REVIEW OF WORK DONE IN THIS PART

I have to review all the landscape paintings and preparatory sketches I have made in this part of the course and assess which have been the most engaging exercises. I enjoyed painting the 3 smalls of the trees outside my studio at different times and how the style of the work became loose and impressionistic by the last painting. The bridge structures was the least engaging as I somehow feel I did not connect the structures with the landscape. I find them in a way out of place and banal. The detail of the seagrasses I collected (found objects always intrigue me) on the beach, as well as the reflections on the water was of the most engaging moments of painting landscapes outside. I am contemplating how to bring this into my painting practice, as I know this needs a huge learning curve, of which I am not scared, but time is of importance to finish this course.

The work I did from photographs was more learning than what I expected when starting with it. It was a way of looking and staying with the ‘truth’ of lines and forms whilst working. I would like to explore this more as I see good learning opportunities in these exercises. As my work throughout the exercises developed, I learnt from new artists which I think influenced me greatly. I would hope to be open to more learning like this. I enjoyed the Landscape work of Alex Kanvesky, G Richter, A Genie, Peter Doig and Pir Kirkeby. In these artist I find some insight into their working practice: their use of imagination and images from a visual archive, which could become a configuration of memory of chance-associations and or with art historical references. I feel that these bridge structures along the beach is something I would have to take time with.

I used a big size canvas for this assignment, 60.9×91.4cm. I used sand and medium as a ground layer for a textured city skyline painting and to bring texture into the surface of the canvas. I have previously done charcoal drawings of the skyline of the city and would like develop these ideas into a landscape work.

I have collected photos over the last two years and decide to use it as the ‘archived memory’ for my painting. During November 2019 I was in a water taxi and had lovely views towards the city from the Arabian Gulf. Below is my first attempts at drawing the city scape in August 2018, when we first moved here. ( I was still waiting for the container with most of our belongings, such as art supplies)

Cityscape drawing on butcher paper, August 2018.

I embedded some of the found seagrass onto the first layer (image below) and used a mixture of ink and acrylic for the foreground – I mixed this with acrylic varnish. I then started the drawing with charcoals, burnt umber/ochre and raw sienna. A thin blue/grey wash is painted on for the sky. My textured ground needs to dry. I have been contemplating to add a floating figure , a swimmer. One of the nice things about this calm Arabian Ocean, is that sea swimming can be done and it is always great when I walk on the beach road (running track for more than 12 km) to see people actively swimming in the ocean.

Painting starting – now underdrawing, layers of sand, seagrass and acrylic gel.

I like this part of the work for its abstract ideas of landscape as well as texture of mediums added on the canvas. I am influenced by the works of the Abstract painters and the layering methods.

Acrylic layer mixed with acrylic varnish

I am thinking about the ground with texture bringing in the unexpected and chaos and that I feel need to control – in a way the figure appearing in the ocean and the buildings at the back bring the appearance of something which I see as control of the picture.

I enjoy drawing onto the painted work and think I should develop the buildings more – look at colour and straight line as it lies next to the ocean.

Below are works of Billy Childish, Taichan Schierenberg, Alex Kanevsky and Bernard de Wolf. In all of these works I find inspiration to explore my own practice.

Looking back on what I have set out to do, I think is was successful. I am contemplating to start with paint layers, add the textured layers later. I decide to make a painting on normal butcher paper and start with the acrylic gel, then the acrylic inks on top – I like the thick textures I can already work into with a big brush or any other mark making object.

0 thoughts on “ASSIGNMENT FOUR

    1. Thank you very much – what a learning curve! I am busy preparing to finish off with first level of this degree and will be assessed after 19 June 2020.

Leave a Reply