An Artist's Bookcase

There is a little bit of re-assessment going on at the moment, as it seems it is going to be a while before I have a studio and therefore have to make the best of what I have.

Room is a big issue, so I have tidied away almost everything that does not relate directly to oil painting - no more experiments with pastels, paper all tidied away, watercolours accessible but in a drawer and not lying about ready to be picked up

My books have also taken part in this - last year (during 28 drawings later) I was gifted a Kindle and it has occured to me that I don't really need quite so many paperbacks. So there has been a winnowing. Those that bring back memories, are brilliant or difficult to get are staying, the rest off to the charity shop. Which means I can re-arrange my art books out of big piles and into proper bookcases.

Starting with this one. The first layer is mainly books I am reading/plan on reading soon, the second are novels etc to be read, the bottom cookbooks etc along with beautiful, useful, inspirational reference books that I want to be able to consult in seconds.

So, to go through a few of them - The Art Of Urban Sketching speaks for itself, I have flicked through it (not least because the mega talented Wil Freeborn is in it, but haven't actually read very much of it yet.

The Artists Way - Julia Cameron - got about a third of the way through a few years ago, found it in the clear up and thought maybe I should try again. This kinda thing not normally for me, but it seemed to have a few useful ideas in it, not least the idea of having time every week to just do whatever you fancy. But writing every day not for me (but then, why am I writing this?)

The Artists Anatomy of Trees - Rex Vicat Cole - a quarter through this one, borrowed from the university library when I started painting trees. One I plan on finishing quite soon.

Oil Painting Techniques and Materials - Harold Speed - a classic, and always worth a browse when struggling. Gives me someone to argue against . . .

BP Portrait Award books from 2007 - 2011 - need to get 2012 soon. Really want to enter this some day, even if most of the work is photo-realistic. I find there are always a few gems.

The Inner Apprentice - Roger Neighbour - written to help GP trainees and trainers learn, I found this a very good book on learning skills. Another one found again, and never actually finished before.

Landscape Painting - Mitchell Albala - cause now I'm doing some, it might be an idea to read about it. No need to reinvent the wheel - and this book is nicely laid out and clear. about three-quarters in. There is also a blog, which the link will take you to.

Creative Illustration - Andrew Loomis - This is available online for free, but I like books. Started reading it from the library at Vytlacil in New York, got it when I got back as it seems to have a lot to say about composition - an area I need to practice. Unfortunately a little down my too read list presently.

Composition - Arthur Dow - A classic, and very useful when I red it a couple of years ago.

Imaginative Realism - James Gurney another much recommended blog, the book I found less useful. But may find it's place once I start bigger, more complex paintings.

OK, onto the bottom shelf - Velazquez the Technique of Genius - Jonathon Brown and Carmen Garrido - self evident, really. The close-ups are especially useful

Inspired by Light - Ken Howard - inspiring to know that realism is out there, part of the RA etc.

Below these are two books from Ludion's classical art series - Titian and Velazquez's complete works. There is also one for Brueghel and Vermeer, which may be the next purchase.

Any recommendations out there of what I should be adding to the bookcase? There is still a little room . . .

P.S. I'm over at Good Reads if anyone wants to join me. Also, yes I was inspired by James Gurney's post about artist's bookshelves over at Gurney Journey . . .

The Gardiner Building

Another from the University Library series - this time still a WIP (I think).

The Gardiner building was not named after a relative (that I know about, anyway) and is the buildings behind the big brown one with the white stripes (which I think is the lab building - must have a proper name, anyone remember?). It is, of course, The Western as seen from Glasgow University library, and the first in the series that doesn't make entirely clear it is of a view through a window - although all the reflections may give the game away.

The geometry of these reflections in comparison with the intricacy of the view is what made me want to paint this one - zigzags, big shapes leading to small shapes, more orange and blue as well as the ubiquitous grey of a cityscape (especially Glasgow!)

