The main thrust of my studio work so far this semester has been around two paintings; – one just black and white and one just colour. The aim with these paintings is to use the process of making explicitly as a form of research. Each is exploring a different theme and different techniques and modes …
For my work in progress presentation on Tuesday I showed a couple of early paintings, including my first one from 6 years ago, to provide context to where I am now. I was surprised how exposed I felt; not in showing them, but in talking about them. I didn’t feel comfortable enough to give the …
Method & Methodology lecture, Tuesday 19 Nov. This lecture was one of the more interesting of the semester. It raised some questions about what’s behind my work, and why I’ve found it so difficult to focus my research. The concept of artistic research is still quite new to me, having only quite recently come from …
The source I chose for my Critical Analysis element of this module is an article by Barbara Gillam, (2017) titled, ‘Figure-Ground and Occlusion Depiction in Early Australian Aboriginal Bark Paintings’. In it, the author makes the case that: – Aboriginal art is sophisticated in its use of figure-ground and occlusion relations to depict depth, and …
Whilst doing some work on my R&E bibliography last night I was listening to Stuart Maconie’s Freak Zone on Radio 6 music. He played a track by Anna Meredith called ‘Nautilus’ which made me stop and listen, so I thought I’d have a quick Google to find out more… So, Anna Merredith (MBE) is a …
We’re told it’s good to get lost… but I’m a bit lost. I feel like my ‘research’ and my ‘practice’ have got a bit separated. I’ve been busy looking for things to read and write about, and I’ve been working away in the studio. But everything feels a bit nebulous. On reflection, this was inevitable. …
The other day Heather Burwell, (fellow student) and I were talking about our work. Heather suggested I look at the work of Mel McCuddin… A bit of googling took me to the website of The Spirit Gallery, which represents McCuddin. McCuddin describes himself as a ‘figurative expressionist’. He started making abstract expressionist paintings in the …
I love music. The more unusual or ‘interesting’ the better. I like to find music from different cultures and perspectives, with flavours and structures that evoke the exotic and stimulate in new ways. I’m also interested in the parallels between music and visual art, particularly abstract painting. Perhaps because I’m deaf in one ear, I …
I was chatting with Beth, (one of the year 2 MA students) this afternoon and looking at her work. I really liked the lined patterns and she explained they were based on moire patterns. I went off to find out more as I’m working with pattern and colour at the moment; – specifically in terms …
Marion, (wife and primary sponsor) and I went to see the exhibition of Dale Chihuly’s glass work at Kew yesterday. I’d seen the piece of his that’s hanging in the foyer of the V&A and been impressed by its sheer scale of ambition and technical complexity. On walking around Kew this impression was reinforced. However, …
I had my first session with Paul Johnson, my personal tutor, on today. We looked at some of my previous work and talked about where I’ve come from and some of my aims and fears. I explained that having come to art late in life, I feel I have ideas, but am lacking in …
So, following a recommendation from Richard Heys, who I met at The Other At Fair, I looked up some online video interviews with Ian McKeever. This recommendation has proved to be an invaluable gift. McKeever’s paintings, and the way he talks about his practice resonates deeply with some of the very embryonic ideas in my …
That’s just what I said! – Ian McKeever 13 October 2019 Read More »
This is obviously a very commercially focused show, there’s nothing really avant-garde or ‘challenging’ here. Much of what caught my eye initially left me a bit cold after a closer look. That’s not to say there’s nothing of value. On the contrary, I chatted to several artists who had something interesting to say. The ones …