This is about me before, during and after taking my MA Creative Practice
I have come up with a few ideas for advertising for my exhibition at The Great Yorkshire Show
I have designed some posters and media posters that I can put out on social media. I have designed these myself on my iPhone. I have had several attempts.
A few weeks ago we had an online lecture with Simon Hill talking about the Double Diamond! I understood it as Working twice as hard as ever than before and pushing myself again ! So I am trying very hard to push my painting twice as far as before.
Today is one of those days.
This painting I started in the first few weeks of joining my MA. I made about 4 paintings within the space of a couple of hours. Paintings of sky and grass!
I loved it so much even though I had ran out of paint, but I felt I couldn’t call it finished. Just good sky wasn’t enough to call it a good painting . I have looked at it for nearly the two years thinking I would spoil it if I tried to do anything I’m with it.
But today I decided to create a local landscape running along the theme for my exhibition
It’s not quite finished but hope I have done the sky justice.
I have a list of jobs to do
I have ordered printable labels from Amazon today so I can give my paintings a date and title and price
I am going to design my invitation tomorrow and also use it as advertising at Weetons. I’m hoping to get them printed off so they are like post cards and people can use them.
I am going to write my bio tomorrow and laminate it.
I have already bought nails screws wire and sticky Velcro strips so I can attach my bio and labels to the walls
I have had a meeting with the Manager at Weetons and I have one hour to put my work up between 7am and 8am on 2nd June.
I am planning to pack my paintings into my car the night before along with my own ladders masonry nails and hammer.
I haven’t got a frame large enough for my paintings so came up with this idea.
I have always enjoyed looking at the paint and mixing my oil colours on my wooden palette. I even have 2 of them a small and large.
Every time I started a new painting with a new colour scheme part of the old colour would reappear on my painting. This has lead me to use the same colours time and time again. This has been a good thing because it has meant my paintings are connected to one another.
But at one point I felt I needed ti break away from my wooden palette and try the paper disposable ones. I felt it important to try new ideas so Very reluctantly I bought a pad. Again I found myself reluctant to actually change the paper and dispose of them. I hate throwing anything away and want to reuse everything.
I have even used dirty water I have washed my brushes in or the dirty turpentine I washed my brushes in. So this morning I have come up with a great way to reuse my disposable palettes. I’ve put my first two into a new sketch book ! I’m going to print off small images of the paintings I have produced with the palette too and place them in the sketchbook alongside the palette. That way I have a visual history of the colours I have used and how I have mixed them.
So excited about this way of logging my work. It’s all visual and I don’t have to throw anything away by putting it into a sketchbook. It’s organised in my own way !
Painting with oils thinned down to the extreme of almost hardly using any and letting my brush marks spontaneously make lines shade and forms.
Recently I have been experimenting with different size and shape brushes. I always used a small flat end long oil brush and used it so heavily that sometimes I could ware it out within a few paintings. So I knew it was time to expand and with it I have found new rhythm to my work. But what has come naturally one day and feels easy does not necessarily come naturally the next day.
Yesterday I worked very quickly on these two landscape paintings of Brimham Rocks. Continuing with my theme for my exhibition at Weetons Food Hall in Harrogate.
Today I picked up my long rounded brush and used the same almost dried up palette but I did not have the same flow or rhythm. It felt forced. Although I am happy with the outcome I think these few paintings have run their course and I am ready to move on again.
I have almost used the oils as a wash similar to a watercolour yet the oils were more manipulative and easier to blend with a rougher texture.
Thinking about my painting for Henshaws and looking at the sketches I drew. I was drawn to the change in light and the structure of the buildings and gates. I want to combine everything I felt that day, and my painting is starting to take shape even though it was a gamble painting different views in one painting.
Really enjoying working on my very large landscapes of my local area. So glad I gave this first one a go because I think it’s going to lead up to a collection of paintings of Brimham Rocks.
I think each time I do another painting of Brimham Rocks I will add more detail more depth and perspective, more shadow and more dialogue.
pamelas MA creative practice blog