bethhardicreart

[bethhardicreart]

Hans Hofmann artist research

During a library visit I was recommended this book about Hans Hofmann and was instantly intrigued by his work.  I have written an artist review/research text exploring his personal life and his art style. Below is an extract from this review.

 Artist review extract: “Hans was heavily influenced by Henri Matisse which I feel shows in his work with the playful use of shape and abstract geometric compositions, as well as the bold choice of colours. Another thing that influenced Hofmann was Cubism, more specifically displacement of form, it is likely that Picasso could have had input on the discovery this.

I like the way this artist uses bold, vibrant colours (usually primary colours) to contrast with dark backgrounds. The brush strokes and experimental splashing over neatly drawn out shapes is something that I find very interesting as that composition alone adds an unusual sense of movement to the work.

The paintings are usually displayed on canvas or wood board and the choice of medium is very effective on these surfaces, Hans often uses oil, acrylic or gouache paint but is not limited to these.

I have found Hans Hofmann very inspiring for creating deliberate but experimental work and will produce responses to his work in my studio practice.”

[bethhardicreart]

Artwork Copyright © Tyler Spangler

Buy prints here: society6.com/tylerspangler

[bethhardicreart]

Abstraction and materiality workshop

Following on from the weaving workshop I took part in earlier this trimester I was full of ideas for working with weaving in my studio practice.  I unfortunately was absent for an Abstraction workshop with Angela but managed to work on the workshop task from home that week. 

Angela’s workshop was looking into artists that work outdoors, using their environment to inspire or materialise in their work. This includes artists like Andy Goldsworthy and Antony Gormley, two artists I find particularly inspiring.

Taking this information I responded to the task by first walking around a local wooded area where there are various interesting textures to inspire and gather including willow plants, ferns, grasses, twigs. I collected a selection of the materials found on the walk and brought them home where I set up a DIY loom in my yard using a green house frame and yarn.  I began weaving with what my initial idea was which was to just horizontally line up yarn and plant matter, but during doing this i began playing with the idea of weaving on different angles, creating a fan like shape with the sticks.  I really liked the effect of this and would like to experiment further in my studio practice.

[bethhardicreart]

Tumblr is unreliable

I have recently attempted to upload posts including images and detailed annotations for some weaving and abstraction workshops but for some reason tumblr is not allowing me to post them and I have therefor lost the text.  Going forward I may record my blog posts as word documents and print them for hand in. Unless tumblr begins working properly again

[bethhardicreart]

Intro to weaving workshop

Earlier this trimester I took part in a weaving workshop with Sue Debney.  We were shown a range of ways to set up a loom, including a hand held grey board loom. 

After the set up tutorial we were shown a hands on approach to weaving techniques, each person in the group contributed to a section of the weaving which I found very helpful as I was able to watch a few people do their section - this helped me to understand the technique being displayed so I could do it myself.

Once we had been shown simple techniques we were split into small groups of 3 - 4 to work on a collaborative tapestry of our own.  For this I worked with 2 other students on the large, rotating loom. We began using embroidery threads which we struggled getting to grips with at the start but eventually got the hang of it and moved onto weaving with a larger material (merino wool roving) which we found is great for filling a large space quickly.

This workshop was really fun to take part in and I will definitely be experimenting with the techniques learnt in my own practice.

[bethhardicreart]

Late night thoughts

Sitting in my yard has been great for finding inspiration for my artwork and continues to surprise me with eye catching things that kick my brain into action.

Tonight, after a playful day in the studios with Angela, my mind has been turned to fibre textile art. This vibrant, retro towel hanging on the rotary washing line caught my eye and now I am considering using it to create a sculptural piece. Sitting in this environment late at night with a harsh light from above (yard wall light) gives me an intensely dreamy feel.

I will experiment in the studios with this idea in mind.

[bethhardicreart]

Abstraction and materiality workshop with Angela 25/02/19

Today I spent my morning attending Angela's workshop that explored the materiality of flexible fibres and textiles that we had previously been asked to bring in (fabric, yarn, felt, wire, string etc.).

We began by looking at some artists that work by pushing the limits of fabric to create giant sculptures and installations, the artists I found the most appealing include Anna Ray, Mrinalini Mukherjee and Ernesto Neto. Anna Ray's work enticed me as she plays with materials that almost encourage you to touch them, the works are huge, tactile pieces that involve lots of vibrant colours. Once the presentation was finished we were asked to get into groups of around 4 people to collaboratively create something using the items we had all brought in.

