observational drawing development, Week 2...

This image, from the second week of the project was one of the collages I created which developed from my orginal drawings. The collage worked as far as I'm concerned and the only thing I might change with the piece is the background colour red, I think it might be just a bit too bright and colourful.

The aim of this piece was to recreate an image from my sketchbook using a variety of materials such as pen, shoes polish and ink via stencil. Following an Andy Warhol style I was pleased with the turn out especially the shoe polish as it had the control with the stencil and the sort of messyness of the polish when mixed.

I like the idea behind the piece as its two chaps obviously talking about the news shown by the newspaper. What I would like to change about the piece is the colour of the background as I think if it was a darker colour, the newspaper might stand out more.

Focusing on trying to encorporate text into the piece I basically just tried to include letters in this piece. Using the cut outs as stencils and attempting to use a Lucinda Rogers style outline I liked the end result.

Using monoprint to achieve a sort of simple and messy line I think it contrasts with the sharp bold letters which take up the majority of the page. At first I was uncertain as to what colour to put the letters in but eventually I chose white as Black and brown had already been used and I didn't want to bring in a like colourful colour like red or green.

I spent quite a lot of time on this piece more than the others and I was basically trying to show a lot of layers in the piece putting things on top and under and having see-through materials included within it.

Gerhard Richter...

Girl. I think what stands out the most about Richter's painting is the use of light in this piece, the way it is sharp and obvious on the neck of the girl and how it has a nice contrast with the darker shade of her skin. The appearance of the painting is amazing as well, its so life like. The picture although I may be mistaken has a slight blurred effect I think which after seeing his exhibition at the Tate I have come to realise that in a lot of his work Richter almost smudges his piece, landscape across the page.

Two Couples. What I think is interesting about this piece is the effect it is done with, which to be honest I'm not sure what that is. It reminds me of say an old fashioned photograph, perhaps if a picture had gone slightly wrong and there was too much flash or light. True to his style once again he has managed to include a slight unfocussed effect to his art however rather than creating this by dragging the paint or ink material across it lucks as if he has in only a section of the piece smudged each line individually. 

Abstract Piece. Although I struggle to understand abstract art I think that there are certain pieces that with specific marks and splatters can look effective and interesting. I didn't enjoy all of Richter's  abstract pieces for example I found the larger peices with a lot of colour included quite horrible to look at, as well as his pieces 'cage' however I did like this smaller piece of his. Whatever the piece is, if it is anything I think seems to grow form the bottom, up and the individual sections of colour work as there is not too much and not too little. The texture of the piece in my opinion is also interesting as it looks at first as it it might be created on wood having a sort of splintered effect however after actually looking at the piece in person its obvious that the effect is created with the application and removal of paint. 

Bombers. Being one of the first pieces I saw in Richter's exhibition I sort of liked this piece. There isn't anything specific that I think is horrible about the piece but I just don't think it is one of his bets pieces after seeing his exhibition. I do like how the piece's colour scheme changes from what appears to be a white background to a soft green. The planes then on this background look as if they are printed on with a stamp and I think with the background not just being white but a slight mix of two colours helps them stand out.

Observational drawings, Week 1...

So this is the first page of my sketch book for when we were doing our observational drawings. After finishing the week, and discovering what the drawing's purpose will actually be its become obvious that the shading of the drawings is completely unnecessary and in this case time wasted. 

Throughout the week we also experimented with the idea of single line drawings attempting to create what we saw without taking the line off the page. The effect proved very efficient and personally helped me speed up my drawings, removing the sketchy effect and in a way making me avoid perfecting and overworking what I saw.

We also created a number of drawings using our opposite hand which, has its difficulties. Just holding the pen or pencil in the wrong hand felt weird and when attempting to recreate what we saw onto paper wasn't easy. Personally I don't like using the wrong hand however once again the simplicity of the drawings created, helped with my speed and overworking.

After finishing the week and having started getting used to these simple line drawings one thing I have noticed is that my accuracy and in a way my confidence when drawing in this way has improved. I also think the experience, being able to go around Chesterfield and draw what we choose was to an extent fun and the freedom to do so I really enjoyed. 

Our trip to the Leeds Armory Museum...

This image was taken from one of the many helmets that were on display in the Armory Museum. The reason I chose to put this image on my blog was that what made this helmet stand out from all of the others in my opinion, was the pattern. The way in which it connects to the other sections and the black on gold are also features which drew me to this specific piece.

