Procrastinations of a working man.

 

Some interesting developments over the last couple of days, firstly I am now definitely going part time with my current job, I’m only dropping one working day but it is a start, after all canal locks produce big changes slowly.

Disjointedly moving on, a technical point now – which is probably pretty obvious is that I have discovered – via a mixture of curiously, research, and frustration that my technical pens will work absolutely perfectly with diluted inks. This opens up so many new possibilities in terms of colours. Since beginning experimenting with coloured inks and technical pens I have always used white to tint, change and lighten each colour, this is how can I say…limited and lends my work a certain look. Thumbing through books, magazines, surfing work from other artists – new and old I marvel at the colour and effects being achieved, all the while wondering how I can keep my work evolving. Now, with this modest inky development I would like to begin exploring colours in a much wider sense, saturation, luminosity and some pure colours. I have begun to find the use of tinting restrictive and it made me question the limits of technical pens. As you may know I am colour blind so the use of colour can be sketchy ground for me but now an area my work demands.

It’s a nice thought that when I started to use colour it was a revelation, it literally transformed my work and passion for what I do in an instant, at the time I thought I’d taken such a bold step (as I’d always resigned myself to a world of monochrome work) and in a sense it still is the case, I embraced my deficiencies in colour with the simple thought in mind that that it is part of me as much as my ideas or current aesthetic so be courageous and use it – after all it’s my identity and nobody else has it. Essentially this thought distils what an artist is, what an artist has and how an artist works. An expression of identity through a chosen vehicle (but not limited to).

I’m never going to be a gentle colourist or understand/ see colour in the same way that a normally sighted person does – however, this doesn’t mean I cannot make an interesting submission into the very human endeavour of art. It also (for any artists who are lacking in confidence due to colour blindness) doesn’t mean that your use of colour defaults to bad or inferior – just different.

Thank you as always for reading.

Updates coming at:

www.stuartbelton.com

 

More, drawing, more studio time – more blogging.

I have interspersed this post with several images of the work I have been doing since my last major post alround a year ago.  It is by no means exhaustive but a select few pieces.  As you will see I have been experimenting with different ideas and developing new techniques.

Usually I begin to write straight off the bat and let whatever comes out – come out, maybe not a recipe for amazing writing but this method fits nicely into what I want from it – reflecting on what I have been up to and what I have planned, however with this post I have just written/ deleted, written/ deleted, written/ deleted my opening line…so I figure – keep it simple. This is:

Isn’t it an amazing feeling when you have clear ideas and know what you want from them.

To flesh this out a little I am talking in regards to current pieces of work from which a clear direction is present, a clear idea has been developed and basically knowing what is wanted from these pieces. It’s refreshing and (I think) quite exciting. I have always liked the idea of letting a drawing develop and seeing what happens (albeit with a very rough idea of what I’m looking for) and in fact it has always formed an integral part of my process which has also often been very valuable in discovering new ideas.

Above are the two little drawings that has stimulated the  pleasing thought I have just been talking about.

I have been having a few random thoughts regarding actual studio practice and I think I have realised just how important it is to have a dedicated space in which to work, for instance I have no distractions whatsoever in my tiny studio such as a tv etc and when I go there I can sink many hours of solid work without batting an eyelid, this would simply not be possible at home in a spare room.  I have also developed a studio protocol from which I have never deviated.  Different pens, inks, pencils etc are all kept in exactly the same place, my chair is always at the same height, I have the blinds a certain way, completed drawings stored away in groups in a plan chest – others not going anywhere tossed into a separate drawer of there own just in case I ever want to use elements of them again (see below).

I guess what I’m saying is that all of these small points allow me to clear my mind and concentrate on drawing and nothing else – that for a time strapped man like me is super important.  I love that.

Thank you as always for reading and I hope you liked some of the work shown in this post.

Oh one other thing – below is a skateboard I was asked to paint, totally loved doing it and may well make some more just for the hell of it.