Reflections on DOM

In some ways I disappeared as abruptly as I appeared.  I hit the ground running when I got home, with bathroom renovations in full swing, nursing a sick pet which regrettably I had to farewell and write a catalogue for up and coming show I have been curating. 

Its only now I am starting to contemplate on the experience of the DOM residency.  People ask me if I got much work done, frankly no, not much at all.  But something far richer happened, I got to experience the uniqueness, the hospitality and loyalty of friendship that identifies the northwest coast.  Not only is the landscape wild and wonderful and so are the people.  It seems to me to be an unspoken knowing that your community has got your back, you belong.  I saw this amongst the young people, I saw it intensely amongst the staff, especially the art department, and I saw it in the arts community.  I’m guessing this care and dependability comes through fire, through the tough times and fun.  I love the resilience and pride of the northwest coast, it truly is beautiful inside and out, a generous and gorgeous place.

In these blogs I have focused on the studio side of things, not the beaches, the wild winds, that pademelons eating your front lawn at night, nor the mountains at my doorstep— an incredible place.

It took me time to get to know some of your treasures, your people, but I truly feel richer and indebted to the friendships formed over this season.  Some of my favourite times was an informal painting workshop done with the staff, playing ping pong late at night, hiking into unknown terrain and having a bit of a dance with the girls at Penguin Beer Co, and the one-on-one conversations with the students about their projects.  It is a place I would not hesitate to return to, to even call home.  I will never know how much impact I had on DOM, but I do know it has had a lasting impact on me.

fast and furious - the final week

Monday

Today is my last opportunity to do oil painting because I need the works to be able to travel on Friday. So between joining studio practice for critiques I have been trying to resolve the ghost rock tree painting. As part of my relationship & restraint project I have been doing small tondos, abstract colour fields as a counterpoint for the more expressive gestural works . These have an elemental absracted feel, I think they could be stripped back even further but this is something I will need to reflect on and test.

I am still not happy with the tree side of the work, its getting closer but it still feels quite contained. this could be a reflection of my time in an open studio at DON as I am very aware of the space restrictions and being passively watched. I tend to work best between 4-7pm when all the students and staff are gone and just have the occasional chat with Markus and the cleaning staff.

After struggling most of the day with the basic forms and textures of the figure (tree) I decided the top left corner was problematic and floated away. I did some tests digitally on procreate and then had an impromptu crit with Anne Morrison and Darrian about the work. What a breath of fresh air. We unanimously decided I need to subvert the blue - normally associated with sky, and carry the green over to the top left. it has intensified the containment but also the energy. Darrian asked me so very provocative questions, like what is the mood I am try ing to evoke? We discussed the longevity of the tree and how it has weathered so many storms and been a silent witness to so much upheaval and change over the years, but it unlike us remains stationary. Darrian had some great insights and described the work as “fractured realities showing different time periods”. - gold -! thanks Darrian I can only hope that one day my work will do exactly that ! (its these serendipitous conversations that make residencies invaluable.

So this is where I will have to leave this work. It’s not finished yet, once it has dried I will be able to start glazing and pushing more depth into pectoral space, this will happen when I get home. I do however like the two works together I think they bounce off each other well.

painting now, ready or not

I’m now starting to get into the rhythm of the art department and really enjoying conversations with some of the studio practice students as we discuss their ideas.  Some of the students are working on a figure in the landscape project so I thought I would start an oil painting to demonstrate the process of blocking out your composition loosely and with several layers find the form and build up the space and imagery. I have found it surprisingly difficult to work on display so to speak, it’s made me a little unsure because normally I work from my imagery, drawings photographs and allow the paint to evolve, responding and adjusting on the go.  But in this particular painting I decided to limit my palette to just three colours plus white. The only challenge as normally I would have done testing colour charts before I started so I could explore all the possibilities – big mistake.  I’ve stubbornly pushed through but regret not planning and being more excited about the composition before I started.  There is a long way to go but the following images is a snap shot of  some of the stages.  

to be continued…

testing - physical and digital

Week 3-4

Week 3 has been a flicking between finishing my Mock Black painting and data collection and compositional testing with the left-over paint in anticipation to talking to Cortney’s graphic arts class.  It’s important to note I don’t just think about what I am doing but test ideas both digitally and materially.  When you start pushing paint around there can be happy accidents that inform your next step. 

