Self (It really is all about me!)
Another New Studio
08 02 2024
Having reached something of an impasse in the last month what with finishing things and so on I decide to start a self portrait. So on the 8th February I spent two hours working from life and arrived at the above. The proportions are ‘ish’ and it looks nothing like me.
09 02 2024
On the 9th February I spent another two hours…
12 02 2024
Then after the weekend I spent a further two hours on the 12th February. Again it’s beginning to look vaguely as if it might be a relative of mine.
14 02 2024
On the 14th I spent 3 hours mostly measuring the features against each other and refining the shape of the head. It might be worth mentioning that I decided to do this after seeing the press reports for the Courtauld exhibition of Frank Auerbach drawings particularly Adrian Searle’s review in the Guardian
But It really is all about me!
16 02 2024
I worked some more on it on the 16th bringing it almost to a conclusion after just over 11 hours.
19 02 2024
On the 19th I spent the last hour I’d allowed myself, for now, to reach this state.
judge for yourself
It’s ok, but you can judge for yourself. It really is all about me!
Tree Flower 12 02 2024
Obviously that wasn’t all I did during the first half of February, I also continued to work on sculpture. I repurposed the abandoned original support for the three trees half size maquette I made in January and also did some more work on the story for the Gardens project.
I looked up the idea of Eudaemonia that I encountered in Will Storr’s ‘The Science of Storytelling’ which is the only readably intelligent examination of the process I’ve found yet. Storr posits a 5 act structure for storytelling, Act 1 – This is me and It’s not working; Act 2 – Is there another way?; Act 3 – There is. I have transformed; Act 4 – But can I handle the pain of change?; Act 5 – Who Am I going to be? Essentially though I don’t think there is a set of rules.
I found myself distracted by an idea for the garden that goes back to the original impetus of recording the resting places of cats that have owned me over the years. To bring in an avatar of a cat that guides the player through the garden and instructs them on the quest, the quest being to find where cats go.
That’s where eudaemonia comes in, it is the state or condition of having good spirit, according to Aristotle. The eudaimonic life is one of “virtuous activity in accordance with reason” Or being happy by living with purpose.
Also on the 16th February I attended the first online seminar in AN’s Framework series Module 1. It was all about funding, different sources etc. Very useful if I can ever shift myself to apply it. I would post a link but the notes are not online yet.
Standing Nude 19 02 2024
After the weekend I spent some time buggering about with Gravity Sketch on the Quest 2, It’s been updated but it’s still very glitchy for me. Keeps dropping out and repositioning itself.
So I went back to ‘Gesture VR’ and did a drawing using passthrough.
Standing Nude 21 02 2024
On the following Wednesday I got sidetracked by the roof repairs at home and went to the studio on the 22nd, tidied the drawing up and stretched two new sheets of paper.
Studio 22 02 2024
At which point the studio looked like this.
Three (separate) Red Trees
To shake myself up a bit I took apart the three red trees, I should really take them somewhere and coat them with GRP, to give myself more room in the studio.
Structure 25 02 2024
Then I used the wood I got from c-view where my studio is, to make a structure for a new sculpture.
Dancing Tree 27 02 2024
On the 27th I attached surfaces to the structure – this is fairly heavy cartridge paper – and painted it with watered down Indian ink. It’s called ‘Dancing Tree’ for as long as I can remember it.
Drawing
I’ve continued to draw every day;
The February drawings can be seen here
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Draw Every Day – February 24Draw Every Day - February 24 Continuing to draw every day, in the 15th sketchbook since the ...See photo »
…and the January images here
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Draw Every Day – December 23Draw Every Day - December 23 Continuing to draw every day, using sketching pens, japanese ...See photo »
There is a link to the previous month’s Gallery on each page.
The drawings are posted to Threads and Instagram each day.
It really is all about me!