city map (2010)

city map (2010)
Originally uploaded by kelise72

60 x 90 cm
cotton duck (canvas), cotton cord, hemp, and silk

This piece is one that I submitted for a critique in the final weeks of the term.

I suppose it might make more sense with some of the other pieces I've also done recently and if I'd taken a better photo (which when I do, it will replace this one).

What I was going for here was the idea of representing a connection or relationship between city and rural (or nature) only not so directly.

With that in mind, I've sketched a city, often composed itself of concrete and steel but in this case, I've alluded to bridges and roads with "natural" materials - hemp knots, and cotton cord, respectively, all stitched onto a cotton canvas fabric. The river then is expressed in silk, a sort of "flowing" fabric that fits the idea of a river - another kind of opposite - where a river is a naturally-occuring thing, silk fabric is a manufactured thing.

In the whole piece there are layers of conflict and tension - the clean, calm, soft "natural" feel of the materials against the idea of a dirty, busy, polluted city... the well-known profile of the river against the anonymous roads... the bridges so distinctive in real-life repeated in the their right locations on the river but with a meaningless sameness (so you could know what each bridge is named though it looks the same as all the others)... the city made to look much like a slice of something quite organic as perhaps skin stiched together and forming a scar...

It may take a moment or two to recognise this map, but once you see what is familiar, you will ALWAYS see it.

It is this idea, this little bit of subterfuge, that I plan to incorporate in the next piece or two... I might be on to something!

bridges/water: 1990, 2003, 2010 (2010)

bridges/water: 1990, 2003, 2010 (2010)
Originally uploaded by kelise72

ink, paper (metal and plastic frame)
6 feet x 6 feet x 6 feet (approx.)
2010

I've had my first group critique...errrm... I mean, crit (why does it bug me that people call it "crit", like they're trying to sound hip and with it but instead sound like something else...)

ANYWAY... So I've had my first crit, and somehow, I feel like I've done something not-quite-right but I can't quite put my finger on it... until I figure it out though, I won't worry about it.

In a nutshell, here is how I presented this piece:

This piece is about getting to know my new city, my first glimpses as a tourist, then settling in as a new resident. In the beginning, I am an outsider, capturing only brief moments of London, struggling to find my way around… an exciting city, it can also be dizzying, overwhelming, confusing…

It’s about getting lost and learning to find the way with the aid of familiar landmarks. It’s also about never being lost when you can see the Thames from here.
Seven years have gone by, and I’m pretty comfortable in my city now.

Time and experience give me an insider’s view… I’m not the one getting lost anymore; it must be that I’ve gained confidence - these days, strangers are asking ME for directions!

Three weeks in...

For my first drawing project, I started with the idea of bridges linking two halves of a city and meant to do a sort of quilt where the bridges (knots) sort of stitch the city together again...

and then I ended up somewhere altogether different with a sort of drawing that you have to get INTO to really see it...

Basically, it's a long piece of paper (12 feet/360 cm long) that is fashioned in a ring and attached to circular frame (made of wire), and suspended from above. On the inside of the ring is a drawing of London's bridges, end-to-end (so that it looks like one continuous bridge). On the outside of the ring is just blank paper - so, like I said, you have to get INSIDE from underneath to see the drawing properly - and because the ring is only 4 feet in diameter, you are forced to look at the drawing from a very close distance.

Hanging on the wall behind the ring is a 12 foot drawing of one continuous line starting at one end to the other, all squiggly-like - which sort of could pass for a pattern of moving water.

(when my phone is charged up again, I'll add a photo)

As for what it all MEANS... well... I have to think a bit more about that, because right now I'm so tired that I might just go to bed early (at 7:15PM!?)

For now though, I'll just throw a couple of words/phrases out, things I was thinking of as I was working through the project:

* time/timeline
* continuity/infinity
* bridges normally convey people/machines from one side to the next, but this one you can see but you can't get on or off - instead it just hangs there in space, a surreal and impossible bridge
* frustration/impossible, doesn't make any sense (an incomprehensible communication)
* interaction with the piece is different from the outside looking in, vs the inside looking out
* there is a definite and controlled way of viewing the piece, particularly when on the inside of it

I'm sure I could come up with more ideas but I'll stop for now...

p.s., I am utterly LOVING the course!

self (2010)

self (2010)
Originally uploaded by kelise72

16x20 inches, acrylic on canvas

Using the same limited palette as in the previous still life, I attempted a portrait with a similar “calming” effect, selecting a composition I thought would suit the limited palette, something simple and serene.

