I completed sketches whilst on holiday aiming to get different perspectives of locations, the last 4 sketches were completed in my back garden at home, again trying to take different perspectives of the same location rather than just the view from my back door.

I experimented a bit with mediums, but found I liked best to use a ball point pen for the initial sketch and then to use a few coloured pencils to reference the colours of the view, and made notes on each sketch with regards to conditions and light etc. I also took photographs, so that I may be able to develop some of the studies further in future.

I enjoyed these exercises, and felt they helped me develop skills, as I was forced to work fast and not worry too much about detail. I found the use of a view finder and phone camera very useful to support this also.

Ballpoint pen and coloured pencil.

Graphite and coloured pencils

Coloured pencils and fine pens.

Ballpoint pen and coloured pencils (drawn from digital photo taken during walk).

Ballpoint pen and coloured pencils.

Ballpoint pen and coloured pencils.

Ballpoint pen and coloured pencils.

Ballpoint pen and coloured pencils.

When I started this exercise, I was travelling around the highlands of Scotland, but the weather was quite dull, it was very overcast and whilst there were clouds they were very difficult to determine as the whole sky was generally grey and very fast moving due to the wind.

I tried nevertheless to capture the different variations in tone but just felt I was producing a series of non descriptive scribbles with no form and absolutely no likeness to clouds. I tried to introduce some colour as well, even though this was really difficult to pick out, but I was not happy with the outcomes (see sketches 1-4).

Sketch 1 and 2 (graphite pencil)

Sketch 3 (graphite pencil) and 4 (coloured pencil)

As the weather started to improve, I found the form of the clouds starting to change and they began to look more traditionally ‘cloud like’. I was therefore more hopeful that I may be able to progress and tried to concentrate on their shape and form, but I still felt frustrated. I found dealing with the movement particularly difficult – each time I looked up from the paper the shape had changed and no matter how fast I worked I could not retain a memory of what I had seen (see sketches 5 and 6).

Sketch 5 (graphite pencil) and 6 (coloured pencil)

As I had only used pencils up to that point I decided to change tact and try soft pastels hoping this may make a difference, perhaps the texture of the medium would help but I was still not happy with the results (see sketch 7).

Sketch 7 (soft pastels)

Next I tried to copy clouds from a photograph, I thought that perhaps as I had studied them so much just capturing an image on camera would be enough for me to move on with. I used coloured pencils again and ended up getting really involved in trying to replicate the detail I saw, picking out every colour I could see. I felt that the more colour I used and layered up the greater the depth I was creating. However, it seemed that the more time I spent on this the poorer the image became until I found it appeared very flat with no sense of movement (see sketch 8).

Sketch 8 (coloured pencil)

It was at this point I watched the Vija Celmins video, (see previous blog post ‘research point – artists drawing other natural elements’). As I have discussed in that post, I realised that I had become too focused on producing a replica, rather than drawing on my experience and connection with what I saw. All through my earlier research I had noticed how it was more the feeling of a drawing or painting rather than its closeness to an exact copy that I was most connected too but I realised that I wasn’t using this in my own practice.

Once I identified this I became much more relaxed in my approach and just went with how I felt, I didn’t get too bogged down with how the skyscape changed as I drew, I tried more to capture the movement and tone of what I saw, and I think this produced better results (see sketches 9 and 10).

Sketch 9 (soft pastel)

Sketch 10 (coloured pencil)

In terms of progression, I think I need to work on intensifying my application. I think this is true of most of my work, in that I have quite a light touch, however if I want to capture more of the dramatic and dynamic feel of clouds and landscapes I need to communicate that through my mark making too.

In our course material we were encouraged to look at artists who draw other natural elements such as sky or sea, including Vija Celmins, considering how their approaches may help with cloud drawings.

