Painting

My fella went to Seattle and all he bought back was a fridge magnet and covid!

CSM MFA - Progress Blog, research paper, Research Project, Week in Review

I’d like to say that I am faithfully nursing him back to health, but when he tested positive, I fled his house lickety-split and came back to the virus-free salt-air of Anam Cara. I did manage to buy him some Vicks VapoRub before fleeing, so I didn’t totally abandon my fiancée duties.

So now I am hold-up in the studio, waiting to see if I too have the dreaded lurgy. I did wake up with a sniffle this morning, but that might have been due to getting caught in a storm last night while romping around the Ayres. It was all fun and games on the way up there, with a tail wind and all, but I got battered on the way back, and was drenched by the time I got home.

Before my fella went to Seattle, we had the great pleasure of filming Hampton Creer for the Ann documentary. Hampton wrote the book “Never to Return”, about the Manx involvement in the penal Transportation system, which is where I first came across Ann’s story. It was wonderful to see him again, and listen to all his stories. He is so knowledgeable, not just about Transportation, but about Manx history in general. I could listen to him for hours.

I am pleased to say, I finally have a name for the Ann painting, Anileis – which is a Greek word meaning merciless. Not only is it very fitting in its meaning, it is also a beautiful sounding word, and when you say it, it sounds like the words Annie + lace together, which makes it the perfect title for the painting.

Here is a write-up about Anileis, that explains what the painting is about.

While I’ve been hold-up at Anam Cara, waiting to see if I too get Covid, I have been having a wonderful, undisturbed time painting away and enjoying my new satellite internet. What a difference it makes! Instead of waiting an hour or so for things to upload, it happens in an instant. This should definitely make my second year at art school easier.

Speaking of which, my second year starts in one week. I am looking forward to seeing everyone again, but am slightly terrified with how quickly the first year flew by and how much work I have yet to do on my research project. I have pretty much figured out what direction I am going in, which I did while on my long walks to the Point of Ayre this summer. It’s a wild, visually stunning landscape, which makes it perfect for thinking through creative projects.

I am not quite ready to share exactly what I have in mind, but here are a couple of the experiments I did this week for one of the paintings. One thing I have noticed since retuning to painting after drawing all summer, is how much my drawing has improved.

Well, it appears I didn’t flee my fella’s house soon enough, as I too have tested positive for Covid. Luckily, I haven’t got the nobody’s-ever-been-this-sick-and-lived man variety like my fella, just mild lady-Covid. Still, it’s early days, so I shouldn’t be too smug. One good thing is, I can now hang out with my fella, us both being diseased and all, that’s if he is able to prize himself out of his sick bed.

Summer – week 14 experiments

Experiments, Process Deep Dive

I am really starting to consolidate my thinking for my research project. After next week, I will start writing posts specifically about that. The project will be my main focus going forward. I am really excited about it, and am finding it very engaging. In the meantime, here are the painting experiments I did this week, again just trying different things and beginning to think about the elements I want in my project paintings.

He did the deed!

CSM MFA - Progress Blog, Drawing, Holidays, Week in Review

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.

Summer week 4 – experiments

Drawing, Experiments, Process Deep Dive

Sketching

Another frustrating week in the studio. I tried to spend most of it drawing, to varying degrees of success. Though, towards the end of the week, I began doing these little pen and watercolour sketches. Using pen means your committed to the lines you make, which can lead to less fussy drawing and which I think ultimately adds character. For some reason I seem to have a knack for old ladies. they are definitely my favourite type of person to draw. I’ll keep doing these for a while.

I also did a little bit of painting; mostly developing the lace/water technique and playing around with colour. I am really loving the addition of brown, as in no.105.

I have a new passion…bogs!

CSM MFA - Progress Blog, Holidays, Painting, Week in Review

Not only have I developed a passion for bogs, I have also discovered the limit of my fella’s ability to enthusiastically support the things I love. That limit is bogs. That’s not to say he wasn’t prepared to watch an hour long documentary about them or drive me round the north looking for one I had read about, rather, there was a distinct lack of enthusiasm in doing so.

Having said that, there was one bog-related thing I showed him that he thought was pretty cool, and that is the Irish tradition of bog-jumping.

Bogs were important ritual sites in pagan Europe, and there’s many examples of sacrificial victims being deposited in them, to propitiate the gods in some sort of Spring ritual. Over 2,000 bog-bodies have been found to date, that’s because bogs are anaerobic (lacking oxygen), so the bodies are preserved, some remarkably so. I hope you’re not eating breakfast…

This poor fellow, known as the Tullond Man, suffered a triple death. A ritualised way of killing a person 3 times, which, if nothing else, would ensure the job was done. Personally, I’d rather end up a skeleton, than a shrivelled piece of old leather, so I won’t be opting for a bog interment. There’s many other fascinating things about bogs, but I’ll take the glazed look in my fella’s eyes when I mention them as a cue not to subject anyone else to my bog-trivia.

