EDAM Term 3 : Further thoughts on 'Meanwhile...', techniques and artists to explore

 During the course  of 2 terms of EDAM I've been pushed well out of my comfort zone in the variety of  drawing techniques. Now in Term 3,  when we're working on our own projects, I need to consider which of these  will be useful for  me to use to explore the theme of ' meanwhile...' ( initial thoughts here )
 Large scale drawing with Tony Hull, starting with  object, blind drawing, mark making with long stick. wrapping object ,  inserting sheets of paper to disrupt composition , making linkages across surface,  layers, responding to what's there.

 Bookmaking , copies of monoprints, change of scale,  formats, concertina
 ( also ideas  from   monoprint  sketchbook project -  backs of work different to front, interaction of pages,, juxtaposition ,

 Paper manipulation and stitch - lots to explore here, take on idea and try different methods: pleating, distortion , ripping layers , stitch on acetate

Space and Light with Anne Teahan, feeling the form

 Lessons from 'Large Scale Sketchbook' :

 Interest in layers - in cloth, excavating old  quilts, what's beneath , how to  try this in paper?

Some  first thoughts on artists  of relevance:

Michael Buthe 

 Junko Oki ( Looking forward to  going to see her exhibition in Brussels in a couple of weeks time !) 

Paul Feiler - I spent some time looking at layers and composition at the Redfern Gallery 

Julie  Mehretu 

Guillermo Kuitca

 And 'mining'  my  own blog for artists that have influenced me over the years - interesting to make connections.
 Richard Long
David Nash  Tree  Quaryy
David Nash Cork Structures
David Nash
Sue Lawty
Cornelia Parker 
Tania Kovats 

Our homework  from the first  class was to read an article from Contemporary Drawing 1960's to now by Katherine Stout and research  ' expanded notion' one of the themes 

We started  the  next session  looking  at  artists using these different methods :

 Alison Wilding 

 Jenny Saville 

 Claude Heath 

 Frank Pudney 

Kirsten Elswood

Gerhard Richter  ( overpainted photographs at Gagosian) 

Stephan Talasniek

( for his use  of frottage, monoprinting  'activating the surface' 

 Helen Scalway 

 'Psychogeography'  writer ( well worth downloading the pdf's) ,  ' Travelling Blind'   shows  fascinating interpretations of the tube.  

Cosmopolitan city  shows different scales ( above) and I like' patterns and perspective' ( below) linked with her essay on ornament and memory

 Nancy Spero  for her use of text 

 William Kendridge' s interdisciplinary  work covers so many different media , it was a privilege to see the rehearsals for the 'Head and The  Load' last year . I  have a copy of his  '6 Drawing Lessons'  somewhere, must track it down.

My own  research, linked to my interests in  mapping walks,  was in ' walking as art' ,  so I was interested to find the catalogue for exhibition ( which can be downloaded on ISSUU)  

 Walk on-WALK  celebrating 40 years of 'art walking' 

Those that caught my eye  were  Tim Knowles ( whose '7 walks from 7 Dials, Covent Garden' is featured  in the inspirational 'Drawing Projects' book 

 Also Jeremy Wood  who pioneered  drawing  with GPS ,the  3d physicality of his piece  ' White Horse Hill'  I found   exciting.

"We cannot understand where we are on the ground without first looking up at the stars. The chalk figure from the Bronze Age was made to be seen from the heavens and today we use space age technology from the heavens to tell us where we are.

The Uffington White Horse was chosen for its mysterious dialogue between the ground and the sky; a relationship it has in common with the magical properties of satellite navigation technology.

The original shapes have eroded over time along with their meaning. They are signs, not entirely visible from the ground that are projected towards the skies like symbols on a map to be seen by the gods." 

 

Drawing Tuesday at the Queens House

  Drawing Tuesday this week was at the National Maritime  Museum, Greenwich  but as the Queens House had only just reopened after a lengthy refurbishment I  stopped off  for a quick look around. Only there was so much to see  in the end I only had about half an hours drawing in the museum itself.
Besides the portraits and pictures of battleships at sea there were some contemporary  work on display alongside older  pieces.

  My favourites were the panel of tiles hung opposite each other : the panel of old Delft tiles  showing whaling opposite 'Sea Marks' by Tania Kovats.  Her inspiring book 'Drawing Water'  shows variations of this done in ink. 

  To get to the galleries you have to climb the gorgeous 'Tulip Staircase'

  Besides paintings, they had some quirkier old artworks like the woolwork embroidered pictures ( don't you love those skies!) and the Working Mens Educational posters of the stars from 1850's printed on cotton ( they could be easily  rolled and hung up in different venues)  

 Another fabric wall hanging was this fantastic  huge screenprinted  commemoration of the Glasgow shipyards by Alexander Hardie Williamson. I'd never heard of him - apparently he's best known for designing Ravenhead glassware.  The subject matter also had resonance for me - my grandfather was a pattern-maker there ( he was involved with the refit of Queen Mary)  and my dad an apprentice , going to evening classes to get a HND in engineering.  

Scattered around several rooms were the paintings of Herbert Barnard John  Everett who apparently has the largest number of paintings in public collections of any artist!  Definitely worth finding out more about - I loved his stylised designs and colour

  He was particularly known for recording the 'dazzle' designs on ships

 

But enough of looking at paintings , I was determined to  do at least some drawing, attempting from a dark corner to draw this 'Scare devil' from the Nicobar Islands . Difficult foreshortening and poor lighting  means he looks more like  Noddy  than a power figure! 

 A long train ride home ( we were stuck for half an hour  outside Dartford due to signaling problems) had me  doodling in my handbag sketchbook with a biro, I'd been reminded by   Janet's drawings how versatile  drawing instrument it is.