Looking at works by Van Gogh, Klee and Picasso etc

Spent a few evenings lost in imagery on line by Picasso, Klee and Van Gogh. Who am I to comment except to record thanks to them for filling life with line and colour and shape that left me dazed
However here I go commenting in relation to my course and what helped me

Klee

vocal fabric of the singer

messenger of autumn

Use of colours inspiring and lots of ideas for patchwork and quilting sprang to mind. Naive shapes of birds and fish cheered me up and I have sketched ideas for a layered fabric collage based on the observation of the bird singing at the top of the fir tree in the dark - using hand dyed fabrics in dark purple, green and grey - picking up stitch marks - sharp for fir tree, gentle for bird shape and dense texture for dark
Especially interested in Klee's involvement in Bauhaus movement and wandered off on line looking at images of weaving which I loved

Picasso

simplification of complex shapes helps - love the goat forms and finally started to draw and sketch - used coloured papers and crayons -
recumbent face of woman fascinating and a dove / bird shape which I drew several times

Van Gogh

on familiar well loved territory
tree forms and lines in skies wonderful for textile images
picked up charcoal for 1st time and LOVED it - all sorts of sketches copying images from Van Gogh - freeing and even I thought some of it looked like an ox cart or a figure of sorts !

Followed culture show on Henry Moore and then onto BBC archived material
linkage between landscape and human form fascinates me as does space created in the figures and being able to see landscape between and through the space
want to return to this and do some colour sketches on things I noticed
also began to wonder whether fabric sculpted possible ....

went back to images of rock faces - many books on rock climbing here at the croft - sketches of rock faces helped me think again about marks and texture - would like to create panel that is stiffened in some way / folded/ and embroidered

sketching from other artists helping me try and work out perspective and line
sketching from rocks and tree barks frees me from worrying about realism

love doing both which is a huge surprise as I thought I would have to grit my teeth and do some drawing to enable me to get onto textiles
now I don't feel in such a rush to put charcoal and pencil away and after worrying the sketch book would be empty - it may not be after all

Getting started

All the information arrived from OCA and after a shopping trip to the local art shop, which is two hours drive away, the fun has begun. With no experience of art or drawing classes this really is unknown territory for me and feelings have ranged from excitement to terror. Most of all this is all part of the next stage of life's journey for me and I have recorded the following as my hopes for the course:

1. 
   
   develop new ways of seeing


2. 
   
   build confidence in making soul marks


3. 
   
   explore links between the contemporary world and traditional textile forms


4. 
   
   exploration of myself and continue a therapeutic journey
   

Making marks exercise is in progress and on the morning scheduled for starting the work, I awoke early. Still dark here in the far north, I stood at the door and heard a solitary bird brave the weather and sing in the dark. It struck me that this is the essence of faith or of an artist to dare to be in the dark and make the sound or the mark of the light held within, or perceived over the horizon.
The making of marks was done over two days and I noted the amount of energy such unfamilar activities took from me. I haven't played or worked with pencils since childhood.Since doing the exercise textures have leapt out at me , especially as we have just planted 400 trees on the croft this last week and earth and bark have been at the centre of vision.
I most enjoyed the use of colour - feeling energised by it. Printing with household objects caused me frustration as I wanted to use ideas and textures created first in the pencil exercises. Maybe I should have let the printing speak for itself and not have constrained it in the way I did.

I am surrounded by domestic extra - ordinariness and so chose as a template the bottom of my pencil pot - an old food container with a pleasing hexagonal shape. This reminded me of the joys of antique patchwork pieces and the cells within our bee hives - a source of endless fascination. I had also wanted a lens shape / structure to frame the marks as I felt both very involved in the process and also trying to learn to step back/ reflect and critique the work.

Some marks flowed without any prior verbal process for me - other marks needed me to construct a name for an emotion or action that I wanted to then portray visually. Which ever way the marks were made I wanted them named.

I enjoyed the constraint of making marks within the 9 cm space until it came to using paint and rubbings with wax crayons - size was too constricting at that point.