Magic and Logic 14/8/13 update...

   The painting for the Gosport War Memorial Hospital Daedalus Ward - for dementia sufferers - is entering a new phase.. This time I am adding texture to the work. It is understood that some patients come into the ward in crisis and can be very distressed - hence they may prefer to pace up and down the corridor where these pictures will be hung. So... the work will have various types of texture added to them, so that the patients can touch the work if they wish. It is hoped that  members of staff can engage the patients with some sort of sensorial experience whilst pacing the corridor, and then explore the patients thoughts and possibly reveal memories in some way through touch, sight and discussion of the paintings as they perceive them.

    As we look at things and live our every day lives we can see metaphors, memories and emotions through smell, taste, sound and sight. How often do we hear a song that reminds us of earlier days of our lives or special events - how often does eating a sweet instantly take us back to our childhood times.. (licorice cuttings in my case!!)? So as I develop the paintings there will be some things which I hope will do just that for you. Some elements are designed to be subtle and subliminal. By looking at the processes and seeing all seven of the paintings coming together in this blog, you should be able to understand the deeper elements of what may appear to be simple structures and ideas, but will also give you some insight into how creativity may reveal elements of dementia and its treatment. I am a great believer in creativity - not simply as therapy - but as a diagnostic tool that can show specific directions in a persons disease, whether that be dementia or cancer for example. .. But that debate will be discussed more in a future blog. So let's look at the next process of this first painting- the orchard in winter...

Adding Texture.

   So.. I start by adding texture medium - small plastic beads set in PVA. This is painted onto the canvas and left to dry. (Fig 1)

Figure 1

Putting on the texture medium is really good fun - and you can follow the shapes and forms of the objects in the composition. It adds another dimension to the work - bringing the foreground objects more obviously to the front of the canvas plane. Other areas where I have not added texture makes those objects recede into the mid-ground and background of the canvas plane.

Then I start to look at my research drawings and photos of the orchard. I don't usually like to work from photos - but this work has a specific purpose - as this is an imagined landscape with elements of my 'experience' of the orchard, rather than simply a figurative observation of the orchard.So I start to look at my memories of my visits (so far in both winter and spring) and recollection of the textures on the tree bark (Figs 2 and 3).

 
Figures 2 and 3

So I take thick acrylic paint and apply it to the tree objects in the painting. All the time thinking about the textures of the orchard, and the inspiration of the place. (Figs 4,5 and 6)

 
Figures 4 and 5

Figure 6

The work starts to take on a life of its own, and trees start to develop their own character. (Fig 7)

Figure 7.

So the basic structure and some of the texture is now complete - and now further details and colours will be added to this painting. There are lots of further small branches and  possible buds to form - snow and grass and mud to add... 

But in the meantime - I have to go back to the orchard, as it is now in fruit and I need to see all those little apples growing on the trees!! - and there's a nice farm shop and a lovely country pub nearby!!!

Life Drawing Classes

My weekly life drawing sessions are going well. The classes are for beginners - and students are doing some great work. Many starter-artists (as I call them!) want to do life drawing, but are worried that their work is not of a 'good' standard, or that they will find it difficult to develop their work because of lack of confidence. Well - my sessions help to develop personal confidence as well as observational drawing skills.

 

My two hour long classes are usually held at the White Elephant vintage/arts space in Southsea, Portsmouth on a Tuesday evening and run in six week blocks - with easels and drawing boards provided. If you would like to join me, even for one session if not the whole course, then please leave a comment or get in touch with QOE Creative to book a place.

It is very rewarding to teach drawing - as everyone sees things differently - and it is a privilege to see how things are interpreted from a personal point of view - each mark that is made says something about the artist... and it is great to see students develop their skills over the six weeks.

Magic and Logic.. continued....

The first painting has started for the Gosport War Memorial Hospital dementia ward - based on the composition developed from observing the orchard in the charcoal study (see earlier blog post). First I cover the canvas with colour - to take the edge off of the plain whiteness of the 'empty space'. I then cover the canvas with blue- as this is a cold colour and adds a grounding to the main theme of this particular composition, which is winter (Fig 1).

Figure 1

Then I start my under-painting - creating  the sense of distance by adding colour onto the horizon line and making brush strokes to imply perspective (Fig 2). The use of the perspective in this case is to look at different areas of perception from two sides (hemispheres) of the brain - so the perspectives and colour tones will eventually be purposely skewed but should promote different areas of cognition and hopefully recognition (Fig 3).

Figures 2 and 3

 

I then add the main objects of the composition - the trees from the orchard - in order to build the narrative structure of the image. This is all done very loosely with little detail and thin washes of colour to imply form and shape. See how I have manipulated the perspective to create two different planes of view coming from the same horizon. This will link the skewed perspective with the objects that will be placed in the foreground of the work (Fig 4).

Figure 4

I then add the main objects to the foreground (Figs 5 and 6).

Figures 5 and 6.

The branch if the tree on the right hand side of he picture is reference to Elizabeth Frinks' 1963 bronze sculpture , The Dying King' (Fig 7). Further reference to this will be explained in a later blog.

(Photo: © Tate, London 2013)

Figure 7.

Further development of the work will follow in a following blog as painting progresses...

 

Drawing something different.. :)

I continued to draw the vegetable landscapes (as mentioned in my earlier blog post) over the weekend.. and finished off with drawing an orange...

So got that one framed too - and I have been lucky enough to be able to reserve all three of them for a private collector!

I will be drawing a few more in the series - so please leave a comment if you are interested in acquiring some of the work or please contact Ed@QOEcreative.com for further information on reserving or viewing work.

In the meantime...

...I have managed to get my veg drawings and the odd roaming self portrait framed.. :)

These simple but effective drawing of veg will be part of a larger grouping of work within a series -with a view to exhibit...

Have also been running my life drawing classes, and doing  'Mash-Ups' for QOE Creative!

Drawing Sessions at White Elephant in Southsea

If you would like to come along to any of my drawing sessions - or would like me to come along to your art group, then please leave a comment or contact QOE Creative (link above) for details.

Magic and Logic Flowering on the Same Tree (update)

I have been making good progress on the paintings for the Gosport War Memorial Hospital, Daedalus Ward Project. Having settled on the tree motif, (see earlier blog post) I found a fabulous orchard just north of Portsmouth where I have gathered much inspiration from the trees and landscape. I am very grateful to the owners of the orchard and Farm Shop at Funtington for giving me permission to observe, photo and draw in their orchard.

I look at the texture of the wood, the layout of the orchard, and see that each tree appears to have an identity all of its own.

I then take my observations and build my composition from my insight into the space, and from my knowledge of dementia. (I lost my dad to Alzheimers) - and construct my image from these ideas.

So I embark on developing the composition - in simple charcoals to start with  - then transferring the ideas onto the canvas...

 Next - I make a start on the canvas... very terrifying!! The large empty white space is always a challenge - how to make that first mark!??!!

Canvasses arrive!!!

Where to start!!!??

Coming later... making a start on the canvas.... :)