I had a Zoom tutorial feedback with my tutor and she shared the mp3 recording. I value this learning, as we get into the detail of my specific issues and I can go back and apply what I learned.
With regards to my assignment work my tutor is happy with the experiments and feel I should develop the drawing part more. The drawing lends structure to the otherwise textured mixed media work. My tutor indicate the following in the painting which stood out for her: “The drawing has a kind of tension to it, which can work in the landscapes. The are good uprights and precision and then the ‘mad’ paint of the water.” The tension is created by the fact that the drawing gives the painting precision and then there is the expressive painting which I like to work. We discussed that it is hard to work precisely and expressively at one go. I plan go back into this painting and make the buildings much paler – it will be added in my learning log.
I have opportunities here in Dubai to focus my learning on open and expansive areas (desert, dust, water as well as the sky). I am busy learning and building skills with regards to cloud and water painting which will be great way to build form with paint as well as enjoy surface and expression. It will be hard topics to develop, but also rewarding, as my tutor reminded. We discuss moving water which I want to try to record – I add this learning in my log. Using photographs and doing observation will be part of my learning of new skills in this regard. I will focus on learning from the work practice of Veja Celmins.
The bridge structures are strong and definite forms and the drawing of the barbed wire onto the painted was appreciated. I need to be careful of changes I made to the sky and focus on precision. I am so aware that the sky became an issue in most of the paintings and we take time to discuss this. I have added my tutor’s advice and my learning in my learning blog, as I have started to re work most of these paintings after our session. The Pearly Beach on a cloudy day is expressive and the reduced palette helped to create a feeling of harmony and shows development in colour mixing. I will build up skill with clouds, form and use tonal range to build form/look like a cloud. We discussed this process of looking at clouds. I decide after the session to add the photo I took of that day in the learning log.
I want to rework and develop some of the works I have presented. I will start off with the painting of the photo of the Ghaf tree in the desert. I want to develop the painting further and shared with my tutor my need to finish and correct areas. We discussed how I need to make use of gradation of colour in the foreground to really create the open space and feeling of vastness of where this object in placed in space. I will go back and rework the painting.
With regards to technical and visual skills I should also be wary of staying visually connected to my subject through my colour palette. Here using a limited palette will work, as well as trying coloured grounds. Looking at verticals and horizontals – getting it balanced. My tutor suggested turning the painting upside down, looking at it in a mirror or take a photo of it and reverse it to check for a skew.