Transporting Final Piece- 19th May

As you can see in the images above, I recently transported my completed final piece to college in preparation for the exhibition. As I have previously mentioned, my piece measures 8ftx4ft, and so I had to borrow a pick-up truck to move it.

I firstly began by wrapping up my painting, so that it would be less likely to get damaged during transportation. The journey from my house to college is around a twenty minute drive, so there was the risk of it getting damaged or flying off the back off the truck, and so I made sure that everything was securely held down by placing heavy, metal plinths over it.

As I arrived to college, I asked some fellow students to come and assist me in carrying my piece up the four flights of stairs, which was admittedly hard work. Overall, I would say that the transport process went well and I am relieved to have gotten everything into its final order.

As you can see in the image above, I was considering adding a sort of time lapse, using a series of different photos which demonstrate the progression of my work. However, after having difficulties with printing, I am unsure about whether I will include the time lapse .

As you can see in the image above, my piece is going to be exhibited in the position it has been placed in the photo.

Preparing for exhibition- May 17th

In preparation for the exhibition, which will be showcasing all of our work, we have been getting the classroom in order. As you can see in the images below, we had to lift up boards and fix them into place, which took about two days to construct. We then went onto filling and sanding the walls before painting them.

 

Once we had just about sorted everything out, we then were able to start putting up our work and as you can see in the picture above, I have just arrived to college with my final piece and am unwrapping it.

Outdoor Shoot- 16th May

I recently decided to take some pictures of my good friend, who is a model, as I felt that i would be able to gain some valuable experience seeing as I haven’t had much chance to shoot people in the outdoors. I particularly like the visual look of sepia effects and photographs, which have a Polaroid- style effect to them and so, I decided I would try and echo the images below of Lana Del Rey ( a singer, who is often styled in classy 60s-inspired dresses, 70s style sweaters and skinny jeans.

As you can see, I have inserted images of the final outcome below and overall, I was pleased with the results and I would say that the top photo is my personal favourite. The images also tie- in with my theme of distortion; Ebony appears to be confused and startled amongst the blurred background, which instigates a sense of movement.

I like the fact that this image has a blurred effect to it; strongly reminds me of a photo from the 80’s at a festival. The greenery in the background with the subtle hints of purple are visually pleasing. 

I like the fact that Ebony is looking away from the camera, the branch protruding from the bottom middle of the photo adds interest to the picture as a whole. 

Photo Studio- 17th April

As my friend is an extra in some tv programmes, she was due to have her portfolio re- done and so I thought it would be a perfect opportunity to watch the process, so that I could gain a better understanding of a photoshoot. The photoshoot took place at EKA models in Warrington, and is an agency for adult and child modelling as well as acting/extras.

As you can see in the image, there was a variety of different backdrops as well as lots of lighting. The photo’s were taken at a fast pace and the photographer gave out lots of direction for how the model should pose and stand. Although I do not want to be a photographer working like this, I found the experience to be insightful and it helped me understand how a photoshoot runs efficiently within the professional industry.

 

Sketch for Final Piece- 25th April

Below is an image of a quick sketch, which I have drawn out in preparation for my final piece. I have taken some original images of my Dad, which I will be using to paint a portrait on a big scale.

As I have mentioned previously, I am going to be working on one of the biggest scales I have worked on yet. I feel that this sketch has helped me to gain an idea of the impact of the subject and how it will look on a much bigger scale. Overall, I think that I will be moving forward with the pictures, which I shot of my Dad, as I feel that his skin and features will be effective, when I decided to add roughness and texture to my painting.

After I had drawn out the first sketch, I did consider thinking about creating a portrait with the subject’s eyes being closed, however once I had completed the piece below, I knew that it would not look right and would definitely not accomplish the impact, which I want my final piece to make.

As I have also mentioned in my previous blog, I have been creating some continuous line drawings, which are helping me to become more loose with my method of drawing, which should hopefully flow through to my painting skills.

As you can see the build- up of different lines effectively create a fairly unusual portrait, which I feel works well. The fact that the lines aren’t positioned thoughtfully, adds interest and a quaint sort of element.

Artist Research/ Scale of Work – 14th April

As we draw nearer the final stages of creating our final pieces, I have been thinking about the sizing of my work and the costings, which will be involved with buying all of the tools, which are necessary for completing my piece.

I began by thinking about the kind of impact, which I want to create, when people look at my final piece and so I began by looking into the idea of “How Scale in Art Influences the Viewing Experience”. I discovered from my research, that scale does not actually represent the size of something, but it is more about the size of an object in relation to another.

After recently getting the chance to visit The Tate Modern in London, I got the chance the witness the use of Scale and the impact it personally has on me. Firstly, I cam across the piece of artwork, which is pictured below by Magdalena Abakanowicz, a Polish sculptor, who just recently passed away. I felt that her work held an organic sort of feel, and I am aware that she was very much into the study of biological systems and regeneration. In response to receiving a commission in 1979, for the Venice Benalle, Abakanowicz began to create lots of these soft shapes, which were compared to ‘rounded like bellies, or elongated like mummies”.

