What a day! – Collage – George – Edward – Christchurch Art Gallery – Picasso – and a word from the project.

Planned a collage for #233

image

~

Had lunch with George, we talked a lot of art. He is now doing the 14 stations of the cross, abstract, acrylic. Makes sense as he is a Christian Atheist. (Which reminded me that Llew Summers has done sculptures for the Catholic Church here in Christchurch – must go and see them.)

Caught up with Edward and we jointly signed “Just as you are” and he has a great art plan on that theme, which I won’t reveal here – Edward, do it!!

Then I went to the Local Christchurch Art Gallery:

image

The Giacometti which I have seen, is still on but I did not go there – saw a few other things which inspired me, more on that later as I do some sketches & I’ll attribute the inspirations. AND did sketch #253, which I will post up in the next post. It is a bit of a hoot, as it is a rubbing, not a digital sketch! Not even really my work, but what are rules for?

Followed by a movie on Picasso,

Picasso: Magic, Sex and Death
Three short films in which John Richardson, Picasso’s friend and biographer, sets the record straight about one of the 20th century’s greatest artists. (156 minutes)

Interesting & inspiring, good to see so much of his work, the main thing I got from it was that he saw himself as a shaman, and his art as voodoo magic. Now there is a thought, talk about conceptual art. Its not so alien, as I figure this thing here as alchemy. First mooted in this post. In that post too is the question I live with “What does Thousand Sketches want?”

Today I heard something loud & clear from the project, a realisation… but I am keeping quiet for now. It was a private conversation.

Manuka 2

Manuka 2

Known also as tea-tree and the New Zealand Christmas tree as it always flowers around this time of the year, our place at Mt. Lyford is surrounded by trees with slightly pinkish white flowers.

It is these very flowers that put the small pink emblem into #246 below.

I prefer the previous sketch. Simple.

~

Manuka

Manuka

~

Sunday, 17 August, 2008

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Alex Katz, b 1927 –

I got some feedback today: I hope it is ok that I quote it here, it was that my work was reminiscent of:

Hockney’s sketches, Milton Avery landscapes and Alex Katz figures.

This is the second time someone has said that re Hockney – and I have been studying him avidly since, all I knew of him was the swimming pool stuff, now I have a fuller grasp. More on him some other time.

I’ve never heard of the other two, and so I have been surfin’. I’ll make this a Katz post.

An enjoyable interview from 1991 in the Journal of Contemporary Art: Interview

Another here.

Selected Images

I can see the similarity with some of my figures – the most recent being sketch #241 – what shall I call that style, “bucket fill”? Katz will inspire me to develop that – particularly for portraits. I like the way he can get the tones right in faces. even though there is little shading.

Some of his flat surfaces are in oils and many seem to be silkscreens & lithographs. As I reflect on these media I wonder what I will do when I can get out of this digital crucible?

Oil – printmaking of various kinds – acrylic – pastel – charcoal ?

And a pile of Alex Katz images follow:

Continue reading “Alex Katz, b 1927 –”

Llew Summers & his collection at Ashburton Art Gallery – Zeitgeist

I will be going past Ashburton on my way to Mt. Cook so I’ll call in, Wednesday or Thursday this week. Will report back (in this post).

I listened to a radio interview with Llew Summers.

Listen to the Radio interview here – MP3.

He does amazing sculptures that are all over Christchurch. Here is a quote from his website – which is inspiring because it brings in the criteria for working with the human body.

“What’s important to me is to get a balance between the physical and the spiritual in life. We’re given a soul and we’re given a body. Sculpture provides a nice balance because works can be made which are deep and meaningful, but they require your physical body to produce them. Rather than just being clever or smart the work must have soul.”

Details about the exhibition follow – and my impressions will be added about the show & the artists.

Continue reading “Llew Summers & his collection at Ashburton Art Gallery – Zeitgeist”

Loose Threads

Loose Threads

With this one all the recent abstract ones come together revealing something that wanted to be there – threads – I feel like right now I am at a stage of weaving.

Maybe I should weave flax – there may be truth in jest. I have been collecting flax and pressing flax so that I can add collage to prints.

There is the word: collage.

There will collages coming up.

~

What the thread theme means for me is tied in with the recapitulation idea… there was a war in Australia between the figurative Antipodeans and the Sydney 9

In 1961 a group called the “Sydney 9” had an exhibition of paintings to support abstract art, to counter the Antipodeans group, with members arriving with abstract paintings by helicopter.

I mention this as I just can’t take sides in that conflict, though my tendency is towards the Antipodean, I feel like I can weave these old threads into something new.

One day there might be something I feel strongly enough about to fly a helicopter for.