I watched a video of Vija Celmins talking about her approach after already starting and being very frustrated with drawing clouds. I continually felt that my drawings bore no likeness to reality and was finding it very difficult to replicate what I could see, especially when they moved so fast. At one point I tried using a photograph, but this looked more contrived than my earlier attempts. On watching and listening to Vija Celmins, despite her apparent obsession with producing exact replicas of natural elements, I was most taken by the idea that she insists it was not just about copying but producing an image of what she saw and her experience of that. This resonated with my earlier research and reflections – the paintings I most connected with were not necessarily exact copies or true representations, but were those which communicated a sense of movement, light and drama. I therefore started to feel happier with my earlier attempts and began to loosen my approach. As I did this my mind was also drawn to other artists whose work centres on ‘skyscapes’ particularly around the Scottish Highlands and Islands. Ruth Brownlee is based in Shetland and I have always been taken by how she captures light and depth in clouds. When I went back to look at these in greater detail I found that her paintings did not concentrate on the forms of the clouds but on the tone, whilst managing to capture a real sense of drama and unforgiving weather that the Shetlands are renowned for (see image below).

Ruth Brownlee, Passing rain: West Sandwick, (no date) mixed media on board

Taking this and my earlier research into mind reinforces the necessity of the live experience in landscape drawing and painting to gain a sense of the movement and fluidity of the natural environment. I am also reminded that my common experience of using photos for reference so far in this course, has usually been a less positive one unless it is used strictly to support an initial live drawing. Reflecting on what I have gained so far from my research I realise that there is a balance to be struck in representing what is seen and what is felt, both for me having equal importance in the final outcome.

Up until 17th century in Western art, landscapes had primarily been painted for the background to portraits or religious paintings – at this time they began to emerge as a lower class of genre and now (present day) are considered a major theme.

In 16th century a contemporary of Leonardo de Vinci, named Albrecht Durer is considered one of the first to portray landscapes. He generally painted places which from his images are said to remain recognisable to this day, i.e true representations. Looking at some of his paintings they do not appear stylised as in later landscapes, but more as studies or illustrations as if they are to provide a reference or serve as a record. It appears when I look at them that he has found an interesting place and sought to capture what he sees.

The images I found seemed to concentrate on the archetectire or geology of the place and are quite detailed, but do not really capture much of the weather or light and shadow. There is no dramatic use of colour or brush strokes, he has used mainly watercolour, but it is clear that they are very accurate depictions.

I get the feeling that they were not painted to be sold or displayed, but as personal practice or studies for the background in other paintings. They do not seem to have any particular emotional connection to the subjects.

Albrecht Durer, Innsbruck Castle courtyard, 1494 (Watercolour and gouache on paper)

In the 17th century Claude Lorrain is credited as a leading landscape artist of the time and drew large fees for his work. He was French by birth but painted primarily in Italy. He is known to have made preparatory sketches from real life, but his final pieces are very dramatic and stylised with small figures usually depicting a biblical or mythological scene. He is also credited as one of the first landscape artists to include the sun in his paintings.

His paintings appear very dark and other worldly even though depicting known places in some cases, they appear from an ancient and long gone era which I suppose was his intention. The landscape, especially trees most often appears gigantic over the people in the scene and what I noticed was that despite the inclusion of sun and dramatic clouds the scenes appear very still, there is no real evidence of weather or natural movement.

Claude Lorrain, Landscape with Apollo and Mercury, 1660 (Oil on canvas)

As I look at the paintings I am struck by the scale and attention to detail, but again I can’t escape the feeling that there is no real drama, everything is romanticised, and each painting looks very much like the others (although there are differences). I feel as though I should like them out of respect, but I don’t and I think it is about the repetitive nature of them and the overemphasised scale.

In the same century, Jacob Van Ruisdael was also a landscape painter at the dawn of the Dutch golden age when paintings of the Dutch landscape were keenly desired for display including by a rising middle class at a time when the country’s independence was being established. His paintings are of a much more dramatic style, appearing as if caught in motion, very wild and forbidding scenes with brilliant skyscapes often taking up a great portion of the view. It appears very obvious that his paintings are from direct observation which is also apparently consistent with the religious instruction eminent at the time.

Jacob Van Ruisdael, Landscape with waterfall, 1628/29 – 1682 (Oil on canvas)

I love these pictures, I think they make me feel something, I can sense the wind, cold, isolation, awe etc and I want to be there. I feel I can identify with these landscapes, they appear familiar although I have never even been to the places depicted.

