Wednesday 31 August 2016

New and added to, plus.


Above is the first of last nights drawings a contemporary process driven abstract using a mixture of Windsor & Newton and Letraset Pro markers and Sharpies. Below is the reverse bleeding narrative.



Above is a grid done last night with sharpie and uni pin, bit of a blurry phone shot, sorry.


As I have now nearly completed my 'whole sketchbook' I am going back to see if there is any that need to be topped off or finished so above is one I have done a small alteration to from earlier in the book.

Today has been an admin and thinking day and I have also done some work on the new A1 live drawing.


Above is how far I have got with my latest monochrome epic. I am thinking I probably have 8 to 10 hours more to do on this to get it resolved but I am very happy with how it has gone so far and look forward to its completion.

Also today I have been to a St Ives In December meeting representing Barnoon Workshop for our St Ives Lantern Parade on the 17th December. The parade went really well last year and we aim to do bigger and better for this one.

Tomorrow I have an 'abstract drawing workshop' at Barnoon in the morning there are still places left but I really look forward to doing these abstract workshop as it is so close to my heart.

I will be back tomorrow.

Tuesday 30 August 2016

Tuesday, Tour day, more work, Bob Deveraux,


Above is a new drawing from nearly the end of my 'whole sketchbook work' started at the end of April, when I have finished all the pages I will go back through to see what I missed or haven't quite finished of and then complete the covers too.


Above is the reverse bleed of the first drawing as you can see two of my more minimal works.


Today was Tour and Draw day and on the tour today I was able to do this little continuos line drawing as we sat on the end of Smeatons Pier just before midday.


Also on the tour we found this carving on a house towards the Island. I was asked if it had a significance. I had to admit I had never noticed it be and whether it was there as decoration or for a purpose I know not.

After our tie dye workshop was over and I had returned to the workshop for Philps' pastie lunch. We then went off to get a new sketchbook each from The St Ives Society of Artists at The Mariners Gallery and the visited the show in The Crypt to see Bob Deveraux's exhibition, it is a group show featuring Bob's wife Paulines work and also their friend Ruth's textiles. One of the better exhibitions I have seen there this year. It was really nice to see Bob's new works. Should have taken a photo, ooops

We then went on for a coffee at Mount Zion and then headed back up to the workshop, picked up stuff for tea and went home. So I thought I would get my blog done a bit earlier than sometimes.

So I have more work to do after dinner.

Cheers!

Monday 29 August 2016

Sketchbook, Drop In And Draw, A Weekend In High Wycombe and more.......


Above is a reverse drawing I finished off last night with the addition of the little black dots, after I had added them I was happy with it.


Above is 'long dot' drawing I did last night with my new prussian blue Windsor and Newton Pro Marker. Whenever I think of Windsor & Newton I remember a series of events that happened maybe ten years ago now, when my wife Zoe Eaton spent a weekend painting in John Lewis in High Wycombe. They were having an in store art event, we were welcomed in store by the John Lewis family who helped everything run very smoothly, nearing the end of the Saturday a chap approached Zoe about the oil sticks she was using at the time and was interested in the techniques being applied. Obviously we thought he was a fellow artist but it turned out he was a director of W&N and invited us to join a tour of the factory. We booked in and what a fascinating tour it was too. The part that I remember and vividly was the 'Rose Madder Room'. Crates piled high of the rose madder root and the preparations to turn it into a pigment. The whole room had this gentle pink hue from the years that this process had been going on. The roots of the plant had been imported from Iraq and Afghanistan, I had no idea at the time. I remember also at the time it triggering another memory which was from my childhood.
I must have been on school holiday and on some days my dad would take me with him to work. He was a rep for Kodak and his area was THE NORTH WEST, basically Barrow-In-Furness to Holyhead. We lived just outside Manchester at the time at a place called Heald Green near the airport which was called Ringway at the time. On this particular day we went off to his destination through the northern mill towns and as we approached this on grimy town it wasn't a 'sooty' coloured town, it was a deep blue a gentle shade on the tress as we entered the town and as we got nearer the mill it got a deeper shade. My dad explained to me that this town was stained blue because its main factory was a dye works. Always stuck with me but as I was only about 7 or 8 I never knew what the town was called.


