tell what the drawing is meant to be of.

Page Two of Observational Drawings

This page of observational drawings features two drawings of very different things.

The first drawing (on the bottom corner of the page) is a charcoal and white chalk drawing of the rope which was surrounding the yarn spindle in the still life composition. I used dark, harsh lines of charcoal to emphasise the sections of the rope and more charcoal which had been smudged to fill in and show the vertical strand texture inside. I also used smudged charcoal to create shading below the rope as there was a light source above the composition which created a shadow. I used a small amount of chalk to highlight a few areas where the rope was lighter, however they are not easily seen so I think I needed to use more of this to make it stand out more. This rope was fairly weathered and had a few stains on it therefore this links in to my exam question of Weathered and Worn.

The second drawing on this page is a motorbike glove drawn with graphite, white chalk and charcoal and set with hairspray, however I do not like this drawing much as I ran out of time to draw it and I did find it fairly difficult to draw. The motorbike glove does relate to my exam question as this is something that is worn a lot whilst riding motorbikes. I think that I may need to improve this drawing by adding rubber marks to it and this will add more depth to the drawing.

Page Three of Observational Drawings

This page of observational drawings features a large drawing of an old glass bottle drawn with charcoal and set with hairspray. This drawing's purpose was to cover up a previous drawing of three christmas baubles which was part of another still life that I was drawing. However I think that this now shows reflections in the glass and I like this effect. I do think that by adding rubber marks to this drawing would have created reflections of light in the glass and this would have made the drawing better. I created this drawing by having the stick of charcoal flat and then moving it in the direction of the glass to make it look slightly three-dimensional. If I added more rubber marks, or white chalk, this three-dimensional effect would be significantly better. I would like to work in this size more as I can be more expressive and free with the marks that I make and I prefer this style of drawing.

Page Four of Observational Drawings

On this page of drawings, the drawing at the top of the page has been replaced as I found it difficult to draw. These drawings are of film cameras which is the theme (old films) I want to look at whilst exploring this exam question. Many of these cameras are old and aren't used anymore therefore this also relates to the exam question of Weathered and Worn.

The drawing on the left hand side of the page is of a camera lens which was drawn with charcoal and white chalk and hairspray to set. After the hairspray set the drawing I went over the white chalk with more to emphasise the reflections of light in the lens. I used different amounts of charcoal to create the different ridges of the lens and this was successful.

The second drawing was of the corner of an old film camera. I used charcoal and chalk again to create this drawing and I used a similar technique to the drawing of the glass bottle (above), as I lay down the stick of chalk and used it to create texture of the camera. I used a combination of charcoal and white chalk to create the top half of the camera as this was lighter than the body. I also used the white chalk to create the raised lumps on the main body as there were reflections of light in the corners.

The drawing I did to replace the top drawing was of a fairly old Canon camera.

This drawing was drawn with pencil and this allowed me to create depth with different amounts of line. I like this drawing as it is simple yet effective. I think that the detail of this drawing is also very good. I think that I should have used more rubber marks than just in the lens as this would show the reflections of the metal in the camera.

Monday, 24 February 2014

EXAM: Curtis Verdun Artist Analysis

Trepidation Oil on Canvas 22" x 28" 2004 (http://www.ebsqart.com/Artist/Curtis-Verdun/6988/Art-Portfolio/Trepidation/656405/)

Curtis Verdun is 'an abstract and portrait artist working out of his studio on Bayou Lafourche in South Louisiana. This areas rich culture and unique landscape has inspired the artist's work over the last 4 decades. One of the fondest memories during the artist's early life, Verdun recalls Christmas of '74. He was 12 years old then and one of the gifts his parents had given him was a Grumbacher oil painting set. Up to that point he had always been drawing and painting with whatever materials were available. Verdun is a self-taught artist, except for a one-week portrait workshop with Daniel Green in 1987. He feels that throughout his career he has learned much from reading about the great masters, both in technique and aesthetics. (Some of his favorite painters are the Abstract Expressionists.) To accelerate his learning, he has also copied their works, experimented with their various painting techniques and methods and prepared painting mediums by their recipes. He now even grinds some of his oil paints himself and also builds and prepares many of his own canvases.' (http://galerieverdun.com/art-cv/curtis-verdun-bio.htm) Verdun's artist statement says "Without the power of artistic expression, we would just do and say things as plain as computers or "androids". Nothing colorful would ever be expressed." (http://galerieverdun.com/art-cv/curtis-verdun-bio.htm) and this

is something he is very passionate about in his work.