Although after seeing nearly every gun ever constructed in the museum I found myself intrigued more by the older guns rather than the modern. Where as the modern gun's sole purpose is practicality, the older guns although keeping practicality in mind, the aesthetic qualities are obviously present. With most having a silver/die on the finished result and with them being so hidden to us in comparison to the weapons of our time this I think also adds to why I find them so interesting.

History of Your Life in 4 Objects/ The Present...

My Pencils. These specific pencils are from the Derwent Cumberland Pencil Company which first began business in 1832. The archetypal pencil may have been the stylus, which was a thin metal stick, often made from lead and used for scratching in papyrus, a form of early paper. As well as being used extensively by the 

ancient Egyptians and  Romans the word pencil originally comes from the Old French word pincel, a small paintbrush. I think by choosing pencils, a form of stationary, this isn't meant to just focus on pencils specifically but art as a whole. The object is meant to symbolise that in the present my entire life is pretty much art and, as far as I'm aware it will hopefully be my future as well. Becoming involved in art from a very early age, during my childhood it was more a hobby and only with growing older has it really become a significant part of my life. 

History of Your Life in 4 Objects/ Late Teenage...

My iPod. iPod is a line of portable media players created and marketed by Apple Inc. Apple Inc is an American multinational corporation that designs and markets consumer electronics, computer software, and personal computers. The iPod line came from Apple's 'digital hub' category, when the company began creating software for the growing market of personal digital devices. Digital cameras, camcorders and organizers has well-established mainstream markets, but the company found existing digital music players "big

and clunky or small and useless," with user interfaces that were "unbelievably awful," so Apple decided to develop its own. The name iPod was proposed by Vinnie Chieco. AFter Chieco saw a prototype, he thought of the movie 2001: A Space Odyssey and the phrase "Open the pod bay door" which refers to the white EVA Pods of the Discovery One spaceship. Chieco saw an analogy to the relationship between the spaceship and the smaller independent pods in the relationship between a personal computer and the music player. The reason I chose this object for my late teenage is because during my last year of secondary school and throughout sixth form I can't remember a day I didn't take my iPod into school with me. I think my interest in music obviously played a large part in my attachment to my iPod and since then its significance has simply grown to the point where I'd be devastated if I lost it.

History of Your Life in 4 Objects/ Early Teenage...

My Dunks. The Dunk was first introduced by Nike, Inc. in 1985. Originally designed for basketball, the intent was a lighter weight and staying closer to the ground shoe. In addition, the paneling was revised to improve basketball game performance during pivoting and blocking. Moving on to the colour of the shoe the Dunk was used to spearhead what Nike called the 'College Colours' program; essentially the shoe matched the teams uniform. Moving into skate culture Nike's basketball shoe line was fairly popular in the skate- boarding scene, and the Dunk soon 

became a popular shoe for skaters due to the stability and lower profile sole which improved grounding performance. In 2002, Nike created a Dunk specifically for skateboarders, known as the Nike Dunk SB. The popularity of these dunks has grown so wide that it has prompted Nike to create many other kinds of shoes specifically for skateboarding such Paul Rodriguez's, Tre's, Blazer's and Team Editions to name a few. When I first bought these shoes I thought they were amazing, I thought they were comfortable, the colours everything about them I liked. However, after growing since then, looking back at the shoes I can't help but find them, repulsive. I didn't play basketball or even skate so the reasons for wearing them were merely casual. As to their current significance and future importance I really can't see myself wearing the shoes ever again and in terms of their significance I honestly have no attachment to them anymore whatsoever.

Erwin Wurm/ Thorsten Brinkmann Interpretations...

This idea was based on combining the work of Erwin Wurm and Thorsten Brinkmann into one image or at least having features of both artists in the photograph. The aim of the exercise was to basically wear a t-shirt in a way in which we don't normally wear one, keeping in mind the styles of both artists.

Considering the lessons theme was inspired by the two artists mentioned above the basic aim of this exercise was, in pairs to dress one another in things we might not normally wear, whilst also trying to create a different and unique outfit.

So these were fun.

Thorsten Brinkmann...

So Thorsten Brinkmann's artwork basically resides of him redressing people mainly women in clothes putting say a bag on the head or trousers on the arms. As you can see in the photograph the subject is wearing what appears to be a leather bag on her head and a cardigan the wrong way round. I think everything about this piece is perfect, it seems to me to have a slight eighteenth, nineteenth century theme with the image being taken from the side. The colours of the items of the clothing are also interesting as they avoid any bright colours and seem to vary around quite dull almost faded colours which I like. Moreover although the clothes in the image are in a way wrong as in how they are being worn the piece still seems to make sense and is still easy to determine which position the subject is facing and what it actually is. An absolutely brilliant piece in my opinion I feel like its wrong, yet it looks right.

