Author: harrisscott47

Monday the 22nd of april I visited sunderland for the Life in drawing exhibition, i paid £2.50 entry fee just to see his work. When i entered the exhibition i noticed this drawing showing the male body from many different perspectives, i found it very interesting seeing how accurate and talented Da Vinci was when it came to drawing and understanding anatomy and the human body. Nearly all of his drawings really amazed me seeing them in person because i’ve always just seen photos, but to see the physical thing was very inspiring. After visiting the exhibition i went home and did a few drawings myself.

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‘The human foot is a masterpiece of engineering and a work of art’- Leonardo DA Vinci

California based artist Heather Day makes beautiful abstract paintings that are informed by sensory interpretations bridging the thoughts between what is known and how it is felt. Shifting between traveling and working in her studio, Heather creates pieces that represent both profound and mundane situations. Her encompassing murals, spacious canvas paintings and intimate drawings read like handwriting—from one side to another.

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I really like watching her process, she lays her canvas down on the floor and then starts using multiple layers of paint, water and chalk to create an abstract mural. she spills huge amounts of water on her canvases to get that dripping look which i really enjoy seeing especially with blues and reds. I love the way she makes thin chalk lines vibrant and important in her paintings. Her technique inspires me to go bigger with my brush strokes and technique.

‘There’s a rhythm. A deep breath that causes the paint to stray from the destined route’- Heather Day

Today I’ve been experimenting with electrical tape in my sketch books. Firstly i experimented with the black tape to see if I could create a figure, using it for the outlines which led to me discovering i could use the tape for the whole piece. The Ammo Man is the name of the piece on the right, it started just black and white but i added some red and blue tape into the background to give it more excitement. The background was inspired slightly by the American flag and old toothpaste tubes. When i started the background i tried to keep them straight lines but as I went down I realized a more rough look would suit it much better and give it more character.

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The piece on the left was more about shapes, texture and how different color lines can create different feelings towards the viewer. The idea came for the shapes came to me when i was looking at some of Matisse’s cutout work. I wanted the vibrancy his work gives off. I also wanted the lines to be as close to straight as i could make them, because i like symmetry and balance.

‘ Drawing is like making an expressive gesture with the advantage of permanence.’- Henry Matisse

Recently i’ve been working on these two paintings for my art in context module, the paintings are roughly 4 foot by 4 foot and made of a 3mm wood base. The painting on the left is a completed piece whereas the one on the right is currently being developed. The initial idea for these two pieces was to have a story spread across two ideas like a comic book. I painted them with the intention that people would look at them and question everything about them. I wanted thick outlines on the figures so i used a large brush, wide roller and a tiny amount of water mixed with acrylic. The idea was to have the figures painted in a way that shows the figure is either closer or further away from the object in the painting.

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Strange faces, a series of paintings I did late 2018. The paintings are A3 in size except the black and white one which is spread across two A3 pages. I got the idea for these when I was looking at some work by Pablo Picasso. I wanted the paintings to be simple and in a style I can call my own, that’s why the figures mouths look like razor blades and the noses are crooked. I thought acrylic would be the best way to go when painting these because it meant I could paint the faces then outline them with thick heavy black brush strokes. The background had to be coloured so I found the nicest blue I could find and applied it with a small sponge roller.

‘The purpose of art is washing the dust of daily life off our souls’- Pablo Picasso

Pablo Picasso is in my opinion one of the most important figure of 20th century, in terms of art, and art movements that where present over this period. Before the age of 50, the Spanish born artist had become the most well known name in modern art, with the most distinct style. There was no other artists, prior to Picasso, who had such an impact on the art world, or had a mass following of fans as he did. I personally love his cubist style, how Picasso uses shapes to create objects and figures, one of my favorites would have to be ‘Femme au Chapeau’ a a painting filled with colour and shapes. When i first started the year Picasso really inspired some of my work in the way that I was excited by his uses of colour and technique and wanted to express myself using colour.

‘Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up’- Pablo Picasso

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The second years had a group crit on monday the 4th of February where we talked and exchanged opinions on each other’s work. We all sat in a circle with our books taking it in turn to show and explain our development so far this year. I was interested in seeing what the other students have been doing because there’s a lot of different styles in my group. I showed everyone my book and I received some positive feedback from Paul, he said he liked the simplicity in my work but also how detailed it was at the same time. Wendy, another student from the group said my paintings reminded her of the Easter Island heads. I was pleased with the feedback.

This is one of my works that was reviewed in the Crit, a lot of people had positive comments towards it.

‘Believe it or not, I can actually draw’- Basquiat

The Mans reflection a painting I created end of 2018. The painting is based of a dream I had where I saw myself in the mirror as a demonic figure. I sometimes have trouble sleeping at night because of these dreams. In the painting you can see me as a dark slim figure holding the mirror straight up showing my reflection. The colours I used in the painting where black, blue and yellow (acrylic) applied with a large paint brush, I used a small amount of water to thin the paint out. No facial features where more chilling and accurate to the dream. I remember the room was yellow and blue which is like no room of that in my house. You can see the scale of the painting above next to my feet.

Basquiat was an artist from New York who was very famous in the 80s for his radical painting and drawing style. His style would often get names like Neo-Expressionist because of the way he mixes poetry with a very radical expressionist style. Basquiat was fortunate enough to work alongside many famous artists at the time for example Andy Warhol. I personally love Basquiat’s style because I like how different it is and how it stands for the idea that art doesn’t always have to be analytical. The colours and messages in his work also really spark ideas and feelings in my brain which I like.

“I don’t listen to what art critics say. I don’t know anybody who needs a critic to find out what art is.”

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Monday 3rd December, firstly was building the walls for the work to go on. Malcom the art technician used a drill to secure the walls in place while others help hold it up right, nuts and bolts where used to keep them up right. We had to place the boards in a zig zag pattern because the space was very narrow and this was the best way to maximise the space. Each student had one full side of board to display there work, the board was roughly 12 foot wide and 10 foot high meaning plenty of space for multiple pieces of work.  I had two wooden pallets that I made for the exhibition both perfect size for the space I was given. I spaced my two pallets evenly apart from each other ver centred in the middle of the wall.