Not quite finished yet, but a fair way along. Feedback would be useful, as I very much feel I am feeling my way with these paintings as I go along - there is very little similar out there and I can't decide whether that's good or bad.

Working In Series

This is my biggest painting to date, at 20 inches square.

It is another view from the eleventh floor at Glasgow University library, worked from photographs taken just as the sun was rising.

It combines three of my favourite things - Glasgow, libraries and just before sunrise - as well as letting me play with my inner abstract artist.

It is very much based around the opposition of blue and orange, using a lot of greys produced by a mix of the two as well as the occasional sneaky yellow umber. And it plays with the grid structure created by the shape of the canvas, the architecture seen through the windows as well as the windows themselves, and the furnishings inside the building - both seen directly and reflected.

There are therefore several distinct layers - the hills in the background, the University buildings, the window structure, the reflection of the floor below and the shelving of the eleventh floor as well as the barrier I'm standing behind both in reflection and edging into view on the right.

Complicated stuff - and would not have been possible if I hadn't painted this one first. And it, in turn, was based on an idea from the first 28 drawings in 2011.

Each painting in a series leads to the next - questions get thrown up, answers arrive that enable more ambitious workings, simpler ways of doing things become evident, colour can be played with as well as scale, technique, medium, you name it.

In landscape painting in particular both Sickert and Monet used pretty much the same drawing to really experiment with colour/mood/paint application - and in doing so created some of my favourite paintings. What better guides are there to follow - I'm a believer at looking at the why, the thinking process behind paintings I adore and letting that guide me in what I do.

A View Of The Studio

Or why I need a proper one.

Pretty cramped. The window is south facing, so provides quite variable light - especially at this time of year. Also, since the sun is so low it shines straight onto the screen.

As it is a room in my flat, I don't feel comfortable inviting models here. Once I did but the light was so bad my reference photographs were next to useless. Also, there is no room to arrange any kind of tableau - not even a blank wall for the model to stand against!

Never mind, something will come up eventually, and I will be able to put all these things I'm planning into action - not least, working from a model more often.

However, I will continue to work mainly from digital photographs for a while yet. My process is a changing thing but I work better if a painting is done in stages over days or even weeks, with me pondering problems as I go along. Having someone else there makes me bashful and less likely to go hang it, lets just paint over all that lovely bit of painting to try something else. Also, most of my paintings get to a stage where I stop looking at the reference material and just make it up. This is much much harder to do with a person in front of you.

The photo's I use are all taken by me and often manipulated before being used. They need to able to blown right up - part of painting has to be selection, which means there has to be enough information to choose from. Sketches (both drawn and painted) are also useful - and I have not yet attempted to paint someone that I have not painted from life in oils at some stage.

Also you can photograph what would be difficult or impossible to paint - smiles, certain postures and expressions, the view from the eleventh floor of a library . . .

Another Self Portrait - Looking Inwards

Yes, there are two self portraits on the go.

But there are two self portrait competitions (the Royal Society one and the Ruth Borchard one ) as well as the BP portrait award and the Royal Society of Portrait Painters normal show coming up. The light is rarely good enough at the moment for photography (and I will be writing why I normally work from photo's in the next few days) so rather than hire a model I thought it would be a good idea to take some of me, then work partly from the mirror.

Although neither painting is close to finished (and, indeed, may never be) it has been an interesting experiment. It has been a couple of years since I've painted myself and I have made a lot of progress in that time - but there is still far to go. I feel I can experiment much more in the application of paint and colour than I would normally - this one has some very deep blues and bright pinks as well as sour yellows. I am trying to pay more attention to the brush work and not feel I need to cover the painting with an entirely new coat of paint each time - this will become increasingly important as I continue to work bigger.

The Royal Society's Self Portrait competition states it wants to be "Pushing the boundaries of self representation in painting and drawing" which is partially why this one has my eyes closed. Working on the two together - this one how I see myself, the other a more straight representation - has been actually quite healing.

