Abstract expressionism was developed in the 1940’s and 50’s by artists such as Jackson Pollock, Mark Rothko and Willem de Kooning. Based mainly in New York, the aim was to not only make the art abstract, but to give the feel of emotion and expression so was characterised by bold mark making and gestural brushstrokes.... Continue Reading →
Personal Development – Project 3: Towards abstraction
Exercise 1: Abstraction from study of natural forms I started this exercise by finding a couple of photographs of the Magnolia tree at the front of our house. I was particularly drawn to the patterns made by the trunk and branches of the tree. Drawing is my first love and I have been getting antsy,... Continue Reading →
Personal Development – Project 2: Adding other materials
Exercise 1: Preparing a textured ground For this exercise I want to see if I can incorporate these techniques into my personal style of painting. I began by doing a couple of experiments in my sketchbook. I cut up some string and mixed it with gesso, stuck some dried daffodil flower heads and some... Continue Reading →
Part 5, Research 1: Application of Paint
Claude Monet 1840 - 1926 A French Impressionist painter, Monet uses broken colour and rapid brushstrokes. He is famous for his ‘series’ paintings where he painted the same subject in a number of different aspects and seasons, for example, Haystacks, Houses of Parliament and Water Lilies being but a few. He was able to capture... Continue Reading →
Sgraffito
Sgraffito is a technique of applying two layers of medium and then scratching off the top layer to reveal the paint underneath. Before even beginning my research I was instantly taken back to infant school where we coloured a piece of card in coloured wax crayon then went over the colour with black. Once covered,... Continue Reading →
Personal Development – Project 1: Different ways of applying paint
I begin this part by reflecting on my progress so far. As I have gone through this course I have put away the paintings that I would like to consider putting forward for formal assessment. The first thing that I immediately noticed was that they are all, without exception, oil paintings. I enjoy using watercolours... Continue Reading →
Looking out – Book Review
Drawing into Landscape Contemporary British Painting - Curated by Marco Cali ISBN 9781548072476 Review Drawing into Landscape is curated by Mario Cali as a booklet to sit alongside an exhibition of works by four contemporary artists, Simon Carter, Amanda Ansell, Emily Ball and Keith Murdoch, which was held at The Crypt, St Marylebone Parish... Continue Reading →
Looking Out – Project 5: Working from drawings and photographs
Exercise 1: Painting from a working drawing I am very aware that I haven’t done as much painting outside as I need to so, rather than choosing indoor objects, I took my portable chair and my sketchbook outside the front door to see if there was anything that sparked my imagination. It is a very... Continue Reading →
Part 4: Research 2 – The Golden Mean
Also known as the Golden Ratio or Section, this is a ratio of approximately 1 to 1.618. This image is an example of the golden rectangle where the sides are in golden ratio. If a line is spiraled through the golden rectangle, this creates an image very close to the Fibonacci sequence which is an... Continue Reading →
Looking Out – Project 4: Painting a landscape outside
I am someone who is averse to cold weather and so, knowing that I would be approaching this exercise in the depths of winter, I prepared by doing some painting outside during my holiday in Spain a couple of months ago. I had access to watercolours and had taken a watercolour pad in preparation. Whilst... Continue Reading →
Jan's OCA Painting 1 Blog 