I appreciate the overall comments as they are encouraging me to develop my own painting process. My idea is to submit my work for assessment as part of the process to obtain a BA Hon in Fine Arts.
With regards to my assignment painting of the baobab tree in the O’Keefe style I gave some thought to why I changed the cast light and the original colours I used to create tonal differences as well as form. I look back at the process and realize that I lost my own idea by trying to copy O’Keefe. I agree that I should have kept to the colours as from how I viewed it – my own seeing/appearance, because I liked what I saw and the idea was to try and describe that which I liked. Looking at the work from this perspective now, I see how white has taken away some of the description of form – it flattened the work. I still feel like developing this work on a bigger canvas to create a feeling for this big tree. I am contemplating the use of bigger brushes as well and trying to be more bold, as I do admire that in other artist work.
Demonstration of technical and visual skills and demonstration of creativity
Using other tools rather than a brush sounds encouraging and I will attempt this in my process. I take time to think about “precision of observation coupled with a freedom of response” and how I hold onto that idea whilst painting. I do think that a habit of doing drawings from life is the basis for good observational drawing skills to develop and thereby develop my own abilities to create what I observe. Regular drawing with charcoal or pencil helps me to get my eye in, to perceive shapes as well as colour better. I think it brings one closer to reality and stimulates the need to get to know more and better about a subject/object. I think I should focus more on relationships of the objects in space and to other objects. I re visit the aloe plant in the glass vase. I feel I should do more drawing studies during exercises, then copy the final drawing study as my work, which is not always the case when painting. I am reminded of my readings in Understanding Visual Culture, where Kant noted in Critique of Pure Reason, that percept without concept is blind. Concept without percept is empty.
I strive for paintwork that seems effortless, but full of thought and emotion and realize this is a lifelong strive.
Demonstrating reflective thinking, critical thinking, analysis and context with regards to written research and essays
I think it is important when doing assignment to plan and have a clear focus of what is called for. given it more thought and time to experiment with. I will take the suggestions regarding chiaroscuro and Rembrant et al into consideration for the next assignment- where I have to do portraits. I will definitely look at the brown painting (2nd copy after Bourgeuareu)
Planning for next assigment
I am planning to hand in my next assignment by 17 December 2019 and would like to work on Part Three during Dec/Jan and work to hand in by beginning February. I will also take a short break, but my painting materials will travel with me, as it will be a great opportunity to do figure drawing/painting.