I used the same palette as in the still life:
- Titanium White
- Dioxide Purple
- Cadmium Yellow Medium
(two complementary colours)
- Payne's Gray
(all Liquitex Heavy Body)

I think this painting was successful generally as a painting goes; however, I’m not convinced that the “calming” effect was achieved as intended. On the one hand, the pose of the figure is one of quiet solitude, perhaps even she is expressing some kind of love or acceptance or self-esteem (so in that sense, the painting achieves a certain serenity...)

On the other hand, because a human figure is often dynamic by nature, and because the figure’s arms are crossed, giving diagonal (and dynamic) lines, there is still a sense of movement to the painting. Also, the strong lighting, and dark shadows against her pale skin gives a sense of drama (that was unintended but it works).

So in the final version of the painting, there is a play of dark and light, intensity and calm, joy and sadness, yet I think what the viewer may leave with is mostly light, calm and joy. The woman in the painting has come out of a dark place, perhaps a scary or unloved place, and yet has found peace, love and acceptance – in herself.

still life (2010) - bowl, chopper, mortar-and-pestle

still life (2010) version 2
Originally uploaded by kelise72

16x24 inches, acrylic on canvas

This is one is now version 2.0 (after feedback from my tutor who makes some very good points).

Basically, the "problems" with the original (see previous blog) were
- the composition that included strong diagonals was a bit too "dynamic" for the soft palette chosen
- the mortar-and-pestle was "floating" - because the shadows were inaccurate, and seemed to be a different shape than the object throwing the shadow. Also the shadow was not really "connected" to the object, giving the appearing of floating
- The bright colour of the mortar-and-pestle caused the object to be out of place, ie., it didn't "fit" in the picture - seemed to be from a different palette maybe.

All in all, I'm happy(er) with the painting after the changes... the little jar in the front isn't "floating" anymore (having been firmly anchored to the countertop by the shadow) and also, the colour/tone of it seems to fit better with the whole composition.

I worked on the mortar/pestle, and the shadows a bit, however, hestitated to change the diagonals (as I really wasn't sure then how changing diagonals would affect the shadows?) So in the end, I merely softened the diagonals with lighter grays/taupes, and I think it worked out OK.

I like this 2nd attempt MUCH better now, so it is saved from the bin :)

still life - bowl, chopper, mortar-and-pestle (2010)

still life (2010)
Originally uploaded by kelise72

This is one is attempting to imitate Morandi's style, using a limited palette to paint still-life objects (bottles, bowls, jugs and such). heh, I just said "jugs"...

I like the softness of this painting very much; it has quite a soothing quality which is a bit unexpected for a painting of a collection of simple kitchen implements... makes me think of the sleepy shuffle to the kitchen to make the morning coffee...

Technically speaking, this painting wasn't very difficult as I spent about half the time (about 4 hours overall) just to set the initial drawing (using graphite pencil). Drawing well to start makes the rest of the piece easier to accomplish. Interestingly, the first layer of paint sort of blended with the graphite and moved around the canvas, helping the shadows to appear. (I'm thinking to do something similar with charcoal as the underlayer with just water or maybe watery white paint to move the charcoal around ... hmmmm....)

As it was, I used the following Liquitex colours in this painting:
- Titanium White
- Dioxide Purple
- Cadmium Yellow Medium
(two complementary colours)
- Payne's Gray

It seems that the composition is quite strong too, in that the diagonal lines move the eye around the picture quite easily - without the strong diagonals (of the countertop, the shadows), I think the composition would be weakened.

If I'm to make one criticism, the yellow stone mortar/pestle seems to "float" a bit, almost seems to hover over the countertop but as I'm now bored with the thing, I won't bother to make any changes. And the "floaty" mortar/pestle is less apparent in the real painting anyway.

Other than that, I'm pretty pleased with this one!

Next up: a portrait using the same limited palette, it will be interesting to see how that turns out!

fur elise (2010)

fur elise (2010)
Originally uploaded by kelise72

I’ve had this painting in mind for a couple of years – I’ve got a book of vintage nude photography (from 1880’s and forward), and the photo this painting is from is one by Brassai, 1932. Of course the actual photo is black and white, so I had to take artistic liberties and paint her in colour.

