Maureen Walker's blog: An Artist's Journey

Picasso and Paper

In my last post I included the above picture. I’d like to add that I feel we can learn a lot from the spontaneity of children – specifically children under the age of ten. I believe that such latent creativity is what lies dormant in mere mortals in later life – whereas the likes of Picasso forget to cast off links with their own ”inner child”.

My great niece made a recent welcome re-emergence into my life, after a long absence. When she was just 8 years old, she produced an artwork with such cheerful abandon and with apparent effortlessness, and at break-neck speed that I was quite blown away. This artwork has had a hard life on the front of my fridge for years. I have decided to give it some TLC and some sympathetic renovation. I intend to frame the resulting copy and present it as a gift to her when we meet. I hope that this underlines the fact that she was not out of mind as well as out of sight.

My Sketch of ”Les Demoiselles d’Avignon” Picasso Exhibition

There is so much to see here at Royal Academy’s Picasso and Paper Exhibition that myself and my partner have sought refuge in the busy cafe to recoup before venturing back for a second helping.

This is by far the best exhibition I have ever been to. Picasso was so prolific. I cant say I loved everything he produced, but there was so much to see, so many different approaches, that I couldn’t help but leave feeling highly inspired with my own future practice.

A video demonstrating a time lapse of a work in progress was highly revealing of the trial and error involved in his work. It showed his preparedness for experimentation to the nth degree. I came away armed with a copy of the exhibition catalogue and a head full of ideas about the limitless possibilities for process within my own work. I’m going to look again at experimental outcomes that worked well for me and that I can learn from and reuse in other projects. These include the following:

These images are among those which I feel have potential for further investigation

References:

Picasso and Paper. (2020) Exhibition. Royal Academy of Arts. London. (25th Jan – 13 April)

Part 3: Project 3: Exercise 2: Fore, Mid, Background

I have an early memory of being taken to the Tate gallery by my mother. I know I was under the age of ten because she died before I reached that age. I must have been impressed by alternative uses of colour in the paintings I saw there that day as later, on returning home, I recall completing a colouring-in session of a disembodied dog’s head in whatever colours took my fancy.

When I proudly presented said item to my parents, they laughed at it.

All these years later and I’m continuing in my efforts to undo the negative impression I received as a so sensitive child from my parents that day. I wonder why my mother took me to the Tate. Their reaction to my colouring suggested they had little time for anything but representational depictions in art. I can only guess, as neither parent survives to tell.

Perhaps I should just get over myself, but I feel that such stumbling blocks on the way to adulthood are significant. The deep seated fear of ridicule has established itself within. This course, or at least my approach to it, needs to be highly experimental. I don’t think I’m achieving this goal right now. I need to ‘play harder’ if I am to produce anything worthy of merit.

Having said this, I feel today is something of an intitial baby step in the right direction.

Part 3: Project 3: Exercise 1: Composition

Here is an abortive plan for Exercise 2.

The first attempt at an actual composition from a sketch facing south from the square outside my block. I went against a friend’s advice and attempted adding a more interesting tree in the foreground. However, as he predicted, the old willow was too heavy for the lighter composition. I argued that it would be an experiment worth doing. Perhaps it was a waste of time. But it’s arguable that nothing in creativity is ever wasted. However, I realise that the willow tree obscures the view rather than complements it.

I’ve had a rather painful steroid injection in my foot, otherwise I’d go further afield for these exercises. I intend to restart work tomorrow morning, basing my composition on the above sketch minus the willow tree, the cherry saplings being more appropriate to the ‘light’ image above. I’ll allow myself the indulgence of a dog walker in the foreground to give it a bit of life.

Part 3: Project 2: Exercise 3: 360° Studies

I actually enjoyed the monotony of picking out the window panes here. Perhaps I was feeling guilty for the lack of painstaking drawing within the last composition.

I think, if I were to choose a composition from these different angles I would go for the South view. This is due to the variety in levels of the buildings and the fact that the reflected light from the sunrise is hinted at on the east-facing buildings.

I do have tendency to lose interest once essential information is down on paper. I have a mild fear of completion vs. overworking a sketch/drawing.

Walker. M (2020) *The Runway* [coloured pencil on cartridge paper]

My completed composition.

Yesterday..

Rembrandt. (2020) *Jupiter and Antiope*. *1659* [Etching with dry point]. ‘Rembrandt and the Nude’ Exhibition Fitzwilliam Cambridge. 24/09/2019 -9 23/02/2020

We went to the Fitzwilliam museum in Cambridge. There was an exhibition of Rembrandt etchings there. It was a very small space with maybe between 20 and 30 images. This one caught my eye. My partner tried researching the backstory to the Greek mythology (Jupiter and Antiope) by which it had been inspired. The stories and characters involved are seemingly endless however, and not always purposeful in my humble opinion. But I liked the image all the same. It puts me in mind of a Picasso drawing with similar mood and composition, but with a minotaur.