Mirrors have long held a horror for me, as the effects of illness and medication (especially steroids) are visible and are about all I could see. However, I am old enough now that I will never be a pretty young thing so it's about time I became at peace with how I look. My husband has helped - at each stage of the other portrait I have asked him what he thought, and each change suggested by him has actually made me look better (and been closer to the photograph).

So although it looks increasingly unlikely I will be finished in time for the competitions, i am glad I tried - another example of setting yourself a project and seeing where it goes.

In Praise Of Projects

So, in 2011 Victoria Evans had the really bright idea of setting up 28 Drawings Later which she describes as a drawing challenge and social networking project. The idea was to draw every day in February and post the results on facebook.

It seemed an interesting challenge, especially as I had never tried to draw outside the life room.

An encouraging, friendly and talented group soon formed and checking in every day to see everyone's drawings became a real pleasure. I started keeping a sketchbook and drew everywhere - mainly in ink and watercolour, a new medium. This opened up a whole world for me, the world of scribbling stuff down that doesn't need to be finished, that nobody ever needs to see, that can be done just to pass the time, to figure something out, to doodle, to fix a memory, to, really it is just endlessly useful. I just wish I had known that years ago!

And at the end, there was a book - my first time in print!

In 2012 I signed up to do it all again. This time round it was massive, and much harder to keep track of everybody involved - and ended in a huge party/exhibition.

This year, Victoria finds herself understandably daunted by the prospect of doing it again so has decided to blog 28 days of being a painter instead, with videos of her at work in the studio. (I am very jealous of that studio. Especially the swing in the corner that you can just see on day one.)

So here I am, blogging every day. Both previous years expanded my abilities and outlook as an artist. There is a magic to a public project that can take all sorts of unexpected turns - really all you can do is start walking down the path and see what fairytale places you end up, after overcoming (or succumbing to) various challenges.

Various other folks are also committing themselves to various month long projects. Fiona Wilson has also promised to write about art everyday, starting with a huge head portrait. 28 Tangos has been inspired by the previous years - I can't dance for peanuts, so won't be taking part. Inventing Trees has a really interesting project of making each days art work build from the previous days. Diary of a Printmaker is taking a photo a day, but has already begun to regret it! Neil has decided to draw like he has in previous years and Catherine has also started really strongly.

Karen Kaapcke's project is not limited to february, as she started drawing herself every day for a year back in September. It has been a joy so far every day - and who knew that so much variety was possible in the same subject? Really, check it out - this is a fantastic example of the creative insights and possibilities that a public project can open up, as well as showing that portraiture is at its best when communicating what it is to be human.

Any other projects out there?

Amendment - yes there are. Just found 28 and later . Ooops.

A Self Portrait and a Manifesto

“A tree growing out of the ground is as wonderful today as it ever was. It does not need to adopt new and startling methods.”

Robert Henri

Please don't think this is a finished painting - and it is a terrible photo - but I thought if I'm going to write every day as I plan for the rest of the month it would help to re-introduce myself.

So yes, that is meant to be me!

Anyway, I am a contemporary figurative oil painter who lives in Glasgow. My overall aim is to reflect the life around me, filtered through oil paints (using both traditional and modern techniques as appropriate).

Each painting of mine should be loved - which means I am mainly interested in emotions. I believe that good figurative oil painting is a deeply felt response to the external world. An awareness of visual arts, both past and present, adds freedom and depth, while conscious adaptation of the appearance of the outside world can be used to get closer to felt truth.

Everything is affected by my experiences of being a woman in the 20th/21st century. This means that both my thought patterns and the world out there is different from that which almost all museum artists experienced so their techniques and answers can only ever act as guides.

(The greatest paintings, like all great things, transcend their purpose and their maker's intentions.)

Will that do as a manifesto and an explanation of my beliefs? If you argue with any of the above, please comment - I would love to hear other folks viewpoints.

Also, I'm hoping to get some kind of dialogue going over the month. There will be posts of work in progress, travel reports, gallery reviews, general art musings and maybe some interviews with other Glasgow Painters - all instead of a drawing a day! So, please join in!