My group discussed our studio work so far to start generating ideas whilst selecting materials to work with, we decided on a clear array of colours and a lot of the materials were ones that I had brought in and so had an emotional connection to. One member of the group suggested we made balls out of the materials which we all loved the idea of, but when looking at the wool I suggested we make a combination of fabric balls and pom poms. Whilst making these we discussed ideas of how to display this and very quickly came to the decision of hanging them. I began experimenting with wool fibres to create the pom poms as I wanted to add a variety of texture to our work, this worked very well and ended up creating soft, fluffy-looking balls. To hang the work we got creative using a mixture of fabric strips, ribbon, guitar strings and yarn which, with help, was tied to the structure of the studio.

Overall we were all happy with the activity and the work produced, it was very helpful in pushing me to explore the properties of a material and play with that rather than being so structured and planned.

[bethhardicreart]

Remnants of an alcoholic

Acrylic paint, chalk and charcoal on paper

A first draft of an idea that came to me, inspired by the photographs of the rusted can. Each coloured circle represents a can of alcohol and the spiralling alcoholic episodes that frequently occurred in my household whilst my mother's ex partner was with us.

My plans going forward with this piece are to create a 4 x 2 foot stretched canvas in the ground floor workshop - I missed the tutorial workshop last semester but have researched best ways of making and stretching your own canvas where I now feel confident in attempting to make this. Once the canvas is ready I will recreate the painting on a much larger and thought out scale. My hope is to incorporate actual rust on the canvas which will more than likely decay the material in the long run, which I am hoping it will do.

I will experiment in methods for achieving my goal and log them as go.

[bethhardicreart]

Whilst getting ready for uni I had a sudden urge to photograph this rusty swamp in my yard. The object is an old wood burner that has been sat in my yard for years, and was eventually used by my mother's ex-fiance to hide his used larger cans in.

The mentioned ex-fiance had battled with alcoholism but eventually the addiction fought back and alcohol poisoning took over. The side effects of the poisoning are what ended his life, in hospital.

After his passing, we found various bottles hidden around the house but this was the last to be found. I didn't have a positive relationship with him but something made me leave the can where it was.

Today, the urge that took over me has spiralled into finding what I feel is my muse, from the rusty texture to the smell of decaying metal and moss.

This is exciting.

[bethhardicreart]

My little sketchbook is starting to fill with things I've found inspiring and little sketches, this is the first time I've used a sketchbook this small and I have instantly become a huge fan! I'm able to keep it with me at all times for when I get a burst of inspiration whilst out or at home.

Taking notes, word association and collecting things is proving to be a great method of generating ideas, I don't usually allow much of my thoughts to be shown in my sketchbooks but doing this is wonderful for me to develop and grow ideas that I otherwise would have loved and forgotten

[bethhardicreart]

Studio Culture 2 brief has been selected, this semester I will be working on Abstraction + Materiality.

This is a very exciting brief that I can't wait to get started on! I'm hoping to play around with a lot of new processes

[bethhardicreart]

Taking a quick break from essay writing to appreciate these stamps, Idk what it is about them that is so inspiring but they make me want to create some funky digital work! I can't wait to get playing on Photoshop👁

[bethhardicreart]

Semester 2 start

I have now began semester 2 which will include the following tags:

#studioculture

#techniquesandprocesses

#contextualresearch

#artandideas

[bethhardicreart]

Inspirational screenprint artist: Jarno Latva-Nikkola

Today was my intro to screenprint workshop where we learnt how to prepare a screen and then print in layers.

Before any practical work our tutor discussed the uses and possibilities of screenprint whilst showing us some books of various screenprint artists. I took a strong liking to this artist, Jarno Latva-Nikkola, as the combination of vibrant colours and controversial images drew me in.

This artist creates prints of disturbing, provocative and dark illustrations, using up to around 5 or 6 layers. The final black/navy layer is really what I think completes these pieces as it stands boldly on the vibrancy, this layer compliments the colours and adds a look of comic book like illustrations.

[bethhardicreart]

Painting workshop

Today I took part in a painting workshop with Brendan. We looked at copying classic paintings in order to build skill and discussed tonality structure in a painting (light, mid tones and dark).

A note to keep in mind whilst painting:

Consider the warmth and direction of the lighting.

Build layers (start with a wash)

Use confident strokes to block colour and add detail later

[bethhardicreart]

A thought to note

The plants grow wherever their seed lands, they then grow naturally and follow good light. Like the plants I will create freely with what feels natural, allow myself to take up space as I do so

[bethhardicreart]

Art: An Instinctive Practice

I've been preparing notes for my essay 'What is art?" and have stumbled into the idea that creating art, more specifically paintings, is a natural instinct.

From birth our natural response to anything that we can draw in or onto is to do it and make a mess, my earliest memories of my natural instinct to create is grabbing sticks and drawing into sand at the beach or using my hands to smear paint on my unsuspecting little cousin.

Anyone can create art as though it's just another life skill like cooking, but some people decide to practice and refine that skill turning them into artists.