Tag Archives: Gardens

New Start

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New Start

Another New Studio

After having Covid19 and therefore doing no work between the 2nd October and the 18th October, I found I’d reached the point where I didn’t know what I was going to do. Both the summer projects were finished and while I have a list of several things I’m interesting in doing I wasn’t really committed to any of them. So I wanted a New Start.

So on the 18th I went in to the studio with a view to experimenting with the Redfilm output 

I had two large boards ready for drawings and I decided to use these to make drawings to complement the films.

New Start

red garden underpainting

18/10/23

This drawing started as ‘red_garden’ and was taken through the underpainting using pastels with water through the day.

New Start

red garden ink layer

23/10/23

A week later I’d had delivery of some more Red media including Ink Blocks from Derwent [link] and the drawing was worked up as seen with the addition of some highlights using white charcoal, as seen below.

red garden 23102023

23/10/23

New Start

red garden two underpainting

18/10/23

The drawing above was begun as ‘red_garden_two’ and the underpainting was done with pastels and some very cheap pre mixed poster paint.

New Start

red garden two ink layer

23/10/23

Again I further worked up the drawing on the 23rd with the ink blocks and finally added highlights with white charcoal.

New Start

red garden two 23102023

23/10/23

New Start

red garden three

23/10/23

Also on the 23rd I started a 3rd drawing on an A4 board, ‘red_garden_three’ produced in the same way.

New Start

studio 23102023

23/10/23

I ended the 23rd with the studio looking like this and decided to change it when I came back as the mirror experiments with the film didn’t work.

New Studio

Studio from Window 25102023

25/10/23

So on the 25th I took down the projection room with a view to making a smaller one to view the edits in isolation.

New Start

Studio from Door 25102023

25/10/23

The day was finished with the studio looking like this and I discovered that Covid19 has left me completely knackered after what seems like not much work.

New Start

Red Sketchbook 19th October onwards

19/10/23 onwards

While this was going on I continued to work in my attic studio using stills selected from the films to develop ideas in my sketchbook as the starting point for new work going forward. Initially this was envisaged as two dimensional and Virtual work but very quickly grew into physical sculptural form.

New Start

Maquettes made from 20th October onwards

20/10/23 onwards

studio from door 30102023

After the 30th I’d finished the viewing room and made a space to build a large sculpture.

New Start

studio from window 30102023

I also did some further work on the red drawings.

red garden three 30102023

This is red garden three, the A1 drawing.

red garden two 30102023

This red garden two,

New Start

red garden 30102023

The Red drawings are not finishshed and I’ve started a large sculpture that will be featured in my next post, but that’s my new start.

Drawing

I’ve continued to draw every day;

The October drawings can be seen here

  • Draw Every Day – October 23
    Draw Every Day – October 23
    Draw Every Day - October 23 Continuing to draw every day, using sketching pens, japanese ...
    See photo »

…and the September images here

  • Draw Every Day – September 23
    Draw Every Day – September 23
    Draw Every Day - September 23 Continuing to draw every day, in a new sketchbook using ...
    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.

Covid19 (eventually)

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Covid19 (eventually)

Another New Studio

After the last post I was a bit deflated and when I returned to the studio all I could do was tidy up and finish off the few bits I have on the go.

 

Covid19 (eventually)

Easel 250923

I did some work on the painting on each day I was in.

Covid19 (eventually)

easel 270923

I got as far as this state which needs more detail but is essentially blocked in. I continued with the doncaster platonics app, loading it up to the app store in test mode and contacted the council to tell them it was done. The app can be tested through this website, https://ian-latham.com/doncplatonic/ which has a link to the play store.

The app functions pretty well although the video remains problematic.

roses 280923

As well as the studio I worked on some images at home for greetings cards, and I made these roses which work quite well when cut down.

Then I had a visit to my Mothers in Preston and returned with Covid19. This is the first time I’ve had it at all and it is a pain in the arse. I’ve not been in the studio since the 2nd October when I worked some more on the painting…

easel 021023

The colour balance is improving but it’s still not there.

So that’s October as a write off for now, I’m still testing positive after ten days so we’ll see how long it takes to get back into the saddle.

Drawing

I’ve continued to post on Threads as well as instagram.

I’ve continued to draw every day;

The September drawings can be seen here

  • Draw Every Day – September 23
    Draw Every Day – September 23
    Draw Every Day - September 23 Continuing to draw every day, in a new sketchbook using ...
    See photo »

…and the August images here

  • Draw Every Day – August 23
    Draw Every Day – August 23
    Draw Every Day - August 23 Continuing to draw every day, in a new sketchbook using sketching ...
    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.

 

An end of frustration?

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An end of frustration?

(Another New Studio)

I finished(?) the NHS project after quite a lot of stress and setbacks. It was still completed on time but I had far less time in the studio.

The interruption of the sculpture project has left me a little non-plussed about the direction of my work and how to find ways forward against the pressure of completion. Ideas reach fruition and then need to be rendered physical when the desire or drive to create is spinning off in its own directions. Today I read an article about Michael Raedecker on Artspace where he says

“Inspiration can come at the most unusual moments; riding on a bus or reading a book. But most of the time you just have to work for it,” he tells Artspace. “Sitting down, making sketches, browsing in catalogues, looking at images, and letting the intelligence of the work guide the selection.”

Its the obviousness of the statement that woke me up, making begets making, so the only way to know what to make is to make.

Earlier in the week I went to see “The Weight of Words” at the Henry Moore Institute in Leeds.

Leaving aside the lack of overall context beyond the the declaration that the, very broad, selection of artists explore the overlap between sculpture and poetry, the exhibition inevitably questions the very nature of what sculpture is. The works in the exhibition are interesting, poignant and thoughtful in all sorts of ways, they are also often flat, digital projections, printed, photographed and less often strictly three dimensional. The lack of context serves to expand the possibilities of the precept at the heart of the overlap between sculpture and poetry and made me wonder where the notion of concrete poetry sits in relation to this selection of work. The website is very good and the exhibition is on until November so I might go again.

An end of frustration?

two apples with shadow

When I did get in I worked on apples drawing, adding strong shadows from the studio window.

An end of frustration?

large rose painted out

I also kept working on the big roses drawing, finally whiting it all out and then adding a drawing of Old English Roses

Old English Roses 120923

Each step of the process has taken more thinking than necessary as I was really disgruntled by the way the lemniscate impinged on everything else I wanted to do.

Old English Roses 120923 addition of red shadows

So after the first drawing I added the red shadows onto the edges of the flowers and then darkened the shadows.

Old English Roses 120923 darkening shadows

The drawing was left for a good few days after this stage.

Old English Roses 150923 white highlights

I had a short window to get back into the space and added some white highlights to the flower heads.

An end of frustration?

Old English Roses 220923 darker shadows

And then thought about using some stronger colours. So I blacked out the shadows and darkened some areas again but it still wasn’t defined enough.

Old English Roses 220923 stronger colours

So on my next visit, the 22nd September with the lemniscate out of the way completely I took some oil paints in to use to give the roses much more body. That’s where we are so far. Finished?

Drawing

I’ve ditched Twitter, one too many Musks, but I’ve started to post on Threads as well as instagram.

I’ve continued to draw every day;

The August drawings can be seen here

  • Draw Every Day – August 23
    Draw Every Day – August 23
    Draw Every Day - August 23 Continuing to draw every day, in a new sketchbook using sketching ...
    See photo »

…and the July images here

  • Draw Every Day – July 23
    Draw Every Day – July 23
    Draw Every Day - July 23 Continuing to draw every day, in a new sketchbook using sketching ...
    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.