Royal Academy

At the Royal Academy we went to see Anselm Kiefer Exhibition. He was born in Germany 1945. He is inspired by the form poets philosophers, science and writer through out his life. He's a self-taught artist. His influence are Vincent Van Gogh, Joseph Beuys, Andy Warhol and Casper David Freidrich. Each element of his work is loaded with symbolism.

When I saw this piece of his work I was really fascinated by the abstract deform and the texture. So I drew some part of it with a bio pen because I wanted to get the quite messy and distressed finish he has in his work. However it was quite hard to draw because I was confused on where to start as the work is mainly full with texture instead of lines. However, I like the broken, curvy distressed and muted colours. The flower in the middle seem to to be the focal point when you look at it. It is quite balanced. The monochrome colours seem to stand out quite well against the wash-out colours. The use of these dark colours say that the work was meant for people to feel sympathy and sorrow. The lines are distinct. Looking closer the work look very depressing, mysterious and quite violent looking at the flower in the middle stabbing the man in the legs. Complicating pains as well power.  The blood dripping from the bed arms and off the flowers root might be consider as blood.

Although I like his work but I do not like this artists way of working which was a huge disappointment as I was looking forward to getting some inspiration from his works for my self direct study.

Wassily Kandinsky

Kandinsky was born on December 16, 1866, in Moscow, Russia.About 1922 and 1933, geometrical elements became very important to Kandinsky -specially circles, half-circles, the angle, straight lines and curves. He is well known today as the "pioneer" of abstract art.

watercolour on white paper. The colours on here are quite muted. The use of curved, zigzag and straight lines create movement within the piece. The pieces are scrunched up together which makes the work looks crowded. The black overlapping the muted green makes it to stand forward really well.

I don't really like this artist work because I don't like the way he represent them, however I like the use of his materials and techniques. Because I like use of his materials, I am going to do a small piece of my own work using colours like the way he used in this painting, above. I could also try exploring with his work, with different colour cards.

Max Ernst

In the lesson the teacher told us to do frottage drawing.

What it is

It is a French word for rubbing. The technique of frottage was developed by Max Ernst in drawing made from 1925. A surrealist and "automatic" method of creative production which involves a rubbing of a textured surface using pencil or other drawing materials. He and other surrealist artists put rubbings into their paintings by of collage.

Ernst is inspired by ancient wooden floor where the grain of the planks had been "accentuated" by so many years scrubbing. The patterns of the graining suggested strange images to him. From 1925 he get these by laying sheets  of papers on the floor and then rubbing over them with a soft pencil. The result shows mysterious forests people with bird like creatures.

He expanded his techniques by using wide range of textured surfaces and quickly adapted  the technique to oil painting,  calling it grattage (scrapping). In grattage the canvas is ready with a layer or more of painting then laid over the textured object which is scrapped then over.

The name of the piece is called petrified-forest. I like the monochrome colours which seem to bring the details forward really clearly. There are lighter and darker area in some parts of the work which adds depth to it. There are use of random lines. There is a negative shape, the circle at the top.

Pamela Sunday {Clay} And work shop

Sunday makes ceramic sculptures which are inspired by nature and science. Her interest are in natural forms since her childhood, when she began to play alone in the woods, where she combine the ground for fossils and hiding in hollowed out trees. She is bet known for "meticulous" craftsmanship and the "inventiveness" with which she explore the outer limits of materials. Her specialist use of hand building techniques renders each work she makes unique.

Her other inspiration is Ernest Haeckle, a German biologist, naturalist professor and artists who combined science and art seamlessly.

In her works she always start forming an orb and begin subtracting material to create the desired shape she wants. A key element that often features in her work is microscopic shape that intrigued her which she then aims to make as large as she can.

Some of the works looks matt stone with others a shiny metallic finish. She get these by using a metallic glaze and firing at really high temperatures in the kilin. Glazes are experiment so that she can produce a "comprehensive" range of texture and character. 

http://pamelasunday.com/press/

The name of this piece is sprocket. The shape looks organic and very metallic with long sharp pieces added around the orb which creates details and reminds me a little of stars burst.She made those pointed lines quite thick which makes them appear strong. Because of the colour she used, you can see different tones, light and dark giving the pieces shadows.

WorkShops

In week one we were requested to produce different forms of pinch pots.

• open forms
• close forms 

Types of pinch pots forms

• bowl
• pod like

Week2

We were asked to create closed forms but this time adding more details that have some parts of 

• additions
• textured surface
• piercing

Week3

Produced our final closed form at least 3 forms, by making sure that its join together containing, additions, textured surface or piercing. But before that I had to consider creating at least five thumbnail drawing for my ceramic sculptural piece that responds to Pamela Sunday or Gabrielle Baecile works. Then I chose one which was drawn in more details with notes saying how I was going to join the pieces together.


Health and Safety

• don't inhale the clay
• wear apron, (if necessary)
• when you are finish clean spare clay with damp materials
• wash the tools you have used to reduce clay dust
• wash your hands  carefully when you are done with the clay

At the bottom of the page is a link to my clay workshop, steps by step


http://www.smilebox.com/playBlog/4e4445304e444d304e6a553d0d0a&blogview=true

Hand Stitch Textile

In lesson we were introduce to seven simple stitches which can be use for textile pieces or any other materials. Plus these stitches are very useful as they gives out really outstanding details to any piece you want to add stitches in.
Here are the name of the different stitches we were shown, to add details to our collagraph prints we did on fabrics.

Running Stitch

Pass the needle in and out of the fabric, making the surface stitches of equal length. The stitches on the underside should also be equal length, but half the size of less than the upper stitches. 

Seeding

This stitch is made up of small straight stitches of equal or different length placed at random over the surface.   

