University Campus Suffolk

#11

Having a bit of a tizzy over drawing things over and over again – feels like I’m not going anywhere and just repeating myself (especially when having to draw 300 candles repeatedly!)

I think I’ve reached that point where I really am questioning what my work is all about (talking about it with everyone may have helped a bit).

Am I looking at classic imagery and literature that traditionally accompanies folklore? Or am I looking at the goods and evils of childhood? Or both? Are these little storybook characters just metaphors for a greater evil that I am starting to depict in my work? The skeletal hand of Death is getting seemingly more important as the lives are lost in the stories I am reading.

To shamelessly admit being a fan of the DreamWorks film, ‘Rise of the Guardians’, is it really true that without wonder, hopes and dreams, there really is only darkness and nightmares left? Is the character that is the ‘Bogeyman’ really just opening the gateway to a more ‘adult’ life, when the dreams of childhood give way to more seemingly harsh realities? – Putting it that way, it really does sound like a nightmare.

I am attempting to hide the horrors of the fairy tales in pretty pictures of glowing lights and little flames, when actually these are just metaphors for the looming figure of Death that is watching over all of us.

It makes me wonder how these stories can be called ‘fairy’ tales. They look more and more like horror stories to me the more of them I read. They are dank, dark, and depict loneliness. It is only when a character can overcome these trials that they can find happiness – and, oftentimes, they don’t.

In amongst all of this, I’m wondering about the physical qualities of my work. Mostly, do I need it to be as big as I’ve been intending it to be?

I’m comfortable working on A5 – my sketchbook is A5 and my graphics tablet is A5, so why shouldn’t I present work at this size? Granted, it may not create this enveloping world I’ve been talking about, but I’ve been talking about fairy tales all this time and not really thought about how they are presented. They are pieces of literature – books. It’s this that is pushing me more towards presenting the drawings in my sketchbook as final pieces of work, as well as the notes I have written to accompany them. It’s all my work, why shouldn’t it be included alongside the large digital pieces?

Maybe all this reading is going to my head and I just need to see how things pan out for now. Next job is the auction next week!

#10

Originally I had the full intention to print my digital work full-size, mount and display it on the wall (I’m ruling out the custom wallpaper option completely now), but after a quick chat with a tutor earlier I think I need to experiment more with other options on a smaller scale before making a final decision.

-mount, display on wall

-hanging

-back-lit in some way

-how big do they really need to be?

#9

Looked at a couple more artists recently:

Ying Mei Duan: http://china.southbankcentre.co.uk/artists/#yingmei-duan

Duan has created an eerie fairy tale land, in which the viewer is almost trapped in an enclosed space with the artist herself. She is sometimes singing, making sounds, or remains silent. Whatever the case, she makes an uncomfortable atmosphere within the environment – one of which I personally would have no intention of entering as I have no desire to scare myself by being taken off guard by this kind of intervention. I’m too much of a wimp for that.

Arthur Rackham: http://www.surlalunefairytales.com/illustrations/illustrators/rackham.html

An artist that I was told to look at by one of my tutors, but came across completely accidentally in a book I had borrowed from a friend – lucky!

His works range from illustrating Grimm’s tales to stories like Alice in Wonderland. Rackham’s work can depict gruesome creatures in great detail to correspond to the different stories, as well as the more ‘child friendly’ imagery, depending on the story.

I find myself drawn more to his horrific works as I can see the fine detail and beauty behind the initial horror of the images.

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#8

Now that the dissertation is over and done with I have been spending my time reading through fairy tales (mostly Grimm’s for the time being), and picking out scenes that I feel depict the more horrific sides to them and drawing out how I imagine them to be before I will eventually create more large scale work.

I am picturing my sketchbook becoming something of an intricate picture book that, when looked at properly, shows the misery and suffering brought upon the characters within the tales.

However it is sometimes difficult to ignore the more ridiculous tales that I come across while reading.

(Also: I’ve made the mistake of drawing 300 candles for the story ‘Godfather Death’ and am planning on doing the same image again digitally. What on earth am I getting myself into?)

I’ve finished the first of my large scale digital images, but haven’t printed it full size yet due to money issues (big prints are expensive!). However, I have it printed and mounted at A1 size, which still gives a good impression of what I have done for it. I’m really pleased and want to get more done because it’s more interesting for me to work this way.

Let’s hope these candles aren’t the end of me.

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#7

I have looked at a number of artists over the last few months, focusing on those that create the more intricate environments or are influenced by folklore, etc.

I have looked at:

Ryoko Aoki: http://www.moma.org/collection/artist.php?artist_id=28546

Who creates intricate drawings on paper using pens and pencil. The detail put into the work gives the impression of the skeleton of the flower, as she very much works with outlines rather than the bigger picture.

The combination of drawings to create a larger image is particularly effective, in my opinion, as it shows growth in these minimalistic pictures.

Sandra Cinto: http://www.phillipscollection.org/exhibitions/2012-06-19-intersections-sandra-cinto.aspx

She creates large scale works that span the lengths of rooms – creating deep atmospheres of the sea and sky that envelop the viewer.

She uses very fine details in the lines of her work, creating waves and stars intricately, almost appearing to create a life-size environment for the viewer to enter, and it is this factor of pulling the viewer into the work that I want to adopt in my own practice.

Yun Fei Ji: http://www.jamescohan.com/artists/yun-fei-ji/

Creates traditional-looking paintings and drawings based around morals and moral problems.

I think that this kind of focus to the work is interesting as it gives an almost hidden meaning to pictures that are usually considered beautiful pieces of art – making them almost gruesome.

Simone Shubuck: http://www.kantorgallery.com/exhibitions/simone-shubuck/

She collages images together, creating the impression of a complex environment, concentrating on the use of flowers and nature.

She also depicts monsters and unnatural creatures within her work, giving it a more mysterious and almost frightening factor.

In my own opinion, her work is not unlike the Hindu imagery of their Gods – it is very detailed and beautiful, but gives way to the unknown.

Picasso: http://www.art.co.uk/gallery/id–a16-b196099/posters.htm

Picasso looked at the slightly more grotesque side of mythology – looking at the image of the minotaur, and then, as he did with much of his work, distorted its features, placing the body in awkward positions, producing an even more horrifying image.

David Hockney: http://www.royalacademy.org.uk/ra-publications-86/six-fairy-tales-from-the-brothers-grimm-illustrated-by-david-hockney-1295/

Hockney created a series of etchings, illustrating six of the Brothers Grimm fairy tales, including some that are not so well known, creating images out of the dark shapes and figures, and making some quite dark imagery to go alongside the stories.

I think it would be productive for me to read more of the tales myself, in more detail, finding the pieces that would work well in creating the nightmarish environments I want to depict.

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