I rather liked the expression on the model’s face – sort of like Mona Lisa, enigmatic, is she smiling or is she sad. In the photo, the model looks a bit “hard”, maybe jaded, but somehow, in my painting she’s ended up looking confident maybe even happy, not at all ashamed of her situation. Maybe she’s even proud to have such control over men, and over her own body (as I kind of assumed by the photo, she’s a hooker or even some kind of 1930’s “porn star”). Her stance seems to scream out, yeah, I can do whatever I please and who are you to tell ME what to do with my own body?

Although the model is not me, I feel she still aptly represents me in the sense she conveys my own personal attitude, one of self-confidence in any situation - even one where I might be vulnerable and seemingly constrained by a “mask” (e.g., the “mask” of someone else’s expectations, or the “mask” that society/culture expects you to be a certain way); In fact, I’m quite OK in a situation where somebody might ask me to be something other than I’m not – I still find a way to express the real me even if some of who I am is disguised in order to “fit in”.

You may notice that she’s standing in front of a mirror, so that a slight reflection of her back is apparent. This is representative of the idea that sometimes (for me) I’m only outwardly exhibiting the APPEARANCE of confidence – sometimes ACTING confidently is easier than actually FEELING it. So overall, the viewer can’t be sure if the model is ACTING or FEELING.

I am quite pleased with the resulting painting – I feel there’s a lot of depth to it, even though it’s quite simply done. I tried to be as “accurate” again with the tones of the model but purposely chose a garish yellow wallpaper (she is a hooker, after all, so I thought it was fitting to have wildly yellow wallpaper that’s so bright so as to not encourage hangers-on, I guess. A mirror, too, is essential decor!)

The composition (bend of her arm and bend of her torso etc) really leads your eye around the painting I find, and I’m hoping that the reflected image in the mirror is not immediately apparent. Sometimes I do that with my paintings, I don’t “give it away all at once”, leaving something for the viewer to find later.

precious (2010)

precious (2010)
Originally uploaded by kelise72

16x20 inches, acrylic on canvas

I started this painting with the idea about expressing the bottles not just as an arrangement of coloured glass but rather an arrangement of precious objects, and then when I turned the spotlight on the arrangement the play of light shining through and on the bottles instantly made me think of coloured jewels: sapphire, black pearl, aquamarine, topaz and emerald.

What I’m really trying to do here is say something about how precious these bottles can be; the blue one on the left most precious of all, particularly valuable as it once held water. I actually liberated (stole?) it from a restaurant many years ago. If it was worth “stealing” then it must be worth something. (I thought it was unusual and pretty and worth taking it off the table without permission as a perfect addition to my collection of other unusual bottles).

As for the other objects, well, some can become addicted to the alcohol they contain, which is some kind of irony that something so pretty can be so harmful, (not only to the drinkers but sometimes to the victims of drinkers who’ve never touched a drop.)

So there’s a touch of melancholy in this painting, with the empty wine bottle tipped to one side (as if it in itself is drunk) and with the shadows and refracted light turning out in same colours of day-old bruises.

still life (2010)

still life (2010)
Originally uploaded by kelise72

16 x 20 inch, acrylic on canvas
This one is a response to Cezanne’s “Still life with Basket of Apples” 1890-94. What I tried to do with this one was modernise the still-life study with a piece of ubiquitous technology, while making a dig at my husband’s ever-present iPhone. This gadget is a real bone of contention in our house, I don’t own one myself, so I figured if I can’t beat ‘im on the iPhone front, then might as well join ‘im and stick the iPhone in one of my paintings where it doesn’t necessarily belong but I’m going to ignore courtesy and put it there anyway.

A bag of joy!!!

And in my bag of joy is a letter from the art school that rhymes with Dimblewon saying "we are pleased to offer you a place..." HOORAY!

Saatchi gallery

Jitish Kallat - Untitled (Eclipse) - 2007

I admit I felt a bit out of place at this exhibit, perhaps because I am not Indian/Asian, or perhaps more so because I am so out of touch with the concerns and issues confronting Asian society today... abject poverty, political corruption, limited (or no) access to basic resources. However, I felt I could definitely understand, even sympathise, with the artist's message. In some limited ways in my own life, I've had to do without, I've been treated unfairly, I've been taken advantage of. This is the beginning to my understanding, really seeing the world this artist has seen.

