Friday 29 April 2011

Course work: Started work on the window frame, which seems more complex than it should be.

Reading and theoretical studies:

Butler, Christopher Postmodernism

Oxford University Press, Oxford, 2002

Pp. 90-109

Sketchbook work: A quick pencil self-portrait sketch in a Greek helmet.

Thursday 28 April 2011

Course work: In an effort to make the pines behind the dam more natural in color, I applied two thin washes of pthalocyanine blue: this was helpful, but one or two more may be required as work progresses.  Did a little additional work on the reflections , and laid in a base color for the foreground grass.

Reading and theoretical studies:

Margaret Davidson Contemporary Drawing: Key Concepts and Techniques

Watson-Guptill Publication, New York, 2011

Pp. 8-37

Sketchbook work: A hasty pencil sketch of my breakfast.

Wednesday 27 April 2011

Course work: Reworked the dam and the reflections in the water in the pond.

Reading and theoretical studies:

Timothy Hyman Bonnard

Thames and Hudson, London, 1998

Pp. 129-150

Sketchbook work: An entertaining if not wholly successful effort at using wax resist and acrylic to depict some American Indian petroglyphs.

Tuesday 26 April 2011

Course work: Did not paint today: stopped and thought a bit about painting water.

Reading and theoretical studies:

Partricia Seligman How to Paint Water

Chartwell Books, Edison, New Jersey,USA, 2002

Pp. 30-31, 48-59

Maureen Bloomfield “The Solace of Still Water” in

The Artist’s Magazine  Vol. 28, No. 2 (March 2011)

Pp. 24-31

Sketchbook work: Some small acrylic test patches in my sketchbook, working on techniques for depicting fairly still water.

Monday 25 April 2011

Course work: Continued work on Project Three, starting to paint in the pond, and making some minor changes on the dam to better reveal it as a three-dimensional object.  I think that I will still have to darken the face of the dam (and the associated reflections).

Reading and theoretical studies:

Matthew Collings This is Modern Art

Weidenfeld and Nicholson, London, 1999

Pp. 246-262

(This was a difficult book for me: perhaps I am too old to understand it.  If one reads almost any paragraph aloud, it sounds quite similar to the babbling of a manic-phase bipolar disorder patient…all stream of consciousness, one thought tumbled upon another.  I could not decide whether the author was serious, or whether he was ridiculing modern art, or art critics, or maybe the reader.  I certainly found it difficult to consider as art much of what was represented as art by the author. I am surprised that OCA recommends this book, as it does not seem suited to the serious student.  Perhaps the text seemed more relevant when it was written, twelve years ago.)

Sketchbook work: A page of attempts at sketching our usually-asleep but seldom still cat, not very successful.

Sunday 24 April 2011

Course work: A good work session, primarily upon far-distant and middle distant trees, using various mixtures of lemon yellow, yellow ochre, cobalt blue, ultramarine blue, and white. Started work on the dam at the end of the pond.

Reading and theoretical studies:

Timothy Hyman Bonnard

Thames and Hudson, London, 1998

Pp. 103-128

Added four images of works by Matisse that include goldfish to my study collection, as part of response to issues raised by the recent tutor report.

Sketchbook work: An interesting wood-grain pattern in a fence post.

Weekly reflections on learning experience: I seem to be getting back “on track” again, having completed the interior painting over which I labored, and having made a good start on the view through the window, which seems to be going much more satisfactorily.  Work on the specific responses to issues raised by my tutor is underway.

Saturday 23 April 2011

Course work: Started work on Project Three, attempting to work more freely than I did on Project Two.

Reading and theoretical studies:

Matthew Collings This is Modern Art

Weidenfeld and Nicholson, London, 1999

Pp. 225-245

Collected images of works of Giotto and Cimabue.

Sketchbook work: A second acrylic sketch inspired by the work of Terry Frost.

Friday 22 April 2011

Course work: (Cleanup from Project Two and preparation for Project Three.)

Reading and theoretical studies:

Timothy Hyman Bonnard

Thames and Hudson, London, 1998

Pp. 88-102

Review of a large number of images by Terry Frost  as part of response to issues raised in tutor report. (see my consolidated responses at end of Assignment Three Log.)

Sketchbook work: A derivative acrylic sketch done after looking at images by Terry Frost.  This was done using cadmium yellow light, cadmium red light, ultramarine blue, and a neutral color prepared by mixing the three aforementioned colors.  The blue shape would have been more obvious had I used cerulean blue, but my intent was to have it “lurking in the background.”

Thursday 21 April 2011

Course work: After a period of indecisiveness, I resumed work on the Project Two painting, which I think is now finished.  Unfortunately, I think that it is also overworked, and probably over-planned.  The tones are close to those that I saw, and the shapes and the perspective are reasonably close, but I think in retrospect that I should have exaggerated the tones for effect.  The brushwork varies from tentative to overworked. In summary, I think that this is one of the less-interesting  paintings that I’ve done for the course, even though it looks very like the subject..   I will try to do the next project in a few long sessions, instead of a larger number of short sessions, as it seems that working in the latter manner causes me to concentrate on detail and miss the essence of the painting. 

Reading and theoretical studies:

Matthew Collings This is Modern Art

Weidenfeld and Nicholson, London, 1999

Pp. 200-222

Sketchbook work: Some blown-ink-drop experiments using acrylic ink and non-waterproof drawing ink.  Although my sample is too small to be valid, the most interesting result so far was obtained with the India ink.

