Project 3 Composition
Exercise 1 Developing your studies
Mark making experiments – I attended a study day in Oxford where the artist Katy Taylor talked about her work and demonstrated a technique used in her textile work . Below is a sample of what I did in her workshop which I thoroughly enjoyed and can see how I could incorporate this into my artwork. We place pieces of open lace onto watercolour paper and then sprayed over with water lightly, the lace was then carefully removed and whilst still wet we dropped Indian ink into small areas around the page. I like the effect a lot , it could be used for landscape – trees, plants, paths, sky etc.
Preparing for a larger drawing- I reviewed some of my preparatory drawings from project 2 and selected from the 360 degree studies a sketch to develop into a further drawing. Below is the planning for this :
Research point – Similarities – differences Looking at contemporary artists and who work with landscape and a range of viewpoints and comparing their approaches with those of earlier artists. Tacita Dean has some drawings on blackboard which look very dramatic and atmospheric as also does Seurat’s Landscape with houses below, both use light and dark to contrast and create depth. The most obvious difference between them is the viewpoint, Tacita’s mountains are immense and almost overwhelming. Seurat’s is more focused on what most people see around us.
Fig.20 2019 Whilst researching for contemporary landscape artists I came across Adem Potas who is based in Istanbul. This painting is done in watercolour (it does not have a title or date that I can find.)
The skies here are particularly dramatic and portray a sense of power and fast changing beauty similar to Thomas Cole’s painting below of the sky after a thunderstorm. Both artists use light and dark contrasts and reflection to take our eye around the paintings. There is also the similar use of aerial perspective – Adem paints the distant clouds on the left in a light tone and smaller shapes, Thomas depicts the distant hills in pale violet with not much detail.
Illustrations
Figure 18 Dean T (2012) Fatigues [chalk on blackboard ] Marian goodman Gallery (Accessed 05.01. 2020) https://www.mariangoodman.com/artists/39-tacita-dean/works/28967-tacita-dean-fatigues-2012/
Figure 19 Seurat G (1881 – 1882) Landscape with houses [conte crayon] https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/337676 (Accessed on 09.01.2020)
Figure 20 Potas A [watercolour] https://mymodernmet.com/contemporary-landscape-painting/(accessed 12.01.2020)
Figure 21 Cole T (1836) View from Mount Holyoke, Northampton, massachusetts, after a thunderstorm – The oxbow [oil on canvas] https://mymodernmet.com/contemporary-landscape-painting/ (accessed 12.01.2020)
Bibliography –
Georgina Palffy – senior editor Artists drawing techniques Dorling Kindersley limited 2017 ISBN -0-2412-5598-8 Pages 106-107, 256-257
Julian Brooks Master Drawings – Close-up by The British Museum 2010 ISBN 978 0 7141 2673 9
Art Journal 