The last blog that looked at time for reflection and refreshing ones working practices is in some ways underscored here. Since the last blog I have had some time in the studio and have been using mixed media with chalk pastels as I explore the ripples and reflections of crystal clear waters.
As I work my mind is so absorbed and less conscious about the exact marks that I make on the paper surface. I feel it is a time for exploring experimentation taking some risks.
(Above and below: some examples of some practice in the studio with various media)
Last weekend was a real chance to reflect and in many ways explore. We were at a really rather wonderful family gathering. Our host invited my family and siblings to a lunch with her four sisters. Our families have known each other all of my life.
(Above; This is me during my childhood)
The conversations and laughter, the shared experiences were absolutely enchanting. It is so interesting how each persons life is shaped by experiences, by circumstance and to quite a degree chance. From the childhood days of making mud pies decorated with flowers, to marriage and raising children and beyond.Perhaps as a result these nuances have somehow become traces or echoes within my work.
(Occasional interventions, flowers, mud and sticks)
I suggested this in a previous blog post https://www.ivangrieve.com/blogs/news/what-does-a-subject-matter .that subject matter and materials are conduits for expression of emotions. This is is still very true for me today as it was when I made mud pies and decorated the with flowers.
I do very often work with mud or found pigments and plants and even flowers as tiny interventions. One reason I like to do this is I feel it gives me a connection with a landscape subject. In addition to this, I like to create a “ground” to work on this adds texture but also serves as a vessel for pigments to adhere to the surface.
(Below; examples creating a ground and using layers of materials to create the feeling that I wish to create).
I am very proudly a self taught artist and whatever the subject matter that I choose, I will experiment and explore with surfaces and materials to create the feeling, the emotional resonance, that I want to share with a viewer.
(Below; an example of deeply personal self portrait painted in the studio shortly after the death of mother).
I for one, do not believe that AI can create this emotional discourse and thus I watch with interest to see how it goes. When I create a body of work I am seeking to convey a perception and in doing so there is not an idealised image in my head. I allow all my senses to explore and interdigitate with each other.It is a learning process.
I have made “bodies of work” but there are so many wrong turns and unexpected results, for me that is part of the joy.
(Above selfies in various ways)
( Bristol; Work and studies for room 530 Bristol Templemeads )
(Above: drawings mainly mixed media following the seasons, some reference
Photos and Saltmarsh project work (the large print) ).
(Below; portrait sketches form zoom meetings and drawings of my father from over the years as birthday gift, I really enjoy doing fast sketches with gestural marks).
Meeting up with childhood friends after so many years, without any preconceptions but simply enjoying where the time has taken us all was so fulfilling. That is what life is really about.
Finally here is link to short video I made about colour, pattern, tone and texture…
Textures and Patterns can be viewed by copying and pasting this link here;
https://youtube.com/shorts/Bvnim-z6tzU?feature=share
Thank you so much for reading this short blog any questions, thoughts or collaborations are always welcome, do stay in touch.
