The Cooler King (part 2)

I thought I would carry on with a part 2 from my previous post describing mosaic making. I’d stopped at the point where everything is in place and things start getting good and where some kind of gratification starts coming back. To that point it had been very one way- by that I mean kind of prep work.

So everything is in place to do the interesting parts of the picture. The thing is like a painting, its about colours, its how you handle the material to represent whats being depicted. Its about relationships with neighboring areas.

But how to describe the descision making process is outside my ability. I can give clues:

Its about inventing systems for representation.

Its about carrying out the ideas you have formulated on the way to this point.

Its about being quick to spot if modifications are needed to those ideas if they fall short.

Its about patience and working areas to a position where there is little chance of getting things wrong (its a lot of work to pick off and re-do something again).

I can desribe it as being like a sheep dog, hearding things around a focal point in such a way that when the final thing is made it’s easy and works so well because the sounding elements were ushered into place for best effect.

Gratification comes where you can say;

those colour relationships work

that blend of different colours creates just the right tone

the rythymn of those shapes leads the eye nicely

I love that bit there, economical yet effective

The best part for me so far on this epic project is seeing them as a set. Not quite completed yet, but looking at all of them together. Thats when all the ideas, all the research and all the work come together…….for what? Others to interprete!

see the five completed ones to date on my website

http://rob-turner.blogspot.co.uk/p/news.html

My favourite so far is ‘Field Names’ the one with the crows. I think the one I am working on now might take top spot. I will have to wait and see. But I have kept my favourite till last and that is the next one yet to start.

I thought I might try and describe the aesthetic and practical decisions whilst making this mosaic!

It happens on such an intuitive level I thought I would try it in words?

Starts with defining the plain compositional elements – square – circle – and corner triangles really really mechanical yet high attention required for accurate placement of tesserae. The only good thing about this stage is that it moves along so quickly compared to the other stages, which I like.

Next lettering and the broad white ring. The lettering is all about planning, keeping them consistently spaced and the same height requires constant monitoring as the drawn writing below on your cartoon is only a guide and is never right so its all about construction and system. I hate doing S – B – C – G – Q all the circular ones they pose problems when filling in the white behind them. M – W – A – T are always require special attention as they make very large gaps between the next letter and you have to adjust your formula to get the spaces right. H – I – F – L – T , I love these as they are so quick. The width of the white ring needs constant monitoring and pencil predictions as to where it will be as the drawing underneath has again become obsolete as the tiling system overrides the pencil under drawing.

Then doing the picture starts. Which bit do I want to first? Often things have be prioritetised in a way that can only be described as – ‘ I cant do that bit untill I know where the edge of that will be. So the interesting bit you fancied may have to wait till other areas are completed. Starts with outlines of thin black tiles which define the elements of the picture following your drawn cartoon underneath, it may require adjustment as things may be too close together, and this is the opportunity to make slight arrangement and compositional adjustments. I have even omitted a leaf or flower head if the thing is just too congested.

If your unlucky the really complicated part is the part that unlocks the rest of the piece and has to be done first. After a week of pretty low skill level work where your mind is mush and on auto pilot suddenly with no warm up, your in there doing the hardest part of the whole thing. So this is probably a week or more even before anything artistic happens! Every thing to date has been mechanical, practical and formulaic.

‘Thoughts on making art and where its made’

‘The Cooler’ absolutley essential. I can not for a moment imagine not having a workshop. I would not be able to opporate without a workspace. I guess those who haven’t find a way of addapting their work to what they do have a spare room or a kitchen table. Workspace is the singular most important resource.

I guess some artists may see their workspace as an office, digital based, desks, tables and papers and books.

I require both these kinds of spaces to function. The office is where a different kind of creative work takes place. Research, ideas, reading and writing. Look at other artists work, manipulating images on a computer all indoor activities requiring some level of comfort.

The workshop is almost a semi outdoor place in winter. Construction tasks are carried out almost as if working outside often making a mess, which is why a seperate workshop is required .

Drawing: Now this is the problematic one for me. I have a large free standing drawing board and separate desks with a light box to draw on. But they are in the workshop making drawing almost an outdoor activity! Not so good….drawing is the transition from reading and writing to construction and making, and in an ideal world that would be in the office in the warm with computer and books to hand.

Thats probably why I don’t do any more drawing than I really need to. I hardly draw for fun or to experiment, my drawings are always functional and practical and relate to making. This is why I recently started drawing on a tablet as this is so versatile. It’s not an ipad, but I found a drawing app and I am hoping this will change the way I work and bring in new influences and ways of working.

I think drawing is the key I’m looking for to change my working methods. Actually I think it is more fundemental than that, its not working methods that will change, it is a change in approach, a change in how you think as it can be recorded in a different way!

Can this be described with two words: It used to be design, now it’s drawing?

The Studio

The Place I read about quite fequently on these AN blogs; These are the blogs that come immediately to mind what with Elena and Franny just moving in to new ones and that, I thought about the relationship to where you work because of these Studio blogs:

Elena’s

www.a-n.co.uk/p/1322260

Franny’s

www.a-n.co.uk/p/564556

Claire’s

www.a-n.co.uk/p/957988

and Kate’s