In comparison to the previous artists Ruisdael has a more dynamic feel to his paintings which comes through in his style not just in the subject matter. Looking more closely I can see that his paintings also have more depth, there seems to be greater contrast between the fore, middle and background, Claude Lorrain’s paintings appear as though the foreground is set against a stage backdrop.

Landscapes continued to rise in popularity and in late 18th and 19th centuries there was an explosion in the genre with artists like Constable and Turner continuing the practice of sketching and painting from life, challenging the traditionally taught styles of painting and in turn influencing the impressionists. It is with these artists that the landscape genre eventually achieved a higher status within art.

John Constable, Weymouth Bay, 1816 (Oil on canvas)

J.M.W. Turner, Stormy Sea with Blazing Wreck, 18.35-40 (Oil on canvas)

Impressionism is one of my favourite styles, I have always envied the way that such loose, fluid brush strokes, and variety of colour, produce beautiful images that capture light so brilliantly. Reflecting again on what I have discussed so far, I realise that my like for this style is perhaps due to the dynamic nature that comes through the paintings so vividly with the techniques used.

Alfred Sisley, Starr Rock, Lady’s Cove, Le Soir, 1897 (Oil on canvas)

In the 20th century definitions of landscape art developed and broadened. LS Lowry was famous for his scenes of industrial landscapes. I remember, as a child, we had a framed print of one of his paintings hanging on our lounge wall, so I feel very familiar with Lowry. However, it also makes me realise that for such a scene to be a desirable subject to hang in your home is a big leap. Lowry’s paintings were not stylised or dramatised in anyway they were quite simple and matter of fact. His colours were also quite limited reflecting the mundane reality of the scenes but at the same time they were not grim. I think a particular quality of Lowry’s paintings is that whilst they are not realistic there is no question of the realism they portray. They even appear more real than some of the scenes in Claude Lorrain’s paintings, however this in turn makes me realise how gifted both artists were in achieving what they seemingly set out to do.

L.S. Lowry, Going to work, 1943 (Oil on canvas)

Additionally, during 20th century, landscape art became more abstracted. In my research I came across Joan Eardley whose work included landscape paintings in which she would include natural elements such as grit and grass to give texture. Her paintings include very strong brushstrokes and use of colours to capture the essence of the scene. They do not appear as a exact representation but again they appear very dynamic and draw a sense of emotion, which I really like.

Joan Eardley, Summer fields, 1961 (Oil and grasses on hardboard)

Contemporary artist George Shaw is renowned for his depiction of suburban landscapes, in particular paintings of the suburb in Coventry where he grew up in the 70’s. All of the paintings are quite stark – they appear very true to life, even graffiti and damage or dirt is meticulously captured. They also have a very eerie ghost like quality as there are no people in any of the images. The monotone depiction of the sky in the pictures also gives a sense that it is either early morning or late evening – so almost as though captured in secret when no-one is about or watching. With a few of the images I wonder whether a photograph would have been as effective, however there is something extra that the paintings give which I can’t quite put my finger on. I find them interesting and am drawn to look at them more closely to pick out the detail. They seem to me an example of how landscape art has moved so far away from the likes of Claude Lorrain i.e. a pleasant depiction created for the viewer to frame and place in their home, to something much more, to inform and provoke.

George Shaw, Scenes from the Passion: The Other End, no date (Humbrol enamel on board)

Other contemporary landscape artists use sculpture within or informed by the landscape. Some of this art is of a very temporary nature and therefore photography or video is key to capturing and communicating this. It also encourages an engagement with the landscape and is dependent on the landscape for the art to ‘work’.

Some of Richard Long’s artworks include pieces around walks he has completed showing the impression made on the ground, others involve taken elements of the landscape such as rocks and re-arranging them. Steve Messam creates site specific installations in rural or urban settings usually designed to encourage an alternative perspective of a familiar environment.

What I find interesting about both artists is that the landscape is essential to both artists in a way that it was not before. With regards to paintings these could be imagined or invented as was the case in some of the earliest landscape artists. However, with these artists the landscape is very much integral to the art. It also involves a wider sensory experience in particular, touch and hearing.

