TIM BAKER

So we’ve reached the last 5PM Challenge images for this year, I’ve halted it until the Xmas Panic dies down. I might do some more in the Xmas ‘Hinterland’ if I have time, but mostly I think I need a rest. But sadly no rest for the wicked as I need to sort out festive things and company admin, Oh Joy (To The World)! The last two weeks have been very creative, especially for still life work and for abstract drawing and even one painting (I said the ‘drawing’ part might be flexible or be dropped!).

Ducks, mice, frogs, wine, stamps, coins, santa hats…it’s been a veritable menagerie here. Most of those were made of chocolate, cheese or wine (edible still life…yum!) but I had fun using the A4 Daler Rowney paper I found cheap at WH Smiths. For wood paper, it’s really good…slightly different feel to Cass Art paper but very similar. If you can’t get the Cass paper or it’s cheaper as Daler, I’d get that.

Several of the subjects were suggested by a friend, the mice and frogs relates to the ancient greek Homer/Illiad parody called Batrachomyomachia (The Battle of Mice and Frogs). The ducks I’m not sure why that was suggested but I love the rubber ducks (the ones wearing tails at the front are called Uberto and Umbert I think).

Also two of the pieces are Christmas-related – the one about commerciality at Christmas with a Santa Hat shaped cheese truckle and chocolate coins, and the one with stamps because I’ve been spending far too much time posting cards and waiting in Post Offices recently. Also given the recent election result, and the fact that Royal Mail has just admitted it wrongly sent it’s postmasters to jail, it seems pertinent to focus on ol’ Liz. Well young Liz here, oddly. It was a quick study in my Seawhite A5 sketchbook, was surprised how well it held up to watercolour.

The abstract drawings and paintings are continuing, with a more spiral/atomic theme or sweeping curves. Not sure why, but my favourites like the stamp drawing above only took around 10 minutes, #28 and ‘Circle The Wagons’.

Not sure I am totally happy with ‘Celtic Cosmic’ – it was the 4th piece I did that day having just got some Charcoal Powder and it got rather messy so I added some Dr PH Martin Bombay ink splotches…it feels a bit too much like paternation or decoration to me. I do like the colours though, this was on uber-cheap Flying Tiger watercolour paper as well, reminding me why I don’t use that stuff anymore. OK for tests, but it fades too much although ink seems to survive that better than watercolour.

I did an abstract painting! Nearly A1, it’s one of the largest pieces I’ve done for this challenge in acrylic called ‘A to Z & Back Again’ continuing the map/geographical based symbols and text. It marks a return to my abstract painting on wallpaper liner which I stopped doing when I started on the outside landscapes…abstract painting is a winter thing for me. Also that hourglass/taurus shape has been popping up also.

Lastly some pieces inspired, more imposed by the recent election results called ‘Election Slogans’. I am so afraid of what now can happen for us minorities, and a solution to the probable food shortages, and old anarchist slogan. First one using charcoal powder with masking fluid, and the second one using graphite powder. I learned that graphite just gets buffed and doesn’t work with masking powder! This work sparkles, which you can’t really see in the image.

And then a quick head study on the new Fabriano Rosaspina paper of John, this was my first work on this paper and cotton paper ever.