I suddenly recalled seeing a series of drawings of a bull by Picasso whereby he had gradually reduced its form from naturalistic to the barest of essential elements. Because I hadn’t seen that before, I’d had no real sense of … Continue reading Part 5, project 3, exercise 2 – abstract from manufactured forms
The demands of this exercise – putting a large piece of paper on the floor, covering floor and furniture with newspaper, then applying paint by dripping, dribbling, and spattering it onto the paper using large household brushes – are ones I can’t meet. I have no usable space of this kind and a back injury prevents me from adopting the physical position required. I have to be upright with my back straight. I’m going to argue that I have experimented with very loose applications of paint in the past, that I am unlikely ever to incorporate this technique in my … Continue reading Part 5, project 1, exercise 2 – dripping, dribbling, and spattering paint
This exercise is a real challenge because it’s about using floor space to dribble, drip, and splash paint onto from above. I have very little floor space, and five cats whose main function in life is to sit on or … Continue reading Part 5, project 2, exercise 2 – adding materials from the environment
Or gridding as it’s otherwise known. This is the process of enabling mapping across two visual areas – one a photograph, the other a sheet of support – whereby the first is divided into equal squares (or rectangles) which is … Continue reading Part 4, project 5, exercise 2 – squaring up
This task requires a review of previous work to consider the mood they may have conveyed, and then either a new painting focusing on mood, or a re-work of an earlier one. Since I almost always end up taking more … Continue reading Part 4, project 3, exercise 2 – expressive landscape
Aerial perspective has nothing to do with dangling from a hang glider to make sketches. It’s about how tone and saturation bleed away with distance. Take a look at Turner’s Woman with a Tambourine (1840-50) – everything, including definition, loses … Continue reading Part 4, project 2, exercise 2 – aerial perspective
I think the previous exercise gave rise to a soft enough landscape for now, so I’ve gone for the hard version. More architectural and structural but also involving a lot of horizontals and verticals that need, even if they’re hand … Continue reading Part 4, project 1, exercise 2 – hard or soft landscape.
Not for the first time, I find I’ve pre-empted an exercise with pieces of work that would qualify but were located elsewhere! I have a very hostile-looking self portrait in blue that would have served me well in the ‘character’ … Continue reading Part 3, project 3, exercise 2 – telling a story
The exercise calls for a head and shoulders portrait of a sitter, but for the over-riding reason of social distancing, I’m resorting to myself again. I’m still angry at the avoidability of the position we’re in although very grateful for … Continue reading Part 3, project 2, exercise 2
This first exercise calls for a series of sketches, ideally of another person but under current circumstances this isn’t possible and so I am reliant on a mirror. The idea is to use line rather than tone but I seem … Continue reading Part 3, project 1, exercises 1&2 – drawing the human figure
Strayfish Arts 