*Minotaur Caressing a Sleeping Woman. (1933)* Picasso.

References:

Picasso. (2020) Minotaur Caressing a Sleeping Woman. 1933 [Drypoint] ‘Picasso and Paper’ Exhibition Royal Academy London. 25/01/2020 – 13/04/2020

Rembrandt. (2020) Jupiter and Antiope. 1659 [Etching with dry point]. ‘Rembrandt and the Nude’ Exhibition Fitzwilliam Cambridge. 24/09/2019 – 23/02/2020

Walker. M (2020) The Runway [coloured pencil on cartridge paper]

Part 3: Project 2: Exercises 1&2

It’s been a whole week since I last blogged. Nothing much has happened drawing-wise. Now I’m playing catch up.

I knew I wouldn’t have the patience required to add all those negative space rectangles in the shopping trolley. That’s why I opted for white pencil on black paper – because I’m essentially a lazy person. Or, perhaps I just have respect for time well spent. I’ll let you decide. Anyway, I enjoyed the process and am pleased with the outcome. It started as a monochrome piece but, I think, was brought to life by the late addition of colour. I think this image would also work well as a wood block print. Food for thought.

Part 3: Project 2: Landscape

It was too overcast to draw clouds, unless I were to post a blank sheet of white cartridge paper. Instead I went for a walk and took photographs of a ramshackle stable block near where I live. I returned home and assembled the following collage drawing.

It’s a bit bleak. The building itself wasn’t so far back from the road but I felt trying to include a busy dual carriageway would have been a bit risky on my life expectancy, so the foreground I’ve largely invented.

For inspiration for drawing the clouds I used a still from a movie I made. I then printed off the pictures of the stables and copied them on a light box. I cut out the shape of the stables and used it as a template to transfer an outline in black paper to a sheet of white A3 cartridge paper. With the clouds already drawn, I stuck the black paper cut out on top and then teased out the detail of rusty corrugated roofing etc. The foreground, part of the black paper cut out, came later.

Half way through I felt a bit lost. Although I knew how to go about finishing, I had a mild crisis of faith that the finished image might meet a grade C ‘O’ level standard if I was lucky. I showed it to a friend who encouraged perseverance. I’m glad I listened. I feel the result was worth the effort.

I added the tree and telegraph pole last which gave a natural vertical feature to add interest.

It reminds me of Dorothy’s farm house in the Wizard of Oz. It has a similar bleak feel to it.

Part 3: Project 1: Exercises 1, 2 & 3

Exercise 3

I did this in an hour and a half. I used cheap coloured paper to give the blue and green background. Then I drew on top with oil pastels. I finally feel as though I’m getting to grips with how best to use these.

The silver birch trees are easily distinguished from the beech below by their rough bark with its stark tonal contrasts. Beech is much more smooth and consistent in tone.

I picked out the blue sky between the branches with a bright blue oil pastel. The mass of twigs at the end of the branches is hinted at with purple oil pastel shading.

To add shading to the tree I allowed the blue paper to act as shadow and highlighted the bright white areas with white oil pastel and conte pencils.

I think I selected and simplified by focusing on just three of the trees available as I liked the way they appear to lean into one another.

I feel the leaf mould could be better depicted. But overall I’m pleased with the process as well as the outcome.

Exercises 1 & 2

I didn’t always get my preliminary sketches ‘right’. If you compare closely, there are limbs out of place. But I was trying to get a feel for how the tree grew rather than slavish copying.

I enjoyed these exercises. So far, this unit appeals to me. It’s good to get outside and breath fresh air after a week spent cleaning air conditioned office spaces.

Assignment 2

The checklist for this assignment specifies

Use of colour
Appropriate medium
Composition and context
Mark making and contrasts of line and tone
Depiction of form
Experimentation

By choosing a busy corner of my studio for this assignment I achieved contrast in colour use. I went for a loose style, using conte sticks and oil pastels, in keeping with a slightly chaotic subject. These media are new to me and I was learning about there use and limitations as I drew. Rather than contriving a scene, I chose this particular viewpoint as I liked the contrasting colours of the two walls and the cluttered environment speaks of my somewhat random approach to creativity. I feel I have contrasting line and tone, for example shading of larger areas compared with finer lines such as the stem of the standard lamp. In spite of the loose approach, I believe that the scene is immediately recognisable. It is an experimental depiction of an area of my home – something which I had not considered doing prior to commencement of this course.

I think it makes for an interesting piece, however I could have achieved greater definition with coloured pencils, but this would not have stretched my experience and technical capability.

