Composition and St Francis

Composition and St Francis, egg tempera on panel 16 x 23 cm

There is that game that writers play where they try to put random words in their text.  This still life is certainly a random mix of objects. And I had this idea as I was composing a still life another time that it would be interesting to print out some other objects (besides the myriad that I have collected - too many) to place in front of the actual different objects. Sometimes I change the objects into other objects than are in front of me in the painting process, but in this case it would be declaritvely not what it appears.

Since a still life is really just an arrangement of shapes and colours, by having a paper version of exactly the colour and shape I want, it would be playful and self-conciously direct, I thought - maybe.

I guess it turned out to be Mary Fedden meets surrealism! 

Inside out and Sauerkraut

Inside Out and Sauerkraut, egg tempera on panel, 30 x 20cm

Sometimes when I set up a still life I get really excited because the beauty of the colour relationships and shapes just feels right. On Sunday, when I put this together (minus the tulips and plums) I couldn't wait to get started.  First I needed some tulips and some fruit. I raced to Stowmarket before the shops shut and had to visit two stores and there were only yellow tulips available. I thought the plums would work. 

From the start, this was a stop and go still life - I've had a busy week. Busy because the first three days of my week I leave the studio for as much as half the day: Once for life drawing; once for portrait group and once for Pilates.  This week I also met up with three artists.  And it was also the culmination of the Impeachment Hearings so my podcasts and live stream filled the studio with intrigue.  

I named the painting from a line in an opinion column, a line that seemed to me like the perfect metaphor for the world we inhabit at the moment. I don't find the radio distracting. Painting takes over and fills my brain -  I turn the 'inside out and Sauerkraut' into something else - dabs of colour on a support, that make me feel happy. Returning to the painting again and again, gave me the opportunity to look again and again and  time to think.  Yesterday I got to that place when I couldn't make what I was painting work and then I remembered that it was time to stop painting exactly what I saw in front of me.  I needed to create a version of the stilllife that had the feel that seeing the colours and shapes had instiled in me when I began.  That's a funny thing I find happens. The most exciting beginnings often become the longest toughest slogs.  Can you tell?

Emily Loosely

Sue wasn't well so we took turns timing.  Emily struck five and ten minute poses and then moved for about fifteen minutes, holding 3 minute poses.  I've chosen these four from the session. I like the top drawing because I worked differently and think the marks had a kind of energy and looseness I can't always find.

The drawing below feels like Emily and I like the drawing, colours and marks.

My sister has been taking an art class and she sent me an image of a wonderful negative space drawing of a rocking chair she'd made 'for homework'.  I think that was in my mind as I took the side of light blue/grey soft pastel and traced around the figure. I like the way I've broken up the space in this one.

And this one is a little silly but makes me feel like dancing.

Getting down to Business and Out of the Studio, with Parker Harris

Yesterday I attended a workshop led by Emma Parker and Penny Harris, the founders of Parker Harris.  It was held at Trinity Buoy wharf, a place I had only dropped off at once, but never explored.  I arrived about an hour early so I could see the Trinity Buoy Wharf Drawing Prize.  You can read more and see some of it here: http://trinitybuoywharfdrawingprize.drawingprojects.uk/index.php/news 

I was thrilled by the diversity of approaches to drawing and the range of marks.  I lingered a long time at Cornwall-based artist Shelly Tregoning’s drawing, Distracted, Distracted. I liked the current feel of the image, the gestural quality of the work and the unusual mixture of media.  There was lots of other good stuff to inspire me at the exhibition.

There were just under ten of us, I think, at the workshop, all with a range of experience in the art world.  The focus of the session was about THE BUSINESS OF BEING AN ARTIST. After meeting each other, Penny and Emma reminded us that we are the centre of the art world, as artists and that we should 'inhabit' that space. To inhabit the space, I need to do more of all the things that I know I need to do more of in order to be more of who I am, an artist. I need to visit even more shows and openings, go to more artist talks, go to more art fairs, read more art newspapers.  Basically, engage more, but not just go, go more purposefully. For me probably the specific thing I definitely need to do more of is to read more written by artists to embody the language of the art world.  Apparently, Grayson Perry and Anthony Gormley speak about art in a way that is worth paying attention to. 

It's funny, just before the talk began I was speaking to another artist, Laura Jacobs, http://www.laurajacobsart.com who had spent time in NYC. We had touched on the NY way of asserting oneself and the purposefulness it instills. By nature, I think I am purposeful so having a plan before I go to an opening, whether it is mine or anothers' is something I do because that's the way I am.  It was good to be reminded that there is a fine line between professional and officious, though.  I still wince when I think about the first time I had work in the Pastel Society and I was a little too keen to talk to John Tookey about my work - knew I stepped over the line and have felt annoyed with myself about it ever since… and that was nearly twenty years ago! 

