Contact with an inspirational artist. - Alasdair Thomson

Since starting this journey, i decided early on that i wanted to steer my project towards personal reflection. Alasdair Thomson has since been my main influencing artist for this process. I was first captured by his 'identity collection' and the concept of preserving a garment forever in stone. I have developed this idea by preserving my own garments in plaster and then drawing from them. I have since looked at the people behind these garments and looked at drawing the figure with the help of life drawing classes and portrait artists such as Mark Powell. However, Thompson has been my main inspiration from the beginning and i have been lucky enough to be able to contact the artist via email.

Over christmas i contatced Mark Powell through his email with questions i wanted to ask about his work and the meaning behind his work. I was lucky enough to obtain a response from the artist in a few, very detailed replies. I have since been analysing these emails and relating them to my own work. I have displayed these emails within my portfolio in a small black book:

I asked Alasdair about the reasons behind preserving garmets in stone and why garrments, not other objects. I also asked him whether this was for his own personal reflection or for others. In reply to my questions he emphasised the fact that he just loves creating beautiful objects in stone. This is clear for anybody to see in his work. The most intriguing statement that he made in reponse to me, which i found truly inspirig was that he wanted to 'challenge peoples perceptions' and also their 'expectations of the limitations' of what can be achieved in stone. He illustrateed his point perfectly by comparing the views of people when viewing different styles of art work. I can relate to the fact that when viewing some contempory art, i often put up front against it because sometimes i find it hard to understand the true meaning behind it. However, when viewing Alasdairs work, there is a certain niostalgic quality about it, giving it accesibillity. Because of this, there isnt a 'barrier' of concept that may aliente many viewers of contempory art. Instead, upon visitng Alasdairs works, i instantly had a connection with the pieces because they resonated with me and i was able to identify with them. As Alasdair states, meaning is not dictated by these pieces but instead you are able to create your own meaning. This a really inspiring concept which i have taken forward into my final piece. I want the viewer to be able to put their own meaning onto my work. I want it to make them think and resonate with it. Alasdairs work has truly made me think and question which is why i approached him via email becasue he is a true inspiration in my project.

Since visiting Alasdairs work, i have become increasignly interested in drapery and the movement of fabric. Alasdair provides an explanation for this curiosity which i can also relate to. Whilst doing his research at the Scottish National Portrait Gallery, he came to realsie that firstly he did not have the skills to carve anatomy and secondly he was actually more intrigued by the large swathes of drapery wrapped around the bust rather than the busts themselves which he had firstly intended to carve. Following this discovery and after a year of experimenting he embarked on teh Fabricae series and consequently 'The Identity Collection'. In relation to my art work, Upon seeing those beautifully carved dresses and garments, i was instantly attratced to the idea of drawing drapery and like Alasadir i am more intersted in drawing the fabric surrounding the models than the model themselves. I proved this point to myself whilst visiting the Ashmoleom Musuem in Oxford and viewing all of the greek statues. I was more intereted in running my fingers through the carved stone fabric and seeing how it fell upon and around the male and female figures rather than the quality of the model themselves. 

Another interesting concept which Alasdair talks about in his emails is the sentiment and bond that he had with his work. He explains that he asked family and friends to donate articles of clothing that had been 'lived in and loved'. They were items that had 'real value and sentiment, which made them precious'. Alasdair consequently sacrificed the content of the series by allowing other to decide what he carved instead which again added a personal element to his work. Alasdair contrasts this feeling of sentiment with a recent sculpture that he carved of a wedding dress saying that he felt 'much less invested in it' because it was 'so much less personal'. with the identitiy collection he says that he had them hanging on his studio wall for month, however with the gown he flew home on the same day that he finished it and he never got any time to finish it. This made him quite sad.

 I can relate to this feeling of sentiment. For my final pieces i have chosen to include and draw setimental garments. I have drawn my mothers wedding dress in chalk and charcoal in the style of leonardo da vinci on a very large scale. this drawing has been hanging on my bedroom wall for a number of weeks while I finish it. I have been looking at it every day since and have formed a sentimental bond to it. And like Alasdair states, it adds a 'human element' to my work because the presence of my mother can be seen within my portfolio.

