Drawing Class, Work In Progress and Seaweed.

Monday:

Well here I am 21 months into doing my daily blog, it maps out my daily output to show that art is not all about glamour or wafting around with an ego. I am sure both have their place in the art world but I am just an artist trying to find my way through in a complicated world and to keep up my practice and get my work more out there. So I try to draw every day I possibly can, I carry such a wealth of ideas and I do a lot of thinking whilst working on a drawing. In truth ideas for each drawing comes quite easily and is generally a reaction to the previous drawing or drawings. So above is a new work in progress that has taken two sessions so far, I reckon that is about 7 or more hours work so far. I tend not to take much notice of the time actually taken on each drawing, maybe I should document a whole drawing in that manner. That is something I played with for a while when I was doing a series of drawings on wood and they would have the radio and television programs that were on whilst I was drawing. I very rarely draw in silence unless I am drawing in the outside world which does happen more these days.

So Monday starts as Monday does, that phrase is becoming a bit of a mantra in my life as is the regular start the week drawing class I attend and very occasionally lead that my wife Zoe Eaton generally does. Today's theme was 'Ink, Seaweed and Bleach' and in this session I didn't get to grips with the bleach to well but I was in love with the seaweed forms and ink washes, so below are my experiments from this morning lovely session.

Seaweed with Inks and Fine Liner

Seaweed and half a Quince.

Towards the end of the session I ended up experimenting with Quink ink and a small but wide brush and drew/painted these three slightly abstracted seaweed pics and I really enjoyed them, it was pretty liberating and I must try and find more time to explore this.

Since the I have done workshop work, website and things and above is random pic of the day, our bulbs have started to sprout in the back garden. It always surprises me slightly how far ahead the growing season is in the far south west.

New work in progress and some other drawings to show some of what I do.

Sunday:

 Above is a drawing I started yesterday and got quite far with in last nights drawing session so I would think about 4 hours work so far and I will continue it when I get to draw later.

Today I have not done 'art' so far because I had a client for my guitar course and it was a good starter session with a good student who worked very hard.

Above is a larger scale drawing and now it is heading into winter I will hopefully have a bit of time to get a few more larger scale works and below are some examples of drawings from various points in the last two years. I have spent some time being more colourful but I always like to be rooted in monochrome. Although the new drawing I am working on is monochrome at the moment I will be adding colour in the second phase.

The above drawing is from my whole sketchbook work 'The Monochrome Set'

Above another drawing from a whole sketchbook work but using my obliterarty style.

Above is a large A1 size drawing that took rather a lot of time it seemed like a huge task but day after day and in spare moments I added dots into each grid. I did it in non evening drawing session time and it must have taken 6 to 8 weeks of fitting drawing in with life and that can be a logistic problem but I have to fir it in.

Above is a post Monochrome Set drawing using the same initial ideas but then adding colour, it seemed a logical extension of what I had been doing earlier this year.

Above and below are two drawings from another whole sketchbook that I did to accompany the Hand Held View Exhibition we had at Barnoon a short while ago,

Above is a much older drawing from my first whole sketchbook work which was my first serious journey into what I do now, which is mostly about mark making, dots and lines and over recent years adding colour too.

I am off to draw now so I have something to show the world tomorrow. It is important to me that I keep creating and work hard to explore my ideas.

Cheers.

New work on the go, Line and ink wash and Barnoon Workshop.

Monday:

Above is the drawing I started working on in last evenings drawing session, obviously it is not completed yet but I will be getting on with it later.

Today being a Monday started with our drawing class at Barnoon Workshop, this morning it was led by my wife Zoe Eaton and the general idea was to draw and then add a signature colour or in my case three different ink washes. As we had had a sculpture workshop yesterday Zoe decided that we should draw some of the tools. I don't think I have ever drawn a hammer so my completed work after a couple of formative drawings was this below.
It was a fun session with plenty of banter and chat as we all took on the task and two hours just flew past.

Since then we have been around town distributing leaflets for future workshop and I also popped in to see Carl from BID to discuss a few future plans and projects and also to give him our future workshops so he may place a journalist or more with a future workshop to get the town some good press to show we are more of a town over beach, shopping and The Tate. We didn't get any placements last year but hopefully we will this coming winter. He is trying to show off the town is not just for summer.

Well I am off to draw not and watch Andrew Graham Dixon on Scandinavian art... He always does a good art doc.

Cheers!

Abstract Drawing, Graphics and Tim Hunkin

Saturday:

Above is how far I got with my drawing last night, it is coming on but certainly not finished and that is what I will get on with after I have finished the blog.