Above is another drawing from last nights session, another long dot drawing with a bleeding narative and the a change of pen and direction. I do tend to think of most of my drawings to be complete works be they in a sketchbook or on a small bit of sea pottery or my A1 size ones. Of course they are all experiments to which working from processes and rules they should be. Up until recently I have never considered my drawings of real things to be works more just learning. I do these once a week or so all driven on by attending and very occasionally tutoring the Drop In And Draw session at Barnoon Workshop on monday mornings. Recently I have received a lots of nice words about some of them so I am now brave enough to share them and am really enjoying the process especially using a continuous line approach.


Above is the first one I did this morning and a lovely morning to boot. This one is of the Palais De Dance down Barnoon Hill, although recently I have seen it on a map described as Barnawoon Hill. The Palais was a dance hall that was eventually to become and extension of Barbara Hepworth's studio.
MOre recently this building has been gifted to The Tate. I am interested in what the Tate will do with the space in future. I do realise that nothing will happen until the Tate St Ives extension is completed.


Above is the second drawing I did this morning from Barnoon Terrace, I then coloured it in using pastel pencils and compressed charcoal. I don't get to 'colour much in these days but I still enjoy it as much as when I was a child.


I enjoyed the drawing class so much today that I carried on, above is our view before lunch in The Queens Hotel, just a quick sketch really but I like its freedom and minimal vibe.


After the afternoon workshop we went and sat at Godrevy taking in the view and I did another.

Sunday 28 August 2016

New Drawings, A1 work in progress and much much more :)



Above is the first of two pairs of drawings I did last night with my new pen etc.


Above is the bleeding narrative version, I just love the way ink travels through paper.


Above and below are the final pair of drawings I did last night, all drawings done last night seem to have my brand of complicated minimalism and process.




Above is my ever evolving bleeding narrative stopper that seems to be really gathering and showing the additions from all the drawings above.


Above is the progress I have made today on my latest larger scale drawing that until today I haven't touched it for a few weeks but I can safely say it is over half way through and is gathering. I did an hour or so at home and then did a further hour and a half at Barnoon Workshop, where I will be for tomorrow's 'Drop In and Draw' between 10am and midday.


Above and below is the limpet shell that I drew on a few weeks ago that became a little hidden in plain sight pressie for our dinner host last evening Valerie and nice to know it has been found.


I am brimming with ideas for my next works and I even have paper to do more large scale drawings. I have also nearly finished my latest whole sketchbook work so I will be needing a new one sometime this week.

I am now six months into writing this blog and very pleased with having had nearly 4,500 views in that time. For me it has helped me order my thoughts about what I am doing making all these marks on paper, wood, stone, sea pottery, slate etc etc
I always had this stuff in my head and would and will happily talk about my work when asked but the act of blogging has truly got my thoughts ideas and images out into the world. So six months ago I said 'Hello blogworld' and I am glad I have done that and kept the discipline up, it has shown me that I do actually draw everyday with with only a couple of exceptions when I do really miss it as part of my routine.


Just found these that I also did last night, must be the start of my next art drop or part of the one I haven't done yet......

See you tomorrow.....

Saturday 27 August 2016

Art Drop , pen etc


Above and below are two new ones in my bleeding narrative and more sketchbook that I did last night, kind of bold and sort of minimal.



Above another one finished last night from the same series, the reverse is unfinished.


Above another art drop in the making.


Above is a new pen I got today along with some Fabriano 300 gsm ready for my new ideas when I have time.