In responding to my walks around Don reserve I need to note I have been also thinking about Ken Whisson an extremely influential Australian painter for me personally passed away this month. He had this unique ability to make every element in his paintings equally important, there was no hierarchy of importance.  So I have been thinking about his legacy while playing around with my elements.  

studio wall

A serendipitous moment, Sonia is teaching about thumbnail sketches as a tool for working out compositions, so I thought I would try a few via Procreate to see what I come up with.

iPad drawing, the difference between working from photograph or plein air

These two drawings were done specifically to share with Cortneys graphic design class who are just starting to learn how to do iPad drawing. I wanted to demonstrate visually the difference between engaging three dimensionally - physically in a space v’s working from a two diminutional image. In both classes they all agreed the bottom drawing was the most engaging and successful. It was done in-situ within an hour, the top image at home, took about 3-4 hours on and off - looking at a photograph. I think this was a powerful demonstation about energy and presence.

mock black

Row 1.           Burnt Umber & Ultramarine Blue

Row 2.           Naphthol Red & Phthalo Turquoise

Row 3.           Burnet Umber & Inanthrone Blue

Row 4.           Phthalo Blue, Dutch Brown (transparent) & Quinacridone Magenta

Row 5.           Prussian Blue, Alizarin Crimson & Raw Umber

Row 6.           Alizarin Crimson & Spectrum Veridian

Row 7.           Paynes Grey & Mars Brown

Row 8.           Phthalo Green (yellow shade) & Quinacridone Magenta

Row 9.           Quinacridone Magenta & Olive Green

Row 10.        Cobalt Blue Deep & Red Ochre 

Row 11.        Caput Mortuum & Phthalo Blue 

Row 12.        Permanent Blue & Raw Umber

Row 13.        French Ultramarine & Burnet Sienna

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James Fox in The World According to Colour (2021), in his discussion about the cultural demonisation of black as a hue or absence of colour cornicles the polarising attitudes and mythology of black over the centuries.  To contrast the Wests ‘fear of the dark’ he quotes Jun’ichirō Tanizaki’ essay In Praise of Shadows (1933) auguring that “the ‘magic’ of darkness was integral to eastern aesthetics – and completely at odds with the misguided western obsession with light: 

We Orientals tend to seek our satisfactions in whatever surroundings we happen to find ourselves, to content ourselves with things as they are; and so darkness causes us no discontent, we resign ourselves to it as inevitable. If light is scarce; we will immerse ourselves in the darkness and there discover its own particular beauty. But the progressive Westerner is determined always to better his lot. From candle to oil lamp, oil lamp to gas light, gaslight to electric light – his quest for a bright light never ceases, he spares no pains to eradicate even the minutest shadow.

To paint a deep dark or black can be problematic. I have found the black oil paints within my possession can be quite harsh and flat. Sitting spatially on the surface and quite flat. This is fine when the work is more graphic in nature, but to render a deep depthless black is not formulaic

Black line and tonal shifts are elementary to any drawing, and no one masters it more than the Chinese’s and Japanese ink masters. Fox in discussing describes Sesshū’s Splashed -Ink Landscape(1495) as “among other things, an exercise in the generative capacity of black. There are light blacks and dark blacks, warm blacks and cool blacks, wet blacks and dry blacks, thick blacks and thin blacks, bleeding blacks and blotted blacks. Some stab, some cares, and others are so pale that they appear almost white. This painting proves that there is nothing monotonous about black. It is no less beautiful, and no less varied than any other colour. The greatest virtue of a monochrome painting, like darkness, is that it demands imagination; it allows its viewers to fill the gaps. Austerity need not mean dullness. In the minds eye, Sesshūs chameleonic blacks can become any colour in the spectrum, in ever-changing combinations. But if he had used coloured paint, they could only have been hues he chose.

The third week into this residency and I have finally finished my first painting in the Mock Black series.  This series grew organically from my ChromaCorona series.  Whenever I discovered a new black, one made by mixing two coloured hues I would make a note of the recipe and on a scrap piece of canvas do tonal graduation from light to dark.  This scrap canvas grew slowly over the last two years, the first section I tested with simply the black pigments I owned. Mock Black, Transparent Black, Ivory Black, Cold Black and Lamp Black.  Then from that point of departure continued the chart when new blacks were discovered.  This strip of canvas has sat in the corner of my studio for a few years now, but increasingly I have been drawn to the beauty of it and surprised at the tonal nuances pending on the original pigments in the mix.  It wasn’t until preparing for the residency I thought I should enlarge this tonal swatch and begin to seriously critique what I am seeing. 