What I like about this piece in particular is the realisation that I have seen this before... well, no, I haven't been to Mumbai... but I have been to Cairo, Antalya, Phukhet... I've seen poor, oppressed but still smiling children in Palestine just "getting on with it" despite or perhaps because of the hard life on their heads. One can even see this London if you are really looking, trying to see.

Despite all the horrible things humans do to each other (or, don't bother themselves doing), there is still HOPE.

Second time's a charm....

FINALLY, I got the invitation letter from the second art school, interview is next week. SO EXCITED I might just pee my pants. And a little nervous... I have a few new things to share in my portfolio, and I feel I'm better prepared for the interview itself as I went back to my old faithful process for interview preparation. I haven't done this for about 10 years for business interviews, but this time is different. So I wrote down a bunch of possible interview questions (thank you, Internet!) and then wrote down some key points for each.

I figure when I write stuff down I'm liable to remember it.

Going a bit further, just in case they ask, I did some research on my "peers" (artists my age) and even found one woman in London (Susan Collis) who left her business career to start an art one - at age 37. She does some really cool stuff where she disguises gems and semi-precious stones (literally) in every-day objects (like a broom, where specks of paint are actually opals inlaid into the wood). I really like it when there's something else to a piece of work besides what you see on first glance; it teaches the viewer to take a second glance, give something another minute of attention, and then they'll be rewarded with something unexpected.

Anyway... I need to CHILL-AX about this interview! It's only my life we'll be talking about...

More Moore...

As promised, here is my drawing in an attempt to vaguely emulate Moore's style of drawing (e.g., his drawings in the 30's-40's of London's underground tunnels during WWII bombing campaigns)

This is my drawing of "Seated Woman" (1957) which was at Tate recently... I loved this sculpture, with its curves, shapes and shadows... the small and somewhat ridiculous tiny head has an "alien" feel about it... she is vulnerable, she doesn't belong here (or anywhere) and still she clutches her strength and maintains her dignity...

I guess it's not meant to be...

So I received the response from Art School A regarding my application for BA (hons) Painting. And that response is "Thanks but not this time" (so, no then). The only feedback they gave me was the recommendation to "strengthen your portfolio" and "try again next year if you wish".

What I heard was: "Not this year" which in fact, isn't a flat dead "no", so that's just what I'll do - I'll keep practicing, keep painting, and keep learning.

Because rejection isn't fatal or even critically wounding (I still have my hands and my creative mind), I will keep on going!

And there's always Art School B, and if they invite me for interview, then I have at least a few more weeks to produce some more work and prepare for the interview.

If they don't, well, with or without art school, I'm still an artist, even though an amateur and beginning artist, I have many times touched people with my work. And I have greatly enjoyed, and LOVED what I've done, the impact I have made, however brief. And am still excited about the possibilities of sharing my passion with others as I continue my artistic career.

Til next time...

Today's observation...

Today we had a fella in to give us a quote for roof blinds in our conservatory. When I mentioned we'll be needing a quote for blinds in the art studio after it's built this summer, he remarked upon one of my paintings displayed in the lounge and says something to the effect: I wish I could draw, I'm dreadful at that sort of thing, I mean, I can draw a stick man, but that's about it.

Now, I've not been recording conversations with strangers or anything, but whenever my occupation as an artist comes up in conversation, that person nearly always says, I wish I could draw, but I'm terrible at it (or something like that).

It's quite cute, in a way, and certainly amusing (though I never laugh in the person's presence)... it's nearly always the same thing that happens when I tell people I work in I.T., they might say something like, I am terrible at computers, I can barely send an email.

What I really want to know, though, is, what is up with that? Why do people very frequently feel the need to state an "excuse" why they aren't an artist too? Or a computer expert?

Would love to hear some thoughts on this one...

Moore exhibit at the Tate

I really love the expressive, moody quality of this set of drawings by Moore... and next to his sculptures, with their undulating shapes and shadows, I'm inspired to draw my favourite sculpture of the exhibit, "Seated Woman" (1957).

Though I wonder what is WITH Moore's habit of leaving the heads and other appendages off of his sculptures? They are recognisable as human, but something other than... alien and some are even unfriendly...

And I still like them all the same.

I'll post up the drawing when I'm done with it.

Til next time...

Mixing colour is really hard!

I'm currently studying Itten's colour theory, "Treatise of Colour", and the practical end of this is to actually mix colours together.

