Why do I paint?

Custody of the Sense 9 (36" x 36")

 

The following was written by the poet Rainer Maria Rilke (1875-1926), although he writes about the reason for writing, I think that it is true for me as the reason to paint.

Letters To A Young Poet by Rainer Maria Rilke

 1.  Paris, February 17, 1903

“There is only one thing you should do. Go into yourself. Find out the reason that commands you to write; see whether it has spread its roots into the very depths of your heart; confess to yourself whether you would have to die if you were forbidden to write. This most of all: ask yourself in the most silent hour of your night: must I write? Dig into yourself for a deep answer. And if this answer rings out in assent, if you meet this solemn question with a strong, simple "I must", then build your life in accordance with this necessity; your whole life, even into its humblest and most indifferent hour, must become a sign and witness to this impulse.”

Jelaluddin Rumi (1207-1273) Body Intelligence

 

Form 1

Monotype with Indian Ink

25 x 28cm

 

 

Your intelligence is always with you,

overseeing your body, even though

 you may not be aware of its work.

If you start doing something against

 your health, your intelligence

 will eventually scold you.

If it hadn’t been so lovingly close by,

and so constantly monitoring,

how could it rebuke you.

You and your intelligence

 are like the beauty and precision

 of an astrolabe.

Together, you calculate how near

 existence is to the sun!

Your intelligence is marvellously intimate.

  Its not in front of you or behind,

 or the left or the right.

Now try, my friend, to describe how near

 is the creator of your intellect!

Intellectual searching will not find

 the way to that king!

The movement of your finger

is not separate from your finger.

You go to sleep, or you die,

and there is no intelligent motion.

Then you wake,

and your fingers

fill  with meanings.

Now consider the jewel-lights

in your eyes. How do they work?

This visible universe has many weathers

 and variations.

                                    But uncle, O uncle,

the universe of the creation-word,

the divine command to Be, that universe

 of qualities is beyond any pointing to.

More intelligent than intellect,

and more spiritual than spirit.

No being is unconnected

to that reality, and that connection

cannot be said.  There, there’s

no separation and no return.

There are guides who can show you he way.

Use them.  But they will not satisfy your longing.

Keep wanting that connection

with all your pulsing energy.

The throbbing vein

will take you further

than any thinking.

Muhammad said: “Don’t theorize

about essence!”  All speculations

are just more levels of covering.

Human beings love coverings!

They think the designs on the curtains

are what’s being concealed.

Observe the wonders as they occur around you.

Don’t claim them.  Feel the artistry

moving through, and be silent.

Or say, “I cannot praise You

as You should be praised.

Such words are infinitely

beyond my understanding.”

Allusions to Life Series

Allusions to Life 1 Oil on Canvas (72" x 36") 2011

“You connect yourself to the viewer by sharing something that is inside of you that connects with something inside of him. All you have as your guide is that you know what moves you.” ~Steven Brust

The series I am working on at the moment follows on from my series Custody of the Senses.  I want to develop the idea of contrasts existing and co-existing within the work.

Initially I have worked on two canvases, placing them together.  Exploring both depth and surface in the composition and the subject itself, examining the interior and exterior, as well as probing with an honesty that may seem to be brutal but handled with tenderness.  To imagine and to experience and thereby attain a physical confrontation and encounter between the subject and the emotion.

Colour: some theory

 

One of the standard colour wheels, designed so that

the colours opposite one another are

complementary opposite

One of the most useful geometrical shapes used to depict the primaries, their relationships and their mixtures is the colour wheel.

The Seven Colour Contrasts

1. Hue
2. Tone
3. Temperature
4. Complementary
5. Simultaneous
6. Saturation
7. Extension

 

Some books on colour theory:

 “The Elements of Color: A Treatise on the Color System of Johannes Itten, based on his book the Art of Color” Johannes Itten

“Interaction of Colour” Josef Albers

“The Principles of Harmony and Contrast of Colors and their application to the Arts”  M E Chevreul

Rilke: The Seventh Elegy

 Rainer Maria Rilke  Dunio Elegies

Untitled

Lino Etching
20.5 x 20.5cm

The Seventh Elegy

The world is nowhere my love, if not within.

Our life passes in transformation.  The external world

is forever dwindling to nothing.  Where once

there stood a solid and lasting house,

now a dreamt-up construct straddles our path

and seems to belong entirely to the realm

of conception as if it still stood in the brain.

Sketchbooks: some ideas

 

Having received various pieces of advice on how to keep a sketchbook and what it should or should not be used for, I have arrived at my own conclusions.

If you have come through any kind of art school training then more often than not your sketchbook at that time is not private.  It is only once there is no one taking a peek that I think you can use it in a personal way without having it commented upon.