Perhaps it has been a reaction to the intensive saturated colour charts I have been doing, but I have found it so refreshing not to think about colour for a season.  I also have been thinking about the subjective nature of colour and how every individuals’ eyes all read colours slightly different. When I say think of the colour red, everyone in the room will think a slightly different red.  This is the same for B&W, it is human nature to define by opposites and polarise positions, yet in reality there is no them and us, it is nuanced and full of unique understandings. Holding and appreciating these tensions, then similarities and differences has great value.  With the back drop of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Floods throughout the east coast of Australia, Vac’s and Anti Vac’s and our political polarisation where politics no longer looks at negotiation and compromise for common good, but celebrities and ideology, I think slow methodical celebration of nuance and subtly of Mock Black is counter cultural and a perfectly fitting reaction to this cultural moment.   Perhaps it is time we stop being afraid of the dark, and grow in appreciation of how shifting our perspective enables us to see what we previously were unaware existed, unlocking a whole new world of beauty and common humanity.   

Fox, J, The World According to Colour, A Cultural History, (Allen Lane, Penguin Random House 2021 ), p 41

Tanizaki, J., In Praise of Shadows, trans. T. Harper and E. Seidensticker ( Stony Creek: Leete’e Island Books, 1977), p 31

navigating new spaces

Week 2:

By now I’m not getting lost as much driving to and fro to Don from Hawley Beach (which by the way I am very grateful for lovely accommodation is such a pretty area).  I’ve had some lovely chats with some of the students re their projects and was invited to visit Shane Wolfe’s Art Theory and Criticism class – what a fantastic subject. I wish I had don’t that before I went into post grad studies, really dynamic and invaluable skills on how to look, think and write about art with a broad cultural understanding to understand the analysis, brilliant.  I think any serious art practice student would really benefit from this subject as well. 

As a practicing artist this is what we do constantly, I am forever having to write about my work for grant applications and exhibitions.Even doing this blog has elements of critique, so brilliant subject and Shane’s enthusiasm is infectious.

Cortney is looking at digital drawing with her graphic class and invited me to share how I use iPad drawing in my practice.   I use the program called procreate, designed by some Tassie guys – its fantastic. Like Photoshop I don’t use it to its full potential as I focus more on actually painting but it has basically replaced Photoshop for me. I use it in a few ways 

iPad drawing - how it helps my painting practice

I first got hooked on iPad drawing when I saw David Hockney’s - The Arrival of Spring – Annely Juda Fine art in London. I couldn’t believe my eyes, walking into that gallery was full of the colour and joy of Spring and all the works were iPad drawings.

Installation shot: David Hockney - The Arrival of Spring – Annely Juda Fine Art, London.

Needles to say I am in no way comparing my work with Hockney but he opened the door for me to try this tool and this is how I now use iPad drawing in my practice.

1.     Testing 

When I get stuck on a work and am not sure where to go with it, I often load an image of the work in procreate and paint digitally on it to test different options… so I don’t much up the actual painting.  

2.     Image construction 

When I walk and explore areas, I take lots of photos of things that catch my eye, sometimes you can’t capture the scale and the presence of something in one photo. So I will collage those images in procreate. 

Test composition of amazing tree next to Ghost Rock Vineyard - I drive past it every day and think there is something quite haunting about its presence. This image was made by importing several photos as seperate layers into procreate and then playing with the Opacity, Scale and Difference.

3.     Data collection and in-depth observation 

This is the most valuable tool for me as procreate has the ability to layer and draw like paint. Additionally, its easier then carting all my paints to a site, so when plain air I will do a iPad drawing of the site.  This is a time-consuming process but it forces me to be still and forensically observe what i am looking at.  I tend not to edit at this point but just gather as much info as I can, the editing will come later when and if I transcribe that into painting.  

In anticipation of sharing with Cortney’s class I did some iPad drawings of a quirky old park in Don Reserve, it stood out to me as a strange clearing in all this wonderful tea trees.  Specimen trees were memorialised with these circular old handmade rock garden beds, like halos to indicate their divine importance. Very strange cultural construct when the beauty of the place is the interdependence of the eco system rather then glorification of the individual. Perhaps our political system should learn from our eco systems rather then pick and choose what they focus on.   

