Tuesday 13 June 2017

Drawing Tuesday: 'Electricity' at Wellcome; Hokusai at British Museum



A week ago I made a brief visit to the Hokusai exhibition at the British Museum - one of the advantages of being a member  is that   you don't need to book  ( although it's recommended at busy times) and  don't feel that you have to see absolutely everything in one go as can always come back another time!
I loved the 3D installation in the Great Court (top)  the result of family workshops  in painting and origami.

 I made some notes in my sketchbook of the work that caught my eye ( particularly the mark-making) and found  images online afterwards


An earlier version of the 'Great Wave' had a wonderful subtlety of line  and interesting composition  as did the one below  (the balance of dark and light especially).


The stylised  flow of  this waterfall reminds me of Gordale  Scar.

Towards the end of the exhibition there was a lovely black and red drawing of breakwaters ( a subject dear to my heart!) . I couldn't find the exact work on line but  the print below is based on it..
I loved seeing the drawings  and the stages  of the process involved in producing such finely executed and lively woodcuts, a shame that most of the items for sale in the shop are so crude and tacky!
In the morning , the location for drawing Tuesday was the Wellcome Collection . I was pleased to revisit the 'Spark of Life'  exhibition on electricity which had been the focus of the Contemporary
Drawing Sketchbook course and draw some items I'd missed!
I concentrated on the early voltaic cells ( battery) and Edison's first lightbulb.
And after the museums I  did some shopping for art supplies in Cornelissens, getting the assistants whizzing up their ladders to find items in the numbered  wooden drawers. It might seem a rather large bag just for a few tubes of watercolour  but I did buy paper as well!!  



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