Blog 16May 2012 Changes to my proposal for the exhibition

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Blog 16May 2012

Instead of presenting my work as my “number one proposal” for the exhibition, Chris thinks my main work will be better hung in two rows of eight opposite the windows and I have to agree with him. Mostly they are quite difficult to read in good light. BUT that means I have to make another image, wow thats going to be a struggle, I started to feel that I had worked my way through this related work. Nothing at present is flowing, I cant afford the normal number of changes I make to my work nor the number of layers of paint that I put on, its got to be up on the wall on Monday, Tuesday at the latest. The two ideas that are with me relate to Unite Habitation, but that would mean days of blocking out and if paint penetrates where I don't want it to I will have real problems.

I am really anxious about not getting ideas at present, normally I get several a day for new work but blank now!

Blog: Info on Exhibition Proposal Easter Vacation 28March 2013

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Blog Info on Exhibition Proposal Easter Vacation 28March 2013

I think you have all seen my proposals, for the summer exhibition I submitted five different proposals , four involved work already done but wall paintings are to be added, as a background for the work. The wall painting, is inspired by Toby Paterson's style of presentation, I think, it brings a whole new dynamic to the work being displayed. I am writing here to provide greater detail to 'proposal one' which I intend to amend:

Proposal one was for 12/15 paintings to be hung as one work.

I am using my essay as my starting point and want to include ideas that have arisen, and are connected to Le Corbusier; the period and Modernist Architecture and now.

I intend to make fifteen acrylic paintings, on MDF Board frames, 40 x 40x 2cm. I intend to paint the wall area where the work will be hung with two right angle triangles as these were of great importance to Corbusier. He wrote 'A Poem to the Right Angle' a book of writings and images.

The wall painting bit is the Paterson inspiration. The fifteen paintings to hang in three rows of five with 10cm between each painting.

I hope to cover aspects including:

• Le Corbusier's:

Villa Savoye this is a strong link to Le Corbusier, because the things that he held most dear to architecture at that time were reflected, e.g It was of modular design and highlights LCs five points .

Also important were: The right angle;the cube etc

• The links made to Brutalism

• I am interested in a number of buildings eg Habitat 67 which was built by Moshe Safdie as part of Canada's 1967 celebrations, (Expo 67) in someways an incredibly intricate building of units and St Peters Seminar, Scotland obsolete as it was finished and abandoned about ten years later, as the Catholic church changed its method of training. But these two choices undoubtedly will change, as I want to incorporate both concrete and glass into my painting and this may be difficult to communicate with the images I have of these two buildings.

1. As reading about one person certainly leads to reading about many more I intend to include one architects vision from the 1930s which has been recently completed.

• Also work that reflects the war torn years,

• A number of late 20^th and early 21st century buildings.

• Further I need to link the style of work I am doing and am using titles provided from reading The Tate Gallerys information about John Varley 18^th Century water colourist Monochrome 'The Blot'

Each image will be in Acrylic paint on MDF board 40x40x2cm , as identified in my proposal my work will occupy a space 2600mm x 1600mm, the middle row at eye level (I have allowed 10cm above below and to all sides as a minimum) for this work.

If you need confirmation of my other proposals I can now expand on these too.

BLOG Seminar December 2012

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BLOG Seminar December 2012

There is no longer any such thing as counter-culture

We have been asked to consider counter-cultural moments

and then

Discuss if this, (counter-culture) could happen now, or has the counter-cultural been absorbed and sold back to us as a commodity?

I had a file full of relevant papers, notes and our plan for our seminar today, we (Alex and I ) had read loads, Alex had bought a number of books and we had both prepared well , we knew how we were going to work, but I was held up and late in. I had all my notes and presentation plans with me, so that did not help Alex who started to work on the OHP side of things. We also had that incredibly long cold crit this morning that seemed to go on for hours, cutting short any time to gather our thoughts.

Everything was then too much of a rush and my mind really went blank. My rule for presentations let me down and I had to 'read the stuff', rather than talk about our bulleted points.