When studying this painting, I notice many things such as the different amounts of tone in the piece as well as the texture that using oil paint has created on the canvas. The abstract piece and the oil marks make an odd shape, which I think resembles a wound. Trepidation (which is the name of the piece of work) is a feeling of fear or anxiety about something that may happen. (https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=trepidation&rlz=....)

This 2D piece which has 3D elements from the layers of oil paint, is 22 x 28 inches which is roughly 71.12 x 55.88 cm. There are variations in light featured in this painting, in the form of different shades of the colour grey which have been used in the painting. In the top left hand corner and the bottom right hand corner of the painting, a dark grey has been used, while within the rest of the background, a combination of light and medium grey has been used. There has been more of the dark grey colour used in the centre of the piece to create what looks like the beginning of the 'wound' which I described earlier. On top of this is a bright red which has been layered on top. I think that the red represents blood which a person may produce after being cut or hurt. The texture of this painting looks like it has been created by the layers of oil paint being put on to the canvas by using a painting knife or a similar tool. As stated before in the introduction, Verdun often preps his own canvas' to use in his work and this may have been one of the pieces where he has done so. I think that by preparing his own canvas has created the slight 3D textured effect in the top right hand corner of the painting.

The immediate thing which catches the viewers eye is the bright red marks in the centre of the painting. This then leads the viewer's eye onto the dark grey, which eventually leads to the different gradients of the painting's background. I think this piece has been created for Verdun to experiment with abstract paintings as this was one of the first paintings that he produced. This painting is figment of his imagination which he longs to put into artwork and this may be another reason for the painting being produced.

This painting also encourages me to continue exploring layering and I have also began to think about using oil paint instead of acrylic, which is the paint that I have been working with, as I want to create the same texture and effects as Verdun does in his pieces. This may make my final pieces slightly more abstract however I need to experiment with this to see if I can achieve this effect.

EXAM: Alex Brewer Artist Analysis

"Untitled," 2011, mixed media on canvas, 60"x70"
localephemera.blogspot.com

Native to Atlanta and known initially for name recognition as a graffiti artist with the name HENSE, award-winning public artist Alex Brewer’s nearly two decades of working in the realm of public art, grants, commissions, and cross-media connections have landed him local, national and international public art projects. Brewer developed his skill for graffiti in the mid to late ‘90s and early 2000s. Atlanta’s anti graffiti ordnance of 2003 moved Brewer into the realm of granted and commissioned public art. He has received numerous commissions, particularly from the city of Atlanta. The latest was the Arizona Avenue mural “Float,” in 2012. (http://hensethename.com/site/about) Brewer began his career painting and writing on walls in and around Atlanta and has since produced numerous public wall works internationally. Brewer currently lives and works in Atlanta GA. Normally the main medium that Brewer would use is graffiti paint, but in these two untitled pieces of work, he has used a combination of different mediums to create them and I think they are very unique.
This mixed medium piece consists of white, tan colours and black. Featured in the painting are drips, like in the style of Cy Twombly, an artist I studied for my coursework unit. Twombly may be an influence for Brewer. The painting consists of a large black mark making painting at the top of the piece which is made up of shapes, lines and small drawings. Overlapping part of these black marks are more white marks in a similar style. Other than this, there are small detailed features in the painting which add more to the feel and uniqueness of it, such as the black dots in the top right hand corner, and the light grey marks in the white block that has been underneath the black marks.

