I’m loving the Mixed Media & Intuitive Landscape course I’m doing with Marabeth Quin. One of her tools is encouraging students to go back to each piece, over and over – considering , adding marks and layers.
It’s uncomfortable … I’m on the 6th or 7th pass for each piece. I can feel the pull to finish them and move to the next step. I’m resisting it and staying with her process.
Why? Because I can see and feel the change. I haven’t done the evaluation exercise yet but I’m sure there’s better contrast and brighter highlights.
Note: these were done on thin paper, so are buckled, because they’ll be glued into my sketchbook along with all the notes Marabeth encourages us to make.
Every year I do an art course to grow my skills and refill my cup. It’s a nice way to start the year. Last year’s course didn’t work out, because I got overrun with Tony, and never finished it.
I’ve long admired the work of American artist Marabeth Quin. Recently I found a new YouTuber, Hannah L Harris. She was talking about doing one of Marabeth’s online courses, and it’s one I’d looked at before. Decision made!
Part of the course involves choosing a colour palette with three colours, plus black and white. Marabeth suggests some colour combinations and I swatched out 6 of them before deciding on one. Doing the swatches made me realise I prefer a palette that includes blue or teal, and provides some light brights.
The journal I’m using to keep all the information and work in is the new Gordon Harris Mixed Media 220gsm A4 booklet. At $8 for 60 sheets I think they’re excellent value.
I’ve been stepping back into old methods and ways of mark making … no pressure, no sales, nothing but play. I’ve been surprised my work seems increasingly realistic, which isn’t my preferred style. I’ve been prepared to go with it, on the premise it would lead somewhere.
I keep my workspace relatively clear, except when actually working on something. As a mixed media artist, I feel I’m not doing enough mixing and layering. I decided to leave a bunch of supplies on my desk in the hope I’d reach for different media. My desk’s currently got paint, inks, fluro paint pens, NeoColour I and II, Stabilo Woodies and collage papers. I’ve also got a couple of new journals I’m working in.
I started a couple of pages last night and I was playing with materials while on a video call to my sister, then a friend. And there it was … bright, semi-abstract, layered. It feels like I’ve gone back to my artistic roots and also leapt forward. I couldn’t be happier!
I’m looking at the landscape with no expectations about outcome: just thinking about shape, colour, light, combinations of materials. This year is about play, not outcomes. This relaxed attitude seems to be pushing me further in both directions – abstraction and realism.
This one’s been out aside while I contemplate next steps
Last weekend was busy by my standards. Alan and I were out both days because we’re looking at properties. Then we went out Friday night with a bunch of people, some I’d never met before – introverted me was working hard! This weekend I needed to relax & spend time in my art room.
I spent Saturday making a variety of concertina journals from plain paper, ready for a trip we’ve got coming up later in the year. Then I started prepping some large A2 sheets of paper for more journals, so I’d have some with marks & colour on them already.
This morning I started pulling some more large paper out of my stash and suddenly … there it was … creative block & a sense of overwhelm because of the chaos I’d created. I had to stop and tidy up, and that turned into a huge ‘sort, reorganise, rearrange’ mission.
It never happens at work because I control my office environment tightly. Everything has a place, and the thing I’m working on is to the left of my keyboard, my pile of other work is well to my right so it’s out of my line of sight. At home, creating, it’s a different matter.
Our family is all neurodivergent, in varying degrees and manifested in myriad ways – but it’s always there. The more I’ve learned about Mum’s birth mother, the clearer it’s become her genes are the gift that keeps on giving!
My chaos and calm art room pendulum is a manifestation of my neurodivergence and that’s ok. The before and after photos shown are far from peak chaos!
There’s work on the floor because both desks and the printer are covered in wet paper.Tidy, organised and fairly clean
Cath Sheard Art 