I think my Sad Angel drawing will become part of finished work, perhaps collaged into one of these woodland scenes?
About Feelings
Art, making, and how I feel before, during & after!
Before starting, I am drifting, uncertain, and shifting various ideas and visual images.
Once I start work, I am excited, engrossed, and enthusiastic. It may be tough at times, I may feel my piece is ruined or will never get to the level I want, but mostly I am engaged and energized by the work! At some point I am really excited about ambitious work: I can smell success!
Then when I am finally finished with a good piece there is triumph, but that is generally short-lived. I start to lose interest quickly, and soon I will lose much of my interest in the work. It may actually bore me, even when I remain satisfied with the quality and content of the work.
Maybe that is why career artists often develop their words (!) and find stories for their artwork and why they make art. The story may come during or often after the art work is complete. But a story allows the artist to remain engaged with a piece after it is finished, and to retain more enthusiasm for their finished work. Enthusiasm is very important for marketing art, so lacking a outgoing patron or gallery owner, the artist may need to be the enthusiast! A good story not only helps the artist stay engaged with an artwork, but it allows the artist to share their enthusiasm, through their story, with potential buyers.
I don’t tend to analyze or create stories about my artwork, or about why I work. I find that difficult…!
Three Angels
This is a relief sculpture based on a recent drawing, and has been an ambitious and interesting project.
This is a 24″ x 18″ air dry paperclay relief sculpture on board. This is a new process for me, and it was quite a challenge. The board is completely covered with a thin layer of paperclay. I digitally resized the incomplete figures from my drawing, completed them, and used these to cut out the first layer of each figure. The figures were then built up with additional paperclay and textured before adding pastel pigments.
The cradled board is presented for hanging in a simple homemade protective frame, that can be removed and replaced with a professional frame. It is coated with a spray acrylic that protects it from ambient moisture and dirt, so it can be dusted with a feather duster or wiped gently with a soft cloth.
Branching Out
I am choosing to draw more often at home recently. I find I rarely draw in my studio except as part of a larger project in work. But I enjoy drawing as a meditation, tapping into my subconscious for inspiration. Of course I use the what I see in front of me also, but somewhat indirectly and without any intent to reproduce it. I like the images that emerge.
And we have been watching art videos more in the evening, so the work of these artists is certainly influencing my drawings!
Balance
This may seem to be a doodle or a rather silly drawing, but … I am not so sure. As I look at the childlike boats, plane and general feel of this drawing, I am starting to see a theme: balance (or lack thereof). Maybe there is more to this drawing.
Everything here is off-balance, or teetering on the edge, or just in the wrong place! Does this bit of whimsy have a darker message than a quick glance will show? Could this drawing be a reference to mankind’s relationship to nature? Is this a subconscious reflection on climate change?
Abstracted Again
Abstracted Variations
I am on Draft Three of this doodle, initially sketched while watching a video by a rather dedicated abstract expressionist/colorist artist. Just decided to riff on something he showed, and my own quick response to it, and to his ideas. I have digital variations of photos of the first two drafts, and have a high resolution scan of draft three, which includes colored pencil in addition to graphite.
This is all just playful to me, with no hidden meanings emerging. But what fun!
Angelic Relief
I have made good progress on a relief sculpture based on my Three Angels drawing, and have of course taken photos. It is not finished, needing detailing, final texture, perhaps some background shapes or figures, and of course it will eventually be sealed and stained. Meanwhile, some photos will lead to digital variations…
Angelic Variations
Casting Another
Well I want to do a piece with a number of my 3-D babies, no idea what it looks like yet, but I need more babies … and can’t resist experimenting with color and so forth as I go. Tricky stuff, working with clear epoxy and adding color or other materials. Additives can settle out, a little pigment goes a long way, surface colors surprise, and so forth!
The emerald green is pretty ghastly, and the translucency eliminates the facial features and detail in bright light! But I really want to get some light through. It might be good to dust some pigment onto the face… but it will be impossible to really control that in my current mold. Certainly less pigment will be better: this guy may get painted over!