To begin my abstract project, I started by creating three research sheets on the three topics we were to study; Portraits, Landscapes and Still Life. I collected primary sources, being photographs I had taken from previous trips and sketches, and secondary evidence from magazines and books. These sources then guided me in creating three varied mix-media sheets.
I began with my Portraiture sheet, mainly because Portraiture is my favourite area to study. I gathered up some secondary photographs from an old vogue magazine, and cut them into sections. I began with a photograph of David Bowie; I am fond of music especially the 80s and 90s so using a photograph of an artist I like brought a personal touch to my work, rather than choosing images at random. I drew out the other side of his face and from using the opposite image I filled in using coloured pencil. Using artistic license I decided I would draw it this way so It would help me improve my portrait skills. I could have been better with choosing the right colours so the images appeared to be one rather than two, however I am best pleased with my outcome.
I drew a study from a primary photograph of my friend using acrylic paint to show my painting skills,and then using a photograph I painted abstract lines on to show contour and light and shade, but in an abstract way. I applied the paint quite thickly and loosely as I wanted the study to contrast with my pencil drawing for some variation. I added some flowers with watercolour and marker pens to add some pattern and brighten up the sheet.
My second sheet I based on landscapes. Using a secondary sourced image again, I Stuck two separate ones onto my sheet, and drew out the other half and painted in watercolour. I used watercolour because it is a nice simple medium, that glides nicely along me page. Compared to acrylic I find it easier to blend. I feel I definitely could have improved on the colour matching, and the perspective as it is slightly off. I am glad I chose watercolour to use. I added some highlights with white acrylic and a piece of card to scrape it on with, to bring out the foreground better, which I feel worked. Although my study doesn't look exact to the original image, I feel it still represents the landscape theme. I added a transfer fish just to make my study a little more fun. I began to blend the bottom of my image out to the bottom of my page. and after cutting out the word 'landscape' form some tracing paper I printed it using a sponge and acrylic, to show some different techniques rather than just painting. I loosely drew some trees in the background and scraped paint on with the card again for some texture. I really feel I kept my colours in comparison so the whole sheet fit together nicely. I am pleased although I could have worked on my perspective as previously mentioned.
For my still life I used a variety of mediums. I mainly used primary sources for my studies. After attaching some secondary photographs, again from Vogue 1999 magazine, I washed my sheet with some blue watercolour to blend my photograph in, and began to draw some photographs I had taken from a recent trip to York. I really enjoyed the museum, and they had a huge variety of still life objects which fitted in perfectly with this project. I used acrylic paint, coloured pencil, pen and water and biro pen to create my studies. I wanted to produce a nice range to mix up the sheet a little. I am especially pleased with my biro study as I really tried to show light and shade in my lines. I transferred an image using acrylic paint; I first applied the paint into a rectangle shape and the placed my image on face down. The paint acts as glue, which takes the image from the original surface and onto the new one. I ten let it to dry, and peeled the paper away. I am really happy with my outcome, as I have learned to let the paint dry for as long as possible, preferably overnight to ensure the image transfers completely.
After completing my primary research, I began to look at some artists for inspiration, who base their work on the abstract period. After previously looking at Patrick Heron's work, I chose to study his landscape work, as I really love the colour palette he has used, and how free he is in his studies. Heron began to take inspiration from Paul Cezanne in his early works, and then from attending the school in St Ives, alongside Barbra Hepworth and Ben Nicholson, created his own style which is very much stylized from the natural world, and a balance of colour and form. From looking at Heron's work I could infer that he brought the abstract theme in by splitting the objects into pieces of different colours and then put them back together. I feel this gives the paintings more depth, and really catches the viewers eye. I began to recreate Heron's works, 'Boats at night', and 'Harbor window with two figures 1950'.
I chose these two pieces as they are both very different; both are produced in oil paint however the techniques used are very varied. 'Harbour Window with Two Figures' uses very controlled brush strokes. I feel it really tells a story, each section of the painting has a different meaning to it, the bright yellows really draw you in to the them as they make you feel happy and bright, whereas the darker colours in the background are pushed away form everything else. I feel it brings a sense of mystery to the painting and make you want to study it further. I felt I would do my study in acrylic and fine liner so I could really get in the detail. I blended my colours together well to create the same colours as the original had. I only took a section of the painting for it being so large, I just wanted a small snippet to display the varied work Heron has produced. For my second critical study, 'Boats at night, 1947', I used oil pastel, as it is very similar to oil paint, and I wanted to expand my skill in using pastel. I used a range of techniques, firstly blocking in my colours and blending to give that loose feel Heron has shown. I used the Scraffito method to create texture, scraping away sections of the pastel to really feel earthy and rough like the original. I tried to be very free with my strokes to bring the whole piece together. To create the white waves I used white acrylic, which I had let dry to thicken up. I then dry brushed it onto my work and blended in with oil pastel. It became really effective, and had that rough lumpy texture to it which you would expect to feel if you touched Heron's study. Overall I am very pleased with my studies and feel I managed to incorporate how Heron would have felt producing them at that time. I could have used produced a bigger version of my first study instead of such a small one, although in the end it fitted in well.