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The 1st drawing was done over a few several hours from a photograph, the second was done quickly just shy of an hours plein air, last afternoon light.

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ease her in gently…

Tucked away in the corner, discretely positioned between animal studies and an open door I’m privy to all the comings and goings in the main art teaching and studio space. The strangeness of the new environment is intensified by the compulsory mask wearing and social distancing which no doubt makes more difficult to enmesh myself in the new environment.

First impressions, Welcoming! 

There was even a handmade welcome sign painted in my new ‘studio space’, overwhelmingly I have found all the staff and those students brave enough to speak have been amazingly supportive and accommodating, nothing is too difficult.  John (the principle) met me in in the car park when I first arrived and gave me whirlwind lay of the land tour, introducing me to the office & library staff then handed over to the art department – it’s obvious his passion and nurturing nature is key to the caring atmosphere of the school.  

The art department – wow what a vibrant hub – the staff bring a wealth of experience to the table, all specialists in their own field… (makes me wonder what I can bring to the table) although their days are full, its fun - spinning multiple wheels yet maintaining a personable non rushed presence for whoever is in the space.  

For the first three days I have simply settled in, unpacking, and setting up. I had a grant application closing midnight on Monday, so that was my first agenda - to send that off.  Then I was able to focus, setting up the first large canvas which is an exploration into the hidden colours of B&W.  This has proven a little problematic with the open windows the light keeps shifting so it’s hard to judge the tonal shifts.   Shifting scale from the ChromaCorona charts in the books to a 180x72cm canvas with 15x8cm squares.  The first row is always the hardest, laying down the tonal shifts which will be the template for the complete work.   Unlike the original test canvas, I thought I would lay down mock blanks only - these are blacks that are mixed from two to three different colours.  For example the first row is a mix of French Ultramarine & Burnt Sienna.  What I am finding now 6 rows in, when I mix the pigments, I have rich dark black, but as I work on tonal gradients the colour within the black becomes more prominent, each row with a different nuance. I’m considering whether I should inter-disperse rows of pre-mixed black like Mars Black and Lamp black etc, to emphasise the variants found even in these pigments, although they will sit a lot flatter.   I need to think about that.  

This week has also allowed me to passively see the classes that are run in the space, so I can get a feel for what they are focusing on and how I can possibly enhance that experience.  Fortunate for me the focus for the next season is painting, so I’m thrilled its not to out of my comfort zone.

I haven’t explored much outside of the art department yet as I wanted to get an overview of its rhythm.  I did however venture out for a walk besides the river in Don reserve towards the Aquatic centre.  The first thing that stuck me after the energy of classrooms was the stillness, then the smell, the sweetness of the tea trees and the sounds of the Superb fairywren darting around only to be eclipsed by the screeching of the Yellow-tailed Black -Cockatoo.  The tea trees have this transformative presence where you can indulge in the solitude but feel embraced and not truly alone, each turn noticing different patterns and dancing of the light.  I only walked for about an hour, enjoying the softness of the sawdust paths contrasted to the concrete floor of the studio.  You could be forgiven for thinking the forest is entirely monochromatic, as tonal shifts and the contrast of light and shade is more prominent than colour but then there are these random flashes of yellow jolting you back to the reality that this is a ‘managed’ space. Perhaps I was somewhat melancholy as I was walking, the start of my time away from home also coincided with the invasion of Ukraine by Russia, which has weighed deeply on my heart, likewise the east coast of NSW and vast regions of QLD are facing devastating floods… and I have family and friends in some of the hard-hit areas, so my focus has been suspended, in silent hope for peace to prevail. I will need to revisit and think about these junctures, these interruptions to the landscape, signposts of the present. 

preparing for the residency.... the proposal v's reality

My original proposal was written early 2021, when I had no commitments for 2022 and the idea of having a paid residency was fantastic so I simply focused on what I thought would beneficial for the students and myself in my proposal

“I intend to work with new mediums and techniques that I am not confident in: specifically drawing and collage on paper (no oil painting), restricting myself to pencils/pens/charcoal, collage and maybe some wet medium (ink, water colour and gouache). To compound this experience, I plan to relocate temporarily outside the security of my own studio, and into an area I am unfamiliar with (North West Coast). With these two challenging steps I intend to replicate a similar vulnerability and uncertainty that students face beginning their year.

My aim is to do a series of works on paper, or other new media, exploring the tension between the familiar and unfamiliar or figurative and abstraction, highlighting the slippage of the in-between space. I’m excited (and a bit nervous) about the possibilities, questions and dialogue that this series of studies may reveal.”

