OCA FYW ~Assignment Two:extended project

Thoughts and planning of extended project 

With a choice of a portrait group or developing a theme or idea I m decided to pursue the latter. Main reason being that I currently am not pursuing painting the human form. I understand the importance and relevance of life drawing( and have until recently sketched in a life drawing group) I feel I cannot continue from a time point of view  follow all my art related threads so life drawing has been, for now, axed. 

so - developing a theme or idea. Where to begin? The mention of abstraction in the course documents is enticing as it is not something that I would ever have considered as of interest to me - that is until now! In some ways I can see my paintings moving towards abstraction and am not sure if I want to follow this direction even more. Maybe now is the time to investigate. 

Distinguished artists to consider ? Contemporary artists that come to mind - Alan Cotton, Kurt Jackson. Also look at Fred Cumming, Kenneth Draper , David Hockney, Hamish MacDonald, Stephen Quiller and Peter Doig.... where to start? Kenneth Draper paintings excite me

What does abstraction mean ? according to the Oxford Advanced learners Dictionary :-

1 based on general ideas and not on any particular real person, thing or situationabstract knowledge/principlesThe research shows that pre-school children are capable of thinking in abstract terms.2 existing in thought or as an idea but not having a physical realityWe may talk of beautiful things but beauty itself is abstract.3 (of art) not representing people or things in a realistic way, but expressing the artist's ideas about themthe work of American abstract expressionists like Mark RothkoKenneth Draper paintings excite me ..........

Light Drift 2010 /Pastel on paper/ 56x45cm

 Quarry: Edge of Light / Pastel on wood /56 x 46cm I think these paintings are stunning but I do not have a grasp as how I get to this point and presume I need to look at artists who have less abstraction in their work. Stephen Quiller 

Autumn:Light and Shadow off East Willow /18x26ins/Transparent watercolour 

Autumn:Edge of the Pond /Transparent watercolour /14.5 x 10.5 inches

Fred Williams / landscape with Goose 

Nicolas de Stahl / Tempete 

Nicolas de Stahl / Ciel Dieppe on les toits (1952) 

Peter Doig / 

Hamish Macdonald / Green Shutters Venice /52.5x 66cm / mixed media

hamish Macdonald /Misty Morning Mull/ 46x 57cm/ mixed media

Hamish Macdonald /Storm wave Morar /mixed media /23x23cm

Hamish Macdonald / Autumn Hillside Forfar/ Mixed Media / 43x 58.5cm

Tom Wanless/ Oil on board/ Rainy day over the field / 

Tom Wanless/ Under the Breckland Sky/ Oil on board/ 30x40cmUnder the Breckland Sky leaves me breathless! The colour, the 'painterliness' of it ! Similarly 'Misty Morning Mull - maybe it is not so much abstraction that I aspire to but my interpretation and showing others through my eyes? Thinking about it I enjoy artists who 'put their mark on a scene with some abstraction' rather than abstraction to a level that the scene or objects are unidentifiable. An artist that I am considering 'painting in the style' of is MOIRA HUNTLY PPS RWA RI RSMA - and in fact having studied her sketch books I see that she studies a place , for example,Venice, and sketches in some detail including notation or marks on colour , noise - whatever attracts her attention. She then process all of this in the studio and produces a painting that is the essence of a place rather than the place per se. Most of the examples of paintings above are , to my mind, achieving that. Specifics are not needed it is a feeling created through temperature , colour, marks, composition etc. Maybe this is where I need to start? I have  now completed a series of oil paintings ( images below ) worked on a similar principle. 
Watercolour Sketch for Corfe Castle in the Spring

Corfe Castle in the Spring 30x30cm oil on canvas 

Photograph source for 'early Morning near Corfe"

Early morning near Corfe Oil on canvas 30x30cm

Sketch for 'Field at Kitson in Spring'

Pastel from sketch of 'Field at Kitson in Spring'

Field at Kitson In Spring  oil on canvas 30x30cm

So what I was trying to achieve with this series was a 'feel' of a place rather than 'the place' per se. I feel I had mixed success. Corfe Castle is too well known to take liberties in terms of structure so maybe I should stick to true landscape. I enjoyed the proces of painting for the 'Kitson' series - sketch and photo, pastel and then oil painting. is this because I become more and more at ease with the subject? 

Sketch for Lyme Regis painting

The Cobb at Lyme Regis Oil 30x30cm

Another approach I have tried is to take a sketch and just produce something 'abstract' from it . See below .
Watercolour colour sketch at Kimmeridge :- 

watercolour sketch for abstract 

Abstract I below is derived from above sketch . 30x30cm on stretched canvas

Thoughts ? well I like the end result but am not entirely sure how I got there! I know there are a couple of shapes from the sketch and I started to go into the realms of 'well I would quite like to have that colour in X place' but it was no more scientific than that! In went on to have another ago with the same materials and the same starting point sketch. This time it was less successful. (See below) 


Abstract II   30x30cm oil on canvas

I shall continue to work on this one !


In a similar vein I have tried out some pastel landscapes which in some ways are more successful. 


Towards Loch Maree  Soft Pastel 32x42cm 

Moray Firth  Soft Pastel  48x30cm

So where am I going with this project? I intend to pursue landscape paintings with a semi abstract feel - getting the feel of a place without being specific about that place. I am going to  try this style in oils and separately in mixed media.