Richard Long, A line made by walking, 1967

Steve Messam, Hush, 2019

In another way Sarah Woodfine takes her drawings from nature into 3 dimensional form. Some of her pieces are very abstract to a degree that I find quite difficult to get my head around, I want to see some logic but cant find it, and I think this is probably the intention – it seems designed to prompt and encourage thought and re-exploration of what we take for granted or assume as usual. Her style of drawing is very illustrative and has a soft and gentle sense to it, the 3 dimensional element is then what seems to make it strange and out of the ordinary. I find that looking at her work feels quite surreal but not in a disturbing way.

Sarah Woodfine, Untitled (Branch) II, 2015 (Pencil on roll of Saunders Waterford paper, steel and perspex)

I have found this subject difficult; part of me wants to get into minute detail and the other just wants to rush through. I therefore found the initial exercise quite useful in this respect as it broke the structure and form of trees into different elements making me concentrate only on those parts which then came in useful for the subsequent exercises.

The longer study of an individual tree I found much more challenging for the reason of being drawn into the detail as I said above. I found that fellow students appeared to have the same problem; sharing on social media their very detailed images which had often taken several hours. I decided that I would try to stick to around an hour as suggested in the course materials. I often went over this, but not too much – this enabled me to try and focus on the key characteristics of the tree, as well as to give me permission to stop without feeling I’d failed. For the most part I did not complete a study of a full tree, but I did complete several detailed studies of key characteristics of different trees.

I used ball point pen, conte pencil, coloured pencil and charcoal for the different studies. I found each study lent itself more easily to a particular medium. I do enjoy sketching mostly with pen, but this does sometimes encourage me to get to involved with detail so I have to choose carefully.

Charcoal on paper

Ball point pen on paper

Coloured pencil on paper

Conte stick on paper

Ball point pen on textured green paper

Graphite pencil on paper

I found with exercise 3, as is often the case for me, I had an idea of the image I wanted to create before I started, although I only had a vague idea of how I might achieve this. I remembered that this is something I have discussed before with my tutor so made a conscious effort to go with the flow and see how things worked out. I started with soft pastels, and also used coloured pencils and fine pens to complete this piece. The first attempt started with the background which didn’t go well so my second piece started with a simple, broad outline of the trees in the foreground before then drawing and shading the background trees. I simplified the image using broad background shading and only picking out a few of the obvious trees to give a sense of the density of the woods, as well as to capture a sense of the direction of sun and its light on some of the foliage. For the foreground I added more detail to the trees and foliage, with the use of pens and more variation in colour to assist this.

I found it most difficult to ensure the darker background trees did not compete with the trees in the foreground. I realised that the sunnier right hand side had more definition and contrast in reality so tried to emulate this, with some success I think.

My overall aim was to create more of an impression of the view, as I knew I could not hope to capture all of the detail in front of me. What I saw and tried to concentrate on, was mainly characterised by the light and its contrasting effects.

I think the pencil and pastel in the background helped create a very soft and almost dream like quality. I tried to stick to a limited palette and to mix colour in layers to build depth so that the image does not appear flat, again reflecting the density of the woods. I feel the final image draws the eye to the light, and the furthest tree on the left provides a frame which was not intended but helps gives a starting point and to direct the view.

I’m satisfied with the outcome, thinking about my research on landscape artists and my preference for certain styles, I feel i have not really captured a sense of movement so have identified this as something to work on and consider in future compositions. The natural environment has not been something that I have had much experience in drawing so I hope to build my skills as I work through this part of the course.

In general I feel I have gained some skills particularly in summarising the main characteristics of a tree and trying to build this into a composition. With my limited experience and my tendency to get bogged down in detail. I am continuing to practice with these skills as I move through the course.

Tonal exercises

My tutor advised me to do some tonal exercises to help with developing my skills in this area. I looked into an exercise suggested in the recommended reading material. This suggested creating 8 boxes of equal size, and to try to create an equal tone across the box from edge to edge and an equal increase in the variance of tone between each box using the full range of B pencils.

I started this exercise with graphite pencils but didn’t have a full range – I only had B, 2B, 3B and 6B, however I decided to proceed anyway. I found it easier to do the first few boxes but as the tone got darker the difficulty also increased. I also found retaining the equal size of each box and ensuring equal tone across the box very difficult – I found I was concentrating more so on trying not to press too hard on the pencils.

