Turquoise, shades of blue, black and white tend to be my go-to colours. Black and white have become a bit of a comfort zone within my painting. However, last year I was more experimental with some brighter colours; I introduced neon paint inspired by sunsets at home. My project Hireth was all about the sea and the tropical colours we have around the Cornish coast.
I stick to minimal colours and let texture, layers and mark-making have a voice in the composition. On my Pinterest, I have separate boards for art I like divided into colour sections.
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As with yesterday’s prompt; favourite book; I can’t pick just one that I prefer, however, tools do not have to cost a lot of money. I tend to work with different mediums; acrylic, oil, collage, ink, charcoal, pastel, pencil and previously I have done a lot of printmaking, sewing and textile design. I don’t tend to stick to just one material or one tool. I will hold my hands up and say I’m also the most indecisive person I know!
As an artist who enjoys working in the landscape, I often use found materials as my tools such as twigs and pine ‘leaves’. These give loose scratchy marks when working with ink; a more organic looking line if you want a less controlled finish to a piece.
Tying a piece of charcoal to a long stick is an alternative way to sketch with less control. I have to say that most of the work in my studio is a work in progress; I’m terrible for not finishing work and starting something new. I also have many notebooks and sketchbooks of ideas stretching back several years with pages dotted with mini post-it-notes here and there to say this would make a good blog post or piece of work. Occasionally I go through them, knowing I thought something was a great idea however, a lot of the time I don’t remember what inspired me; I have a terrible memory. I have a couple of large canvases I started at my Krowji studio that I will probably paint over. This particular painting of a blossom tree I shared on Instagram stories with a poll; should keep it or not? Most people said yes. I could fill out the tree blossom but I decided I don't want to keep it. It’s a big piece that I can no longer store. If I’m not feeling the love, then it’s time to move on.
If you want it, you have to make it happen Pretty obvious, right? However, I’m really good at talking myself out of a situation because I have what I now recognise as imposter syndrome and I’m good at procrastinating. I know I’m good at procrastinating because when I got my latest phone and checked the digital wellbeing app it came with, I realised how much time I spent on my phone. All those hours I could have done something productive like sort my studio, started that piece of work that’s been stewing as an idea for ages, contacted a gallery, applied for something etc. I’ll never get that time back. My imposter syndrome generally manifests as anxiety telling myself that I’m rubbish so why bother; it’s has reduced me to tears on many occasions. If I listened to myself though I would’ve missed out on the experiences I’ve had. When I went back to college it was the first thing I was doing for myself for years, I’d been a stay at home parent and struggled with post-natal depression, I had little confidence left however I knew I wanted to do something creative. Art had always been a hobby. When I walked into the class, I thought that I didn’t belong there. I stuck it out and studied for four years achieving my Ba Hons degree. It was such a difficult four years; my children were still very young, juggling study with home stuff was really hard and stressful, I snapped and said several times I was quitting. I knew I’d regret it if I did quit and upon graduating I went straight into a paid creative job and won a residency in an art studio. Those opportunities wouldn’t have happened if I hadn’t been determined to finish. There have also been many times where I have had the opportunity to show work that I felt really unsure about; again imposter syndrome tells me nobody would be interested. It always means a lot to me when someone says they like it, they have a connection to it, some have said that ‘they just had to have it’ and of course I feel on top of the world for a while. I usually go to London to be a part of an exhibition or see a show and I’ve nearly talked myself out of it a few times. I can guarantee once I’m there, I don’t want to come back yet, because there’s so much to see and do! Let’s hope this virus goes away soon so we can all jump at the opportunity to travel and socialise again! I have decided to start the new year by joining in with the 21 day art challenge set by Tara Leaver over on Instagram; you can sign up via Tara’s website or screenshot the prompts and get going. Most people are doing the challenge by posting photos to their Instagram page however, I decided to do it as blog posts and sharing links on my Instagram. I haven’t joined in an art challenge before but I had several reasons to join:
So the first prompt of the challenge is called A Favourite Painting. I’ve probably considered myself a painter since my last year at university; around 6 years ago when studying for my Ba Hons. It doesn’t feel that long ago but that’s a lot of paintings in that time! I find that whenever I’m working on a piece of work, whether in my sketchbook, on the table or at the easel, I will leave it on display for a while. It’s like leaving it to breathe; even if it’s already dry I’ll keep looking at it from various angles. Whatever I’m working on becomes the favourite; I’ll keep giving it attention, tweaking the composition, wondering whether I can call it finished and share it on my Instagram and Pinterest pages. However, if I’m creating a body of work I will lay out all of the pieces and pick a couple of favourites and some that I think don’t work now but could become something else by cropping or working over the surface again. One painting that will remain a firm favourite of mine is one that I no longer possess; I sold the painting at the private view of its showing and I’m really happy that someone now has it on display in their home than it being stacked with others in my studio. The painting is called Towards Zennor and is the canvas I exhibited at Tate Modern