I am more than a little frustrated by the lack of light at this time of year. By the time I had unwound myself from post work stress, it was already 1:30pm. Today was a grey day even at midday. Each day a tell myself that tomorrow I shall make an earlier start.

I’m pleased with the little bit I have achieved today. I may have only worked on the above picture for 45 mins but I can already see a potentially positive outcome. I shall continue work on it on Wednesday afternoon and hopefully have a finished piece by Saturday. Here I have used oil pastels and conte pencil to outline. I kind of regretted the outlines. The pastels smudge the conte lines so that they appear a bit muddy-dirtying the colour of the pastels. However, I shall persevere with this version rather than starting again as I am pleased with the layout and the effective texture achieved by using the slightly coarse surface of wall lining paper.

Two Days Later:

It’s a bit of a jumble. Items are fighting one another for space and attention. But that’s how this space is.

I wish I’d left the yellow wall to colour last as it is all smudged and muddy now. The black conte stick outlines dirtied the rough wall lining paper as I coloured with oil pastels. This effect can also be used deliberately in order to blend colours and to distribute the colour more evenly on the surface.

Spot the not-so-deliberate mistake on the left where the right hand side of the large bookcase appears to curve toward the top. I considered attempting to rectify this but felt it may just become a brown mess. Also, I thought it added to the effect of the image in the way it appeared positively bulging with books.

The Following Day

I felt the need to stop after an hour’s work on this today. I was concerned I may end up with a muddy mess after a total of 3 hours and 45 mins work.

I like aspects of this image. The bottom and top right hand corners retain some of the early sparkle that promised for a positive outcome. The books in the bookcase are a little under defined, I feel. But then there is only so much definition that can be achieved with oil pastels and conte sticks.

I have sprayed the image with fixative. I’ll leave it for today and do something else. I may return to it Saturday morning with a fresh eye and a sharp pencil.

I feel a bit constrained in my approach at times possibly due to the strong focus on rule abiding in my formative years. I am chipping away at this conformist approach. I also have a tendency to think linearly rather than in trusting my instincts in more creative ways. I wish to break free of these confines but feel rather than a sudden transformation it will happen by degrees.

Again, I learned much from creating this drawing. The medium used – conte sticks and oil pastels on wall lining paper – are relatively new to me. I was going for a more loose feel to this drawing than the previous exercise. I think it is certainly loose. Perhaps a bit too much. I was learning about how the effect of oil pastels – like with charcoal – once on the paper, cannot be reversed. So a bold approach is required.

I think I could have selected a viewpoint with more light and shade so that it gave more tonal contrast. There is plenty colour contrast. It is more chaotic than the image of my bed sitting room. But this is appropriate as my studio space has been dedicated to play. It is a space where equipment and media do not have to be put away, like toys in a toy box, at the end of the day.

Research: Exhibition: Drawing Room and Whitechapel Gallery

The Exhausted Student

Donna Huddleston’s (2019) delicate and autobiographical drawings were great to see. But what I was most impressed by, not having visited this venue before, was the fantastic library of books dedicated to drawing at the back of the exhibition space. I shall make a return here at some point in the future. It is too good a resource to pass up.

Making Love Revolutionary

On the way to Drawing Room we stopped by the Whitechapel Gallery to look at a retrospective on Anna Maria Maiolino (1960-2019). I found her work interesting but without the necessary context I initially found it to be a little mystifying. Beside blocks of moulded clay and concrete forms were delicately stitched embroidered papers as well as Japanese paper painstakingly marked with acrylic ink. There were photographs of (presumably) the artist with open scissors apparently about to cut off her own tongue and nose. Another depicted an egg about to roll down a flight of stone steps. These visual metaphors were perhaps a reaction or an expression of how she felt being in Brazil and enduring the repressive and authoritarian political regime there at that time. It was only having actually read the guide that went with the exhibition that I understood what connections the artist was making between the humble ”woman’s work” of stitching and the act of making drawings, as well as clay forms being allowed to crumble back to dust, as we will all do in the end. It underlines the importance of context, and was another occasion when I wished I’d researched the artist beforehand. Better late than never.

References:

Huddleston, D. (2020) The Exhausted Student, 2019 [drawing] ‘The Exhausted Student’ Exhibition. London: Drawing Room. 28th November 2019 – 1st March 2020

Maiolino, A M. (2020) Making Love Revolutionary, [Exhibition] Whitechapel Gallery. 25th September 2019 – 12th January 2020

Assignment 2: Preparation

I used a lightbox on two of the above pictures as an aid to planning the composition. I plan to draw the image with the standard lamp and bookcase as the finished piece on wall lining paper with conte sticks, wax crayons and pastels. I may try some wax resist with some white wax crayon overlaid with ink brushed on perhaps with Chinese paint brushes.