Sketchbook Circle OCA 2

Transcription

1 Sketchbook Circle OCA 2 At the beginning of May 2014 I joined with three other OCA students to form a sketch book circle. It's the second of its kind inspired by information provided on the OCA student website forum and therefore we're calling ourselves Sketchbook Circle OCA 2. A private Facebook Group has been created through which we communicate to plan our activity. Each of us have acquired new sketch books of our preferred type and size and from May 1st for one month we are making work in it. At the end of the month we will post our book to the next student in the cycle until after 4 months our own sketch book will be returned to us. We are free to make work in which ever way we feel and as the process continues can respond to the work of others to develop new work of our own. At the end of the process we can, as an additional option, make a piece of work inspired by the process. And it is through this that I hope to develop my Assignment 5 Personal Project alongside the rest of my work for my Drawing 1 course. 1 2

2 At the beginning of the cycle I am in the middle of Part 2 Your own Environment. It coincides with the time I have returned from living abroad for many years and am happily back in the heart of rural Britain, feeling like I've been transplanted into a natural paradise and enjoying the animal drawing exercises. I couldn't be happier. Now I discover the beautiful land around our home is to be developed to make way for HS2. Inevitably this months contribution to the the sketchbook circle reflects how I'm feeling ie spitting mad and very sad knowing there is absolutely nothing I can do to stop it happening! I have no financial axe to grind as we are tenants in our new

3 home. My feelings of indignation and sorrow happen as a response to taking a natural 'ownership' of the bit of the world happenstance has placed me. Whilst having an overwhelming appreciation of the perfection of my surroundings, to be honest I don't normally feel compelled to paint/draw landscapes. Who am I to feel I can improve on nature? Instead I am normally more inclined to study something people normally regard as ugly, making work that sees it differently, even beautiful. However at this time I feel drawn to work against my norm, having the urge to get out into the fields and record every blade of grass, tree, horse, sheep, pheasant, bridle path, hedgerow, wild flower and weed before it gets destroyed by the bulldozers! Month 1 We have now posted our sketchbooks to the next student in the circle. The one I have received is from Student B who is studying Textile 1. It involves samples of handmade papers drawn into with ink. It will be an interesting challenge to respond to it. Our circle haven't set any rules and we have complete freedom to work in which ever way we wish each month. In Month 2 I took inspiration from Student B work, some of which put me in mind of geological land strata which I felt could be made to fit the theme I began in my Month wip 1 To create an abstract feeling of natural land geology, strata, contours I began on an A3 sheet using various earth coloured oil pastels as a resist with watercolour washes over. Then worked into it again with Inktense blocks. Finally flooded with water and allowed to dry.

4 7 8 wip 2 Another A3 sheet with water colour washes and dripped with plain water to create textured effect. 7 8 Stuck over double page A4 spread The linear drawing together with a map was then torn into strips and collaged onto the painted backing. Slash of red ink wounding the land.

5 9 10 Stuck over double page A4 spread On separate drawing paper I frottaged with chunky willow charcoal and graphite stick onto tree bark and twig (one of the trees in our garden that will be felled to make way for the HS2 construction roadway) I just let my subconscious find suggestions of images in the marks which I developed using graphite stick (reference Max Ernst). There are more imaginings to see... just curious if the next person in the sketchbook circle makes something more of the piece. She is free to do so but I don't want to prompt... it would be excellent if she did it without a mention from me. It feels like the woodland has memories/ghosts. Distruction a poem by Frederick Kambemba Yamusangie I have seen it... I have seen it with my very eyes... Yes. I have seen it. Beware; it takes many shapes... In fact, it's shapeless and also colourless. Yes, I can testify that I have seen it. How did I see it? I closed my eyes. I talked to the Trees. Even Water and Fire showed me all... It comes under many forms... One might only see its' effect. I don't care how one choose to call it... I call it Destruction.

6 Destruction of the Earth. Destruction of Animals. Destruction of Human Families. Even destruction of life itself. Oh! No...I am sorry... That is what we call progress... That is what we call development Frottage using willow charcoal and graphite stick over dead tree stumps. Water added as a resist and hatched into using soft pencil. Fine black Pilot pen to finish. Didn't look for imaginings this time. Didn't feel the need. From what I know of the previous gardener, the rest of this tree died from natural causes before being chopped up and burned indoors.

