Contemporary Practice week 6

We're a week behind of course so we'll have a make-up class in April.  We started with our visual diary.  I did a drawing of Toby in my arms which is what struck me most about the morning.  A huge snow storm had been predicted but instead it was pouring rain when I took him out -- in his rain gear.

Then we worked on our large drawings from Allan Gardens and our artist.  We were to add duplication of some kind.  Tracings, transfers, whatever.  Next week we present the final work as if to a gallery.  I've got the drawing home now.  I know what I want to try -- adding transfers of some Allan Gardens photos.  We'll see how that works out.  Here's what I have so far after another class session.  Also each of us met with the teacher to discuss our self-directed project.  I'm back to the drawing board -- literally! -- to refine what I want to say and present.  I'll meet the teacher again next week.

Open Drawing

For the cancellation of drawing class last week we were given two passes to open drawing.  Since I had a free Thursday afternoon I tried that session.  It's in a smaller space -- the sculpture studio -- with a smaller crowd.  I'm out of practice and so hope to attend more often again.  I didn't stay long as the model was driving me crazy -- moving, especially of course in the longer poses.  Too bad they didn't start with one minute gestures.





Colour & Composition week 7

We presented our paintings this week.  The colours were garish in all of them but mostly in mine.  They said it was like entering an insane asylum.  Interesting given where the photo was taken!  Also my colours didn't contrast enough from the front to the back of the hall.  I altered them again.  The first photo is of the light coming in my studio at the same angle as in the painting.

The teacher set up a still life and we painted two quick studies -- emphasis on quick, painting fast with large brushes.  She wants to HEAR the painting.  No delicate brush strokes or preliminary sketches.  It's all about shape and tone.  Over the week we're to take more photos for our next painting which I'm pretty sure will be in more "real" colours while paying attention to mood and psychological effect.





Vincent and me

My next painting is due for critique on Thursday.  Here are a few of the stages it's been through so far -- not done yet!  The first shows the palette I made -- the main feature of which is that yellow is my lightest colour.  Everything has to flow from there.



Colour & Composition week 6

I only had one class this week.  Drawing as a Contemporary Practice was cancelled because the studio was needed for a special workshop.  It just means we'll go one week longer and my presentation on a new drawing technique will be a week later.  But I have my idea!

In Colour & Composition I did a study of my hall photo.  The teacher didn't like my composition (though I did).  She wants the "whole story of the door" -- that is, right down to the floor.  Remember that this painting is from the palette we made up and not the "real" colours.  My paintings all start off horribly and gradually something emerges.  The teacher said I paint like Van Gogh.  Okay!  But I know what she means -- I will never achieve photo-realism and wouldn't want to.  Still pretty cool comparison.  Yes but, Van Gogh used way more colour.  I should use the beauty of the colour.  I tried to add more to my study.  The finished painting is due for critique next week.



Senior Band

So simple to go back to the world of rehearsals.  I love it.  I'm right back there.  I've said before that music has been my life-line.  In high school I played in the school band and orchestra as well as a community band.  With that band I went to Expo '70 in Osaka.  That was my summer after grade 12.

My thoughts have gone all over the place thinking about band.  Ultimately I perched on the ceramics I did one fall at the Gardiner Museum.  I participated in a group for adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse.  We were to make a place setting that illustrated our experience in some way.  I was so humiliated and upset by what came out of me.  It was so ugly!  But I couldn't change it and after all my life has been ugly.  One of the pieces I made was a bass clarinet.  I also made skis as chopsticks since skiing was another thing I loved.  There were Japanese bridges or chopstick holders and a notebook and pen for writing.

The most troubling aspects were the male figure and the central pie-shaped plate with the attached chain and shackle.  I made a circle and divided it into seven as everything was in our house.  Our serving, our place, set in stone!  My mother would take a brick of ice cream and cut off a wee bit for my youngest brother and then divide the rest into 6.  She could dish out a stew and divvy up the meat according to her personal calculations -- always more for the men.