So I am hugely disappointed to discover today that I'm really bad at making colour on the palette. And I was hoping I would be the Mozart of mixing, LOL. Turns out most beginning painters suck at this (although I find my former method of "mixing by layering" seems to work out rather well, but thinking more about it, that seems to be the way a person would successfully mix "dry" colours , e.g., pencil or chalk - and is something I've done a lot so I'm comfortable with it).

I was just thinking I'd be equally good at mixing wet stuff, and am at a loss as to what to do next, now that I see I'm not good at it. At all. I give myself a D+ today for mixing success, LOL.

So my husband, a former theatre student and now a computer whiz, sent me straight to YouTube. And in a matter of minutes, I find that:

a) most if not all beginning painters have this problem (*whew* I'm not alone)
b) there *IS* help for us! :)

I found more than a few books on the subject, and am especially looking forward to Michael Wilcox's book, "Blue and Yellow don't make Green" (great title, eh?).

And tomorrow, I'm going to try and stop applying mathematical formulae to my colour mixing (e.g., 0.5 blue + 0.5 yellow = 1 green) - which obviously ISN'T WORKING!

- til next time...

Abstract Expression: Turtle

I was 5 when I painted this :) inspired, I think, by the turtle we had for a class pet. Or maybe my brother and I had found a box turtle in the back garden. Who knows where I got the idea.

It seems I wasn't remarkably co-ordinated with drawing the shell but none-the-less, I've captured a lot of detail - even his little tail! However I didn't know that turtles have ears, or maybe this one did!

(I don't think I'm the one that wrote my name on this one, though, because I used to spell my name "Kritin", always losing the "s" somewhere). LOL.

Anyway, just thought I'd share a bit of the young artist Kelise.

p.s., I sign my name to my art Kelise, which is a mash-up of my first initial, K and my middle name Elise. I don't sign my surname because that has changed a few times over my life, and so, in terms of identity, the surname doesn't seem that important to assign to my artwork.

The Big Day

... is tomorrow. Only it doesn't feel SO big after all. The way I figure things, the Head of Painting will like my stuff, or he won't. I will go to art school or I won't. I will go to THIS art school, or I won't.

Either way, I'm still an artist. And I will continue to paint as if I really am one, no matter what :)

So let's see, what am I forgetting?

Portfolio... check. Sketchbooks... check. Super positive outlook... check.

Now all I have to do is get some sleep, get up tomorrow, go to the gym (which ALWAYS puts me in a zen-like state!), get dressed, and do this interview thing at 10:45 AM.

I can't WAIT, I'm so excited!

more still life...

Here is the result of my latest assignment from my tutor... and no, still life is definitely NOT my favorite. I suppose, though, this is necessary exercise so I can get lots more practice applying paint to canvas.

So Cezanne I am not, that much is obvious. LOL.

I feel the end result is fairly successful. However, when I study the final painting carefully, when I have a good look, it’s usually only then that I notice the painting seems to be slightly distorted (e.g., one or more of the objects is slightly askew in some way). Likely causes are: my drawing wasn’t as accurate to begin with, perhaps the lighting changed, or perhaps when I got up for tea, I sat down again in a slightly different spot.

When I think about it, quite a lot of my drawings and paintings seem to have this “slightly awkward” quality, so I’m not sure if it can be helped or even if I want to start obsessing over this lack of perfection. I’m kind of awkward as a person so maybe it’s just my personality coming out, and as such, I try not to worry too much about it. (Knowing myself, I suspect trying to be more “perfect” will result in my work losing some of its character.) Besides, past attempts at perfection have only resulted in paper that looks somewhat chewed up. :)

At some point, I've learned to recognise when I've lost interest or when I'm trying too hard, which is exactly the point that the painting necessarily is finished, and a mere few strokes away from destruction.

And here's another one for my portfolio (maybe!)

'Til next time...

pumps get revenge...

During the hunt for suitable portfolio material, I found this little drawing which still amuses me...

(This is my version of a "still life" because fruit and vegetables aren't that interesting... but party girl shoes stomping the life out of a Hoover is hilarious!)

pumps get revenge (2001) - 14 x 19 inches

The general theme, one could say, is one of, who the hell wants to do housework when there is something way more fun to do! At any rate, I don't know if it will be included in the portfolio collection but thought I'd share none the less..