Today we have been up to the workshop and also down into town distributing leaflets and posters. Since then I have been getting on with an idea for extra graphics for us to use in mail outs, the website etc.

Above a basic jar design idea.

Above a filled jar and after other sketches and bits of ideas I then finished of the drawing below.

As I was doing these I was drawn back to thinking about artist, cartoonist Tim Hunkin. I first used to see his work in one of the newspapers at the weekend showing of how things work he then moved on to everything. I great style of drawing that is different to mine but in a similar area I think to my wellbeing jar. Below is an example of his work and I love it, he is also famous for his amusements on Southwold Pier, a perfect little Tim Hunkin world. Go check his websites out there is so much he has done always a delight to discover what this man has been doing all these years.

Above and below are a couple of drawings from an earlier series of drawing I did in the summer. I found them on my memory stick and I liked them so much and they are a contrast to my current series.

I am off to draw.....

New Drawing and some of today....

Friday:

So above is my latest completed drawing that I managed to finish last evening, another variation on a theme. I am now about a 7th in to this project of a whole sketchbook.

I went up to the workshop this morning it was quite cold and windy, thought I would show this garage in a green lawn, which I have never seen used, would love to use the door as a 'canvas' to draw all over....

I spent nearly an hour at the workshop and started this drawing above which I may work on further tonight.

After that I headed off to take some more posters around so out past Porthmeor and then to Norway Stores, The Sloop Craft Market, The St Ives Society of Artists and more....

So uneventful day really going to meet my wife off the train soon. It will be nice to her back, we spend so little time apart it is always a bit odd being apart. We have worked together since 2010 and are now on our second business together.

MOre abstract drawing and some of my day and Trevor Bell RIP

Thursday:

Above is the drawing I continued with last evening and I got a good way on with it to but not quite finished.

Today I went up to the workshop just to see if anyone turned up for a draw but no one did after all it is a quiet time but sometimes that surprises me. Not today, so I got on with finishing off the drawing and being at the workshop for and hour. After that I went down into the town to The Times and Echo Office to get some ink for my cartridge pen that I found the other day. I have owned this pen for many years now but have a feeling it was my Dad's previous to me. I was lent a fountain pen on one of my drawing tours the other week and since found it and this was the first chance to get ink so I can continue exploring pens.

 Above is the start of the next drawing.

A couple of views from my day.

I then went around and put up a few posters around town and went to The Farmers Market and bumped into Kaz and also Ann Kelley. I then bought a few things from Ruby Junes or dinner tonight.

Since then I have painted a few things a door and a floor and I am about to start drawing again.

I have that art stuff to do, my compulsion to explore abstract drawing in the way that I do and to continue that journey as far as it can take me. I have come a long way on this path over the years finding my true path and then expanding what I do. I feel I have so much much more to explore that will forever keep me busy and it drives me onward of course I would like to get my world of drawing more out there in the future but I am true to what I do. In terms of the times it might be quite niche but with exposure some people get it. I continue my quest whatever!

I found out today that Trevor Bell 'The last St Ives Modernist' died yesterday. I have seen many exhibitions with him in and also quite a few solo shows. I like his work as it seems to have been part of my viewing life for so long but I know he splits opinion, Patrick Heron though he was one of the best abstract painters and I know Brian Eno doesn't get him and that is all fine and how it is. It seems a quiet end to a vibrant era in art in this town and the world outside. RIP.

Cheers!

Monday Morning, Draw! New work on the go.

Monday:

 Above and below are two views of the drawing I am currently working on and will be again when I get drawing later. I am enjoying the themes I am exploring in my book and do wonder where it will all end up with some 60 plus drawings to do and with lots of thinking to do in parallel.

 Today was another chance for me to run our Monday Morning drawing group, the majority of the time it is my wife's group but I found the theme and gave her the morning off.

Above is a display of what we did as a group today with one person's work missing as they had to leave very promptly to pick up some framed works for exhibition.

Above and below are a couple of drawings I produced in the session.

Pegs - Ann Kelley

After class Graham who went to pick up his framed work popped back into the workshop to show me, they looked good too. After that my wife arrived with our lunch, home-made baked filling bread rolls (backed with the filling in), very tasty indeed. After lunch we packaged up most of the exhibition.

Just before we left to go to the Post Office to unsold works back to their creators I took this picture from just outside the workshop and believe it or not somewhere out there is a massive aircraft carrier. During the drawing class I had become aware that there were a few more jets flying over and a or some helicopters too.