I feel that the picture below does not justify the grand scale of the piece as a whole, however when I walked into this exhibit, the concept of the sublime immediately came to mind; I felt overwhelmed and insignificant. When I create my final piece, I want the onlooker to feel dwarfed by the scale of my work.

Contrarily, I would agree that small- scale work can also be just as effective as bigger -scale work, however I have personally never got the chance to go above A1, and so I feel that the Foundation provides me with the perfect opportunity to be brave with size.

After deciding upon my size, I have begun to look at the different types of board, which would be suitable for painting onto and a primer, which would make my painting application easier.

Below, I have created a list of things, which I need to purchase in preparation for my final piece and the estimated cost of the different materials.

• Winsor & Newton Artists’ Acrylic White Gesso – £8.40
• Board- £15
• Paintbrush- £2.59
• White Oil Paint-2.00

Total approximate cost=27.99

 

Continuous Line Drawing- 22nd April

As part of my paintings, I began by creating a quick sketch, which I personally felt would help me when it came to making movements with my paintbrush. I really like the concept of a continuous line drawing, as it helps me to think more about the look of a portrait on a larger scale rather than just focusing on one, single area.

Furthermore, I had been recently looking at some aesthetically -pleasing drawings, as you can see below. As you can see, they all have an individual quality to them and they remind me of a particular wire sculpture, which I created at the start of FAD, and that made me want to try and sketch something inspired by all of these different components of research.

 

When I compare my drawing to the pieces above, I feel that mine holds a different kind of complexity to it, as some of the lines do not join up and are simply left unjoined.

Experimentation/ Time Lapse – 6th April

Recently, I decided that I would create some more time- lapses, which would help me to be critical of my painting and drawing technique. I have recently been looking at a variety of different Artists, who are bold and more importantly, confident with their brush stroke, which I personally like. Below is a time- lapse I have created after having a discussion with Sally about my progression of Final Major Project.

As you can see I stuck to a more warmer selection of colours, and I wasn’t too particular with my positioning of the facial features of the subject. Thinking about the choice of warmer tones, I had been thinking about Kadinsky, within my work, which led me to listen to a more upbeat selection of music and in conclusion, I believe the music did help me to be more bolder within my way of working.

Upon reflection, I really liked this spontaneous way of working, and so I painted another portrait in a slightly different style, as pictured below. However, you may notice that the tones in this portrait are considerably cooler and this could be conjunctive with the choice of music, which I chose to listen to; a more calming selection, which I personally prefer to the other portrait, which comes off more harshly.

Placing both of the paintings together, you can really see the differences within the way I have worked despite- still focusing on the same subject. If I was to be critical of my work, I would say that as I progress with my styles, I should think about texture, and how that could express a certain mood e.g rough surface reflecting a feeling of anger.

 

 

 

Reflection with Fine Art Teacher- 5th April

I spoke with Sally about my progress in the final stages of FAD.

After looking through my blog, I believe it was going well overall and we began to talk about a possible final piece outcome and different ideas, which might help me to work up the last stages.

As I have been recently studying a variety of different time lapses, we talked about what my time lapses might include and I also mentioned that I wanted to be more experimental with my painting technique after having the chance to grow within my practise throughout my time of carrying out the Foundation at Blackburn College.

Furthermore, we also talked about how music might reflect my work after studying Kadinsky, and that made me think about how I might choose to incorporate sound into my time lapse videos or the music, which might influence my style of painting.

Sally also gave me some acetate, which I might use to overlay onto my paintings, which would follow on from my initial photographs from the Tate Museum in London; the idea of the movement and dynamism of light- flow captured, using a slow shutter- speed. Lastly, we talked about the scale of my work, and I am yet to think about what size my final piece will be, until I have progressed on throughout my development. Overall, this discussion helped me to move forward with my way of thinking and I am going to ensure that I put all of the things we talked about into action.

Technique Improvement- 4th April

I have recently been thinking about how I can improve my painting technique, and as I have made time lapses myself in the past, I thought it might be a good idea to look at the way other people paint, using a variety of medias. Firstly, I watched a video of someone painting the Vermeer, which I found to be insightful, and I liked the selection of tones and the smooth application of the paint.

After I had seen the first clip, I thought about ways in which I could experiment with style, and saw the video above of a really bold portrait. In my own painting, I want to capture the emotion, which the artist manages to create in this piece.

Furthermore, I am also going to be making my own time- lapse and so I want to gain a wider understanding of how they can be executed well, with using the right equipment. As I have also mentioned previously, I want to consider the idea of sound and how it influences the Art, which I make. For example, if I was to listen to rock music; would my expression become more loose?