in 2019 (you can read about it here) it is mixed media on stretched canvas. This painting isn’t a favourite because it was exhibited and sold in London but because of the experience of creating it. Towards Zennor is one of many pieces made as part of a mentoring project I did with landscape artist Liz Hough; a colleague from when I worked at St Ives School of Painting. We drove just out of St Ives town to do some sketching up on the hills whilst following the journey artist Peter Lanyon made. The grey clouds were looming, it was biting wind and it felt like a race against time to do as much as I could before we had to run back to the car. We sketched in various spots between St Ives and Zennor and once I was back in the studio I started picking through all the pieces to see which pieces stood out to be worked from. This particular composition was created several times; the original in my sketchbook, the canvas, a mixed media on wood piece (also sold) and a piece on paper. All worked from the same sketches made onsite but all are different because of the creative process used for each, not all of them were intended to be finished pieces but its common to have several pieces as studies or prep work. During lockdown, I saw many people turn to creativity to help pass the time using art as therapy at a time of great anxiety and a rise in people generating income through the artists' pledge whereby artists would sell work and use some of their income to purchase work from another artist. Now that the majority of us have returned to work that creative time may have been put on the back burner as we juggle our work commutes, school runs and other commitments. However, if you have decided to commit to a creative hobby or start up a creative business I can show you how it can be done with a small space and a small budget. A studio space doesn’t have to be a large space or a rented space in an artist hub, a small space at home such as a small nook, spare bedroom, corner of the lounge with a caddy for supplies can be just as great to get creative in, the option to move to something bigger will always be there if you need the space to grow. My own creative spaces have changed a lot over the years working from a spare bedroom in rented accommodation, on the kitchen table then moving to a tiny computer desk in the bedroom although I remember yearning for more space as my work started to grow. I won a residency in a studio for a year and then moved my materials back home to a larger table in the bedroom. I moved house 3 years ago where I now have my studio space in a conservatory. Working from home is much better for me right now than commuting to a studio around work and the school run. What about setting up the studio space though? I recently made a short video tour which I uploaded to my IGTV on Instagram of my current space; I say current as it’s always changing and I have been looking at moving house again and having a (well insulated) summerhouse as a studio…or small shed. As we head towards winter and it’s too cold to head into the studio I will often work at my coffee table which doubles as a storage chest which is an option if space is tight. Pinterest is my favourite site for finding inspiration when it comes to creativity and I have created 2 studio spaces boards if you need some help. One is called Small studio spaces which you can find HERE and Studio spaces inspiration which has some images of bigger spaces indoors and outdoors including those of textile workers and illustrators which you can find HERE Furniture Second-hand furniture is ideal for studios especially if you are working with messy materials. I bought a large Ikea trestle table from a friend which replaced the cheap computer table, it was great for a while but I sold it before moving house assuming I wouldn’t have space for it. I bought a sturdy easel to save on space and I was then given a table for free. I’ve had a couple of free chairs for the studio too, always a favourite for the cat. Have a look on websites and charity shops for suitable furniture. Storage Materials and work will eventually start to build up as you continue your practice so storage is important wherever you set up but it has to work for your space. I started off keeping my paints in my old baby box that I used for bath time until the top kept breaking so I bought a set of plastic drawers that fit perfectly under my table. I can separate my oils from acrylics and keep drawing materials separate from both and it only cost £12! I store my older work in plastic lidded storage boxes in the wardrobe and canvases and frames to be used are in old toy boxes that my children no longer use. My sketchbooks are kept on a cheap Argos bookshelf but my art books I keep in the lounge where they’re less likely to become sun damaged as my conservatory is a sun trap. Cork memo boards are great for keeping ideas, lists and images of inspiration nearby and they can be painted to match your décor. Supplies
Buying materials can be expensive when you look around some art shops but some high street shops sell materials ideal for beginners or students. Don’t purge on expensive materials before finding out what works for you. DIY store paint tester pots are my favourite for making backgrounds and they’re cheap. If you’re a mixed media artist wallpaper samples are great for adding texture. When I did a lot of textile work at university I used scraps of fabric to test out ideas and some of those test pieces turned out to be my favourite pieces. I used offcuts of old clothes to stitch on and cheap bedsheets for printmaking. I sold all my old broken jewellery and used the money to buy a sewing machine. Jam jars and old mugs are great for studios, ideal for washing brushes in and storing dry brushes and pens and other creative utensils. Shoe boxes are great for collecting ephemera, magazines, collage papers and small paper works. Organising whatever space you have will keep it tidy and find materials easier when inspiration strikes. In January this year, I wrote a blog post called ‘2019 roundup and plans for 2020’, however, I didn’t know that all plans would be put on hold or completely changed for a worldwide pandemic. A scary time of being at home worried about our families, friends, and livelihoods.
