If anyone would like to write this week's blog please send your contribution to tom_wood@tiscali.co.uk
Sandra Cowper wrote 'I thought I’d jot down a simple and personal point of view of Thursday evening’s session.
Because I had been creating for most of the day (by that I mean painting - not causing a fuss) I tried to re focus on what I might prepare for life drawing after tea. Perhaps because of the lack of any other imaginative ideas I decided to use up the paint already on my palette along with plenty of white emulsion and to use the big metal spreading implement, which I had already been using and must have a proper name, and spread this randomly and thickly over some free stout grey card.
At present I cannot integrate or combine the two separate activities of working at lyrical abstract non specific painting imagery and the more realistic painting of the human form. They run as parallel activities, maybe they always will or maybe time, continued application and discovery will open up a direction in which they can both play their part.
However back to Thursday evening and Joanne is our model who sits so elegantly impassive and enigmatic with beautiful skin colour and stillness. So in I plunge using the new set of cheap, I mean really, really cheap, acrylics purchased from a well known store.* I have been using these all day but in a different way and the colours are good and bright but I now find that they are not so creamy and spreadable as I would like. However this gives me something to work with and does produce an unexpected texture and effect. I also manage a smaller watercolour and pencil drawing as well as a really quick scribble drawing in my sketchbook.
I did not manage to see what others were doing on Thursday but on looking at the images posted here I am struck by Steven’s painting. I like its unfinished quality, the unidentified anonymous face, I like its muted palette and I like the way it makes me ask questions about it, If I saw this in a gallery without previous knowledge of the model or the artist I would be drawn to it, it would intrigue me it does intrigue me.
Peter’s sketch book studies also appeal to me, they are wonderfully dramatic. They have a flourish and hint of Picasso about them whilst Sue’s lovely painting has a touch of Modigliani.
Russell’s work combines abstract and realism, allusion and illusion, it seems to have an historical, narrative content and it is big. You can stand in front of it for ages and see so many different things, it draws you in and you yourself tell their story or your own story.
These are just the works which caught my attention this week, has anyone else got pieces which caught their eye?
* Aldi or Lidl, Sandra don't be shy, let us into the secret!
Paintings and drawings by Barry, Cathy, Fiona, Hadyn, Neil, Patrick, Peter, Roger H, Roger S, Russell, Sandra, Steve, Steven, Sue, Tom, Tony and Yvonne.