When I got home I did a little google search and found out that it was The Queen Elizabeth.

Well I am off to draw and watch University Challenge.

A Day Of Rest, New Work, Abstract Drawing and The Aphex Twin.

Sunday: A day of rest.

Well.

Back to yesterday, I did a bit more to the fourth drawing in my book see above and of course I then got straight on with the next work in the book.

So whilst watching Saturday evening television and the new series of 'I Know Who You Are' the very intriguing Spanish crime thriller. I cannot say that watching that program had any relationship with this drawing but it just grew and when I had a satisfying shape I then started to fill in the hollow dots with a turquoise Berol fine pen. I didn't quite get to finish it but I was satisfied with my evenings work.

Today has been a day of coming up with more workshop ideas and working on the website whilst getting a bit of a normal Sunday in, well normal for us.

Above is that fifth drawing in the book now completed in a part of this afternoon which means I was free to think of ideas and even start the next one in the series. It is only just started so I have thought not to show its very genesis but I am thinking how it moves on from now and can't wait to get on with it.

Another activity today was starting to form ideas for future Monday drawing classes and other ideas too. The small drawing above is part working out and the germ of an idea for a slightly different drawing project which would be called something like 'My Favourite Albums' or some such moniker. That could be a nice future drawing project and one that quite attracts me even though not quite in my original remit of 'Abstract Drawing'. I do however think it is a strong theme for something in the future. I did this drawing of one of my favourite albums on CD, I remember buying this at the time a felt I had really discovered a genius in the making but I had no idea of what The Aphex Twin would become over the next 25 years. An album I always enjoy listening to, as a whole or when a track appears on shuffle.

Well I am off to think more about drawing workshops and to get some drawing done and enjoy Blue Planet II.

Cheers!

Work In Progress or not 40th Birthday, Patrick Heron and Barnoon Workshop.

Saturday:

So in yesterday evenings drawing session that must have been four hours I got on with filling more hollow dots with colour. At this stage I am not sure if it is finished or not but I really like it as it is and if I do continue with this work I will have to do another that ends up a bit like it later on in this book. We will see, I will report back tomorrow so you can see how it ended up.

Today started with me heading into town to pick a few things up for our Patrick Heron Painting Party. A 40th birthday party surprise for someone at Barnoon Workshop and below you can see the results of their efforts. It was fun and we even got a bit of birthday cake each too.

After the session we had a quick lunch and then back up to the workshop to take the rest of the exhibition down and get it repackaged for sending out. Karen Foss also picked up her work and it was nice to see her and have a natter.

We were also greeted with this sight from the workshop.

The evolution of a drawing, Hand Held View and Peter Saville

Friday:

Today we have been manning the last day of our Hand Held View exhibition at Barnoon Workshop and a lovely day it has been and quite a few visitors and inbetween  all that I have been doing a drawing, no surprise to my regular readers I am sure. Having spent about four hours or so drawing I will show you below the eveolution of this latest drawing in my new book.

Above is the start of the drawing that was started the evening before last.

Above is how far I had got with the drawing after last evenings drawing session and as you can see it had grown quite a bit.

Today I then got it all filled in by half way through the afternoon and then my thoughts turned to colour.

 So I turned to my Berol watercolour pens that my son gifted me when he was last down. They are part of a box of his pens from Middle School and first part of secondary that he doesn't use anymore so he brought them down for me, very thoughtful. He knows I like pens and would get a lot of use. So I added some turquoise.

I then added some yellow.

Then some purple.

Then finally some orange, mind you some more to do later.

This evening a few of our pals turned up as we we starting to get the exhibition ready for taking down and to get ready for tomorrows Patrick Heron painting party. Jordan Laurence Jackson arrived and shortly after we had a little flow of his fellow Tate workers popping in. He had already taken his photos off the wall and his Father had taken them back with him. So when one of Jordan's co-workers arrived he tried to show a photo of them in situ.

My wife then found a skull in the pop corn.

Above are our merry little band near the end of the day. Erin Lacy, Jordan Jackson, Marie Keeling and my lovely wife Zoe Eaton.
 
When I came in and started planning my blog tonight I went on to my blog 'reading list and found a nice thing about Peter Saville and how he had fabricated 3D versions of Joy Division's Unknown Pleasures album cover. I won't say anything else but give you the link so you can read too. http://artistsbooksandmultiples.blogspot.co.uk/

I have always had a lot of time for Peter Saville.

Well I am off to continue with my evolving drawing. Cheers!