Jul 2, 2010

Saving Myself
























Hey hey, after that last post with the semi naked man I thought I'd better redeam myself.
I forgot that I was a painter for a while there :) so thought I'd better stick some of my real life paintings up.

That said, the top picture is of a photograph of a rose I saw in Canberra a few months ago when I went down for the post impressionists' show.  When I looked it through the viewfinder this is what I saw.
It wasn't till I got home that I realised that my breath had been fogging up the image in the viewfinder. So for the final image I cheated and photoshopped it.

The rest of the images bar one are paintings.
The toy boat one is my reaction to those sparkles that I put in my illustrations. One of the people who collect my work was kind enough to buy it.
The second one is a landscape down the road from where my old painting professor lives. This one now lives in the collection of another optometrist who has great style and taste :)

The next three are recent paintings (last two weeks) and haven't been exhibited. Though I used the same dark linen glazed background I tried to bring a bit more colour into them. It makes people think that I am happy!
But seriously, the dark ground helps you to tie the colours in. Theory is that with a limited tonal range you can use as many colours as you like - and the whole will be harmonious. It works most of the time. All these paintings are about 55 by 42 cm?



The one of the beach with houses in the foreground is a segment of a painting I did a few years ago. I like to simplify work by taking photographs of paintings I have done, isolating part of the painting that might make a good composition, then printing that out quite small, so that I have only the basic shapes with which to work up another painting.

Sometimes it works, sometimes it's too abstracted.




The last two images a are of a larger painting 1.2 metres by .9 metres, which is bigger than I like to work. It's a fun painting related to my digital collages I did of Humpty Dumpty a few months ago, and it's called Humpty Dumpty Double Amputee. It's an experiment in built up glazes - so it was quite hard to capture on film due to the reflection etc,
This painting caused me a great deal of stress recently, as I put it in a local prize hanging and the culling committee refused to hang it. When I picked it back up I was informed that there were 'just too many things wrong with it."
As budding novelist I was lucky enough to experience first hand what is called a rainbow of emotions. Disbelief, disgust, revenge, anger, dismay, nausea, destruction of ego, self doubt etc - culminating in  resignation and distrust of the local art community.

Nothing that a glass of good wine wouldn't fix!

The last picture is the painting in my part of the studio that I share with six other painters.

What's next? Well yesterday the huge Dell Laser Colour Printer I ordered arrived. It's so big I can't lift it without help. But the two prints I have done on it are just magic. It's only 1200 DPI by 1200 DPI but on A4 it still looks great. When I get a chance I'll be experimenting with digital transfer technique - so I will be finally able to get some of my illustrations out into the 'real' world.

If you are thinking of buying another inkjet, before you do, check out one of these. It won't do photo quality like a lab will - but I think it will keep me happy.


thanks again for looking at my work.


14 comments:

  1. Really fun to see your paintings!

    What's wrong with jurors anyway? Don't they know original, unique work when they see it?

    Thanks for sharing your paintings and your pain. I doubt there is an artist in existence who can't sympathize!

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  2. Heh, thanks Eizabeth, you are very kind. As painters we need to get our work 'out there', and we have to be thick skinned as well.

    I'm glad I found your blog. I would l0ve your collage work to influence me. I'm still taking it all in! Just too many ways to turn hey?

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  3. of course, yes, ive seen "Toy Boat, Cricket Ball and Northern Star" and "Smiths Lake, Afternoon" before, you know :)
    d'you know my fave?
    it's "Clown Toy".

    do you remember when i said i was having trouble reading the blackboard?
    i still am.

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  4. im sorry Grandewitch, i want to be on top right now...

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  5. Very good this Adrew, I think something I had seen and commented on your other blog. And now I repeat: These pictures, for me, are very, very superior to what you do with the computer (which is very well made but my heart always looks more to the paintings and less on computers). Of course my opinion does not matter, and I guess what you do with your computer, you do for fun, but I would like to see more of this.
    Thank you

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  6. I have no energy Mita. As you wish. Hello Andrew. I can't concentrate right now so I'll just say hello.

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  7. So, pink roses interest you? Hhm. That's one side of you I never knew. :)

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  8. I used to think that more colors in art represent happiness. Well, not until I read about Van Gogh.

    Hey, at least they make other people happy, right? I'm sure yours do :)

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  9. I'm eyeing your toy boat. It's quite enchanting, you know? Do you mind if I borrowed it for a while? It looks so tempting to sail away into the night. :)

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  10. Hya Mita, youknow, thank you for having such a good memory! I forgot about the clown toy :(!!!

    Hey Roberto thanks very much. I'm glad that you like these. they are real objects. The computer work is like cotton wool at the moment. Maybe it one day will be real?

    Ces and Amalia Hi! Pink roses and boats :)

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  11. Andrew,
    I liked very much to know your other work!
    the paintings are great; definition and expression in the right dose!
    congrats! and a hug

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  12. I feel much better after a much needed nap.

    Andrew, these paintings are great. I now see the source of your pedantic analysis of my paintings. You write that you use bright colors to give an impression that you are happy. It's interesting because I use bright colors all the time and it's not because I am happy but because they please my eyes. I don't really analyze my colors. I am not an academic artist. All I ever did was pick up the brush and then started painting. I know that a lot of my paintings are dictated by what I want to project, firstly, what I think and as I paint, I emote, as if my brushes will glide smoothly and faster. I love black colors too and I never once thought of black as unhappy, it has to be interpreted with the painting , not the color by itself.

    I love Hupmty Dumpty.

    I love big paintings. I most of my paintings are 30 inches x 40 inches. I love that you are a painter. I like people who paint. It is just lately that I started to admire illustrators and appreciated their work. Bella has a lot to do with me opening my mind.

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  13. Hi Andrew, I'm sorry about the committee deciding not to hang your painting. I too have had work rejected, it is very disheartening. I let it make me stop painting for a while. The whole "no talent" thing in my head and "what's the point" took over, but I am so much happier now doing what I love regardless of naysayers. If it makes you happy then it is worthwhile and wonderful. I love the colors, of these pieces, I have seen them before on your other blog but I had forgotten how colorful and energetic they were. I love painting trees too. It is one of my favorite subjects. I love trying to capture the light spilling through them. Lucky you, I want that printer! Have fun with the new toy. And how did I miss this half naked man?

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  14. Oh, goodness! It's a huge treat to see your paintings. What gorgeous use of color! The one of the beach, especially, reminds me of the work by masters. And the one of the lake through the trees is peaceful and exhilarating at the same time. Beautiful paintings!

    Grrrrrr, those judges should take the stick out of their beeeehinds. He makes me happy, your Humpty! I love the little bird trying to get his attention. And the hook hand! Hahahahahaha, pure genius!

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Hya! Thank you so much for leaving a comment. I appreciate your time and thoughts.