I repeated the exercise with coloured pencil (adding graphite pencil to build the tone) and then with oil pastel using the colour of blue from my assignment. In discussion with my tutor I had identified my struggle to see beyond simply adding black for the folded areas in the gown I had drawn. I blended the pastel with white grey and black to achieve different tones but again I think I had greater depth between the first few than last few boxes although consistency was better across each box. I do think that I managed to retain the blue colour, which I feel is progress.

I could have probably spent longer on this or done more exercises, but I think in all it’s taught me that tone is something that needs a lot of time and consideration. I often become impatient with my work, particularly if it is something which takes more than a few hours – as my assignments often do. I need to consider tone as importantly as I have been considering negative shapes and spaces. I think it is perhaps something that I can expand on and build into preliminary work prior to any assignment in order that I am not using the final piece itself to work issues out.

Review of research

On the advice of my tutor, I went back over my original research exercise recorded in an earlier post ‘Drawing skills 1: Pt 2; Project 3 At home – Research point’ and considered the images again in terms of materials used, composition, colours and how they generally made me feel.

Egbert Van Heemskerk II, Interior, 1634/1635 – 1704 (oil on canvas)

This painting focuses on the characters although there is evidence of it being an interior in the painting scene and it’s title. It is very dark with light used to highlight the roughness of the characters in terms of their physical features, expression and clothing. The medium appears to have been roughly applied as if to speak to the subject matter. I like that it seems to have caught a moment rather than having been posed. I suppose at the time it would have been something unusual for a painting as it was a chronicle of the times, not a usual subject of paintings, rather than a display of someone’s wealth or a means of relaying a message of religion or teaching in morality. It’s hard though to try and understand that context when in this day and age real images of real people whether in their everyday lives or even in the midst of disasters and cruelty are so common place.

Theodore Matesfdorf, Interior, 1888 (oil on canvas)

In comparison this image seems to display what may have been thought of as a good example of a woman. The way the same medium seems to have been used in such a different way to create a serene and calm image of a young woman enjoying an appropriate pastime; appearing to know and accept her place and to be a pleasing subject for a painting. In contrast to the first painting the light is used to create softness, to accentuate the feminine features in direct contrast to the heavyily shadowed corners. I notice that the women’s dress is almost the same colour as the statuette behind her, almost casting her as an object of art within the painting. A wider range of colours are also used, also with a greater number of other features in the room – nice furnishings, other works of art – seeming to appeal to someone interested in their status or even if displayed publicly to reinforce the eleveted position of people who have such interests. Although I am in awe of the painters ability, I really dont like the picture at all, it seems dull especially in contrast to the previous painting – even if it was capturing a moment in time and not staged as it appears, I am not interested in the view; it bores me and I dont think there is anything interesting about it – it is a subject frequently presented in paintings and I would be more interested to know who the subject is and what she felt about the picture and her experience of her involvement in it.

Edward Le Bas, Interior, 1951 (oil on board)

The above image I found more interesting for many reasons. I love the colours used and the way the painting is applied. It has an appearance of impressionaism and the details in the room are beautiful and appeal to me. Thinking about tone in this picture, at first glance it appeared that there is no shadow as the colours are so vibrant, however on closer inspection it is evident that the tone is very well applied maintaining the vibrancy of the colours rather than casting everything into dark shadow. I also feel that it appears to have caught a moment in time and whilst the woman appears to be portrayed in a similar manner to the painting above, there also seems to be a hint towards her inner self, and thoughts as if that is the purpose of the painting. I also feel that the painting is more like an attempt to document a moment and is not just interested in creating a pleasant picture or preaching an ideal.

Francois Bonvin, Interior, 1817-1887 (oil on canvas)

The colours used in this painting appear very minimal, this may be due to the limited palette available at the time. Again as with the first the painting, the medium appears to have been applied more roughly as if trying to be sympathetic to the nature of the subject. However at the same time there has been careful attention given to things like the shine of the metal and glass and the textures of the wood and brush. Whilst it is a very dimly lit subject the way it is painted gives great depth and interest to the objects as if to elevate them to a more interesting status than would be assumed if they were seen in real life. I do like the painting and I think I am more drawn to the way it is painted than the actual subject. I feel it draws me in to look more deeply at it, and the objects and setting therefore become much more beautiful than would perhaps be the reality.