I continued drawing this week, mostly people, and although I’m not having the best fun in the studio, it is getting slightly easier each day.

I also painted here and there, though mostly just testing different techniques, rather than painting a whole picture. As with the previous week, I have been developing a lace-like water technique, with varying degrees of success. Here’s a couple from this week that I quite like. I particularly like the see-through effect.

Also, inspired by the bogs, I have added brown to my palette. Although I haven’t done much with it so far (as I have been concentrating on drawing), I really like it and think it will be a great addition.

Summer – week 3 experiments

Experiments, Process Deep Dive

Monday 3rd – Thursday 6th July – drawing

I decided to spend the week drawing – above are some of the results. These aren’t really the types of figures or faces I would have in a painting, but they are good practice. I’m trying not to get attached to the outcome of an individual drawing, but rather see them as exercises to get more fluid and confident with drawing. Hopefully, by the time I come to put figures in my paintings at the end of the summer, the drawing practice/discipline will pay off.

Friday 7th July – Sunday 9th July

I thought it would be nice to take a break from drawing for the weekend, and work on developing the lace detailing, trying different designs and techniques etc. I love no.99/100, adding the vertical lines of dots really enhances the overall design. I love this kind of painting. I’m not that keen on the more formal/balanced designs of no.98/101 (I prefer the more free-form design of No.99/100/102). Although No.102 isn’t finished yet, I like where it is going. I think this technique will be a good way to represent water underground.

It’s official, I’m a bird-bore with a rock collection!

CSM MFA - Progress Blog, Holidays

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.

Summer – Week 2 experiments

Experiments, Process Deep Dive

Monday, 27th June

No.88 – A few strange paintings this week, including this one.

Tuesday, 27th June

No.89 – I really like this one, especially the way the image is suspended and emerges from the darkness.

No.90 This was a struggle, especially the shell-like casing on the back of the bug. I got there eventually and really like the result, although the image as a whole is a bit too static.

Wednesday, 28th June

No.91 – I tried this fellow with various backgrounds. With the last one, I used middle-grey, as in film/photography, and although the colours are truer, I still prefer a black background.

Thursday, 29th June

No.92 – An experiment with a figure. It gives me hope that if I keep practicing my figures over the summer, I could have some really interesting paintings. Here I used a fashion model as a reference for the body – I love the stance.

Friday, 30th June

No.93 Experimenting with colour here. I like the colour of the thing the bird is standing on, and think that’s probably as blue as I should go for these paintings. Not as keen on the light blue in the bird. I think I’ll keep blue I use in these paintings to a minimum – less is more. For example, in the painting above, I used blue for the woman’s eyes, and a tiny bit to the right of her shoulder and feet. That’s enough.

Sunday, 2nd July

No.94 – Obviously, I didn’t make the decision about blue for these paintings until after I painted this. I do like the colour of the hare, just not so much of it. I love the colour of the owl, which has a hint of Indian yellow. The little dots in his wings is sufficient blue.

It’s a renter’s life for me!

CSM MFA - Progress Blog, Experiments, Holidays, research paper

I have called some unique places home – a Kombi van, a disused ugg boot factory, a broom closet in a rundown theatre – but nothing compares to the one-of-kind magnificence of Anam Cara. I am utterly in love with this place and would gladly sell my soul for it. Unfortunately, no one’s in the market for a slightly jaded, long in the tooth ephemeral essence, so I won’t be possessing it anytime soon. Not that anyone can really possess a place like Anam Cara, it belongs to the sea, and the sea is coming for it. That’s what makes it such a beguiling place to live, its fragility in the face of the big blue wobbly thing.

Although I’d dearly like to stay here until I’m a little old-biddy without a tooth or sensible thought in my head (or until the wobbly thing is lapping at the front door, whichever comes first), it doesn’t belong to me, so I have to content myself with my apportioned time, which I’m thrilled to report has been extended for another year. That my apportioned time has coincided with doing my masters is a remarkable confluence of my heart’s desire, and I can’t ask for better than that!

It’s been a productive week in the studio. I finally started drawing figures, and discovered that the best time to draw them is when I am talking to my dearest friend, Lauren, in Australia.

These little figure-drawing exercises are very handy to do, as they get you used to human proportions and where to put everything to convey a given stance. It’s only now that I’ve uploaded them that I’ve realised that the middle picture looks a little risqué, that was completely unintentional…honest.

I also managed a figure painting this week. I particularly like the stance, which was referenced from a fashion model picture I found. It’s not perfect, but I like most of it enough to not meddle with it. It’s a good start, and gives me hope that if I keep practicing my figures over the summer, I’ll likely have some really good paintings at the end of it.