Monthly Archives: May 2019

NEW STUDIO Week Fourteen

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Continuing with drawing this week, and having to concentrate on the 3d model because of the poorly cat.

six new drawings started

On Monday I started six new drawings, these had white emulsion painted on the 17th (Friday) and were added to on Monday.

Garden Drawing 20/05/19

Also began this drawing on four sheets of A1 cartridge. It harks back, as I realised afterwards, to the ladybird drawings I did an age ago –

https://www.ian-latham.com/blog/2015/08/08/ladybird/

https://www.ian-latham.com/blog/2015/08/15/ladybird-2/

https://www.ian-latham.com/blog/2015/11/28/ladybird-2-finished-in-so-far-as/

– All of these drawings are trying to find a way to realise the 3d model as projection and environment for the installation.

sketch notes 20/05/19

I thought it was worth including a picture of a sketchbook page with reflections of the day’s activities. I often write in the sketchbook or my diary to record the way I’m thinking, not really to hold on to it but more to be able to see how my thinking has changed through the process.

drawings continued

On Wednesday I continued working on the drawings from Monday, for some reason I didn’t photograph one of them and I can’t remember why. Wednesday was split up by a visit to a potential new studio in the morning, it has twenty rooms including a small hall/gym and a roof terrace and is just around the corner from where I am now. In the afternoon I had a visit from the architects for the potential buyers who spent two hours measuring for drawings so I’m on borrowed time at the minute.

Wednesday Sketchbook

I started to pick up the elements from the six drawings in the sketchbook and then developed three new ones from the bottom right sketch.

three new drawings

On Friday, as I couldn’t get in to the studio I made a model of the middle drawing.

There are also two new garden videos ready for project with a more robust model integrated as a walkthrough but I’m dissatisfied with the experience as it lacks the quality of the drawings.

NEW STUDIO Week Thirteen

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A late blog after what seems like something of a hiatus. The visit by the contractors last week reminded me of the fragility of my tenure in the space, which made me look at how much stuff I’d generated in it and almost overwhelmed me with the prospect of moving it. At the back of my mind the ‘big skip’ solution, exercised a good many times over the years.

four drawings 130519

four more drawings 130519

I completed some of the drawings begun last week, and continued working with others.

six drawings in progress 130519

On Tuesday I split my time in the garden at home and the attic studio.

Garden 14th May 2019

A set of colour sketches accompanies this piece.

colour sketch 14th May

There are also the set of drawings started last week, that can be seen in this gallery.

Garden Drawings May 2019

On Wednesday I was back in the shop continuing with the drawings.

gardensketch_1_15519

gardensketch_2_15519

gardensketch_3_15519

gardensketch_4_15519

Completing these drawings and beginning to re-interpret these into the sketchbook towards a 3d model.

sketchbook_2_blog

sketchbook_3_blog

sketchbook_blog

Friday was a truncated day, after more modelling, working on new drawings (prep only) and sketches.

sketchbook170519_blog

NEW STUDIO Week Twelve

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NEW STUDIO Week Twelve

Coming to the end of three months in the shop, and looking like the end might be near – A contractor is looking around the property on Monday. It’s time to take stock of progress and in particular to examine where I am as an artist after retirement.

The shop looks like a gallery and I’ve had a few visitors, enough to mean I need to order some new cards, that have been very complementary. On the other hand I’m a six foot skinhead in overalls and steel toecaps so who wouldn’t be. Nothing is translating to sales but that’s never been the purpose, I don’t have a catalogue or pricelist (add to the to-do list) and the shop signage as yet is tiny. I’m in that mid grant application limbo where my intellectual energies are pointing me at things I can’t develop lest I start the thing I’ve applied for funding for and thus invalidate my application. It remains inordinately difficult to apply for funding as a practice led artist as you don’t know what you’re going to do until you do it. The ‘studio’ space of the shop looks like it’s working, plenty of space and I’m continually refining the way I use it.

As well as tidying up and maintaining equipment I started this week working on the computer – I’ll write a separate post to describe that work – and continued in the sketchbook on Wednesday.

Sketchbook images from 8th May

Sketchbook images from 8th May

I came up with a brief catalogue introduction for the Ptolemy’s Garden, work in progress exhibition.

Ptolemy’s Garden is a set of drawings and sculptures made from old flooring and drawings of gardens where I’ve buried cats over the last thirty years. Ptolemy walked down the garden one day as a kitten and stayed for a few years. He is buried here in these works as much he’s buried in Balby alongside Kelpie and Coco, or in Warmsworth next to Pliskie and Poppy, or in Sherburn in Elmet next to Polly.

I use the materials I find, ideally I like waste material that has had a previous life and breaks unpredictably. The material stops me from over directing the sculptures as the process grows towards resolution.

I collect the detritus of living, scraps randomly encountered, reflecting the memories I carry. I ascribe my deepest feelings to insignificant mementos and nostalgia orchestrates my future and my present.

Thursday I couldn’t face another day frustrated at the computer so I did some drawing, starting a set of collages from old sculpture sketches.

Nine A1 collages

Nine A1 collages May 2019

There are ten started, an individual one is below.

Thursday Collage in progress

Thursday collage in progress

On Friday I continued drawing, in the sketchbook again, then on A1 sheets.

Friday Sketchbook

Friday Sketchbook

 

Three drawings in progress

another three drawings in progress

yet another three drawings in progress

And finally did a small amount on the big garden drawing.

Large Garden May 2019