I decided to research Paul Klee for my second Landscape artist, because I really loved the fact he bases his work on the colour theory. He feels colours show the emotion and the setting of each work. I also love how some of his pieces, especially 'Twittering machine' step away from the mature side of art and brings out his child like features; you can see he really has had fun with his work as well as creating pieces that have a deeper meaning. To create 'Villa, R' I used acrylic paint, as at the time I did not have any oil paint to hand. I worked over some areas with coloured pencil to really create that rustic look that oil paint gives. I used watercolour pencils which are very dense and pigmented so when pushed onto the paper they really bring texture that I liked. I also used the dry brush method to create rough looking lines.
Through Klee's life he experienced traumatic events, such as deaths close to him from his time participating in the war. From viewing his work you can clearly see through time his mood and attitude to work has deteriorated, as the colours he used were very dark and muted, compared to the bold bright primary colours he used in previous.
For my still life research, I chose two artists, my first being Fernand Leger. Leger was a French painter, sculptor and film maker, who based his work on Cubism. I looked at two of his works, 'Plant Black (1947) and The Railway Crossing (1919). I loved the flamboyancy of his work, especially the colours as they had a primary feel to them, which really caught my eye. To create ' Plant Black', I used two Mono-printing methods. Using oil based printing ink, I mixed my colours, as similar to the original as possible, and rolled out my three base colours, yellow green and lilac. I should have left my colours to dry before rolling them over the top of each other, as they blended together, but as oil paint takes the longest to dry, I did not have enough time, and should have focussed more on time management to get my desired effect. To make the shapes I cut out each piece from cellophane and rolled the ink onto the shapes. Then with a clean roller I rolled the paint onto the coloured background. I was really pleased with my overall result as it had a similar appearance. I used oil as the original was painted in oil, but to work on my printing skills I used inks. Oil sticks much better than water-based inks, and is much more pigmented. To create my second piece, I used gouache, as it has a flat appearance, and it reminded me of the original image. I highlighted areas with pencil crayon, and created the rough areas as pencil over paint leaves a nice texture.
My second Still Life artist study, is Juan Gris, a Spanish painter who worked in France for most of his life. Gris was a cubist artist, who befriended the likes of Matisse, Leger and Braque. These artists too worked along the abstract style, and would include each other in their works. I can see how Gris and Leger became friends, as their works show very similar aspects. They both were inspired by colour, and both seem to alter the perspective in their work. I like how Juan Gris adds multiple perspectives, keeping some areas quite flat and others not. I found I could recreate this look in felt and needle, so I cut up my pieces (using various colours) and sewed them together using different thickness of thread to add shading and definition in some areas. Due to the lack of felt colours It didnt quite capture the elements of 'Guitar and Music Book, 1923'. However I have gathered the texture and the way that Gris creates his work in block colours rather well. His colours are rarely blended and are neatly applied, which is why I felt that textiles would make a great alternative. My second study, 'Fruit and Book' was painted in oil paint, the medium used in the original. I am not fond of using oil paints, although I applied the colour in blocks and avoided layering so the colours would not blend and I feel I portrayed the study well. From a recent trip to New York, I was lucky enough to visit a piece of Juan Gris' work, and I gained better understanding on how he produces his work. I saw he liked to use different materials in his work that add texture, which is why I used felts to create a study of his work. Overall I feel I could have been more precise and known how to use oil paints better as I do not normally use them.
I then began to look into abstract Portraiture, and researched two artists, very different in various ways. My first artist was Henri Matisse, a French artist known for his use of bold colour. Matisse was a printmaker painter and sculptor, who's use of expression and language in art lead him to become one of the most famous figures in modern art. I recreated two of his works, 'Andre Derain,' and 'Self Portrait in a Striped Shirt'. My first study, I used oil pastel, as I felt is was a nice alternative to oil paints. Again, from visiting Matisse' works in New York, I was aware that Matisse liked to keep his work looking fresh and raw, nothing over done. Consequently, I applied the pastel in short thick strokes, keeping the colour fairly pigmented. I did however end up leaving some white spaces in the background which actually made the image appear fresh and new, unfinished in a good way. I made sure I applied the pastel like i would paint, keeping it smooth. My second study 'Portrait in a Striped Tshirt' was done in acrylic because I wanted to vary the media on my sheet. I worked quite quickly with this, and aimed to not layer the paint, to prevent the painting from looking defined. I really enjoyed painting this study, because It was something out of my comfort zone, as I enjoy creating detailed studied, not fresh ones. I made the background soft and blended to make the foreground stand out, creating a nice contrast. I feel Matisse wanted the audience to see the meaning of each piece through the colour rather than the image itself, which is why he worked so fast and freshly.