I use a variety of sizes from the small one that I carry around all the time up to a large size for more sustained drawings outside of my studio.  Here a just a few ideas and ways of using a sketchbook:

As a book to explore a theme or an idea, and related research for a specific project or series.  To that end it may include written notes, quotations, images or photos that are stuck in.  Thumbnail sketches of proposed work and perhaps colour studies.

Themed books that are specific, for example colour, texture, life drawing, technical information.

An every day sketchbook, that have with me when I visit exhibitions, making notes on anything from the work, techniques and handling, to the layout of the exhibition, lighting, flow and labelling.  All things which are useful to think about when thinking how to do your own exhibition.  I have found some interesting ideas on framing works from seeing how others have had theirs framed.  I tend to have a bad memory and find it essential to write things down.

I knew an artist who would put washes or colour on random pages, so when she went out she could chose a page to work on that already had some colour on it.

Because they are private I tend not to worry about unsuccessful pages, I know some people are tempted to tear out what doesn’t work, or isn't very good.  If you really find that page so offensive, try sticking something over the top.  There is always the danger that an 80 page book will be reduced to 20 if every page has to be of a set standard.

Cezanne Woman Bather, Notations. c1888

The bottom line is that I use a sketchbook as a tool and creative resource for my own purposes, I try not to be in the least precious about what I do in it and there is no right or wrong way to use it, just using it in whatever way is useful for the individual.  I like to look back at old sketchbooks from time to time and rediscover ideas, quotations and even books that I meant to read.

Until 7th February 2012, "Driven to Draw" 20thC Drawings and Sketchbooks from the Royal Academy's Collection, London.  A small exhibition which is worth visiting.

Some fabulous artists sketchbooks that have made it into the public domain:

Leonardo da Vinci Notebooks

Henry Moore: War Shelter Drawings

Paul Cezanne: The Basel Sketchbooks

Pablo Picasso Je Suis le Cahier

A Hindu Proverb

 

Mt Taranaki by mikescottnz

 “There are hundreds of paths up the mountain, all leading to the same place, so it doesn’t matter which path you take. The only person wasting time is the one who runs around the mountain, telling everyone that his or her path is wrong.”

For me it is a matter of getting down to work no matter what, every day if possible.  Some days things seem to flow more easily than other days, some days seem like an endless struggle, I have never tried to analyse why this may be, I am not sure that it would achieve anything. 

Twyla Tharp, the American choreographer refers to the Creative Habit, in her book by the same name.  She offers some useful ways and means of developing that habit.  I find I have less rituals, but I am sure that some people will find many of her suggestions useful. 


Another interesting book is Art and Fear: Observations on the Perils (and Rewards) of Artmaking by David Bayles and Ted Orland.  With chapters on Art & Fear, Fears about Yourself and Finding Your Work, it is well worth reading.

Head 013 Monotype with Indian Ink
(20.3 x 20.4cm)

I don’t think I know what it is to get inspiration, but I understand Jack London’s words “You can’t wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club”. 

I believe in just keeping on going, maybe it is not a belief, perhaps it is more a need or want.  I may have arrived somewhat late to the dance, but I am staying until the end.

Custody of the Senses Series

This series of paintings is an investigation into representation and perception of personal identity.

My aim is to pursue what lies deep within from what can be perceived from the external.  Where recognition of the individual is unimportant, where the facial features become uncertain, non-specific, but rather a vehicle or means of representing the identity.

I am interested in how the individual engages in Custody of the Senses to exercise control in order to protect but perhaps ultimately to incarcerate the self.  I see my work as confronting contrasts, strong/vulnerable, bold/subtle, personal/universal, shielded/unprotected.

My process:

I start by producing numerous thumbnail sketches to identify possible poses and postures, from these, I then take photos of myself replicating the sketches that I want to use, using the results in combination with the sketches I begin the canvas.  From this point I want the paint to dictate rather than the photo, allowing it to reveal and uncover what I desire to communicate.

Custody of the Senses 4i  (36" x 36")

"Three Figures" Monotype

Three Figures i (27.3 x 38.4cm)

This series was created following my studying the photographs of Eadweard J. Muybridge (1830-1904).  He is best known for his work on human and animal locomotion, using a multiple cameras to capture the motion as the subject moved.

“The Human Figure in Motion” (Dover Anatomy for Artists) (Dover Publications, Inc, NY)  contains a selection from the many studies he did on the subject.  I was particularly interested in the movement of the figure through space.  The title is somewhat misleading as it is in fact a single figure shown in motion.

I turned to making monotypes after I did a series of studies of each of the three positions, then juxtaposed them into one image.  The monotype was made using a Perspex plate onto which I rolled an oil based printing ink, I then drew back into the plate using a brush and turpentine.  I liked the fluidity of the method, allowing the figures to overlap and flow into each other.

I was lucky enough at the time to have access to a printing press, which made the printing itself very easy, especially on printmaking paper Somerset (grey).  I plan to write about off-press printing soon.