7 13 This pine tree is safe. It's at the other side of the house away from the planned roadway. Media used; watercolour, Inktense pencil, Inktense block, water and sepia pen and ink. I think I'll call that it for this month and get the sketchbook ready to post off to Jennifer. I did for a while think about starting mark-making on another page and invite the others to add to it... taking the collaboration a bit further. But then I bottled out thinking the person whose sketchbook it was, might not think it was appropriate and a bit pushy. May be I'll think of doing it when we're further along and know each other better.

8 Collaborative drawing 1 Hang it! I did it any way. I'll probably be in bother, but what the heck. With eyes closed and my left hand I drew marks with a graphite stick. Around the doodle I wrote:- 'The more I do, the more I create, The more I create, the more I share, The more I share, the more I collaborate, The more I collaborate, the more I communicate, The more I communicate, the more I connect, The more I connect, the more I learn, the more I know...' Excerpt from a poem by Cheryl Capozzli You're free to ignore this if you want, but thought it would be interesting to collaborate on a drawing. I'll make a few doodles. You can each change it and add to it. Could be fun! I shall close my eyes and start doodling with my left hand ha ha! Month 2: Begun by Student A with a collection of drawings of a hare she had chanced

9 across while walking in the Peak District. Then eyes, flowers and foliage, which lead on to decorative images inspired by William de Morgan tiles. Student B continued the hare, eye and W d M theme. Both Student A and Student B are textile students. I didn't feel inclined to follow an applied arts theme. Instead I followed Student A's example and picked up on an encounter I had with a fox in our garden. Another life likely to be threatened and another moment to be kept to memory allowing drawing to make it permanent. Source photo 14

10 Using gouache (for the first time since schooldays), coloured pencil and fine coloured markers. In the Dream of Foxes a poem by Lucille Clifton. Its original meaning unconnected directly, but still relevant

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12 19 Recently I fell in love with the work of Raoul Dufy and have been seeking an opportunity to in some way try to work his way. It's not easy as the above effort shows. I've a long way to go. 20

13 21 Paper towel blottings and disgusted opinion. Month 3: The sketchbook begun by Jennifer, then worked in by Student A and Student B has a botanical/summer/design/journal theme so far. It's now with me and I need to decide whether to continue the theme or take it somewhere else.

14 22 23 I decided to continue to use the freedom of the sketchbook circle process to test some ideas for my Part 5 Personal Project. With this in mind for my first drawing, 22/23 a double-page spread in the A4 book, I chose to experiment with an idea I've been working on. A while ago I buried under the earth some drawing paper on Wills Pasture (proposed HS2 construction/service road route) I dug up some of the paper and tested how it would look and respond to being drawn onto. My reason for exploring the concept is to find a way for this piece of land to literally become part of the work. Continuing the nature theme set by Jennifer and the other students, I worked with pastel, Inktense pencil, Inktense block, oil pastel, acrylic ink, marker pen on the earth and water-stained paper... illustrating fruit seeds from a tree that will eventually be chopped down to make room for the road construction. A way of heightening/retaining/drawing attention to the physicality of the land memory. I drew the items much larger than reality. Words are written into the drawing to remind me of what I was thinking/feeling; cycle, regeneration, death, change, metamorphosis, save, essence, permeate, soil, leaf mould, reclaim, progress, memory, re-birth, keep, destroy, bury, excavate, decay, mineral, elements, connection, life, live, destruction, indestructable, preserve, expose, hope.

15 24 25 Another experiment using Wills Pasture land. I frottaged some thin paper by placing it on the earth and rubbing earth onto it. The effect is quite minimal and provided a slightly scratchy texture on which to draw. The earth may vary from one part of the route to another. Will try more of this to see if I can get a range of marks. I'm hoping for marks that are heavier more defined that I can use as inspiration for the drawings I have in mind. I want to show the land itself directly connecting with my mind, eye, hand. With this, the first experiment of it's kind, I just followed the botanical theme, but expressively rather than in a scientific style of drawing, using watercolour paint, fine felt pens and finally earthy pastel rubbed in to combine the ripped stuck down paper with the page. To be continued...