Central Saint Martins MFA
This week was all about birds. I love hybrid animal/people, and I like using them in my paintings. So I thought I’d add bird heads to the figures I’ve been drawing. I really enjoyed drawing/painting them. Birds are wonderful creatures, and come in a vast variety. I really like the results and think they make great stand alone illustrations.
My fella has exceptional taste. Although my brother would argue this does not include women, it is most certainly true when it comes to jewellery. So much so, that when he popped the question last week, while proffering a bedazzling spectacle in a little grey box, instead of answering the question, I replied with a wide-eyed gasp “Is that for me?!”
So it is that me and my true love are now engaged, and I am the proud wearer of an exquisite sapphire and diamond ring that is like toting around the sea and stars on my finger. To be honest, he could’ve given me a ring made out of a pewter spoon (as his will likely be if I don’t start selling my paintings to someone other than him), because he is the smartest, funniest, kindest man I ever did meet. Plus, he knows all my secrets, so I better keep him close.
The past two weeks in the studio have been very productive. I am still attending my self-imposed drawing school, and am turning out illustrations by the many 10s. My favourite thing to draw are people I know (mostly my fella and my mum and dad). I like the naturalness of the poses and capturing little moments.
They aren’t portraits as such, and don’t always look like the person I am drawing. This is especially true when I began drawing them with bird heads. I really like the results and had a lot of fun drawing them.
Next weekend I have a Open Studio here at Anam Cara as part of the Isle of Man Art Festival. I’ll be showing old work and new, including the large Ann painting. I am really looking forward to it, especially spending time with the folk that venture all this way out in the woop woops. There’ll be cups of tea and my fella’s scones for those who make the trek.
That’s the conclusion my fella reached after I sent him the 5th video of my family of choughs (Kylie & Jason and their kids, Harold and Izzy) sitting on the foghorn. To be fair, they are freaking adorable – just look at Harold and Izzy peeping over the edge!
I also sent him several photos depicting different angles of my latest beach-rock find, which, according to a local expert (that expert being our friend Debbie, who likes a rock or two), is actually a fossil.
Isn’t it a beauty! I was beyond thrilled when I found it. I absolutely love spirals, and this one is glorious. The fact that it came from the sea makes it even more special. The spiral is the Celtic symbol for the sea, and I can’t help thinking if a local Celt had been walking on Cranstal beach 3000 years ago, and found this same rock, they would’ve been just as thrilled as me, and probably would’ve picked it up and taken it home too. And who knows, they may have even thought it held special meaning (as I also do), if not magical powers (a bridge to far for me, though you never know).
It had to happen sooner or later, I’m back on the Weight Watchers. Rock bottom this time was yesterday’s breakfast.
I spent most of my studio hours this week drawing. I don’t enjoy drawing as much as a I do painting, but not drawing limits what you can paint, so I am trusting the effort will be worth it. I mostly drew people, my favourite of which were a bunch of old ladies, a man-baby, and some buxom women who are perhaps not averse to cake and ice cream for breakfast either.
As a treat, I resumed painting this weekend, developing the lace-like technique I want to use in the paintings for my course project. I was happy with the results, and really enjoyed the process.
It was another good week in the studio. For most of it I carried on with the seawater paintings, which was very enjoyable. However, I took a break from them on the weekend and returned to the figurative paintings.
I still feel like I am a long way from figuring out what kind of paintings I want them to be, so I think the best thing I can do in the meantime is to keep experimenting. It’s like the big little-man said:
Inspiration does exist, but it must find you working.
Pablo Picasso
To that end, I’ve been noodling around with some small paintings to see what might pop out. It turns out, an owl and a pussy cat!
The most important thing I can do to achieve my goal for these figurative paintings, is draw, which I am still doing every day. This week I drew birds, and I have say, they are my favourite thing to draw so far.
Drawing in general still has the sense of an arduous task about it, but drawing birds brings it close to pure enjoyment. They are such delightful creatures, and have so much character.
By way of demonstration, when I was drawing birds outside on Thursday, one left a little gift on my page, which I took to be a very good sign indeed!
While on the subject of birds, I thought I’d share The Wisdom Daily video I made this week, until I remembered I made it about a fish not a bird. But it’s such an amazing fish, I may as well share it anyway.
bexODESSA 