When I was at art school in a galaxy far, far away…they’d stay words like ‘that’s a strong piece’ and ‘that’s very strong’ if you were lucky. Well I think painting came on strong in this session, more so that others. Partly inspired by a couple of guardian angels who gave me some paints and support…which from a stranger moved me greatly and inspired me to try and make every moment count.
It does feel quite lonely putting your work out there – lots of talented people, artists can be quite competitive, and you can get lost amongst the memes and cat videos. Likes are nice but they aren’t physical or monetary support, and it does feel like only a few people really care about my work – and some pieces not at all, although which always surprises me. So to get that sort of help from strangers, well it was a big boost and I need to pay it forward in future – but for the moment I can repay it by being as good as I can be.
Sorry we’re getting a little too much like an inspirational poster in here, so back to the artwork….
As usual the best piece was one of the first 5 minute pieces, which was ‘Mic Drop’ featured in detail at the top and in full below. I talked in a previous post about muddiness and time, and I think starting with fresh water and paints helps. Maybe I should take some water and another cup so I don’t have to race across the room in the middle of a pose…but I have a lot of stuff I take as is!
‘Slow Clap’ was also another 5 minute pose as well, as was the Markal drawing. Those quick poses have taught me how you can ‘overwork’ pieces and sometimes the initial impression is the best, sure I’ve said this before but you can ‘overthink’ pieces or start stressing out about certain bits. It’s the difference between working instinctively with muscle memory and from the head. The former works well for me, even though of course the more measured work comes from the latter.
Also another back view that is quite realistic for a 20 minute painting, which I like, and another ‘German Expressionist’ style watercolour and conte crayon. It’s not flattering, no wonder some of the models avoid me, but I like the Sturm und Drang of it. Still trying to work with loose watercolour, or ‘wet on wet’ as they call it in the biz.
It leads to some wonderfully fractal shapes and drying marks as pigments – which are basically chemicals so this is as much chemistry as art – interact in different ways. You can especially see this in the reclining watercolour above.
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