French Knots

Bring the thread out at the required position, hold the thread down where it emerges (see step one). Still holding the thread firmly with your thumb, twist the needle back to the starting point and insert it close to where the thread first emerges. (NOT THE EXACT PLACE OR IT WILL DEFIANTLY PULL BACK THROUGH). Pull the needle through to the back, leaving a small knot on the surface, or pass on to the position of the next stitch as shown in 3. 

Chain Stitch

Bring the thread up at the top of the line and hold it down with the left thumb. Insert the needle where it last emerged and bring the point out a short distance away. Pull the thread through, keeping the working thread under the needle point.

Detached Chain Stitch

Bring the thread through at A and, holding the thread down with the thumb, as shown, insert the needle again just a single thread away. Still holding the thread, bring the needle through at B. Pull the thread through gently to form a small loop, then insert the needle at C to form a small tying stitch over the loop. 

Fly Stitch

Bring the thread through at the top left. Hold it down with the left thumb and insert the needle to the right, on the same level, a little distance from where the thread first emerge. Take a small stitch downwards to the centre with the thread below the needle. Pull through and insert the needle below the thread, as shown, to hold it in place. Bring the needle up again in position to work the next stitch. 

Couching

Lay down the thread to be couched, and with another thread catch it down with small stitches worked over the top. 

Barbara Rae

On Wednesday around 10 all the college students at Southdowns College, went to visit an art gallery. The place was called Pallant House.

When we arrived the place was closed as we were quite early. There were other people waiting outside which seemed to make the place crowded! As soon as the doors were opened people went in and bought tickets.

After we bought our tickets we split up in groups and went in different directions.

First I decided to go into the print room  along with a friend. The room contains Barbara Rae's works. I was really amazed when I saw them. They were incredible and very expressionist. What really got my attention were her use of vibrant colours and mixed media. Plus we were already studying about her in Print.

In the print room were her works where, I was really drawn towards a very vivid abstract piece which is called "Harbour Night"My first thought on the piece is that it has rough, random, curvy lines. It looks like a child-like painting. Some of the lines are very thick which makes it look strong while the other lines are thin. The colours within the work are quite muted while others are really gloomy, creating a mixture of mystery. But yet these colours seem to contrast against each other really well, so that the details within the piece could show clearer.  But they also seem to give a calm warming feeling towards the work. Because the yellow been brighter then the other colours, your eyes are immediately drawn to it. I found it extremely hard before to tell what the piece was but when you look closer you will notice that they are two boats or one. She drew one part bigger because of the distance and the depth.

I really like how she used colours which seem to contrast each other really well and makes it easier to see the details within the work. I like the use of random lines which seem to create movements in the work and gives an excellent depth to the piece.
However, after I wrote all these notes down about what I personally thought about her work, I decided to read what she wrote about it when she was making it.In it she discussed that this is piece of work is one of her best prints. The yellow lines of energy on light cross, the lower-middle section like straws in the wind, while the pink and purple block out the main volumes overlaid by fretwork of darker lines.It is a deeply satisfying image, uniting the skills of the technician at peacock visual arts, Mike Waight with the artists vision, in a compelling study of light and dark, line and volume rhythm and clarity of statement.

This work "Harbour Night" was done in 2006. It is a colour and Collagraph on Zerkall paper.

About the Artist

When I researched her I read that she isn't a landscape painter. What interest her is anything altered by man kind hands. She is an expressionistic painter who uses vibrant colours in her works. Printmaking was very important in her life since she was a student. Mono-prints, screen-prints, and etchings informs her approach to painting, which combines the influence of key historic "artefacts" in the landscape with painterly abstraction.  

Prints Collagraph

Collagraph

What is it

A Collagraph print is a collage printmaking technique which is a form of Intaglio printing. It is also printed in the same way as etching. However, it can also includes the basic principle of relief printing and can be printed either as an intaglio or relief.The name of this method refers to a collage board where the materials can be fit together on a flat base or plate to form a relief block with various surface level and textures.

Collagraph plates are created by sticking and gluing materials like textured paper of fabric onto the plate and then coating it with varnish, shellac or an acrylic medium after. Because it will protect the materials.
The plates can be made either by wood or strong cardboard.
The materials which you apply onto the plate will determine the tone and strengths of the ink-plus it will also give you a variation of textures.
Materials which are "absorbent" might have to be inked up and printed a couple of times before the full impression can come through. 

Advice

The collage should not be very thick. The materials should not contain any sharp edges as this might ruin both the paper and the press.

Step by Step

• make sure you have made your collagraph. You should work on a strong cardboard plate, apply PVA glue and lay down the materials. 
• Allow it to dry and then put 2/3 layers of shellac
• ink up the plate by rubbing small amounts of ink using scrim. Make sure you work the ink into the collagraph in a circular motion. Then buff with tissue paper to take off any excess ink. 
• Lay the collagraph on the printing bed face up. Take a damp piece of watercolour paper and lay it flat over the collagarph and cover with the felt blankets. Roll the collagraph through the press
• Carefully lift up the blankets and remove the finished print

To understand how to do the collagraph plates with more visual sight  instead of texts directing you on how, I uploaded some images, guarding you.

step one

step two

step three

step four

• Blotting Paper
• Caligo safe-wash relief inks

• Tissue paper and newsprint

• Scrim

• Toothbrushes

• Albion printing press and roller

• Take care when using the printing press
• Keep works area clean and tidy
• wear gloves and an apron (if required)
• Keep the work room ventilated

At the bottom is a link which you have to copy and paste. This will take you straight to the experiments of collagraph samples

http://www.smilebox.com/playBlog/4e4445794e6a67774f44493d0d0a&blogview=true

All the collagraph in the link above where all inspiration from Babara Rae.