We have all been advised which space we have been given to set up our degree show pieces in. I have a good U shape area where I will be able to show the large canvases and some of the relevant small pieces that I have already painted BUT I really want to push on and make and paint another large canvas. I have an idea to extend the composition of the large one, to hand on the left of the large canvas to draw the viewer into the figurative part of the work , I do have enough time if I push myself and this is the time to go for it!
Also I have started to make a list of prep work to be done:-
Make a scale plan of the space I have. Decide how I am going to lay this out to the best advantage of the work I am showing.
Buy and fix mirror plates to all the work even if it may not be shown.
Wrap all canvases that are going to be stored in seminar space to reduce the risk of damage to them.
Put together a toolbox, don’t rely on uni to have screwdriver, hammer, level, tape measure, masking tape, fixing screws etc when you need it!
Decide on what colour to paint the walls ( I am thinking of painting the walls a dark grey ), buy roller, tray and paint walls and floor.
Decide on titles for all of the work and produce labels for them. Buy foam board, print, use hotpress to mount the paper onto the board asap.
Sketchbook and associated work. I want these to be assessed before the actual degree show so I will need to decide what I am going to set them on in the space. I saw some neat display tables in a London gallery. The tops were white and really set off the displays on them.
I have picked up this piece of work again as I am ready to move it forward. By taking photographs as I go along it will help to see areas that need working on.
Kathryn Raffell, 2015, Acrylic on canvas, 180cmx120cm.
To start with I see that the face needs reshaping and more shading and tone, at the moment it is very “flat”, and in the background I would like to suggest faint facial forms that might be a reflection of her face and the mask. Also the kimono dress has little shading or contour , shape isn’t quite right and the arm is too short.
After several days of working and re-working I am happier with these areas now.
Kathryn Raffell, 2015, Acrylic on canvas, close up of areas of the 180cmx120cm canvas.
I have been talking to two of my tutors as it still needs “something” (probably re-priming over the lot) as it is not ready to be included as it is. I would really want this painting as one of my degree show pieces so I have to push myself and this piece to the limit and not play it safe. I am thinking of sanding part of the paint away, almost back to canvas, and then re-paint as a different person. For instance, sand away part of the kimono and re-paint as a dress or, sand away part of the face and re-paint as someone else.
I am going to try this with another smaller canvas and see how it turns out. I know this is playing safe but I am thinking it is like making a maquette before starting work on the full size piece!
When I look at these quick sketches of faces made on the acetate sheet, I see that they are not like any of the other work I am painting. They are loose and quick observations which I don’t seem to be able to carry into the larger canvases. The canvases are more careful and studied applications of the paint, where every line has a purpose and has to contribute to the overall appearance of the whole composition, whereas these acetates are a freedom of sweeps and swirls, mark making that almost accidently represent forms. I didn’t have a composition in mind with these, they were just as the paint suggested the mixing and blending of the tones should be.
The size of the canvas seems to give a mind block as to the amount of free expression that I am allowing myself to express. I am setting rules for myself which don’t exist outside of me. Small rebellions against this are allowed on a small painting surface which can be easily discarded whereas a large canvas is not so easily hidden away without anyone seeing or judging.
In my dissertation I wrote about the change in style that happened to Lucian Freud. His early work was very detailed, using small brushes and mostly working on small canvases.
Lucian Freud, (1947), Girl with a Kitten, [ Oil on canvas], 41x30cm, Bequeathed by Simon Sainsbury 2006, to Tate Britain.
With the influence of his friend and fellow artist Francis Bacon, Freud was inspired to buy large hogs hair brushes that enabled him to apply paint in a way that gave expression of flesh in its rich texture and flow onto the surface and into the portraits he made from then on.
Lucian Freud, (2000/01), Her Majesty the Queen. [Oil on canvas], 23.5×15.2cm, Part of the Royal Collection
Note to self – loosen up! (I aspire to this thought everyday but think it will take some time to change).
I still haven’t used the roll of acetate sheet that I brought in so I have cut four pieces into 45cm squares and am going to experiment with quick sketches in acrylic paint and see how they look.
Kathryn Raffell, 2015, Untitled, Acrylic on acetate sheet, 45cm sq.
When I finished them I wondered how they would look if I rolled them and taped into tubes. They look strange, a kind of 360degree painting. I stood them next to each other and took a photo.
Kathryn Raffell, 2015, Untitled, Acrylic on acetate sheet, 45cm sq.
Where to go from here with this idea?
- I don’t think I want to paint bodies on acetate and roll them up although perhaps if I could make the tubes of the bodies a larger size it could be something to explore, maybe even stack them like a totem form.
- Another idea is to unroll them, tape them to the window (or a light source) and paint the darkest tones on this first and then overlay with another sheet and paint the mid tones.
Next I want to concentrate on the pink wrapped painting, working on getting the paint finish to imitate the ripped edges of paper and painting in the creases and shading on the paper itself. Both are challenging and call for fine detailing.
Kathryn Raffell, 2015, Untitled, Acrylic on Canvas, 40cmx50cm.
As I am painting this I am thinking of how I can add another layer to this and I am thinking of literally wrapping with parcel or masking tape. If I do this I will need to think about why, what am I trying to say? As yet I am not sure so I will put this to one side and move on.
