Portrait Two

This is my most recent body of work. I’m getting back into pencil, in fact I LOVE PENCIL. It’s great as one can be carried around with you in your pocket, you can rub it out (I don’t actually own a rubber but if I did I would use it) and every pencil is different, do you want a 2B, 3B, 6B or perhaps just an H? When you reach for a pencil it’s like a mini lottery, which one are you going to get…? An H, crap I wanted a 2B.

This is what happened when I rediscovered pencil.

I’ve started drawing pin-ups. I think if I was ever going to teach some one to draw (over the age of sixteen) I would make them copy pin ups. It’s great, just draw out the outline then it’s almost paint by numbers. Once you have mastered copying you can just create any scenario you want. How about I women in a maid's uniform straddling a giant fish? Easy.

I do plan on doing more pin-ups so watch this space.

(N.B. For some great pin-ups check out Jay Scott Pike and Gil Elvgren this is where the above are taken from.)

Abstracts

It’s like Marmite you either love it or hate it. I began painting abstracts in school because I was forced to by my teacher. I wasn’t pleased at first but once I started I couldn’t stop. I haven’t always loved abstract art; I think it’s an acquired taste which I didn’t used to have. Now I can’t get enough.

My abstracts are still in the really early stages, it will take years before they become stand alone paintings. However I do enjoy looking at them, you can even find some of them hanging in my house and they look good so for now that'll do.

(N.B. Some of my favourite Abstract artists include John Hoyland, Andy Stewart and Albert Irvin. All current London based artists whose work is affordable, if you have several thousand of pounds to spend!)

Africa

My Dad calls himself a nomad. I think if he could change his name to nomad without looking like an idiot he would. The nomadic element of my Dads personality is the reason why at five years old me, my mum and sister were bundled into Landrover, equipped with stove and bat (for the snakes), and driven to South Africa. (When I say bundled I don’t mean kidnapped, just perhaps lightly forced.) We would spend months there just driving around, camping and staying in ‘hotels’ (code word for a shed with no toilet.)

Being so young I never appreciated what I was seeing but now I get vivid (and sometimes not so vivid) memories from my time spent in Southern Africa and here they are.

(N.B. Check out a photographer called Peter Beard. He does huge photographs of African animals then pours blood over them and rolls tyres’ covered in paint on them, the result is amazing.)

Horses

The ability to draw- something that has long been forgotten. I suppose drawings are seen slightly (or perhaps very) twee but they please some people and to those people I present you with a body of work entitled The Horse.

The Horse comes from a passion that has been with me all my life. I am horse crazy and now living in London horseless I find myself reminiscing with a pencil and some paper.

(N.B. In my opinion George Stubbs is the greatest artist in the world- he is a true master.)

Foundation

When I was at school I had, to all intent and purpose, the idea of becoming an artist. I wanted to study fine art at The Slade and then go to France and do a Masters. To achieve this I had to do what everyone who wants to do anything remotely artistic does, I went on a foundation course. This did not agree with me, I produced some mediocre art and I wasn’t allowed to draw which irritated me. I did however get fairly carried away with cutting things… and prit stick.

This was the result…

I know I said my art wasn’t meant to say anything but at the time, and I don’t think I speak alone here when I say, that every British citizen was sick to death of our government so I attempted some political art. In my opinion it did not work and I felt like a pretentious ____ (insert four letter world beginning with tw and rhyming with fat.) However I did like the composition and from this came some other pieces that I also liked.

Portrait One

I have drawn a lot of people; I think it’s natural to draw things that are always around you. This first lot of drawings are some examples of earlier portraits… and drawings from books. I write drawings from books hesitantly due to the fact at A level it was immensely discouraged and frowned upon, why? I do not know. In my opinion drawing from books is great, end of.

Photography

I have a love hate relationship with photography, which is, I definitely don’t love it… I hate it. I think this stems from the fact I’m essentially crap. I try but I just can’t take a good photo. During my first year at university I was forced to do some photography, this did not go well. It’s a shame really because I quite like the dark room, perhaps because its dark and you can’t see the terrible work you’re producing. It’s only until you step outside, look at your picture and think… oh dear.

Although I’m not great I do keep at it as I think it’s important and here are some pictures that I took which I like. (All done by chance!)

So for now that is a quick some up of what I do. Hopefully I will get in the swing of blogging (something I never thought I would do being more of an outdoor girl.) The idea is to continue posting current work and ideas. So I do hope there will be posts to follow.

But don’t hold your breath.