Vanessa Bell, Interior, 1879 – 1961 (oil on canvas)

This painting again has a very impressionist style. The paint is applied in a more loose way and again at first glance appears to lack tone, but on further inspection this has been very cleverly applied so as not to lose the light and colour of the subject. There is very little detail, but enough to know what is portrayed and whilst it shows an interior the painter encourages you to look beyond and to the outside. The colours are very soft and inviting, there is no heavy darkness but it does not detract from the painting – although this is in contrast with the previous image, I am just as interested to look at the subject and consider it in more detail, although it is quite a mundane everyday subject.

Diana Cowdy, Interior, 1968 (oil on canvas)

I find this image quite interesting as there appears to be a lot of detail whilst at the same time there is not. There is a very light aspect to the painting as well, with a lovely mix of dark and light colours. The whole painting seems to have a very sketchy appearance and seems as if it was completed quickly with the intention of simply recording the view rather than having the primary purpose of being a painting. I can’t help but like it, but at the same time I don’t want to because I’m not interested in the subject matter, again it is a view often captured in many paintings – how the other half live, what we all should look up to.

Margaret Ann Lemon, Interior, 1967 – 1973 (oil on canvas)

I love this painting. It is oil again but has been applied in a seemingly completely different way to the other images I looked at. The brush strokes are less obvious and there is more attention to line rather than tone whilst still managing to appear very real and to have depth. I really love the subject, it is the type of view that I would find interesting, I love finding interesting patterns and shapes in what is around me, and this really speaks to that. I also find it interesting the way my eyes are drawn around the painting – first to the window and the stained glass, then the bannister and doorway.

A Quigley, Interior, 1978 (oil on board)

This last image is again in an impressionist style. There is again limited use of tone but really lovely use of colour and perspective to draw in the eye and create depth. I like the ease of the painting and the natural style of it seeming to capture a moment in an very normal situation that most people could probably relate to. It is very similar to the Diane Cowdy painting, but using a overhead view adds something of more interest. I’m not sure I like it as a painting though as I cant help ignore the fact it is very obviously 1970’s which is an era I do not find appealing image wise!

Prior to re-visiting these images I had watched the 4 part Ways of seeing series by John Berger on YouTube. I found it really interesting and realised that most often I look at the aesthetic qualities of a painting, occasionally considering the context when it is obvious or specified. This series made me realise the responsibility and purpose for art in terms of social context. A lot of what Berger says I was aware of but I suppose not consciously so when I view art. I have noticed however in my own art that there is always an internal influence, in that it can change dependent on how I am coping with my immediate world around me; mostly that I find it difficult to produce art when I am low in mood or tired, but I have also found that my art is much looser and dynamic when I am in a really good mood so even this can change the context of what is seen. In this respect I am drawn to think of Van Gogh who is famous for having produced art which reflected his mood. However it also makes me think of art that is a response to what is around particularly where it is in response or relation to changing political and social context.

I also realise though, it is quite difficult to shake off years of conditioning as to what is considered nice or pleasing in terms of art and images in general. I also realise that I have personal tastes which mean I am drawn to some styles of art and images over others. However, understanding this and being aware of it does help me to refine what I find useful to my own practice and I feel that delving a bit deeper in my research and including my views on the whole image and how I feel about it is making me think about how I may be able to do this.

Further practice pieces to explore the competing textures/surfaces in assignment 2 final piece (hard door v soft gown)

I did not complete this piece of work for a few weeks, instead spending some time thinking about it. It seemed that I was allowing myself more time than I did with the actual assignment, which I found interesting in itself. I also felt that in contrast to the assignment I would use mixed media and considered what would be most sympathetic to the effects I was seeking.

I felt that coloured pencils would be best for the wood as I could build the different colours in the grain but also add detail – using pencils in different ways enables this. However, I did not want the effect to be too soft as I have experienced before, so also decided to use a coloured fine nib pen to pick out very small detail in the grain or wood edges here and there, and within the door handle which would also help identify the metal surface.

I stuck to a limited palette using bendable pencils (red, yellow, blue, brown, ochre, orange) concentrating on layering the different colours I could pick out. I added the detail of the grain as I went along, alternating between shading and detail until I was happy.