My second chosen portrait artist was Giorgio Chirico, an Italian artist who influenced the surrealist movement. Although his portraits do not have any kind of abstract feel to them, I still researched his studies, because I was really interested in the way he used light and shade; I feel it really shows the mood of the painting, and when it was set. I chose to recreate 'Self Portrait 4', in acrylic paint. As the original was made in oil, I used the acrylic as if it were oil, refraining from using water, just to get the feel Chirico may have had. I began by roughly drawing in lines of colour, to work out where my paint would go; it acted as a sort of bone structure of the face, giving me guidance for the skin. As it was one of his more recent portraits, I had to apply the paint thickly to create the deep lines and wrinkles of the skin. I feel Chirico brings life to his paintings by the use of highlight. Unlike Matisse' his works are very detailed and worked into, whereas Matisse kept his work fresh and free, to let the audience discover for themselves what the painted was about. Chirico's use of colours was also very dark and limited, whereas Matisse had childlike colour palettes in my opinion, very bright and garish. I transferred 'Portrait of Artists Mother, 1911' onto my sheet using acrylic paint. I feel the rough edges from where I peeled it away really contrast the dark, soft strokes Chirico used. I think to improve I should have chosen an artist that portrayed more abstract techniques, to really understand why these artists painted in particular ways. For example, Picasso explored cubism in many ways throughout his life, due to the many relationships he had entailed in throughout his living.
I chose to base my final piece on Portraits and chose to influence my piece on Henri Matisse, because I was so intrigued by his use of colour, and, as I had chosen a photograph of me and my sister to create, It connected with my child theme. I looked at two paintings, 'Detail portrait of Greta Moll, 1908' and 'Woman With a Hat, 1905', which were both from the Fauvism era.
I produced 3 sets of Lino prints, using water based inks, all based on the three main themes; Still life, Landscape and Portrait. I based my still life prints on a photograph from a trip to York museum. I enjoyed playing around with the colours, and overlapping prints to create a 3D effect. I worked on one of my prints, with coloured pencil, which I really felt brought the image out. I used sunset colours, which were highly influenced by John Banting, a print artist from Chelsea. As seen in his Lino Cuts, he uses bold marks and prints with bold colours. I took inspiration from his print 'Explosion' by cutting my main image out precisely, and using similar bright colours. However, I kept my own style and added a vintage edge to my print, by cutting the background out roughly, leaving lines of lino still visable, as the photograph was taken from an old barn. I felt this contrasted nicely with the main image also. 
'Abstract' 1935
Banting based his work around surrealism, and on Lino, a medium, that had only been invented in the early 1900s; a modern technique compared to Woodcuts and etching for example. It is an alternative to Woodcutting, a process where Lino is cut into using a sharp tool or knife. The medium is very soft, making it easy to achieve a clear cut, compared to woodcutting, where the wood will warp and soften. I based my portraits on my favourite singer Rou Reynolds. I really wanted to work into his beard, and using inspiration from Banting's pieces, I used a small tool and really worked into making the hairs of the beard stand out. I used both water-based inks and oil-based when printing my set, as I wanted to have a mix of outcomes. Oil based ink is a lot more pigmented, as it is used for etchings it can really get into the smaller areas and produce a cleaner print. However, water-based are lighter and less messy. They are easier to work with as they are less viscose and easier to apply. However, water-based inks are less pigmented, which may result in an unclear and low opacity print. Lino prints can appear quite flat, as you are really only using two colours; your chosen colour and the white exterior. It is hard to add another colour in specific areas like you would when painting a picture, so to create definition, you would use different mark making techniques, which I had done so in my Landscape prints...
My landscape prints were taken from a primary sourced image from a trip to Yorkshire Sculpture park. I was intrigued by the light and shade in the photograph, and how I could transfer it into a linocut. I took inspiration from Banting's 'One Man Band', especially how he had incorporated different mark making skills into one print. I used cross hatching in my linocut, and I also experimented with colour, using multiple colours in one print. I could have been quicker with the printing process however; Water-based inks tend to dry out quickly if you leave them, which resulted in an uneven print. To resolve this however I worked into it using a fine liner to create some pattern, and to bring a little perspective into my image. I used another mark making technique, using swirls and wave motions with my pen to create the flowers and water, which I felt turned out well. It made my print into an image rather than just a print, which gave some variation to my set of print. I also used the bright orange and yellows, again as Banting had. I mixed my own colours together to make my prints original. My result image wasn't clear, however it did give a definite abstract feel to my print overall.
'One Man Band' 1934
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