So today we went to Truro to top up on art supplies, found The Cornish Food Box Cafe a very nice place with a nice vibe. Tonight we are out at our friends Valerie's place for a catch up. She used to do the St Ives Tours and has been an inspiration for my art tours.

Cheers

Friday 26 August 2016

New, old and ideas.


Above is a new drawing completed last night on a piece of marbled paper..... Happy with it and just exploring.

Today I was a pupil on an acrylics workshop, which was fun. I did a colour wheel and two painting that I am ok with and the process of under painting is very interesting but I do not feel I have instantly mastered landscape painting. What I did learn was a greater appreciation of the medium.


Above is a pic I took to try and keep my colours true of Man's Head and Coldgy. I certainly caught a bit more tan drawing outside and getting ready to paint.


Another view from above Porthmeor this afternoon. After work we were taken for a pint in The Pilchard Press, our mew micro pub in town.

We have been plotting what art materials we are getting in Truro tomorrow. I am looking forward to getting some new drawing paper.... I have loads of ideas..


Thinking of doing another much bigger take on this.......

I am also considering doing some commissions...

I got drawing to do......

Thursday 25 August 2016

New drawings, Barnoon Workshop, Sky High Arts and where your art ends up.


Above is a drawing that I thought was finished, it wasn't so I finished it again last night.


Above is the reverse 'bleeding narrative' with additions. I am very happy with this image.


Above I thought I would show you the progress on my 'bleeding narrative' stopper which is growing into it's own complex world.


Today has been spent helping my wife Zoe deliver a Resin Charms workshop at Barnoon. Then after lunch I had to drive up Rosewall Hill to see our friends Tree and Ally to have a meeting of Sky High Arts, it is one of my responsibilities to attend a number of them a year as I am a director. We had the meeting outside on a fabulously large outdoor table and coffee and Tree's lovely cakes were consumed. After the meeting it was pointed out that behind me were a couple of small Wotnot's sitting in the garden. It is always nice to see where your work ends up.

After this interlude I went back to the Barnoon Workshop to put up our new shelves and the we wended our way home to eat a Ruby June's curry yum.

Cheers!


Wednesday 24 August 2016

Wednesday, drawing and pics


Here above is a new drawing I did last night, not a great photo because I was out doing guitar lesson until sunset.

 Above and below more of my drawings and even some land art....






Above is in the sands at Porthcurno.


Sunset from Barnoon.


Mysterious picture on my phone, think it is the inside my back pocket, but I like it....

Anyway much to late to ramble on, more words tomorrow and more dots ......
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                                                                                                                       ...
                                                                                                                        ..
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Tuesday 23 August 2016

New Drawings, Workshop, Thinking


Above is the first in a series of drawing I started last night and thought I had finished and indeed most of them were complete.  I like the bold single dot image of the first.


Above is the second in the series, it is the first bleeding narrative with an added dot on dot.


Above is the third in this series, so as the initial dots fade, more had to be added but not all the same.

Above is the forth in the series, most dots barely visible so added highlighting dots, oh how my mind works, this was finished today in between things at Barnoon Workshop where we had a make and take session and a few people we had seen last year pitched up and a new American family who have just moved into town.

I spent quite alot of the day running around picking up fired pottery and getting the unfired stuff near a kiln ready for firing at 54 Lemons, the new pottery cafe in town, run by Michaela Wrigley who used to do our pottery classes.

At the end of the day we had a little sit on the roof at the Pedn Olva before returning home.

I was also informed that there was a Sun Fish in the Harbour but sadly we missed the sight.

Over the last day or so myself and my wife, Zoe Eaton have been thinking of writing a kids book, this has come from inspiration from Tammy who became a fixture at the workshop on her family holiday, she is an author on a mission, ten book in and encouraging others to start writing and illustrating they're own work. So we are officially plotting as well as drawing. So tonight I will be drawing, having a couple of ciders and trying to get a hazy plot into view.

Cheers all.....