Possible Works for Series

I have tested out this style of starting with a large blot of colour as then working out in semi-circles, similar to the detailed edge of a doily. 

Series Works

These are some of the works I have been completing to put into a series for art this term. I've been working with a similar style of larger blots of colour that spread out in line, wrapping around eachother. I've also kept to a certain colour scheme for each piece, for example cool, warm and earthy. 

I will be doing more work on my pieces like these and may even try working back into them with fine liners to defien certain aspects. 

More Experimenting

I worked on this piece today, it is similar to the others I had done by using my mentor as Julie Evans. Except in this one, the colours an shapes are more spread out, instead of ring smaller and closer together so they can mix together. They also wrap around eachother more, and colours wrap around and fill in the gaps. Although this style could work, I much prefer the other ones I had done, using a similar technique. 

Today's Lesson- Continuing Work

This was my first lesson back this term and I continued working on a piece I had done last year. 

My inspiration for this piece was Julie Evans, as we works are quite similar and incorporate the same techniques and colours. I added in coloured parts around the edges and tried to use the same techniques I had incorporated previously. 

Possible Landscape

This is Mangrove Island, found off the coast of Northern Queensland, where the Great Barrier Reef is located. This would definitely be a potential landscape I could base one of my works off. 

I really like the soft pastel like beiges, blues and greens that can be seen, and the clouds that were captured in the picture. 

Landscape

For this piece I based it off a landscape I had found on google maps of Islands in the pacific. At the start I placed dots of beige around the page to be the sandy islands, and then began to pace some blue around and let them lightly mix. Unfortunately, this didn't turn out well when it was left to dry and all the colours had mixed and spread everywhere. Although it didn't end up looking like I planned, some parts looked good on their own.

This close up in the work has lots of movement and strong lines where the light colours meet the dark. It also looks as if there is ocean and its waves can be seen.

This is another close up showing how the ink had dried over the page, looking similar to waves in the ocean.

I chose to show this close up because I really like the way th blue ink had spread out and joined from the top and the bottom, but then no other ink came in from the sides. The edges of the shape in the middle look like small root or rivers spreading out.

Andy Goldsworthy

Andy Goldsworthy is a British sculptor, photographer and environmentalist. Born in Cheshire, July 1956, he studied fine art at Bradford College of Art from 1974-1975. Now, he goes into various environments and creates art from what he sees within the environment. He doesn't bring in any other items to where he works, he only uses organic materials. These works are efermal, meaning they last for a short period of time, before rejoining there place in the environemt. Here are some examples of works Goldsworthy has completed in the past few years.

This is one of Andy's famous sculptures made from many rocks in the shape of an acorn. These have been made in many environments all over the world.

This was a sculpture made out of many icicles stuck together with water, wrapped around the tree, almost looking as if it's floating around the tree's trunk.

This piece was made in Scottland at the mouth of a river, before the tide started rising. Goldsworthy made this out of drift wood that was floating down the river. Once he had finished, and the water began to rise, it was slowly taken by the current and broke apart. Here is his website

Using Analogous Colour Scheme

This was one of my first attempts using an analogous colour scheme of cool colours, blues and greens. In this piece I used a technique were you let the ink bleed with the water, but then let it drip down the page and into other colours. This technique gives really good effects as the colours mix, but seem to layer.

I also used the blowing technique, which gave some flare to the piece, as it was a sharper look than the other more soft and organic shapes. I also worked back into this piece by using a black fine-liner pen so that I was able to outline shapes and bring them forward and also separate colours. I also used water pencils, this was to add more colour and can be seen in many parts of the work.

I really do this this piece of mine, because the colours really go well together, as they are all quite vibrant.

First Practices with Warm Colours

This was one of my first attempts using warm coloured inks. I started this one by taking a large paintbrush an pair OMG a strip of water through the middle. I then added various beiges, oranges and browns and let them run down the water. This not only let the colours mix and bleed through the page, it also left some of the thicker ink at the top which dried, giving more texture to the piece. 

Also, by mixing the browns and other colours, the brown spread out and dried on the top, almost looking like dry, cracked earth. 

The parts at the bottom where the ink has branched out was achieved by blowing on the ink (using a straw would be much easier). This helped the ink rapidly spread out and then join to other lines of ink. 

After it had dried, I worked back into it using a fine art line pen and a blue pencil. This gave more definition with the shapes and also created contrast against the warm colours by using a cool colour. 

More Practice Using a Cool Colour Scheme

This was one of my next attempts using a cool colour scheme also. I was basing this work of the coast of Stradbroke Island.

I chose to do this landscape because I liked the movement seen in the currents going through the break. It was quite challenging to have the blue and sandy/white colours flowing together. However, I tried to make this using the inks and my attempt is shown above. I also worked back into this piece, using a fine-liner pen to outline certain lines that would bring them back into the foreground or into the background. This can help show layering and make lines or shapes more defined. These are some of the closeups into this work, that I thought were particularly beautiful.

Practicing with Inks

This is one of the first large practices with inks I had done. I used a cool colour scheme with many blues and some white. I used the technique of painting large strokes of water on the page, and then connecting them through small channel so all of the inks could mix together. I think this is a possible technique I could use, and I really enjoyed the effect it gave. Unfortunately though, this technique can lead to many inks dripping down the page. This can really change the look of the piece and happens because of the large amount of ink that tis being used and recycled around the page. Maybe , if it were used on a smaller piece of paper the spills wouldn't be as bad.

Mark van Gennip

I was looking through my blog the other day and came across some prints on a dress that reminded me of the serendipity works we had been researching and creating in class. Now looking, it seems as though the use of inks and water are now becoming a popular choice for fabric patterns. One graphic designer in particular is Mark van Gennip. He is a freelance creative of print design and storytelling imagery for advertising and fashion. Here is one of his projects called 'tunnel' http://www.mrrk.nl/>Tunnel Project which really uses the idea of serendipity in inks.

Possible Mentor- Julie Evans

Another possible mentor is Julie Evans. She works with alot of inks and sometimes incorporates mandalas and other drawings as well. She is a New York city based artist and spends time in India on a regular basis. Julie Evans Blog --> Check out her blog, to look at all her amazing pieces! She could possibly be my mentor for the major piece/s I had to complete, because I like the way she using different earthy tones of ink, but doesn't let them mix together, they are together, but have dried separately. I think this technique leaves less room for mistakes and also gives a greater impact as the colours are stronger, more predominant and stand out clearer. This means you can then work back into them more, so that way the work won't look too busy, because there isn't going to be a mess of inks of the page. Personally, I really just enjoy looking at her works and picturing where I would hang them in my house. I love the movement in the pieces and how even though she is using the concept of serendipity, her works still look so perfect and well carried out.

This is only one of my most treasured works by Julie Evans from her small Mylar constructions.

Possible Mentor- John Olsen

John Olsen is an Australian artist, born in January 1928. He lived in Bondi Beach, Sydney with his family where his life long obsession with Sydney Harbour began. He has studied at many art schools around Australia and Europe. He is best known for his colourful works with inks. I think of him as a possible mentor because I enjoy his use of colours in his pieces and the use of line throughout, it gives the pieces a sense of movement.

This image here is one of his well known works 'Five Bells' from 1963. I really love the use of an analogous colour scheme and the movement created by the many different types of lines he has used. I think this could be possible inspiration for my major works.

New Visual Art Blog

Hello Mrs Vincent, This is my Visual Art blog for the serendipity unit we are currently in. This blog will contain reflections and images of the works I have done, practices and new works influenced by my mentor; John Olsen. I hope you enjoy :)