Bags of nerves again

*double gulp!* I've been invited for my first interview at art school, next Wednesday. Having a bit of a freak-out because:

A. I have done a lot of work but not too much of it is very recent. And a lot of work is now in other people's homes. In America. Where I can't get to it :) (isn't that a good problem to have, I suppose?)

B. This is the first art school interview I've ever had (College of Art in ISU didn't ask for interviews, and made admissions solely on portfolio and written statement). So I'm not sure what exactly to expect, what to bring, how to bring it... (large canvases seem out of the question on London public transport).

C. Art is *so* subjective, and if my work isn't "en vogue" at the moment, then I might well be screwed...

But 'nuff about that, no more negative thoughts. In any case, this interview will be an interesting experience and I'm sure I'll learn lots - all in plenty of time for the NEXT interview!

OMG, what will I wear????

Tuscany

I finished the first painting of an intended series, with the working name "Tuscany". Hopefully, these won't be seen as trite, but rather as charming little paintings to simply enjoy, even if there's not a great meaning behind them. (There's no law, anyway, that says all art has to MEAN something, right?)

As I haven't painted a great many pictures, I'm using these as an excuse to practice mixing colours and forming simple compositions.

And as for meaning, well, these paintings remind me of a lovely anniversary holiday in Tuscany.

never throw away an old sketchbook

I found this sketch in one of my old sketchbooks... it's a drawing from Georges Seurat's charcoal drawing "The Black Knot" - 1882. I think I did this 2000 or 2001, working on a tonal exercise... and thought it was a cool drawing, which I may use as a basis for a new painting or collage (perhaps in colour to see what happens). I just love the stark contrast of the black shadows against the white back-lighting, suggesting a 3-D form of the lady in a very minimalistic or even, economical, way.

It doesn't hurt that I'm all about Victorian/Edwardian fashion at the moment, trying to come up with a detailed "steampunk" outfit for a clubbing night out soon... LOL... maybe that's why I like this drawing so much...

Painting from Collage

(Top row: collage, bottom row: acrylic on canvas)

Again I struggle with mixing colour (indeed, the whole point of this exercise!) It seems that I have the basic hue more-or-less correct, but getting just the right tone/shade eludes me... most things are just a little too light or a little too dark...

In the few paintings I have done, I tend to layer colours until I am satisfied. This tends to give the effect that the painting is lit from behind, or maybe that light is shining through. Ultimately, layering colours gives a multi-dimensional effect, which is how I see colour anyway (colour is never just ONE, imho) When I use one layer of colours as in the paintings above, to me, they seem a bit... well... flat. A bit lifeless.

Kind of funny, that result, because the collage seems to have a bit more "life" than the paintings, when I might expect the opposite! After all, a collage is just snipped up bits of paper borrowed from an old pile of greeting cards...

All in all I prefer the collages to the paintings, though I'm not sure exactly why; they just seem "right" where the paintings seem a bit... what's the word... forced? Ugly? And another problem with the whole set is that the collages are A3, and the paintings are U.S. 12" x 16" pre-fab canvas sheets... something I hadn't considered until I was drawing the composition on the canvas (there's a slight distortion in the paintings that I didn't really compensate for, when I should've "trimmed" the composition to fit the canvas...)

So, yeah, I probably won't include these in my portfolio! Because one might think these are the first paintings I've ever done in my life. LOL.

(p.s., though I do enjoy collage, I really don't enjoy landscapes or other paintings with no people in them, maybe that's why this project wasn't THAT much fun in the end.)

A slight diversion :)

Last night's work with tiny brushes is in special honour of the special honour I'll receive later on today - I'm a new British citizen :)

It's also Australia Day, and to my new cousins, I salute you!

Ouch.

"I used to have a lot of fights. It wasn't because I liked fighting, it was really just that people said things to me to which I felt the only reply was to hit them" (Lucien Freud)

Some days I feel JUST like that, but I don't hit people anymore.

Self-portrait with a Black Eye - Lucien Freud, 1978. This painting is expected to sell for about £3million at auction this week...

The image kind of creeps me out because the eyes look all rheumy and I'm not sure what his mouth is doing. It could be smiling, lying or eating cake for all I know... and what I don't know is what the whole face means.

I'm not sure if I like this painting. At any rate, I wouldn't like it in my house staring at me all awkwardly and half-hidden. So I'll save my £3million for something else :)

Some you win, Some DeLeuze

Tom and I went to our first private view showing for the opening of a new exhibit put on by MA students from Central St. Martin's (London).