Since analysing these emails, i have found it easy to relate to the artist Alasdair Thoimson and i understand his works better. I have taken inspiration from his words and produced a final piece with him in mind. This should be evident in my final outcome.

Alasdair also sent me a video of him carving one of the sculptures featured in the identity collection which was very interetsting to watch as a could gain a sense of the craftmenship that goes into each piece. This can be viewed via the web link:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FOYMXRTnrLE   

 

Drawing faces in Biro- Mark Powell

To develop my life drawings further and to combine ideas that I have already touched upon from previous posts and artist research pages, I have started to draw the faces of my family members and I aim to complete a series of these for my final piece. A recent drawing of myself can be seen on my artist research page for Tom Hussey photography.  Since drawing Alasdair Thompsons stone dress in Biro, i have been attracted to this medium. As a result, i have resarched an artist who draws peoples faces in Biro pen and i came across Mark powell. 

Mark Powell is a London based artist who reuses old envelopes as canvas to produce photorealistic drawingswhich are mainly portraiture. Powell's drawings and constructed using biro pen only and often incooporate the original features of the letter including stamps and handwriting. 

Due to simlar reasons to my attraction to Alasdair Thompsons work, i have been captured by Mark Powell's idea of drawing on used envelopes, documents and map because this is a way of preserving history or a memory. The letter may have a personal meaning to the artist or to the person being drawn on the letter and therefore is very emotive. 

I have focused on Powell's "document" drawings as these have captured my imagination the most. It can be seen that he mainly draws older characters with emphasis on their facial features and wrinkles. His reason is because their faces tell a story which can be seen within the creases and wrinkles. 

My own interpretation of his drawings is the fact that each portrait Powell creates, morphs into the background it has been drawn upon. This then becomes a beautiful marriage between paper and drawing. 

A statement issued by Mark powell sates "Both the envelope and individual offer a story of mystery and intrigue, showing the scars of travel, a life lived..."

I love the usage of the word "scars" in this staement. It seems to sum up his reasons or meaning for each portrait in one word. Every portrait or figure has its own individul story. Every figure has lived a life. Powell simply draws their faces to express this life, but this simple drawing seems to provide the viewer with a vast amount of information about the figure in the drawing which the viewer can interpret and ask questions about at their pleasure. 

Powell has chosen to keep a distance between the figures he draws and himself. The figures have no personal meaning to him at all, however he trys to morph the picture into its background to somehow unify the two and make them relate. This is an inspiring concept which i wish to portray within my own work. 

I have been influenced by the idea of drawing on different surfaces. This adds an extra layer the the picture being drawn. Like Mark Powell, i also aim to do this, however i will draw the faces of people who i know personally such as family members and i shall drawn them on top of letters, poems or documents that have a meaning relating to them. Like Powell, i will also aim to tell a story through my drawings. I want viewers to look at my drawings or paintings and question them. 

Throughout this project i have embarked on a journey. Mark Powell will be an inspirational artist alongside Alasdair Thompson who will help me provide a personal meaning to this journey i am on. 

I have produced a response to Powell by drawing an image of myself, aged 5 on the top of the financial time news paper. This background has a personal meaning to me as this is the newspaper my father chooses to read.  have drawn this in Black Biro and i havee concentrated on proportion and composition. I have added in considerable detail in order to give a realistic effect. I have focused on thelight in  the hair and the juxtaposition between the figure and the doll. The doll adds an interesting feeling to the drawing, it makes it more interesting and emotive as it is a typical childs toy. I have used various strokes of line to create form and contours on the face and inthe hair. This is an A3 drawing. I aim to develop these further for my final piece. 

Taking inspiration from a single photograph...

I came across this photograph on the internet whilst i was searching for an inspirational photography artist. I was immediantly captured by it and have been throughout my project. It has a certain presence about it. I have been unable to trace the photographer of this photograph however i belive that it may have been taken for a fashion shoot, but i cannot be certain. The main attraction to this photograph is its sepia colour. This adds age to the photograph and makes it seem vintage. 

The model is beautiful an petite. The dress that she wears is vintage inspired and the high neck elongates her figure. The mirror in this photograph is fitting for this project. I love the emptyness of the room with only the model and mirror in it. 