In general, I really love talking to people at openings and see life as an opportunity.  If I had unlimited resources, I would choose to go to everything. When I have work in opens, I spend as much time as I can at the show, go to all the gatherings and love every minute of it. I talk to people who look carefully at my work and give out cards.  I could go to more artist talks and our daughter, who writes about art says she'll come with me (although alone is ultimately better).  So… I guess more of the same!

'LISTEN' as well as read carefully was a refrain of the day. Perhaps my wonderful year as drawing scholar with the NEAC gave me an opportunity to develop the skill of listening better,  and using what I experience later, but when it comes to reading and synthesising what I need to respond to… and specifically in the context of criteria and questions when applying for residencies and bursaries;  I find, inevitably when I re-read my answers to some of the questions on applications I realise that I haven't said what I mean to say clearly enough or answered the exact question and then I need to spend lots of extra time rewriting the exact answer. That is definitely something to be aware of and something which could be streamlined for me in the future!

One of my goals this year is to find a residency, apply and win it! Not getting through the first round of the Funded 1 Month Artist Residency in Rural Northumberland - Unison Colour, a residency I read about and worked really hard at was very disappointing, but without applying to more opportunities I will never succeed in this!

Something Emma and Penny spoke about, that I have grown to be aware of, is the need to budget, plan and have a goal.  By deciding what you can afford time/money to spend on applying, paying for gallery fees, travel to London (each time I go down it costs me £28-50 for the train, underground  £10, car park  £10 - 15…) you can make better choices and waste less time and money. My resolution that I was only going to enter two things in any opens, is one of those shifts I have made that has made me happier and feel more in control. It has also helped me to make choices about what my best work is. I do ask people to help me choose, though too.  On social media people like to choose between work.  Sometimes you get lots of different responses, though.

Reading about the judges is something I do but I'm sure I could plan that more by being conscious of all of those variables as I embark on making work that might be the piece I choose for the open.  Then, my work might have better chances of success.

Emma and Penny talked about the 'elevator pitch'.  I have only just started to say I am a 'visual storyteller'.  By thinking about my work, understanding what I like to paint and draw about and giving it a name, I feel better equipped to answer questions about my work. Certainly, one of the goals I scribbled in my book yesterday was to find a way to describe my work better - reading Perry and Gormley might help! Today when I had a studio visit by a group that I will leading workshops for/showing in I learned that on my website I call myself primarily a 'pastel artist'. I hired our daughter to come and help me redo my website last night (after the talk) so hopefully I will reflect myself to the world better after that. You can see my website here: https://www.rebeccaguyverart.com and send me suggestions here: 

rebecca@rebeccaguyverart.com

As far as social media goes, I do it, but I don't do it as well as I might.  I was sorry to miss Emma's talk on that last week, but I didn't think I could afford another trip to London, so will spend some time learning about it online. ONE DAY A WEEK on BUSINESS is an appropriate amount of time!

Emma's helpful explanation that in a hashtag, 1,000 is better than 1,000,000 because the stream goes by more slowly - is a game changer! I need to link up all my online shop fronts and get some new business cards printed, and postcards.

Another thing that I learned is that IT'S NOT CHEATING to put the solo shows that took place not in galleries as solo shows on my CV. and I should put my curatorial experience on my CV as well. 

As far as 'getting a gallery' I remember the old days when Jack and Bob were represented by Kraushaur and their lives revolved around that gallery. I guess it's not like that anymore, much. I don't have to get up and think I am failing because I haven't taken my slides around to galleries like I did when I was just starting out. Having a portfolio of opportunities may suit me best anyway. But what is important is that I set a few realistic goals again this year and I promise to take part, be efficient and be nice.

Thank you Emma and Penny, it was a great workshop!

Playing with subjects in Egg Tempera and then the Frame

Pink Pussy and POTUS, egg tempera on panel, 16 x 23

Back in the studio after almost a six week (forced) hiatus.  It was visitors, visits, housework, laundry, cooking and clean-up and flu that stopped play but as soon as I was able to, I was back: finishing things, and getting to things I'd been thinking about.  I've put them up in the order I completed them, from most recent to oldest.  If you have seen me in the last few years you will know that I have become something of a militant middle-aged sceptic about the state of the Union. Is this an appropriate subject for the media I chose? Should I work bigger, develop the idea to include more plonkers?