I'm really glad I went - it was good to see what fellow students are up to. One of my art friends, Ben, had a piece in the show (a video installation), something about comparing/contrasting various cultural sources to "uncover...the instigation of a binary gender system in society" (a sort of "how did it get to THIS point" question and trying to dig out the answer).

I felt his piece (two projections - one a white man, the other a black woman looking out, looking at each other, looking away, etc.), as just one step in Ben's study, was quite effective in giving the viewer an opening into the idea that the distinctions between man/woman, black/white, gay/straight, are not quite so distinct as many of us think they are or would like to believe.

I myself tend to being a very black/white thinker (eek! no shades of gray!), yet Ben's piece put a little smudge on THAT kind of thinking... his work offers the suggestion that labels, especially where humans tend to label other humans, these are not so clearly defined.

bits of paper

Today's projects involved the themes of Tranquility and Anxiety.

As I worked on these two collages, to illustrate further the themes, I tried to also incorporate the idea of "opposition", i.e., taking that "tranquility" is the opposite of "anxiety". At the same time, I tried to make it clear that the two pieces, in fact, work together, by using similar compositional elements. For example, the shapes of the grave stones on the left closely resemble the shapes of the buildings on the left. Similarly, the dark/black "trees" in the cemetary piece are similar to the dark/black buildings in the city piece. These elements clarify the two pieces as a distinct pair.

Taking one piece at a time:

1. "cemetary, early morning" - I chose soft/pale, cool colours (purples, greens, blues, beige) to complement the theme of tranquility. These colours typically have a calming effect. Also, I can think of no place more peaceful than a beautiful old cemetary at dawn, with the early sun giving the sky a periwinkle glow, and not even the tree branches stir. Perhaps this scene is one of rearly springtime, where there is new grass or a bit of snow left on the ground.
   
2. "city, late evening" - For this piece, dark and harsh colours were chosen, as well as obvious contrasting hues of blues and oranges. Contrasting colours seem to create a certain energy, and these garish colours give a negative nuance to the piece. The orangey-gray-black clouds lend to the negative atmosphere and seems to reflect a kind of orange light on some of the buildings, which definitely suggests some kind of foreboding. Also, the lines of light (as car headlamps and tail lights) show the cars are moving, perhaps too quickly.

I tried to use combinations of elements (colours, shapes, and lines) to contrast and compare the themse of anxiety and tranquility: harsh/soft, dark/light, strong/pale, angular/curved, evening/morning, future/past, etc. On the whole, I feel these compositions were successful.

One other note on these pieces: I used a pile of greeting cards, post cards, and wedding invitations to make these works (every one of them was a card I have received). I have not only recycled paper (yay! save the earth!), I have also hidden forever the sentiments and memories contained inside the cards, but these are not lost - they have only changed form, and I have made a new memory.

The next project will be to paint these compositions... stay tuned!

-- kelise72

Colour wheeee e e e e e e e e e e e e e!

In not-so-many words, it seems that I have slightly failed at colour wheel 101. (I'd give myself a B-, LOL). I mean, my tutor didn't SAY anything; he just sent me an additional "colour info sheet" (with another exercise). So I took the hint and I've done another wheel, which I think is more successful. I guess this means I'm not allowed to just use the paint from the tube then? :)

Mixing colour is SO HARD. And I could spend all day and all night doing it.

Turner, JMW

A couple of us girls went to see the "Turner vs. The Masters" exhibit at the Tate today [insert hero's anthem of choice here, playing faintly in the distance]. Though I'm no art expert and I can appreciate the guy had skills, seems to me like he was a bit of an arrogant chappy and always trying to one-up Rembrandt and Titian and those Dutch fellas who painted lots of boats.

Where was his originality? Or even, his FEELING (the ones other than the"Anything you can do, I can do better" feelings, I mean). I don't get why he was always copying other people's work... sure, all artists borrow from the past or their contemporaries at some point or another but why the dead obvious duplication? Just to prove he was just as good? (The fact that he was from a modest upbringing may have something to do with it?) On second thought, props to JMWT for his success in self-promotion, something many artists fail to do... and no one knows or cares about their work until they've been dead 50 years. But I digress...

