Life Drawing 15.11.16

Pen, continuous line

As often happens on Life Drawing days I had a quite stressful time at work and so really didn't feel like dragging myself out again but, as usual, I was glad that I did. I've written before about how the personality of the model and the artists all affect the atmosphere of the sessions and this session was a good example of that.

Pen, continuous line 

Pen, continuous line

Pen, continuous line

Our model is very politically minded and it was interesting how over the course of the session we ended up with a bit of a narrative through the poses; one of her first poses was a head in hands despair type pose and she then moved through curled up hiding poses to more open, calm poses and finally quite a strident action pose. This prompted quite a lot of conversations and laughs and also some interesting discussions about whether you could use Life Drawing as a political statement. It also highlights one of the reasons I believe Life Drawing is both an exciting and important part of any artists practice; because you are working with another human being there is always the possibility of something unexpected happening and of being influenced in ways you may not have anticipated.

Pen, continuous line

Pen, continuous line

Pen, continuous line

Pen, continuous line

I wrote last time that providing poses for the model made me think about what interests me about drawing the human body. When our model asked if we had any preferences I asked for something with a bit of twist which backfired somewhat as I ended up with some extremely challenging foreshortening! However, it was a good technical challenge and whilst I didn't quite manage to get it right it did stretch me and that's the only way to improve.

Extreme foreshortening: Blind Drawing

Blind drawing

Pen, continuous line

Pen

I was pleased with my drawing this evening. I set out just to draw and enjoy the process so this helped me relax and not worry about the outcome which in turn meant that my drawing was quite free and probably better that if I'd been focusing really hard. I did a lot of blind drawing and I'm surprised at how accurate these are becoming, I like the odd proportions that sometimes emerge but also the fact that generally they are recognisable as the pose set. 

Pen, continuous line

Life Drawing 18.10.16

Pen, continuous line

Another month flies by and it's time for Life Drawing again! We had a new (to us) model for this session which is always interesting, there are so many things that affect the atmosphere and dynamics of the session; the model, the number of artists, which artists, how my day has gone. On this occasion I'd had quite a good day, less stressful than usual on a life drawing day and as I was due to go on holiday at the end of the week I was feeling quite upbeat.

Pen, continuous line

Pen, continuous line

Pen, continuous line

It was a nice busy session and I was pleased to welcome a new artist and to welcome back an artist who used to be part of the group when we met at Denton Holme. The pool of artists who attend the session has really grown over the past few years which is great and it's always lovely to see people and catch up, it's a very friendly group.

Pen, continuous line

Two pens at once

Left handed drawing

For this session our model wanted a bit of direction which was a good challenge for me as I had to think about what would work for everyone and try and help create poses that would provide interest from all angles. It also got me thinking about what I like to draw, the elements of life drawing that particularly appeal to me. Not surprisingly what I like are twists, folds, curves and poses that hide as well as reveal; all themes that occur throughout my work.

Blind drawing

Pen, continuous line

Pen, continuous line

I've had a lot of project work on recently and have been busy working on pieces for my upcoming exhibition so although I've been in my studio a lot I haven't been doing as much drawing. I really felt the impact of this during this session, it took me a long time to get proportions right and I was more hesitant and less confident than when I'm drawing regularly. As I say almost every month: I must get back into daily drawing!

Pen, continuous line

Pen, continuous line

Blind, left handed drawing

As always I enjoyed the drawing, I really appreciate the time just to sit and draw. I always come away feeling more energised then when I started and keen to do more.

Pen, continuous line

Pen, continuous line

C-Art at Prism Arts 2016

Main Studio, C-Art at Prism Arts 2016

Rather unusually I had a relatively quiet summer, I took some time out to focus on my work and really enjoyed being in my studio and getting into my own work. I took part in Carlisle Art Fair which was a great experience for me. I met lots of interesting people, sold some work and enjoyed the whole process. Although I was tired after the show I also felt quite inspired and keen to carry on developing my practice, making it more of a priority.

Nature Climb, 2016
Katie Lock and Maddie Mould

Nature Climb, 2016
Katie Lock and Maddie Mould

Nature Climb, 2016
Katie Lock and Maddie Mould

It therefore came as a bit of a shock to the system when I came to start putting together our Prism Arts exhibition at our Paternoster Row spaces for C-Art 2016! It was one of those times when the phrase 'anything that can go wrong will go wrong' kept popping into my head. However, after a stressful week, a small amount of cursing and a lot of hard work we got the exhibition up and ready for the preview.

Drawings, John Lake, Emerging Artist (Prism Arts Studio Theatre West and Studio Arts)

Triptych, Prism Arts Creative Conversations Group

Triptych (detail,)  Prism Arts Creative Conversations Group

Prism Arts rents our studios and office space from the University of Cumbria in their Business Interaction Centre and because we're in the university's spaces we've been working with them and some of their students to provide exhibition opportunities, including a bursary which went to Katie Lock and Maddie Mould for their beautiful piece 'Nature Climb' which is hung in the stairwell of the building and we also gave our small studio to student Emeli Hartness who has created an intriguing installation based around nursery rhymes and their dark origins.

