This week I am feeling very humble and excited to be exhibiting alongside some very talented Art Teachers based nationally across the UK! Additionally there are exciting opportunities for my students to also exhibit! Looking forward to the new academic year! Have a look at the ArtBytes exhibition here- https://artbytes.co.uk/teachers-corner/
Quick sketch. 38 degrees today in the West Midlands. Like walking into an oven.
A pen sketch. About tonsils…
A few snapshots showing the progress of a recent digital self-portrait. I was also getting over a ‘super cold’ at the time- the first proper illness I’ve had since we all stopped wearing masks at the supermarket…
For a lesson with Year 10’s I decided to demonstrate how to set up and create a still life/portrait inspired by Edward Hopper. I wanted to promote the importance of using primary photographs which enable the art student greater depths of creativity- enabling decisions about context, light, colour scheme and choice of media. It enables a better connection and understanding of the Artist studied and can of course allow for deeper connections and meaning for the art student and viewer. In this Artwork I myself posed for the camera next to a window- a nod to Hopper’s often isolated and lonely painted figures. The colour scheme incorporated warm colours with contrasting cool tones.
There are many Artists who use/ have used the grid method and it’s nothing to be ashamed of! It’s a really useful method to help improve your observational skills, increase accuracy/proportion and get you really thinking about your tone and use of line. So which Artists have used the grid method? M.C. Escher, Leonardo Da Vinci, Albrecht Durer, Van Gogh and Chuck Close to name but a few. Here is my recent effort below:
This recent portrait sketch was drawn last night using my fairly new iPad Pro. I have been trying to find the photographer for the image I used but with no success. The photograph depicted a man in distress and it was a very dynamic composition with contrasting tones. Not a pretty artwork but the scene depicts an honesty that I am drawn to.
This lockdown has been more difficult than the last one for a few reasons. It’s cold so getting out for walks is less enticing than a breezy walk in the summer sunshine. Secondly, I suppose there has been an anti-climax after the vaccination optimism- perhaps many got too lax around Christmas and we’re now living with the frustrating repercussions. Either way I have been in hibernation mode and was inspired to (digitally) paint this figure. It represents having more time to dwell and over-think but with the luxury of good health and working from home. This one was inspired by the mesmerising work of Jenny Saville.
It’s currently Christmas 2020 and it’s a difficult time for many right now. Some areas of the UK are facing new Tier 4 restrictions amidst the discovery of a new variant of coronavirus and more than 40 countries have banned UK arrivals. Isolation is spreading with the virus and I was particularly mindful of that when sketching this piece (‘Window’).