I decided that I would use a charcoal pencil for the gown. In one of my original practice pieces, using charcoal had been effective for this purpose. My only hesitation was that it would have no tonal colour, but I was also keen to overcome my issue with charcoal, in that I have not been happy with any pieces I have created with this medium and therefore had so far avoided using it.

I simply worked in darker areas of shadow with the charcoal and used a paper stump to blend and create the lighter areas. This gave a really soft effect which suited the gown and which I was instantly pleased with. This in turn gave me confidence to continue and to use the charcoal more purposefully as a drawing tool.

It sounds quite obvious now, but I realise that when things go well my confidence builds and I want to keep going, but in contrast if things don’t go to plan it knocks me severely and can put me off for days, in turn making me very hesitant about practising and experimenting. I have been trying to overcome this by just ‘doing’ and ‘going with the flow’ etc, which does help and I am getting better at. I also think that what has been helpful is working on other exercises at the same time (I was working through part 3 of the course), so that I am still practising some art. I have also found this can provide additional inspiration and the motivation to persevere.

The final image is below. I posted this on Instagram and received positive feedback which also helped boost my confidence.

In my tutorial my tutor fedback how the shadow at the bottom of the door in my second assignment piece appeared to be competing with the gown, how when she looked at the image she was drawn to both the gown and the bottom of the door at the same time, I could sort of see what she meant but agreed to look at trying to reduce the shadow back. I knew that I had struggled with the shadow anyway, again working from a photograph I had been trying to copy exactly what was in the photograph and as we had discussed I am not obliged to do this! I also discussed how whilst drawing when I was struggling I had always sought to address any problems by adding something more, layering on more oil pastel or mixing in more linseed but had not thought about trying to reduce back or remove/erase some of the medium which is what she suggested here.

I struggled with this at first. I initially tried with more linseed to try and blend and soften the pastel in some way but this just seemed to make the shadow even darker so I then tried to remove a layer of the pastel with some turps which seemed to remove too much. This really raised my anxiety; I was convinced I had now ruined the image and it would not be salvable. I decided to leave it and return to it the next day. A problem I had was that the drying process was quite slow, whilst I am often impatient, in this exercise I had no choice and just had to accept and wait. When I came back to it again, I started adding a little more oil pastel and this seemed to help. I used lighter tones to reduce the shadow back, as the linseed oil was still wet the additional pastel tended to blend anyway but as I continued it started to look a very different texture to the rest of the door so was then changing the image totally. The more I worked the more the bottom of the door seemed to bend, the blending seemed to have altered the perspective but as it was still wet I was unable to do any more so left it again for another day.

Eventually I felt I got to a stage where the shadow remained, but is clearly on the door in the background and enabled the gown to lift from the door, I am quite pleased that I persevered in the end as I did initially struggle to see what had to be done.

See re-worked piece below.

I realised after my tutorial that I don’t prepare adequately in advance. Although I find them very useful I think I may gain even more by taking the opportunity to talk about things I’ve found challenging or interesting along the way, these things are not particular problems that create a sticking point in a significant way, but I realise they do become apparent in my work. I also need to use my tutor more in between tutorials, with research and reflection in particular, or additional exercises which may help with a bit of work that I’m doing at the time.

Through our discussion I realised that in drawing something from life I do not have to literally represent something that I see i.e. to produce an exact copy, but that art is about re-presenting or imagining something. I can make amendments if it helps the composition. I struggle though with seeing my work objectively – almost become blind to what I am creating – but am reassured that this is a skill that will come in time.

We talked through my assignment piece and some of the exercises in part 2, tone and research were the 2 main subjects for me to look into with one particular exercises to do as well as tips for the future. I felt in this discussion that a light was being switched on, I felt that up til now I’ve been just practising and following the instructions but not really taking anything in whereas with the discussion I was starting to ‘get it’, hopefully this will continue but the tutorial has left me feeling more hopeful.

So a few exercises to do –

• Some re-working of my last assignment piece and more practice pieces to explore the competing textures/surfaces (hard door v soft gown)
• Some re-working of one of my exercises – bunch of garlic
• Tonal exercises
• Review research, explore more about the material qualities, colours, technique, composition, medium and how the piece makes me feel. Also advised to read Ways of seeing by John Berger.