Sunday 17 April 2011

Weekly reflections on learning experience: Not a very satisfactory week.  Indecision as to how to complete the Project Two painting led into one of the periods of being unable to do anything that seem to be common to those who pursue art in any form.

Saturday 16 April 2011

Reading and theoretical studies:

Sarah Simblett The Drawing Book

Dorling Kindersley, London, 2004

Pp. 238-255

(This book is always a delight to peruse.  I have read it three times now, and learn something new every time.  This volume stays in my workroom, rather than on the more capacious but more remote shelves that house most of my books.)

Thursday 14 April 2011

Course work: Continued minor work and adjustments to Project Two.

Reading and theoretical studies:

Timothy Hyman Bonnard

Thames and Hudson, London, 1998

Pp. 54-87

Wednesday 13 April 2011

Course work: Some further work on Project Two, still mostly detail work.

Reading and theoretical studies:

Matthew Collings This is Modern Art

Weidenfeld and Nicholson, London, 1999

Pp. 184-199

Tuesday 12 April 2011

Course work: A little more work on Project Two.

Reading and theoretical studies:

Timothy Hyman Bonnard

Thames and Hudson, London, 1998

Pp. 31-53

Sketchbook work: A page of experiments with India ink-drops distributed by blowing upon them with a straw.  Two drops were used: the upper was plain ink, the lower had a drop of soap added.  Both resulted in interesting patterns for which I can see potential future use, perhaps as trees or marine microorganisms.  It will be interesting to try similar experiments with acrylic ink and non-waterproof ink.

Monday 11 April 2011

Course work: Further work on Project Two, primarily putting in smaller details, a slow process for me, and one that will overwhelm me if I allow it to do so.

Reading and theoretical studies:

Timothy Hyman Bonnard

Thames and Hudson, London, 1998

Pp. 7-30

Sketchbook work:  A clump of young, feral pecan trees, almost the last deciduous tree in our area to bud out in the spring.

Sunday 10 April 2011

Weekly reflections on learning experience: A fairly satisfactory week, although toward the end I got “stuck” trying to decide how to finish up the Project Two painting.  Sketchbook work and reading were satisfactory, and I spent some “off the book” time considering future projects and accumulating pertinent information.

Saturday 9 April 2011

Course work: Some additional work on the Project Two painting, in addition to some “sitting and staring” time spent in considering just how to finish it up.

Reading and theoretical studies:

Matthew Collings This is Modern Art

Weidenfeld and Nicholson, London, 1999

Pp. 157-182

Sketchbook work: A hasty and not particularly successful pen sketch of a spray of orchids.

Friday 8 April 2011

Course work: Further work on the Project Two painting, which is beginning to come together.

Reading and theoretical studies:

Matthew Collings This is Modern Art

Weidenfeld and Nicholson, London, 1999

Pp. 127-156

Sarah Simblett The Drawing Book

Dorling Kindersley, London, 2004

Pp. 218-237

Sketchbook work: A simplified acrylic sketch after Goya’s Prison, Interior, that seems to show as well as anything I’ve seen the effect of looking from a darkened room into a lighted one.

Thursday 7 April 2011

Course work: Work continues on the Project Two painting.  My primary effort remains getting adequate coverage and approximate tone and color.

Reading and theoretical studies:

Sarah Simblett The Drawing Book

Dorling Kindersley, London, 2004

Pp. 196-217

Sketchbook work: A fourth sketch of the cedar tree, in acrylics.  Three of these were done by afternoon light, and the fourth by morning light.  Colors used were ultramarine blue, yellow ochre, cadmium yellow light, and burnt siena. This series of sketches will prove useful, as the cedar tree will figure in the next painting project.

Wednesday 6 April 2011

Course work: Ongoing work on Project Two.

Reading and theoretical studies:

Leonhard Emmerling Pollock

Taschen, Köln, 2006

Pp. 52-96

(I still don’t know quite what to think about Pollock’s work.  I like some of the “drip paintings,” and find a few of his other works somewhat interesting, but on the whole…I remain unsure.)

Sketchbook work: The third sketch in the cedar series, in pen.

Sunday 3 April 2011

Course work: Continued work on Project Two; this is going rather slowly as several coats of paint are needed for adequate coverage and reasonable uniformity of color.

Reading and theoretical studies:

Matthew Collings This is Modern Art

Weidenfeld and Nicholson, London, 1999

Pp. 101-126

Sketchbook work: The second of my cedar tree studies, in charcoal.

Weekly reflections on learning experience:  A pretty satisfactory week’s effort.  I would like to spend more time on the course, but there’s lots of springtime work to do now.

Saturday 2 April 2011

Course work: Further work on Project Two.

Reading and theoretical studies:

Leonhard Emmerling Pollock

Taschen, Köln, 2006

Pp. 35-51

Sketchbook work: The first of a planned short series of an American red cedar tree, in pencil.

Friday 1 April 2011

Course work: Continued work on the Project Two painting.

Reading and theoretical studies:

Matthew Collings This is Modern Art

Weidenfeld and Nicholson, London, 1999

Pp. 73-100

Sketchbook work: A second sketch of an unmade bed.  An acrylic sketch of the new foliage in the oak grove, contrasted against the surrounding blue-green evergreens.