March 2018

The overall comments of my tutor is positive – he sees the work as “a successful body of work again – varied, systematic, well-observed studies”  This obvious is great encouragement and I realise I have made some progress and learnt a lot during this drawing course.  He commented on my research notes in so much that I could make the relation back to my own practice and learning.  I added one of Pamela Phatsimo Sunstrom’s latest work as picture on this blog – I do find her work very creative and explorative – do need to learn from her!

On the projects of part four

I value that my tutor could see that I have taken somewhat of a liberty and kept testing my ideas – not being too precious about what I was drawing – going a bit beyond what it says in the course material?  I did enjoy the process very much.  I realise the potential to keep developing, extending these experiments. I do feel constraint with fact that life drawing classes are not the thing to be done here in Dubai.  I am trying to find a group within a university set up, where I would hopefully be able to develop these skills further.

My tutor made me aware of one of the drawings – a loose one where I blurred the head and  how this changed the composition and showed the contrasts of light and dark – he encouraged this aspect of my drawing.  I also realise that I did not do very much line work during these exercises up to now.  I have tried difficult angles and foreshortening and at least it did work out.  I did most of my drawings on big cheap paper – mostly with charcoal sticks or pencils. I see this as learning and do not feel precious about the drawings.

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my favourite drawing tools

Assignment

I am happy that my tutor could see the learning that occurred during my figure drawing classes I was lucky to attend – some before we left South Africa.  I have come to realise that I like interesting angles, such as a view from beneath, or looking down – it must have something to do with my general inquisitiveness about things or that I am astigmatic?, – need to see from different angles – to get understanding.  I liked doing a playful experimentation with the assignment – I had lots of drawing time and did not feel to precious about getting it right, but showing my process and learning during this part of the course.  I seems this was a successful attempt.

I take the areas for development with me to the next assignment – I think I am beginning to understand the importance of extending experiments by using – scale, media, levels of finish, line, tone and duration of work.  I liked this assignment.

The challenge would be to keep an open and enquiring approach for the last assignment.  I am now preparing to do my personal project for assignment five.  My tutor suggested with regards to experimenting to ‘hold onto how this feels’.  I would like to ensure that I combine and  use fluid gestural marks, as well as being able to accurately observe and use controlled marks and tones in my final project. I am contemplating to use photography and video in the drawing process.  I hope to use the language of art as a  powerful and transcendental  tool in my planned ideas.  I am very aware of the conflicted relationship we share with wildlife and nature in the World.  Having an opportunity to use my environment became an idea, which I realise is very much part of my own voice.

I had opportunity to find inspiration in the Recent Dubai Art fair, as well as visiting the Sharjah Biennale. I feel my work-process is mostly intuitive and mixed media combined with drawing is a great opportunity to experiment. I think my practice will develop if I stay true to an enquiring approach.

My tutors advice during the course was to be experimental and bring my fresh approach into my work. I do think I should have made more studies of one subject during my work-process.

 

 

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