In the course of thinking about the narrative project and coming up with very little, I began (16th June), putting some mirror foil to the test to see how it performs with veiling (a white watercolour wash) which we discussed … Continue reading Part 3, project 3, constructing narratives, and project 4, reflective surfaces
3rd June 2021. After considering a number of other possibilities, including ‘modernising’ some of the classics as I have with Degas’ Petit Rat and Woman Sitting on a Balcony, and Matisse’s painting of his wife Amelie (the green stripe painting), … Continue reading Parallel project – magical realism, first sketches
This relates to Michael Fried’s 1967 essay published in Art Forum in response to Donald Judd’s earlier essay ‘Specific Objects’ and Robert Morris’s ‘Notes on Sculpture’, both circa 1965 and possibly from an interview with Bruce Glaser(1) I struggled to make sense of this, possibly because of the absence of context (the earlier essays) but also because of the introduction of numerous terms for movements/ideas/groups/ways of working with which I am not familiar. There was no anchor. It also exists in a specific time – somewhere in the mid 1960s – where pop and op art were flying high and … Continue reading Part 2, contextual focus point
I strongly suspect this has little to do with NASA and everything to do with the table. Exercise 1-2 is about perspective and the use of collage, but I’m not sure I understand the projected process. The expectation is that … Continue reading Part 2 – contemporary approaches to still life: exploring space
Because I have difficulty even taking photos where this requires leaning at an angle, I have reinterpreted this task in terms of different groups of items rather than the same one from above/below and so forth. I know I can’t … Continue reading Part 2, project 2, exercise 1.1 observe/record
The background This first exercise, collect/make/arrange, requires the grouping of a number of objects, loosely related in some way, on a table that can remain in situ for the duration of Part 2. Then to add to the collection by … Continue reading Part 2, project 1 – contemporary approaches to still life
I think this refers to what was originally about subjective physical mapping, mental representations of a geographical area. [cf this definition from the APA dictionary of psychology mental map – APA Dictionary of Psychology]. Psychologically, this might include mapping one’s perceived space in a given environment to understand something about how visible a person felt, or how much they felt they owned it. Latterly, it’s been much more about abstract conceptual material, ways of plotting ideas in non-hierarchical space. Tony Buzan, graduate psychologist and one of Mensa’s golden boys, was the originator and key proponent of this version. I met … Continue reading Part 1, Project 3, exercise 1:2 – Mental mapping
Zaha Hadid: even more than her buildings, it’s her mind that left its mark Changsha Meixihu Culture and Arts Centre, in Hunan province, China. Designed by Zaha Hadid Architects in 2019. Jason_x.j / Shutterstock.com Lakshmi Priya Rajendran, Anglia Ruskin University In the five years since Zaha Hadid’s passing, much has been written about the glorious and towering legacy the fabled British-Iraqi architect left behind. Thinking about what she started, though, is more instructive. Born in Baghdad, Iraq in 1950, Hadid – aka the Queen of Curve – fundamentally altered the contours of modern architecture and design. She shattered gender stereotypes … Continue reading Zaha Hadid – an extraordinary architect
Vision, the artist’s and the viewer’s, has been central to the production and appreciation of physical art. The mechanics of visions though, and their influence on perception are a subtext that is rarely addressed. This article reviews seven of the … Continue reading Seven Strange Quirks Of Human Vision
Coming up to a year since our first lockdown and over a year since I met with friends, visited another town, or went to a shop, I’m painting pebbles again. Last year, I made them to brighten up the lane … Continue reading MoMA Drawing-a-Day challenge, Day 4
Strayfish Arts 