I used A2 cartridge paper and colour pencils to take my earlier sketches through to a final piece.

I layered the colours up which I like to do as I think it shows the undertones of the different items; for example the black plastic of the shredder had undertones of blue and green which I used first before applying black pencil, whilst the wooden fire surround had undertones of red and yellow. I also used a limited palette of colours as I think too much colour can become messy.

I don’t think the outcome was as intimate looking as I’d originally hoped and expected from my earlier sketches and research, I think perhaps a portrait view may have helped but I was concerned with taking in too many objects and cluttering the image, I also wanted to ensure the fire surround was not cut out of the image. In hindsight it may have been better to use a portrait view and move my focus slightly to the left of the lampshade.

I like the effect I have gained with the pencil, I find it interesting that whilst I have not focused on replicating the materials of the objects it is still possible to identify and distinguish them by their tone.

Below are pictures of the different stages of my drawing and the final piece.

I looked at paintings in the genre of domestic interiors by searching Tate and Art UK online resources.

The genre first came about in the 17th Century and tends to depict scenes of domestic life with or without people. Many of the earlier paintings tend to have a sense of historical record and depict people in their normal setting unposed or minimally, such as you would gain from photo journalism in this era. However I noticed in my searches that there does not appear to have been many changes to this composition the 3 paintings below are examples from different centuries but with very similar qualities:

Egbert Van Heemskerk II, Interior, 1634/1635 – 1704 (Oil on canvas)

Theodore Matesfdorf, Interior, 1888 (Oil on canvas)

Edward Le Bas, Interior, 1951 (Oil on board).

As many paintings in this genre depict domestic scenes without any people, but with a suggestion of their presence, but also capturing a quality about the setting such as architectural or ornamental element, or the play of light for instance. Again these themes cross different eras, as can be scene in the examples below:

Francois Bonvin, Interior, 1817 – 1887 (Oil on canvas). In this painting there is evident of people through the empty wine bottles and upturned bowl.

Vanessa Bell, Interior, 1879 – 1961 (Oil on canvas). In this painting the subject extends to what is outside of the room and the view beyond, the open window is evidence of someone within the room and the viewer is invited into the room to look out.

Diana Cowdy, Interior, 1968 (Oil on canvas). This painting at first draws attention to the ornate fireplace, but as you look around you see clothing on the bed, a chair and even portraits on the wall which all evidence the presence of people.

Most paintings I looked at portrayed a setting as if capturing a moment in time, they did not appear overly posed and mostly drew out interesting dynamics whether within the room itself or between the characters and the scene or in their apparent simplicity as if encouraging the viewer to take a closer look at the everyday.

In terms of composition most views taken by the artists tended to be straight on, as if the viewer is participating or present in the room, for example in the image below:

Margaret Ann Lemon, Interior, 1967 – 1973 (Oil on canvas)

Other artists use a more elevated view which gives a more stage scene quality as in the next painting:

A Quigley, Interior, 1978 (Oil on board).

With regards to view and composition, this has made me think again about my last exercise in this part of the course and whilst I liked the more elevated view I do like the greater intimacy of the straight on view, it feels more as if the scene has been captured rather than staged which I feel is more in keeping with the genre.

I also looked through the reading material for this course and found another artist whose drawings capture interior spaces from a different perspective to those I found in my earlier search. Toba Khedoori’s drawing seem to focus just on one or two elements of the interior space rather than the whole scene thereby removing the element of habitation or interaction with people. They also become much more clinical in their appearance and the focus becomes on the structure and space.

Some examples below:

Toba Khedoori, Unititled (Doors), 1999 (Oil and wax on paper)

Toba Khedoori, Untitled (Rooms), 2001 (Oil and wax on paper)

Toba Khedoori, Untitled (Table and chair), 1998 (Oil and wax on paper)

I found myself quite taken in by the subtlety and simplicity of these drawings, I also like the way that the drawings occupy a small, central part of the larger piece of paper. I am unsure as to how this will influence my own art at this time, but I would like to explore this more in my assignment for part 2.