Thursday 27 June 2013

The bane of my life!

This piece has been the bane of my life these last few weeks.

Really failing on all levels.

I liked the initial contrast between the simple airbrushed V of the tree and the pen and ink lines, but then tiredness, lack of time, worry and all the other stuff of life got the better of me. I've been trying to work an hour or so a night after work before doing some job or other in the garden (human v ivy = a battle of epic proportions) but it's really not working. An hour is just not enough to get into the right frame of mind for creative work, plus my eyes are not behaving the way they should. Then I had a disappointment earlier this week, i.e a rejection, and while I'm very used to these by now (years of experience with literary and art rejections, however polite terms they're dressed up in) you never really get used to them, or develop a resistance to them. So this piece then, flawed, failing, limping along though it may be, is my current battle ground.

I have to finish this piece, as much for the act of finishing as for actually creating something beautiful or good. A declaration of my intent to carry on, despite all the rest.


When I was feeling more positive last weekend I asked G to make a short film of me working. My digital camera has a movie setting, and he produced a minute or so of film, but it's just an experiment and not worth making available on-line. Still I might ask for his assistance again, as I've an idea that a little film might be a nice thing to have on my website. If I can work out how to post one there that is, I might have to use You Tube or something, I'll find out.

Anyway here's a still from the first little movie. As you see it consists mainly of the back of my head.

Thursday 13 June 2013

CLIMBING A TREE ON RADIO 4

I've somehow managed to do a bit of everything today. Started the day with a few garden jobs that needed doing (a list that replenishes itself so frequently the Grimm brothers could have written it) then managed to do a little work on these 2 new pieces in progress. The first is called Big Rock...


I'm working in layers on this piece, I began with a sketch on greaseproof paper, then several tracings, then cut out a stencil and worked with airbrush, then pen and ink, then a quick glaze of watercolour and acrylic ink.



I don't have a name for this second piece, but I quite like the juxtaposition of arbrushed area with pen and ink.  I really would like to explore this approach more.  G says it's quite Japanese and I agree.

One of my favourite nature writers was on Radio 4 today.  Claire Balding was joined in her Ramblings by Robert Macfarlane who climbed a tree and explored some graffiti. I've never climbed a tree.  It's on my list of to dos though.  Along with everything else Messrs Grimm and Grimm keep adding.

And whilst I post this I'm listening to Count Arthur, in which he goes on a tour bus and visits a library!  Sounds like a perfect day to me.