TIM BAKER

I’ve not posted an update of the 5PM Challenge since January (all of them get posted on Instagram) – when the world was very different. Firstly there was a lot of abstracts – especially in ink and inktense blocks – a lot of abstract landscapes, I tend to do that a lot – start as abstract and it suggests a landscape or view – so the ‘Leaf and the Moon’ – subtitled ‘Just Drifting’ in honour of Genesis P-Orridge who had just died – or ‘Strange Twists’ – or the parable ‘Children’s House’ (named after the Joy of Cooking track I was listening to at the time) which sadly came true.

I can see a big influence of 1950’s work, but also the current times – hence ‘The Battle (COVID–19)’ – a work I am upset by but proud of. A work can be successful and happy to create yet disturbing or dark at the same time.

A lot of my recent ink pieces have been created with the new fountain pen inks – which I’ve gone into intense detail in recent life drawing and portrait posts so I’ll not repeat that here – but dip-pen and iron gall inks are a major shift in my work – and mixing inks for effects, like ‘The Battle’.

Straddling abstract and still life is the piece I did for 42 day – an annual event celebrating the first broadcast of Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy, a series that changed my life. It was also the 42nd anniversary of the radio series, so there was a special event at the British Library I had gotten tickets for many months before.

Sadly the previous day I’d buggered up my back, which became quite serious later in that week, but meant I missed all but the last event, a read-through. I was gutted, yet got this badge so did a still life of it in ink when I got back, and then created an abstract stellar background which then reminded me of COVID-19. Foreshadowing of what was to come.

Related to that we went to our local Chinese to show support since people were being rather racist and avoiding them because of the ‘Chinese virus’. I did this quick fountain pen study then finished the watercolour at home. In a similar vein was the watercolour of a fork that John wanted me to do, a broken Royal Academy fork. It gave me a chance to try some new Bockingford and Fabriano Classico A5 pads I had bought. They are great but probably and extravagance I cannot afford to replace without the extra NEA funding.

Also more public transport pieces, including the first bus watercolour which was started on one bus, and finished in another in the same position (different bus company and layout of bus so I had to remember the previous one!). Also a drawing of the cane I used for a few days when my back was bad on the bus.

Some studies as I was desperate to try out my new fountain pens and inks – they might be mostly cheap from China (some are still on the slow boat) but as you can see very usable. A hand study, and many pages of imaginary faces…I doodle these a lot, I never know if it’s faces I’ve seen or just made up, some are definitely self portraits, but it’s like automatic drawing, they form their characters as I draw them.

And still as it’s strictly still winter, many night paintings and some landscapes snatched in brief nice spells. It’s been really cold though, can only really manage an hour or so at the moment! Did a night drawing with the Duke fude fountain pen – the iron gall inks are excellent for night work – and another sunset drawing in dip-pen and watercolour of some bins and graffiti on a small public launching area near me.

Also got to try out the A5 Fabriano Classico pad in the wild which it was intended for with this fountain pen and watercolour view of Kingston Bridge. It’s a view I’ve done quite a few times over the seasons.

My favourite of this set is this sunset/night piece called ‘In the Night (He’s Dancing To Relieve The Pain)’ – named after a cover and lyrics of The Weeknd track I was listening to. Love the mood of this, and highly recommend the Bockingford paper, it is a cotton/pulp mix but works wonderfully. As does the Diamine ink for night work.

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