So what were my plans for this year? When the Coronavirus pandemic lockdown came into place I was still working in the art gallery where we had the exhibition of Naum Gabo, Russian constructivist; “...the first extensive presentation of Naum Gabo's sculptures, paintings, drawings and architectural designs to be held in the UK for over 30 years. The exhibition marks the centenary of the Realistic Manifesto 1920, a set of pioneering artistic principles launched in Moscow by Gabo and his brother Antoine Pevsner. The statement declared that authentically modern art should engage with and reflect the modern age. ” - Tate St Ives During our time in quarantine, my colleague, Alice, decided to put together a film of the museum staff reading the realistic manifesto translated from Russian to English, not only marking 100 years since it was written but also how relevant it is today. The manifesto was originally written by Gabo and his brother Antoine Pevsner. I took part; it has been a joy and a privilege to be able to collaborate. It was really sad that the exhibition was missed by many and on my last day I found this written in the exhibition catalogue, I shared this to my Instagram: "Art should attend us everywhere that life flows and acts...at the bench, at the table, at work, at rest, at play; on working days and holidays, at home and on the road...in order that the flame to live should not extinguish in mankind" Naum Gabo, from Constructions for real life exhibition catalogue 2020 You can find out more about Naum Gabo here. References https://www.tate.org.uk/whats-on/tate-st-ives/exhibition/naum-gabo https://www.moma.org/collection/works/173291 text for gabo pic 1 …Naum Gabo Head No.2 1916, enlarged version 1964. The Work of Naum Gabo © Nina & Graham Williams / Tate. Photo: Kirstin Prisk. Happy New Year and happy new decade! I thought I would do a roundup of 2019 and what is instore for 2020 post. I don’t generally do resolutions as such but last year one of my goals was to be more active with my creativity. I didn’t have a clear set plan of what I was going to do or a timescale which sounds really rubbish, in fact I was very vague because my art has to fit around my job and family. I felt if I was too rigid and things didn’t go to plan I would feel too defeated. However I had some great successes last year and a few low lights but that’s to be expected, as they say; a smooth sea never made a skilled sailor. I think it’s important to acknowledge what didn’t work rather than erase those bits and paint a ‘perfect picture’ for the world. I wrote about it here in my post 'How to deal with rejection as a creative practitioner'. In 2019 I was lucky to have 5 exhibitions in Cornwall;
When I went back to college I remember being nervous and telling myself several times I wasn’t good enough so to have exhibited and sold my work at Tate St Ives and Tate Modern were definite career highlights and experiences in 2019. The paintings I submitted for both Tate exhibitions were painted as part of a mentorship I did, one sold at the private view and the other about a week later! ‘From Trevalgon with Lanyon’ shown at Tate St Ives I had to take my artwork to London so I spent a few days there and also enjoyed the Olafur Eliasson exhibition, a few days is never enough though. I love London as it just opens my mind to more artists and I always come home with lots of new ideas. In February, many months before the exhibition at Tate Modern I went to see the Don McCullin photography exhibition at Tate Britain. This exhibition will be at Tate Liverpool 5th February – 6th May 2020. I know Cornwall has so many artists and galleries but it’s nice to get away from seascape themed artwork and look at different perspectives. So what’s the plan for 2020? I made a list a few days ago;
Are you stuck with your creative work? Do you need to finish a piece or tie up loose ends and want to try something new? Try these tips with visual examples. Feel free to print this list and use them as prompts to help, I have also made this information into an infographic at the bottom of the page.
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