Prism Arts Studio Arts group 

Prism Arts Studio Arts group 

Prism Arts Studio Arts group 

Prism Arts Studio Arts group 

Several of the groups I work with for Prism Arts have work on show for the exhibition, including my Studio Arts group and the Wednesday Art Group at Carleton Day Centre. I find it both exciting and nerve racking installing work for exhibition, especially other people's work. I know in my head how I want to display things and how I think things should look but of course as in most aspects of real life this rarely happens and I spend a lot of time assessing alternatives.

Carleton Day Centre, Wednesday Art Group

Carleton Day Centre, Wednesday Art Group

Carleton Day Centre, Wednesday Art Group

Carleton Day Centre, Wednesday Art Group

How work is displayed is so important because it has a big impact on how viewers respond to it. I believe the work produced by our participants at Prism Arts is of a very high quality and I want to be able to show how talented these people are and that they can achieve so much more than some people expect. Giving people the opportunity to develop their creative skills allows them to find their own voice and tell their own story, rather than always having others speak for them.

Prism Arts/Tullie House: Picturing Places response work

Prism arts/St. Bede's/ Carlisle Library: Seven Stories project

Last year for C-Art several of Prism Arts artists, including myself, showed work and we had the opportunity to again this year. Earlier in the year we'd chosen the theme 'Flow' as it was nice and vague but would hopefully give a cohesiveness to the show. Not many of us exhibited this year but similarly to last year I was surprised by how well our pieces, all produced independently and without consultation with each other, fitted together beautifully. I love everything about Jan Hick's piece which embodies the theme perfectly.  I chose to show my small textile banner 'Flow: Connect' which is made from hand dyed indigo, beads and feathers and took forever to stitch!

Prism Arts artist: L-R Amanda Mudge, Amanda Mudge, Jan Hicks, Helen Walsh

Jan Hicks: Flow, Helen Walsh Flow: Connect

Flow: Connect

C-Art is on across Cumbria until 25th September with an impressive array of artists exhibiting so if you can I recommend you get out there and follow the yellow signs!

Show time preparation...

Puffin, 2016
Applique and machine embroidery on linen

After a very busy first half of the year I was feeling a little flat in terms of my own personal practice, I'd enjoyed the projects I'd been working on but I'd not had much time for my own work. I got the year off to a good start with my daily drawing, keeping it going through January and February but as time went on things started to slide, as they do, and I lost the impetus a bit.

Assemblage, 2016
Painted wooden box and curated objects

Assemblage, 2016
Painted wooden box and curated objects

Assemblage, 2016
Painted wooden box and curated objects

One Sunday a couple of months ago I was meeting Mr. Stitches at the sports centre (not my natural habitat) and I saw a flyer for Carlisle Arts Fair. I'd been looking for a project that would give me an opportunity to spend some time developing my own work and provide an opportunity to share my work with others. This seemed like a good option as it was local, I'd been to one of the previous Fairs and liked it and I'd thought about doing this show anyway. I checked the submission details and realised that it was the last day for submissions so I went home, put together my submission and sent it off.

Memento I, 2016
Thread wrapped twig, feather, hand dyed indigo cloth

Memento II, 2016
Gold paint, twig, feathers, red velvet

Memento III, 2016
Gold paint, thread,  twig, feather, red velvet

I was very excited to be accepted and since then having an event to work towards has really helped me prioritise my own work and helped me feel inspired to get going and get working! I have so many different strands to my work as a whole that often my own work falls to the bottom of the list because it doesn't have a deadline as such so a specific event such as this is really helpful for me.

Starling, 2016
Fabric pastels and hand embroidery on linen

Starling, 2016
Fabric pastels and hand embroidery on linen

Starling, 2016
Fabric pastels and hand embroidery on linen

I've really enjoyed spending time in my studio drawing, stitching and making. These are the things I love doing and having time to devote to them has been really rewarding and made me realise that I need to make this more of a priority. It's also fired me up with so many ideas that I want to explore. I've focused on making work that is less conceptual for the Fair so I've been focusing more on skills and aesthetics which has been quite liberating as I've been less worried about what it all means. As I've been less worried the ideas have been flowing and I've got lots of avenues I want to explore.

Raven, 2016
Lino print, limited edition of 20

3 Small Feathers, 2016
Pen drawing on watercolour paper

2 White Feathers, 2016
White gel pen on black paper

I'm writing this post partly as a break from all the practical preparation that goes into showing work; labelling, pricing, mounting (so much tape) and so on but now I must get back to it. If you're in Carlisle next weekend it would be lovely to see you!

Starlings, 2016
Machine embroidery on linen

Gannet, 2016
Machine embroidery and fabric paint on linen