Like the morning crit, this too turned into a very long session, but I had, what can to a certain extent be termed a working knowledge of the era, and was able to respond and with Alex move the session forward as memories helped restore what had frozen up earlier.

I believe Alex and I through our research and reading had a substantial insight into the era of revolution, but counter cultural moments reveal themselves periodically, taking different forms in time; wars; industrial changes; votes for women; Gothic; tribal piercings and many more are all counter-cultural moments and reshape becoming absorbed as our culture changes, we have a very different society now, I think it unlikely that a massive movement that changes the course of art will be seen as society accepts and absorbs.

I was 20 in1968, I lived near to Crouch End, I had had, an unconditional place at Hornsey when I was 17, and many of my friends were there at the time of 'the revolution' that inspired and changed so much.

Blog October 2012 Belfort 1

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BLOG October 12

I have been looking at the work of architects and have found an interest in extracting ideas from their ideas. I have a number of books which show architectural work. Plans, buildings, lighting, and work artists have made to be included in the design either in the interiors or on or around exteriors

Jean Nouvel's Belfort Theatre provided the inspiration for my work on the right. I could see two wonderful curves in a picture showing the interior of the theatre, lit by light from the stage, the rest of the theatre just disappeared for me.

The colour came from the image , but I tried doing this in different colour ways but I kept coming back to the black background, I tried matt black board paint as well as acrylic paint. Initially I was disappointed with the way I had applied the background , it became thick and treacly, the brush strokes got thicker. So I started sanding down, again and yet again, then I realised that the curves were not right.

Once again the process of sanding down and re marking and re doing the curves took place and I had a very over worked piece to present.

The colours used were right, as a piece of work I prefer the left hand image with the chalk markings, for me the alteration has greater interest than that which I presented but I am also aware that I am still unhappy with the curves in the finished image -above on the right, and I think I should return to this work armed with better knowledge and re do it.

Blog 23 May2013 Picture to go with Belfort 2

I had photographs taken of my work by Tom Gates, what a great job he did, it was fascinating watching him work and make something of what he was reportedly supposed to have said about having to work with nothing there! I thought that was acceptable as these images are for my series 'there and not there (3)' Here is an image that links to my blog posting for Belfort 2 -10 May 2012

Can you see the white on white, I hope so, I am using the density of paint to project the image.

Blog 10 May 2013 Belfort 2

BLOG        Belfort-2 10 May 2013

As part of my "There and not There' series 3 made for the exhibition in May 2013, I've just painted white on white, and its made sense to me. I've re worked the curves I originally tried for my image Belfort 1, in October and November, nearly driving you all mad with the colour, line and position changes or requests for information on how to paint without making brush marks.

Shaun managed to move me forward in someways by suggesting blackboard paint and gloss paint, sadly that had a sense of failure as I tried them out on those cheap canvas things and both came out gloss, but not showing brush marks, so thank you Shaun. That is a way forward.

Now with the white on white, you can't see much anyway!- But it is not that easy, the white on white took nearly as long as the original to resolve and for me the top curve is not defined enough, nor is it as accurate as it really needs to be. One further problem, I am unable to take a successful photograph.
What am I to do about this?

April 2013- see it if you can Barocci at the National Gallery

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Barocci: Brilliance and Grace, at National Gallery

A perfectly sized exhibition of 'Religious Art' completely over awed me, it was not one I would have selected to see but now I know better. Barocci at the National Gallery, an open evening for students with a welcome glass of wine left me spell bound. His use of colour and the amazing ability of this incredible artist. Interested in finding out how artists apply paint and particularly in how they achieve 'smooth surfaces' it was pleasing to hear that Barocci technique was the simplest method 'finger painting'.

I hold in my mind the colours, they were so clear and bright, I have found it difficult to focus on my grey tones! For those of you working on portraits look at Barocci's self portrait - eyes are something special. I am sorry that I can not show here just how good they were.

I am really disappointed that I cannot post the pictures.