Photography

I have had the distinct pleasure of photographing my art properly this past week.My record is 40 Photos out of which 1 was ok.Thank god for Digital!I will probably post the images on Flickr soon if you want to take a look…. The issues with these photos were the darkness of the rooms and the specific light sources (such as overhead lights) a flash would create a horrible sheen (as would having the wrong lights on) but without lights or flash would make the images very grainy and quite dark.My internship with a local artist taught me something about photographing art (although he mostly used water colors) and using Liam as a pack horse I took to the outside to position my works in the right light outside.To an outsider this would have looked very funny as we chased the shadows and dappled light across the lawn and moved between the front yard and the back…. Some are for portfolios, some are for entries and some are because I will be creating a proper website soonish and want a good collection.I am looking forward to studying photography because it may help here, and with photographing subjects prior to painting.

New meaning to the phrase…

Wim Delvoye seems to have made his career focussing on many things that some people might consider Shit. The Cloaca works are machines that are fed with real food, passing through a range of acids and the food emerges as..um….. This is the same artist who produced a series of taxadermied ducks in a chain with their heads stuck up each others..

Eek!

I cant enter the names of these works in any Shows without titles!… I like having a name that raises questions about the piece, perhaps the questions I have in my mind when doing the work…. I am personally not happy with ‘untitled’ or the new trend of ‘untitled (insert title that is not important enough to be a title but is impoirtant enough to be a subtext title in parentheses)’ if anyone can think of a title for these pieces I would appreciate it – Titles I have kicked around are: Repose Regression Sigh Coocoon Pathos Maybe reading back over the original blog entries may help – I know I posted all this for a reason!

Glazing

I have been trying over the past few months to break myself of the traditional oil painting mold…. In other words to loosen up my style and create something that is more “art”, rather than a duplicate copy…. Its fun to see something emerge under your hand – its almost like I have no control, like I am the conduit through which my art is born.

YeeeHa!

he has so much character and the painting, even in the early stages, is popping already – you can see what he will become by my basic blocking and introuctory shading…. In other News, Art Riot is having a very good sale at the moment, I have picked up some new pallette knives, were 6.99 now 2.99 and a nice set of hogshair brushes with a case for 9.99 was 16.99…. I have a few expensive sable brushes for my careful detail work but usually I just buy inexpensive hogshair and replace them as needed.

When to let go

its an interesting abstracted piece and seems to have a slight social commentary emerging but my technique is everywhere and the anatomy and color isn’t popping…. So I cant really decide whether to let it go for a bit and concentrate on some new subject matter, or to keep plugging away at him and treating him as a challenge…. one of the competitions I am entering I have to offer them for sale and I know Aftermath is one of the best paintings to enter, but I dont want to sell him!

Old lady not dead yet

The Matazone blog » In local news: Old lady not dead yet I just love this article and her face. not only is the writing hilarious but her face and expression is magic!… I am in a portrait mood…

Astrology, Tarot and all that Jazz

It goes: its all fun to read and if the results are good then you can be happy and excited and suitably awed, if the news is bad – its a load of hokum…. The Past: Watch your feelings, for although they could run away with you, they’ll also imbue you with superb artistic inspiration…. Then it came to my future ‘reading’ and I got: It’s all very well to be a creative genius but you’ll remain undiscovered unless you advertise your talents now.

MoBlogging

I tested out sending a blog from my mobile (via bloggers email service) and it never showed up…. in other news I am starting my uni courses soon, I am studying non western art history and photography this semester via open.edu.au…. My latest painting has been halted again due to pain but my ideas are beginning to click around and I think it will come right along in a day or so.

Crap.

New commandment in my own personal painting bible: Thou shalt not paint when thou art overly emotional, stressed and tired I thought, mistakenly, that this might assist my letting go and maybe produce some ‘tortured soul’ stuff…. Does it ever feel like if you don’t paint, or draw, or mould stuff in your mashed potatoes you will go crazy? If you don’t create something soon it will blow your top?