Another amazing piece by Thorsten Brinkmann: now after seeing this piece and and a few others I feel pretty certain in assuming that the artist goal when creating his pieces is to create a eighteenth century portrait with a hint of surrealism in it and modernism of course. After looking at the headdress I'm still uncertain as to what it is. At first I just assumed it was another bag after seeing the first image but when I looked harder it, in opinion resembled the paper you get your chips in at a fish and chip shop however, I then went back to my previous idea due to the surface having what looked like a shine to it. The pose once again I think helps resemble a portrait from the past, as if it is of someone royal perhaps. Again I think the use of colour in this piece is very interesting; this piece differs from the previous as the subject is completely light in contrast with the black background allowing the audience to focus on the individual.

Out of all of Brinkmann's pieces this piece is my absolute favourite. The section regarding the head, I like more than the other pieces simply due to the shape; the smooth outline of the what I think might be a tennis racket case and the nose of the model slightly protruding creating just a slight amount of shading to make it obvious what it is. Moving down the image the doylees or whatever they are taking on the role of what I think is called a lapel, its so simple, merely resembling a similar upside-down triangle shape yet its recognizable. The backwards facing jacket I also  think fits perfectly. The green, brown, gold mix and the folds, even how the upper part of the chest stands out more than any other part of the torso. Finally the milking jug on the hand I think is just amazing but, I'm not really sure why I like it so much. The overall pose of the subject when looking at it as a whole I also think has been created in a perhaps modern style, as if the subject is looking at you, the surreal aspects again I think. After actually looking at this artist and evaluating his work, deciding what I like and dislike his artwork has really made me change my view on what I consider to be fine art. From normally only really, seriously liking art mainly created with pen, pencil or paint this artwork has really opened me up to accept and to explore other artists besides those using the traditional medium.

Erwin Wurm...

Discovering this artist today my overall opinion of the artist and his work is generally positive. I think that this piece specifically works really well as a whole. The simplicity of the piece being really just a bag on a person's head I really like but when I looked closer the stage and what I think are tennis balls I think help the piece as well. Furthermore the piece I think has a surreal aspect to it which is one of my favourite types of art.

Following on from the surreal nature of his pieces I think this piece demonstrates that exactly to an extent. The angle of the woman's body coming down slightly from the right and eventually getting larger at the bottom, it just works, its a great pose. With it getting larger it also sort of contrasts with the sharp, thin pointy pencils she's obviously about to sit on. I like the colours as well the neutral, non vibrant tones of the woman's dress, skin colour and even the background of the piece and the slightly brighter more vibrant colours of the pencils are lovely.

One thing that my lovely teacher (Andy) told me about this piece is that to create it the artist set up two buckets and said "stand in one of the buckets and put the other on your head." Therefore depending on how the individual stands, sits or crouches even the pose and overall image will be different, suggesting that the form of the person or stance is the actual artwork rather than the obvious bucket on the head. What I like about this piece of art however is how its almost like people who don't do art perhaps are actually helping creating these interesting pieces and with such ease. So overall I think that this artist is really interesting, I really like his slightly surreal approach and how with some pieces he even gets the viewers of his art actually in the art. Although its a small part of his art I also like how he actually presents his work, the colours, the poses of the primary subjects, the little raised stages: I just like it.

History of Your Life in 4 Objects/ Childhood...

Baby Shoes. My baby shoes are originally from Canada according to my mums cousin. The reason they came into my possession is that before I was born they were given as a present to my parents. Apparently bought form a stall rather than a shopping complex of some sort the shoes are obviously not mass produced but produced on a smaller scale, maybe even handmade. Strangely enough for some reason I never wore these shoes because well I had another pair apparently and there was just no need. As the shoes were from my first few weeks as a child I really have no memories regarding them. I thought they might be relevant as my second object follows onto footwear as well and I thought seeing the change might have some significance.

Theory- Damien Hirst Exhibition...

What I have noticed about Damien Hirst's work is that I find myself liking the ideas he comes up with however I find his work lacks the touch of the artist. In particular the animals he puts in glass as I don't think he personally does it himself but someone else, which makes me think that he isn't actually creating the pieces.