This photograph provokes questions which cannot be answered. The viewer is unsure of who the model is, why she is wearing that dress or why the photograph is even being taken at all. 

This imagee has formed my main inspiratiion for my final piece photographs along with inspiration from Tom Hussey. I aim to take photographs of a model wearing my mothers wedding dress, with the reflection of the dress being shown in the mirror. This therefore adds a very peronal message to the photographs that this photograph lacks. From the photographs that i aim to take, i can then draw from them in the style of other artists that i have researched. 

Reflective Photography- Tom Hussey.

I have recently taken some of my own photographs using my Nikon bridge camera and i have titled these 'moments of reflection'. 

 The first shows my peer, Scarlett sitting on a swing in the forest, overlooking a reflective lake. The fact that i have angled the camera so that i have only taken a picture of the back of her, adds mystery to the photograph. The viewer cannot be sure what it is the girl is looking at or what it is the girl is reflecting on. This forces the viewer to ask questions which cannot be answered and allows the viewer to add their own meaning to the image. 

 The second photograph is an image of my mother, holding my chihuahua, Minnie whilst on a beach in cornwall. This is a very reflective piece as she is looking out to sea. My mother is looking towards the direction of the sea wheras the dog looks beyond. The pale blue sky and the deep turqoise of the sea blend together to create a typical seaside feel. I have captured a moment and this can be seen as the wind blows through her hair and the salt water surrounds her feet. This is of course a personal photograph to myself as it shows my mother. However, as my project is personl reflection, this becomes a valuable photograph for my project. 

Since capturig these photographs, I have reserched and found a photography artist in the name of Tom Hussey. I have created and annotated a page larger than A1 size for artist research. 

Tom Hussey is an American photographer specialising in commercial and lifestyle photography. Hussey mainly produces photographs for capaigns with the most recent being for an advertisement for a pharmecutical patch for patients with Alzheimer's disease. He titled this set of photographs 'Reflections'. 

Hussey has used two people for each part aged 40 to 50 years apart. One is an older 'patient' and the other an actor to look like the patient 40 years earlier in their lifetime. 

I have chosen to use this artist to combine his work with my own photography skills. Altough Hussey is creating these photographs for a specific cause, which is Dementia. I am not taking into account Husseys underlying message. I have been attracted to his photographs due to their reflective nature. I really like the usage of the mirror in his photographs and the usage of an older person looking upon their younger selves. The photographs have an emotive, personal aspect to them and this appeals to me. Therfore i plan to use this artist for his technique and composition of his photographs rather than for his own message. 

To use this artist in my own work, i plan to take photographs of people in the mirror using objects and people personal to myself. I would like to use this artist for my final piece idea wherby i plan to take photographs of a model wearing my mothers wedding dress and reflect this in a mirror. This therfore gives the photographs my own personal message.

To create this idea using art, i have drawn a mirror on my A1 artist page using water colour and soft pastel and then drawn an image of myself aged 4. The mirror is acting as a barrier from the past to the preasent. I am looking into the mirror and seeing a younger version of myself. The image has been drawn using graphite pencil in a varying range of tones. I have taken time with this drawing,especially  concentrating on the fabric and shadow on the face, hair and shoulder. I wanted this drawing to look as life like as possible, like the works of mark powell. 

This drawing has been drawn from a photograph of myself and my sister. I chose this photo due to the position o the face and the natural movement of the hair and clothing. 

To develop this, i will perhaps look at a pencil artsit who draws faces. I will also experiment with different mediums in my sketch book such as stick and ink, chalk, oil pastel, ink and acrylic. 

Historic inspiration for drawing Fabric- Leonardo Da Vinci

Leonardo Da Vinci was a man of many talents. He was an Italian painter, sculptor, architect and much more. He was one of the leading artists of the High Renaissance. Most of his paintings are on panels. I have used this artist for his drapery drawings which are thought to be preparations for later paintings. Most of these fabric studies have been drawn on "teal di Lino" or Linen Canvas and there are 16 known sketches altogether. This study shown below was completed around 1470 in grey tempera (an egg-based paint) and painted with a brush. This drapery study is one of the most famous of fabric falling on a seated figure.

