Tag: pencil

Ideas: my Grandmother

Ideas: my Grandmother

by turquoisecho ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Last Saturday, my mum and I visited my granddad on the way back from an open day. I never see him or my gran; they live very far away and one lives in hospital while my granddad is sad and in pain most of the time.

I chatted to him a bit, though, and it was nice to see him again even though I felt like I was talking to him through thick glass.

I came across some pictures of my gran when she was in her 20s – she was very pretty. It made me think about all the stuff she’s lost because of her Alzheimer’s.

I wanted to draw her, because it puts a new perspective on the same pictures, especially from someone who barely knew her. I see her more through what Mum’s told me about her.

Even though the pictures are black and white, my granddad saw me looking and told me what colour her dress was. That really took me …. I wanted to put colour into the photos.
This was some further work. I took a slightly fashion-esque view and drew a quick lineup of some dresses with the same pattern. My grandmother made all her own clothes at the time, I hear.

I’ve done quite a bit of personal work in my sketchbook. I’ve been staying at Jamie’s for the week so I’ve not had the resources to make big finished work – so I’m focusing on drawing skills and developing ideas.

This all made me think about forgetting a lot. It’s quite distressing that strong-minded 20-something year olds can get completely lost in old age.

Artistically, how has this helped? Working with coloured pencils is growing on me. Sketches have a bit more life, and because they’re slightly harder to rub out it forces me to accept my drawings as they are.

How might I take this further? I could do a little work on my Gram and Gramps on my Dad’s side, who have both passed away but I knew very very well. It doesn’t make sense that I’d draw my grandmother I barely know … maybe I could work up to drawing the others. It’d be nice to keep them alive!

Fashion Browsing and Joana Vasconcelos

Fashion Browsing and Joana Vasconcelos

by turquoisecho ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

To alleviate some boredom today after Jamie’s morning departure, I headed to the University Library and looked through some old Italian Vogue and other fashion publications. In the last half an hour before the bus home was due, I found an artist called Vasconcelos in the latest issue of Craft, and it would be a shame not to get brownie points for so-called artist research so I’m blogging about her.

Firstly, I will upload the two sketches I made from the Library’s journal archives. I might have been more productive, but I was overdue a call from Mum which took me half an hour – and the basement lights just occasionally switched off because I was sitting still and alone! I had to partake in some comedic arm flailing followed by resigned power walks around the department to get it to realise there was indeed life down there.

I liked the contrast in this black and white photo. The woman had a little more contempt in her eyes than I managed to convey here, which I regret!
This was a quick figure sketch that took my eye because of the ridiculous curvature of the whole composition. The draping fabric and the lean meant the model has a very satisfying overall curve, which was clearly intentional.
I didn’t get the chance to draw this mad lass but I did take a picture just to save her! I like the big shapes this pose creates, and the unusual patterns.

Finally – Vasconcelos. This was an artist who was commissioned to make a year-long, permanent piece of art to sit in a gallery-esque area called Jupiter (or something similar; excuse my memory). She created a 9-metre diameter pool full of 11,500 unique tiles that all created a design.

The pool itself doesn’t really resonate with me, but I though it would be worth writing about because Vasconcelos’ ideas were interesting. The installation (called “Gateway”) was described as “A joyful, optimistic work with a theatrical element.” Now, I like that. Joyful and optimistic is the ideology I can get behind!

Vasconcelos also talks about ley lines and connecting with the energy of the land. The icons and images within the design all have meaning; specifically to Bonnington, Scotland, where the installation resides. There are also astrological and spiritual aspects to the design. I’m not saying I believe in any of that stuff particularly strongly, but the careful thought behind the installation gave me a real respect for it. I suppose it’s the whole process shaping the outcome idea.

That being said, every ceramic tile had to be painted and fired individually. That’s 11,500 tiles. The use of ceramic in Edinburgh is apparently not as developed as Vasconcelos’ own practice, so it was also an exercise in sharing knowledge between cities and expanding Vasconcelos’ horizons in terms of scale.

Anyhoops, I liked her after I read the article. Knowing the artist and the thought behind her work has also led to me really liking the installation as well, despite it originally evoking no real reaction at all.