To be honest I thought it would be relevant to include a piece of art by Damien Hirst that isn't a sculpture. I personally think that the piece although slightly interesting considering the colour and the way in which it is used isn't what I really like. The piece looks as if it could have been created on the computer and considering the form I can't imagine it took a lot of skill to create. However I could be wrong so I apologise if I am. What I do like about the piece however is the size; I think it covers an entire wall its huge which I think adds to its impact on the viewer.

Now although I don't like Damien Hirst's work that much mainly due to him not actually creating the pieces himself I feel although this piece may have been created in a similar way the idea and final product is that good it doesn't bother me if he's created it or not I just like the piece.

Theory- The Leeds Gallery...

Lady Elizabeth Butler- Scotland Forever. Out of all the paintings and sculptures that were on display this painting is by far my favourite. When looking at the photograph you don't get the same effect as when looking at the piece in person. From a distance the piece looks so real and so well painted and then if you take a step closer the piece suddenly doesn't look as real but a lot more like a painting with the brush marks becoming visible. 

Leon Richet's paintings stood out to me at first due to their size and attention to detail. Although I'm not normally a fan of landscapes but I can't help but be amazed amazed by this artists work and with this piece in particular the contrast of the warm yellow sunlight behind the dark trees creates an amazing effect and is accomplished with such skill.

Phillip Hermogenes Calderon- Her most High, Noble and Puissant Grace. The skill of this painting is truly one of the best in  the Leeds Gallery I think. The textures of the cloth, silk, metal of the trumpets, its so realistic and so skillful. Overall I think Leeds Gallery is the best I've seen so far with some truly amazing artwork.

Yorkshire Sculpture Park...

To be honest I liked nearly everything about these two sculptures. I think its just the idea behind them, the fact that they are giant rabbits, its brilliant. The material, pose and it being cut in half I think is unique and gives the entire sculpture a slight surreal effect.

I wasn't a huge fan of the actual sculptures in this specific dark room however I did think the way in which the artwork was on display was really interesting as they came off the wall.

Again I have a similar opinion about this piece of art as I did  to the other room and to be honest I dislike this piece even more than the other sculpture. Recently discovering that the heads aren't even crafted by the artist but instead carved using a variety of scanners and lasers makes the piece even less appealing to me.

To be honest I don't have that much to say about this piece except that liked it a lot, the facial expression, colour and it having a sort of rough, uneven texture I just found interesting.

Theory- The Millennium Gallery- John Martin...

Martin's dramatic images have inspired everything over the years from sci-fi films to heavy metal album covers. Yet, compared to contemporaries like Constable and Turner, he was largely snubbed by the establishment of his day- John Ruskin was a particularly vocal critic! Instead, Martin developed his audience from the grass roots- relying on an eye for enthralling subjects and tireless touring of his paintings to build his popularity.

The destruction of Sodom and Gamorrah:- Firstly the reason why I do not have my own photographs of this exhibition is due to the fact that the gallery would not allow anyone to take photographs so I had to get my own photographs off the internet. Anyway I found the gallery really interesting when I first saw his work. These three paintings in particular 

The great day of his wrath. stood out to me due to their sheer size and just powerful appearance. The images I also feel considering when they were painted are in my opinion ahead of their time- the idea of collapsing buildings and end of the world thoughts although quite common nowadays I imagine they wouldn't have been in the seventeen and eighteen hundreds. 

Getting back to the size of these three pieces, they are enormous, bigger than ten feet in height and width and I think with the pieces being about the end of the world the fact that they are so big just make them so much more dramatic and effective. Another feature  like about Martin's are the thunderous crag-like clouds which are slightly ambiguous and is actually difficult to determine what is what in his pieces. With the landscape and apocalyptic themed  pieces the uncertainty and almost mess/clash of colours and land makes sense in an end of the world piece of art.

Adam and Eve Entertaining the Angel Raphael:- This painting is based on Books V to VII of Milton's Paradise Lost. At the far right Adam and Eve receive the Angel Raphael who cautions them against disobeying God's command and warns them of Satan's plan to bring abut the Fall.    The terrain descends dramatically to reveal a panoramic vista of Paradise a visionary landscape of luxuriant growth. This is nature at its very birth, in a primal state of innocence before its corruption by man. I think that out of all of Martin's works that this piece is by far my favourite and I think this because whereas his other works are mostly dark, ambiguous and rarely have form, this one piece is of an actual landscape and the bright blue and green tones are a nice change from back and red. The theme of the piece and detail considering the size I think is also amazing and when I imagine the amount of time and dedication it must have taken to create such a piece, I just have so much respect for the artist.