Like the artist Alison Watt, Da Vinci also draws the fabric in the absence of the figure. This gives the fabric a greater presence and fills the entire picture which gives it movement. Da Vinci's works have inspired my own due to their photo realistic effect. His drawings look as if the fabric has been placed in front of the viewer. His works are examples of fine art. I am intrigued by his usage of light and dark. It is very easy to distinguish where the source of the light is. This is an incredible strength of Da Vinci's work and is part of the reason why his drawings are so realistic. 

Da Vinci has drawn fabric in different compositions. The image above shows the fabric falling around a figure. The image below shows the fabric sweeping across the floor:

And the image below this one shows a section of fabric in a position which is hard to define:

However, in each of his drawings it should be noted that his colour pallet is very monotone. Da Vinci uses black and white with a range of grey tones in between. By using these colours, shadow is beautifully created and the folds within the fabric are beautifully crafted. White is used to uplift the fabric and create a weightlessness effect whereas black is used to add depth and heaviness to the fabric and grey is used to blend these two colours together.

As stated previously, it is thought that these drapery studies completed by Da Vinci were in preparation for future paintings, and therefore they have been painted with a brush. By using this artist as inspiration for my own work, I would use Da Vinci's technique of light and dark. I would take inspiration from his colour pallet and also take inspiration from the paper in which he chooses to paint on. Da Vinci paints of canvases which are often grey or various shades of brown. This is an unusual choice of colour, however forces the painting to reveal itself from its background. The lightness of the background causes a dim light to be reflected upon the fabric which adds to Da Vinci's strength when using light and dark as it creates a dim glow surrounding the fabric. Another strength to Da Vinci's work is his allowance for the background colour to shine through. Not all of the fabric is coloured in. Therefore by using a complementary, dim background colour such as a light brown or light grey (as shown in the images above), the background morphs into the drawing being created and becomes a part of the painting and so the whole structure of the canvas, background and drawing are unified and becomes one. This is a beautiful aspect of Da Vinci's drawings which I wish to display in my own. 

Furthermore, Da Vinci often has a large amount of negative space which surrounds the fabric. This allows the drapery to spread out and find its own natural position. Da Vinci styles the fabric he draws to be natural. He allows the fabric to find its own length and for it to hang in its own way. I feel this is an important concept when drawing fabric and I hope to reveal this in my own drawings. 

The image above is of my artist research page in the style of Leonardo Da Vinci. This page is bigger than A1 and shows hanging fabric. I have drawn this fabric using coffee and watercolour. I have also researched Da Vinci's style of writing and this has inspired my title. I have added pictures of Da Vinci's work and annotated around the page. 

Since researching this artist, I have created a response. By using both Alison Watt and Alasdair Thompson, I have produced plastered pieces of fabric which can be seen in my previous post. I have therefore developed this idea further and have drawn from the pieces which i have plastered. 

I chose to draw this specific plastered fabric piece as this was created in the style of Leonardo Da Vinci. I focused on the way in which the fabric would hang if it was nailed in two positions to the wall. I focused on the folds and height within the fabric. Therefore I decided that this would be a very interesting piece to draw. I drew this drapery piece on brown paper, which I chose because it was a dim colour and would complement the black and white monotone that I would use to colour in the fabric. Furthermore, it would be easier to allow this background colour to shine through. I drew the outline in graphite pencil and took photographs step by step as I developed the drawing. 

Unlike Da Vinci, who paints his drapery pieces, i have created my own piece using black, white and grey shades of chalk. This was a time consuming piece and took around a week to complete. I have mounted the piece on white and black paper to complement the colour in the drawing. My drapery piece is currently being displayed in the school and it looks brilliant on the wall as it looks like it has been nailed to the wall and left to hang. 

I enjoyed creating this drapery piece and i would like to draw something like this for my final piece, perhaps more personal like Alasdair Thompson but in the style of Da Vinci. To improve this drawing i could perhaps create more areas of dark as it is unclear as to where the source of light is coming from. This is because when i drew this observational piece, the light was facing towards the fabric piece and therefore spread amongst the folds rather than on one particular side.