My favorite paintings of Turner's are his later ones, like this one "The Snow Storm". You may not even see the boat in the picture, may not even guess without looking at the title that this is a picture of a storm at sea, but the chaos and sense of foreboding is very clear. I love the mash-up of colours and shadows, all competing and over-riding each other in a big noise that I imagine what the sound of fear must sound like. A lot of his later work (e.g. the one above painted in Venice) is like this, less troubled by trying to be better than some other dead master... and instead just going for purer expression.

http://www.tate.org.uk/britain/

-- kelise72

I've graduated to colour!

My tutor finally let me do a colour wheel... I'm pretty pleased with myself, not least of all because I got to dust off some memories of high school trig to come up with the solution to the age-old question: How DOES one draw an equilateral triangle in the middle of a circle? Ah...without a protractor or a compass?

Answer: First of all, EVERYBODY knows an equilateral triangle is formed of 3 60* angles, and sides of equal length. Length is easy (use a ruler). Then use folded paper to figured out the angles. Here's a tip: The edges of any piece of printing paper form a 90* angle. And who says that artists don't need math!

Anyhoo, here is my nifty colour wheel -- the primary colours in the middle, the secondary colours along the edges of the primary triangle, with the tertiary colours on the outer circle. Notice how OPPOSITE each colour is its complementary colour. :) And now you know why certain colours seem to go so well together, it's because "opposite" colours placed next to each other seem to jive. Something like the "opposites attract" theory ;)

These were great exercises to get me thinking about palettes, say, for a particular painting – do I want to use warm or cool colours to convey not only a subject but a certain mood or emotional state? What colours do I want to blend or use along with other colours in order to give the painting a certain energy or even, calmness. What colours shall I use in order to convey lighting (or shadow)? How shall I use colour to illustrate depth or distance?

All of this is to be considered when developing a painting, not just composition of the objects on the canvas, or perspective, or size. In my opinion, the composition gives a painting strength, and colour gives a painting life.

Live life in colour, I say!

-- kelise72

White stuff

I couldn't resist two posts in one day... but I thought this one turned out pretty cool. The brief was to draw "white objects" using a technique the Italians called "chiaroscuro" (light-and-dark)... and what's whiter than a pith helmet and afternoon tea? ;)

Here's how it's done:

- draw the objects using a single contour line (mind negative spaces!)

- draw the shadows, again using single contour line to describe the edge of the shadow

- fill in the shadows with dark charcoal (it will kind of negate some edges of the object at this point)

- smudge/muddle the entire page so, except for the darkest shadow, the page is now a dim gray (this really "flattens" the image)

- finally, pick/rub out the lightest parts of the objects (the highlights) with your eraser. If necessary, you may want to darken some of the shadows again with charcoal to accentuate the contrast.

In short order, the objects now seem to "pop out" in 3-D.

Fun times!

-- kelise

Que sera, sera

Woke up this morning with the sinking feeling that I woulda-coulda-shoulda have written my Personal Statement differently. It's the thing that will get me an interview before the admissions officer even looks at my portfolio. Garrrr! I definitely worry too much, and I can't stand the suspense.

Anyway, at the moment, I'm studying facial expressions (the final project hasn't really crystallised yet so I don't know what I'm aiming for... but it will come to me eventually). For starters though, I have my trusty anatomy book in hand so I can see what muscles of the face are involved in the making of facial expressions. And let me tell you, after several hours studying muscles and bones, I am really put off eating chicken for a while. Seriously.

So here's what I came up with yesterday in a coffee shop... the facial expression on this figure was unintentional but ended up describing my mood these days: trying REALLY hard to be patient and positive, and feeling really vulnerable at the same time. Or it looks like a meditating Zen Buddhist monk...

Until next time,

Kelise

Intro

With a big fat assumption that I will be accepted to art school, I was going to wait until I'd actually started school to start this blog. But I thought, what the hey, no time like the present! This journey started today when I handed over my envelopes containing applications, to the nice lady behind the counter.

<---- This is what I looked like today in the queue at the post office. (a.k.a. bag of nerves). Those of you who have not seen this one on FB don't know I drew this self-portrait with my right foot.

Anyway, my mission for this blog is to:

- share my journey with anybody who wants to read in

- gain feedback and hopefully start dialogue on my work from a wider audience

- practice writing about my work, my thought processes and motivation

- have a bit of fun

I may entertain once in a while and when I'm not faffing about, I may even challenge someone to consider another point of view.

Ok, it's really mostly about the having fun on at least a monthly, hopefully more often, basis (if I have something to say that is).

'Til next time!

Kelise