Exploring egg tempera landscape

Walking Around the Island I, egg tempera on panel, 16 x 23cm

Walking Around the Island II, egg tempera on panel, 16 x 23cm

At an exhibition opening this week I had a conversation with someone I respect who asked me the reasonable question… 'who is Rebecca Guyver going to become?'  She went on to point out that what I was presenting was going in lots of different directions at once and she wanted to know which way I would choose to go.

Unsurprisingly I found it difficult to declare a direction and as I stood in that uncomfortable place, knowing someone is right but not wanting to narrow, I remembered my conversations at Stanford.  Was I going to declare english, photography or painting and drawing? and would I please just focus on one with all my stamina and energy.

I woke up the morning after the exhibition opening with the task of making something based on the sea because I wanted to submit (something within those parameters) to an open call. Based on feedback lately, I decided to work in egg tempera. I had been to Manningtree recently and felt that would be a good place to start.  I had no drawings so I drew from a photo in the first instance and then worked from general to specific, trying to get my egg tempera muscle memory active.

The resulting image is OK, (not included) but I knew that it wasn't what I wanted.  I worked from morning until dinner on it … I may return. Since then I have made  two more but these are based on a place that is important to me, a place where I have lots of drawings and memories (above).

Drawings below are how I got started and are some of the resource material I used.

Walking Around the Island II,(preliminary) pastel on paper, 11 x 16cm

drawing in book (last summer) to information

preliminary oil pastel for Walking Around the Island II

Walking Around the Island II drawing for earlier painting 23 x 30 cm

Walking Around the Island I, oil pastel sketch, 12 x 18cm, 

So I guess I have a direction.  None of this was easy for me.  The egg temperas are always a struggle but for now the feel like a way to do and say what I am interested in. While I can't imagine forgoing the impulse to feel weepy about colour and form in a bouquet while using soft pastel (in an altered book) I think I can run with this and it will give me a focus

Deben, egg tempera on panel, 16 x 23 cm