Yesterday I had the pleasure of collaborating with artist Simone Chester on page 8 of our 6ft Square Sketchbook series a our studio space in Digbeth.
Nature's table at this time of year offers up some beautiful and intricate forms, from spindly seed heads of aliums, dried pods, skeletal flower heads and curled tendrils from the grape vine, in direct contrast to the fleshy fullness of berries and gourds.
Textures, lines, shape and colour interplay with our collection of naturalistic forms, with burnt oranges, pale sepia, deep greens and purply blues sitting comfortably together inspiring our painted and drawn marks.
The physicality of our movement, stretching high or curling low to reach all the spaces of the paper, is an integral part of this practice. Layering texture through thick paint, creating impasto surfaces, to then scumble paint across this surface , catching edges with a different colour creating depth and tactile qualities.
Working quickly with big brushes loaded with paint to break the surface of the new page and then redefining with small marks in ink, makes the painted drawing emerge, disappear and re-emerge. Starting with minds engaged on the subject matter, gradually the trail of thought takes on a new discovery of 'what ifs' allowing for more self interpretation and experimentation, taking us away from the realistic and towards abstraction.
Want to create your own drawings and paintings using similar techniques? I offer one day drawing and painting courses at my private studio for anyone who wants to learn expressive drawing techniques, mark making and painting in acrylics of small still life and acrylic canvases for people of any ability! Check out my link here for available dates!
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