There are many marks in this painting, some being linear. However the majority of these marks are very free hand painted and create the busy large black mark at the top of the painting. There are some strong contrasts between the very dark black and the light tan colour which is adjacent to it. This however creates diversity to the piece and allows the audience to focus more on what is going on with all of the marks in the black section. There isn't much diversity in terms of colours in this image, however there is a small section in the black section of marks, which is actually a small section of colour. This looks like spray paint, which reminds the audience that Brewer is still very involved in his graffiti work. This small mark consists of the colours orange (a secondary colour), red (a primary colour) and a greeny blue (tertiary colour). This is then blended into the piece using white spray paint to fade it slightly. Brewer has used many different shapes including many circles in this piece to lead the audience's eye throughout the piece.

The viewer is encouraged to begin looking at the piece from the top left hand corner and make their way down to the very tip of the black mark in the right hand third of the painting. The black mark descends as it continues throughout the rule of thirds and this certainly encourages the audience to follow a path when viewing this piece.

Brewer wanted to create this piece as a form of experimentation and created this piece as part of the group show he was invited to create work for, "Mark Making in Black and White." (http://localephemera.blogspot.co.uk/). Brett Smith (other artist I am studying) was also a part of this show.

This piece of work has encouraged me to persist with the idea of experimentation with layering and incorporating it with my exam question. I am considering mark making in this style by using a certain path for my audience to follow when observing my painting, as well as using shapes to create this style of mark making. This is something I need to experiment with and attempt to create.

EXAM: Brett Smith Artist Analysis

Spring Fireworks 002 Oil on canvas 4ft x 6ft
http://www.brettlsmith.com/archive/index.php?album=spring-2007/

Brett Smith was born in Durban, South Africa in 1972 and lives and works in Atlanta, GA. He attended the Georgia State University, Atlanta, between 1991 – 1995 and is not a self taught artist. Brett Smith says in his artist statement, "My goal as an artist is to distill that which has been observed into a simple mark or gesture so that each dot and each line will possess a life of its own. I tend to filter the botanical world through my conscious and sub-conscious mind, meditating on the various forms and images, finally drafting a new reality through a process of automatic drawing and painting. Experimentation, invention and accident play a pivotal role in my quest to achieve visual poetry. As a child I remember being fascinated by the forms and shapes of trees, flowers and leaves, being amazed by the endless combinations of form, texture and color. Therefore it is not a surprise that these are the same images and themes that move through my paintings and drawings now. By observing the constant change as things grow, flourish and finally decay, I find that I am able to examine that fine line between beauty and destruction."

Each of Smith's bodies of work revolve around a different medium, for example Spring 2007 is based around using Oil on Canvas.
In this piece of work I can see clusters of blotches dotted around the right hand side of the canvas. Within the blotches there are lines which have been made, possibly with a pointed end of something.
This 2D painting is 4ft by 6ft, which is 121.92 x 182.88 cm. There are variations of shade in this image as behind the dark blotches there are some light grey marks. They look like shadows put behind the blotches to make the painting look slightly 3D. It also looks like these marks have been made by Smith dragging his finger over the blotches whilst drying to create a smudged effect. There is very little, if not no colour in this piece of work as there are only two shades of black and grey. The oil paint that Smith has used in this painting create the 'blotched' effect which can be seen in the marks. As stated before, I think that the 'blotches' of paint have had something like a pointed end (eg. the end of a paint brush) pulled through them as there are lines of paint coming off the blotches and lines going through them.

As soon as you look at the piece, you immediately look at the centre of the blotches where there are more of them. This then leads the viewers eye to the trails of marks facing towards the four corners of the painting and leading outwards slightly. Finally the viewers look at the small cluster of marks below the main body of blotches. In his artist statement, Smith states that he has always been fascinated by the form of flowers therefore the blotches in the painting may represent flowers, especially as this body of work is called Spring 2007. I like this piece of work because I think that although it being very simplistic, I think it is very stunning to look at.

I am influenced by this body of work because it makes me think of using this blotching method to create layers which I can use to layer up over other paintings or art forms. The main idea I have with this is to use this method to add layers of paint on top of old film posters. This then relates to my exam question of weathered and worn as these film will be films that people have forgotten about or have been remade.