Towards the end of his life my father said with great pride that he had treated all his children exactly the same.  Apart from being a complete lie it was an outrageous comment to make.  Who in their right minds (ha!) would believe that 5 children would be identical?  But there we were, chained to our fixed slice of the pie.  Life as a zero sum game.  No wonder we five never connected, never became friends.  Competition for the crumbs was constant.

Of course I don't mean we fought out loud.  I don't imagine there could be a more quiet house with 5 kids inside -- apart from competing music systems.  No, we fought with meanness, lack of respect or care.  Lack of connection.  We were never taught that feelings are actually exponential -- contagious.  More and more joy for example instead of none.

Way back in 1970 I was still shackled.  In Japan I was overwhelmed by everything -- the heat and humidity, the culture, the attention we received -- and at the same time fascinated.  I still am.

After our trip the band leader quit.  The assistant conductor tried for a season but the band fell apart.  I went to university -- another story -- and tried a few times to particpate in making music, usually on the clarinet.  And now here I am in the Senior Band.  There are 5 clarinets at the moment in our group.  The other four began in September.  One of the four couldn't even read music!  And here we are rehearsing together on a Monday.

Pastel Workshop

I was at a pastel workshop yesterday.  Our main task for the day was to try out a series of application techniques.  We worked with 3 colours on each sample, never repeating the colours and always light, medium and dark -- and always working dark to light.  It was good but I was toast by then end.  A lot of information in one day.



Contemporary Practice week 5

First we did our morning visual diary with our non-dominant hand.  I forgot and the first two drawings are with my right.  I'd bought a pad of paper on sale that was long and thin and tried it out.  Last week the teacher suggested when I get an image to then do it again and again which I did.

A visiting artist gave us a slide presentation on her work and then we watched part of a video called "Manufactured Landscapes" by Ed Bertinsky -- and drew as we watched.  The next thing was to combine images from the video with images from Allan Gardens.  (I am no longer Gabriel Orozco.)  We worked on huge sheets of paper -- mine is maybe 5 x 3 feet or more.  I look on what I did this week as the background.  I have a lot more to do  -- though I don't know what that will be.

We had two more presentations on mark-making.  One was drawing with straws glued together with a glue gun.  (What is drawing?)  The other was using a propane torch on ink!  Don't try this at home OR tell the school management.  We all survived!

Colour & Composition week 5

This week we painted a still life of umbrellas.  Our teacher wanted us to work fast and begin by covering the whole page, blocking in the shapes.  Colour can be easily be added later in layers with acrylic paint.  I enjoyed working that way -- fast! -- and like the results.

Next week we'll be starting a painting from our own photo.  We need a composition of light and dark.  I might do this scene which is very familiar to me!

Drawing week 4

This week we met in Allan Gardens at 10 when the buildings open.  That was nice for me since I live so close by and could have a relaxed morning on my birthday.  The idea was to approach our "drawing" that morning using the techniques and materials of our artist.  I decided to take my camera and a small notebook.  I began by taking some pretty cactus photos and considered sitting on a bench to draw.  But really, Gabriel Orozco would not sit down!  So I carried on.  At one moment my camera was lowered and in the view finder I saw the pebbles around some small cactus plants.  That was all I needed to see to set off taking different pictures.  Orozco ended up taking over 250 photos.  It was a lot of fun and I got some shots I really like.  Next week our work from this week will be transformed in some way.

Colour & Composition week 4

We had the final critique on our painting project.  I was told that mine was well resolved, painterly and looked like fabric, even silk.  Then we worked on colour wheels and mixing with our acrylic paints rather that then gouache from the first term.  I really want to learn it better this time.  We're to make a palette that we like for next week with a wide range of saturation and value.  Which is to say, ranging from prismatic through muted, chromatic grey and achromatic grey and also from light to dark.  We'll be working on a still life but in an abstract way.