Tuesday, 1 November 2011
Tuesday, 25 October 2011
Looking into the past.
Looking at old paintings, some going back more than twenty years is quite sobering. Back then I thought they looked OK, and anyway there was always tomorrow. Back then I could not see what to do with them. A painting tutor would say something like ' a good beginning', and I would be offended, or wait for a fuller reply which was never forthcoming, and I would move onto something else, over-eager as I was to make a start on that , only to reach the same impasse of a lack of finish or problems left unsolved, never to reach a solution.
Now I look again, and I can see a flat, weak area of paint, know what to do,know how much work has still to be done, but not have the energy, drive, or time to do anything about it.
How much rubbish have I painted which, with a bit more effort and intelligence, could have been rescued from mediocrity?
One thing is clear, however, namely how dreadful and inadequate was my so-called art-education.
Now I look again, and I can see a flat, weak area of paint, know what to do,know how much work has still to be done, but not have the energy, drive, or time to do anything about it.
How much rubbish have I painted which, with a bit more effort and intelligence, could have been rescued from mediocrity?
One thing is clear, however, namely how dreadful and inadequate was my so-called art-education.
Stirling Road 10 years ago
The image below is of the view from the front of Stirling Road, a small painting , acrylic on board, which has been lying around the house for years, unloved and unnoticed, except by me. What interests me is that this scan flatters the original somewhat. The original is now looking very tired, the top left-hand corner of the Daler board is dog-eared, and the whole thing needs refreshing, cleaning and varnishing.The original has an area of flat black inside the shed on the right, which shows as a wonderful Prussian Blue on the back-lit screen, which in turn plays off against the equally vibrant orange of the tree on on the left-hand side.In short this computer image has a powerful sense of light, space and airiness which I , sadly, did not create.
Monday, 24 October 2011
Twenty Years On ( with apologies to Alan Bennett )
I have just hauled this painting ( pictured below) out of the loft, and taken it down to the studio for restoration. It looks dreadful.. The glowing colours are no more, and it is grimy, dusty, and flat.Worse, 20 years on, it looks crude, clumsy, and amateurish. What I saw in it all those years ago God alone knows. However, the plan is to re-stretch it and have another go. I can't wait. It should be fun, which is the spirit in which it was painted in the first place.
Thursday, 8 September 2011
Artworks Exhibition in Blackhorse Lane in E17
I entered the current Artworks Exhibition, part of the E17 on-going Art Trail in Walthamstow, without success. ( See images below)
I naturally assumed that my work is below the required standard. However I went to see what is on show, and found the whole experience very dispiriting, and frankly baffling. I could see no evidence of talent, no draughtsmanship, no light or shade, no emotion, no colour , no life, nothing, nihil.
I tried to convey my bemusement and sense of despair to one of the curators of the exhibition, but I was met with nothing more than a blank look, and some mumbled comments about recently graduated artists.
Remember, this an open exhibition.
Open to whom, you may ask. Not to me, evidently, but of course I may be deluded.
Someone is, no question.
I naturally assumed that my work is below the required standard. However I went to see what is on show, and found the whole experience very dispiriting, and frankly baffling. I could see no evidence of talent, no draughtsmanship, no light or shade, no emotion, no colour , no life, nothing, nihil.
I tried to convey my bemusement and sense of despair to one of the curators of the exhibition, but I was met with nothing more than a blank look, and some mumbled comments about recently graduated artists.
Remember, this an open exhibition.
Open to whom, you may ask. Not to me, evidently, but of course I may be deluded.
Someone is, no question.
Saturday, 30 July 2011
Thursday, 28 July 2011
The image below is of a small oil painting which I am entering for the 2011 ArtWorksOpen exhibition which is to held at the ArtWorks Project Space at 114 Blackhorse Road, Walthamstow, from 26th August to 11th September 2011.
Of course success depends on being passed by a judge, so the outcome is less than certain, to say the least.
The private view and the announcement of the two prizewinners is on 25th August, which should prove to be an excruciating experience for all but the chosen few.
I now have until the 30th of July to find a third image, and get it photographed and entered
Image number two is my Square Foot entry, entitled Almond Tree, of a year or so ago..
What I find interesting is that the Bridge painting was picked out by another artist in preference to recent work, despite being over twenty years old. So much for progress, or development.
Of course success depends on being passed by a judge, so the outcome is less than certain, to say the least.
The private view and the announcement of the two prizewinners is on 25th August, which should prove to be an excruciating experience for all but the chosen few.
I now have until the 30th of July to find a third image, and get it photographed and entered
Image number two is my Square Foot entry, entitled Almond Tree, of a year or so ago..
What I find interesting is that the Bridge painting was picked out by another artist in preference to recent work, despite being over twenty years old. So much for progress, or development.
Thursday, 28 April 2011
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