JUNE 2023, STUDIO

This last week I have been investigating a way of working that has it’s roots in my 5 lines method. I choose 5 shapes: a 4 sided shape, a 3 sided shape, a long nose shape, a mouth shape (a rounded shape with a line through it), and a pair of circles that represent eyes. Then I arrange them in various combinations. When I have generated several, I use tracing paper to copy one, then over lay another. Once I have a drawing that is a combination of at least 2, I use carbon transfer paper to copy the image onto an A5 piece of 220gsm cartridge paper. I then paint onto this and rework the drawing in response to the coloured shapes. The materials I use are acrylic paint mixed with fine marble dust, carbon transfer, pencil, and conté pencil. These are the results so far.

Going Backwards to go Forwards.

This week I made an attempt at tidying and organising my ridiculously cluttered, full attic studio. Unfortunately the original objective was abandoned pretty quickly.

I have several portfolios with a mixed bag of recent and not so recent work. Most finished, some I had put to one side, effectively abandoned. When I stumbled across the half baked pieces from 2021, I felt that now was the time to finish them. It seemed the last 2 years had shown me the answers to the questions these paintings had presented to me.

There was an immediacy about them, something more clumsy and unsure than the work I’ve done more recently. It has been fun to take them in hand and clarify them.

All of the below are acrylic on watercolour paper that is 38 x 28 cm.

Today’s Painting, from Start to Finish in 7 Photos.

Finished Painting. ‘As Far As I Can See’, acrylic on watercolour paper, 38 x 28 cm

This Morning’s Painting, from Start to Finish

Finished Painting. ‘In My Wildest Dreams’, acrylic on watercolour paper, 38 x 28 cm.

The Call of the Wild

Sunshine is here. Flowers are opening. Bees and butterflies swerve and flutter. How can I paint?

There are also beautiful yellow crab spiders.

April is a transformative month. It’s also the month my father died.

Whether I am conscious of it or not, I seem to spend the anniversary of my fathers death pushing my middle aged body to make big structural changes in my garden. This year was no exception. I now have a raised bed and 2 steps. When I look at what I have done, I think of him, and how he probably would have been amused by, and enjoyed, my hotch-potch, DIY garden.

Moving focus away from painting is disconcerting, even a little stressful. Yet, I know stepping away can be as important as remaining present sometimes. Breaks nearly always precede a leap forward.

I’m looking forward to it.

Are We There Yet?

So, I did as planned (not as common as you’d think), and created a much larger version of a small painting. The original was 60 x 50 cm, the larger version is 120 x 100 cm; literally the largest canvas I can get up the stairs into my studio.

The two paintings together: ‘Widely Accepted’, 120 x 100 cm, and ‘Was it Worth it?’, 60 x 50 cm.

‘Widely Accepted’, acrylic on canvas, 120 x 100 cm.

I feel I have achieved what I set out to do. It’s not exactly the same as the original, I haven’t just made a scaled up copy. I am happy with it.

Now I am working on another scaled up painting, but this time I have allowed colour to take a more central role.

Palette.

It is not going as smoothly. Perhaps foolishly, I am trying to translate a square painting onto a rectangular canvas. As a result, I am having to make changes to the composition. It is becoming a very different painting to the original. I think I’m ok with that. Will update when it’s finished.

Back Into Old Habits

Moving up to a much bigger scale has been just as hard as I expected. Harder than I’d hoped.

For weeks I have wrestled with two 120 x 100 monochromatic canvases.

I work for that alchemical moment, when a painting transcends its materials; becomes more than the sum of its parts. That moment seems to arrive night after night. Then, morning after morning, they die.

As a painter, I am perpetually falling in love. Then, in the cruel morning light, my heart sinks, and I am disappointed again. For someone so loyal, I can be very fickle.

After so much battling, so much determination to stick to the monochromatic plan, in crept a rebellious thought. Yellow.

Sod it. What this needs is colour.

Quickly things went pop! It glowed, it was alive. Ah well, maybe next time.

‘You Can’t Possibly Know’, acrylic on canvas, 120 x 100 cm

I moved onto the second painting. Pink happened.

‘Wallop’, acrylic on canvas, 120 x 100cm

Ok, I still have a monochromatic painting to do.

An idea: make bigger version of smaller painting. Obvious really. Currently working on that. Will show and tell soon.

It was nice knowing you, but I’m going to destroy you now.

Every now and then, I have to look through my old work, and decide what to let go of. Sometimes it’s easy, sometimes, not so much. Usually, this means I paint over it.

Painting death, mid destruction.

I felt good about the above painting when I made it, I internally wince a little when I recall its destruction. However, rather than fill my tiny home with old work, I recycle them. I actually say a little “farewell, and thank you”, just before they are obliterated. I’m probably not the best person to choose which paintings get the chop, but there is nobody here but me!

The painting it became: ‘Catastrophic’, acrylic on canvas, 60 x 60 cm

Ok, enough.

‘I Promise You’, acrylic on canvas, 80 x 60 cm

This week has been quite productive; 4 paintings completed since Wednesday.

Keeping in mind my commission of a large painting in “black and white with one dark colour”, I think it’s time to crank it up to the largest scale I can manage in my little attic studio: 120 x 100 cm.

‘Laughing Stock’, acrylic on canvas, 80 x 60 cm

I am concerned that the work has not been quite ‘black and white’ enough, so I’m going to see what happens when I literally only use black and white paint, no greys. We will see. I might fail, but something interesting always happens when you don’t succeed at what you originally set out to do.

‘Why The Hell Not?’, acrylic on canvas, 80 x 60 cm

A Studio of One’s Own

The incredible Picasso, being amazing in his envy inducing studio, 1956.

Anyone who actually makes things with stuff, knows how important it is to have a place to do the said making. I have painted and sculpted in places as varied as my cluttered little bedroom, to wonderfully large, well lit spaces, with all the equipment I could possibly need. Many a time I have been forced to put a hot water bottle up my jumper. There have been poisonous snakes, tarantulas, asbestos, and perhaps ghosts. On one occasion, I had several paintings to do for the affordable art fair, and no studio. I spilled turpentine in my bedroom. In the morning I awoke with what I assume was turpentine poisoning. I’m certain that any maker reading this will relate. I believe very few of us feel we have the studio we want/need. Other people desire a fancy, grown up car, a lavish wedding, holidays in Barbados. I want a big studio, and all the time in the world to make my stuff. I would be interested to know how many artists feel satisfied with their studio? How many sit in peculiar positions, balancing their canvas on the radiator? Anyone who makes stuff knows, you have to do what you can, with what you’ve got, in the space available. Necessity is, after all, the mother of invention. If you are struggling, you’re not alone. I’m fairly happy with my studio right now. It is warm, I have enough of what I need. It is, however, much smaller than I’d like, and has very little natural light. But…

If you need to go somewhere enough, you will go in an ill fitting shoe.

The best studio I ever had. Although, there may have been ghosts.
Cyprus College of Art, Larnaka, Cyprus.

Here’s some studio porn for you.

Jean Arp’s Studio, 1953. Wow.

Alexander Calder’s Studio, 1955. Look at those windows!

Willem de Kooning in his studio, East Hampton, 1964. (I can only dream of standing back from my work like this).