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


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