Orchid and Bowl, egg tempera on sintopia ground on paper, laid on card, 15x21cm

In this one, I wanted to focus on two of the most beautiful objects (orchid and bowl) that made their way into my studio over Christmas. As presents, I got a silverpoint holder, some pieces of silver in varying sizes and sinopia, cassein gesso, that is meant to work well with silverpoint.

I painted several pieces of paper with a few layers of sinopia and composed what later became this egg tempera.  At the National Portrait I saw that the Pre-Raphaelites painted with egg tempera on paper, so thought, why not? Until I had built up a few layers, even after I'd glued it to a board, I found that it wasn't as nice a surface to work on as my rabbit skin glue/gesso panels, but ultimately, it worked well and I like the outcome. Using a matt and framing an egg tempera drawing under glass will be a different type of experiment.

Christopher Lucas, egg tempera on panel, 16 x 23 cm,

Christopher sat for me months ago and I never could find the time to complete the portrait. I dedicated myself to doing this over the first two days back in the studio.  The real piece is richer than this. I like the way I have made him recogniseable but stayed loose. His hands are key to the painting, I think.

I dropped off for the Pastel Society early in Jan but that drawing was not ultimately successful.  Last week I dropped off for round two selection of the Royal Society of British Painters (RBA). The painting above died in a white frame so, working with Jo Hollis we decided on this ornate frame. As I had a pair, I framed them in the same way.  I hear tomorrow. 

While at the Gaugin, with Gabriella, I noticed the space above subjects.  Gaugin played with this.  I found this painting very difficult to resolve because of the space above, but will try to find the fun in point of view in the coming months and think of Gaugin!

The Discerning Eye 2019!

So every time I get selected for a London exhibition I am elated. The Discerning Eye at the Mall Galleries was one of the highlights of 2019.  I went down to the exhibition with Patrick early on the Thursday of the Artists' PV.  Parker Harris had already contacted me to tell me that I had sold my opened book, We Know that Light. I hadn't know there was PV before the PV...Because of GDPR, I will probably never know who bought the piece so I won't be able to imagine it in the future, but of course I was delighted.  

What was equally exciting was finding that Kwame Kwei-Armah had chosen my piece for his wall.  You can find out more about Kwame here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kwame_Kwei-Armah

I loved the way he curated his part of the space and felt he told a story with his choices. 

I barely spoke to anyone at the PV, which is not my usual way, but earlier in the day I met a few people who stopped and looked intently at my drawing.  I saw lots of engagement with it, which was fun. Part of the reason I didn't speak to much of anyone except a fellow artist, Cathy Cooper, (who I'd met at the drop off and whose work was in Gill Button's selection),  was because there was a fire alarm and not a practice… so we all had to file out and wait until they discovered that it had been triggered by someone vaping in the toilet. 

We didn't let it dampen our spirit.

On the train going back I read Kwame's comments in the exhibition booklet: 

This Thursday I went back to see the show another time. I wanted to look at Kwame's wall in particular and to think about what in my work made Kwame choose it.  There were still plenty of people visiting, but I did manage to find a lull to take photos of Kwame's wall.

I noticed the breadth of Kwame's choices. There was the black and white wall which was beautiful in its quiet.  It ranged from isolation to race and was strong and graphic.

To the left of the B & W grouping, and what felt like the middle of the wall,  Helen Stone's One of Many, an evocative tactile sculpture, a child's jacket with tags spoke to me of how we won't share our world with everyone. Below the jacket, three beautiful paintings of people from the asylum.

To the left, Kwame has chosen lots of people, juxtaposed to spaces. Skin, faces, expressive, Brexit, the people we share the world with, a beautiful world, a barren world, a built up world, a broken down world. 

A pair of shoes, abstracted colour , an internal landscape... 

my work 4th from left

Perhaps Kwame chose my piece because of the colour, the view and the title which seems to admit that we all share the experience of living with all the inhabitants of the earth.  And man, isn't that light amazing!

Here we go again… It's time to choose between three!

Colour After Frost, egg tempera on panel, 23 x1 6 cm

Dahlia for Remembrance, egg tempera on panel, 26 x 20 cm

We Three Kings II, egg tempera on panel, 26 x 20 cm

If you follow my blog you will know that this summer I had two pieces selected by the RBA.  The selection process has come around again very quickly… they have moved the RBA's date back to its usual slot.  For the RBA, this change back was desireable and that means I need to choose something to submit by the end of this month.  These are my three most recent egg tempera pieces. I can submit more than two pieces but I have 'capped' my submissions at two. Which two do you think I should submit?