— 2021 TasEdRes application - Burnett

Since then, I now have several irons in the fire… all with some time constraints 

• curating a group show for June in which I need to do a painting and continue with my ChromaCorona series.

• I also have a painting I would like to get cracking on a Bay of Fires entry (which may or may not get accepted) because this year’s theme is larrertenner and wurrawina – Light and Shadow - resonates so well with my current research so I would love to expand on that.

• I need to actively apply for more grant funding for the up-and-coming show

• I want to expand my PhD research from the garden construct to the significance and hidden dialogs of trees. What can we learn from them, these adaptive stationery reservoirs of knowledge?

Consequently, coming into this project I’m at a loss at what to focus on, whilst I am well aware that once I arrive all these agendas can fly out the window. 

I am super looking forward to working with the Art Department staff, especially Lisa Garland and Anne Morrison, although I have only met them briefly, I have the hugest respect for their arts practice - amazing work (to be brutally honest I’m a little intimidated - what could I possibly bring to this powerhouse of experience?). Anyway, insecurity aside I am committed hence this ramble… I mean blog.

Lisa has mentioned to me the amazing bushland that surrounds the school, I believe its primarily tea tree and holds great significance for the indigenous community. So I am thinking this will be my key focus in developing some imagery and preliminary drawings, inks, watercolours, charcoals and maybe even collage.

I thought for the first week while I get into the rhythm of things and met the students etc etc I will start on something quite simple… a no brainer for me until I get my bearings. So that will be the oil painting idea I had for the larrertenner and wurrawina  –  Light and Shadow theme. This will be an exploration into ‘mock black’, I will add a post about that soon. In the meantime, I better stop typing and get back to packing.

in the beginning....

this blog will attempt to honestly share the ups & downs of the residency process

Applying for residencies and grants can be really overwhelming (and time consuming) Below is my original proposal which thankfully was accepted by the Arts Tas selection panel (Thankyou)

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Tell us about your proposed activity. Why is it important?

For the past few years my painting practice has been shifting between residencies, exhibitions and sessional teaching. Principally I am an oil painter, who focuses on the slippage between control and wildness within the landscape painting genre. Due to the pandemic, where travel has been restricted, I shifted my subject matter to simple colour charts, something easily accessible within a studio setting. This unexpected restriction has brought about some interesting and concentrated discoveries about colour, and the alchemy and materiality of paint.

Last year I had the privileged to be invited at the Artist-in-Residence for one month at Launceston Church Grammar School. After nearly a year of isolation it was such an enjoyable and rewarding experience to be able to share with students and staff my passion for painting and encourage them in their making. Through an Open Studio, presentations and technical workshops I was able to inspire students to consider ways they could disrupt their pictorial space. Working alongside the senior students I was able to discuss their ideas individually, and mentor them though their task of creating work in any medium, that explored the idea of distortion and disruption. The conclusion of this residency was a group show of the students and my own work at Poimena Gallery in May, 2021.

What I particularly enjoyed with the students and staff was discussing the uncomfortable place of doubt and uncertainty in the process of making art, and how to work through the awkwardness via testing. I noticed there was a reluctance in the students to try and experiment with things they were not confident or competent in. Relating to that awkwardness of working outside of your comfort zone my proposal is to place myself in that same position for this residency.

I intend to work with new mediums and techniques that I am not confident in: specifically drawing and collage on paper (no oil painting), restricting myself to pencils/pens/charcoal, collage and maybe some wet medium (ink, water colour and gouache). To compound this experience, I plan to relocate temporarily outside the security of my own studio, and into an area I am unfamiliar with (North West Coast). With these two challenging steps I intend to replicate a similar vulnerability and uncertainty that students face beginning their year.

My aim is to do a series of works on paper, or other new media, exploring the tension between the familiar and unfamiliar or figurative and abstraction, highlighting the slippage of the in-between space. I’m excited (and a bit nervous) about the possibilities, questions and dialogue that this series of studies may reveal.

The benefit of this proposal is that my actual studio practice throughout the residency could be seen as a living object lesson of the creative process. I will practically demonstrate a way of thinking through making, unedited showing both success and failures within my experimentation. I would like to start the residency with a presentation on ways to develop a body of work around an idea or question. Then after consultation with the teaching staff, present some technical workshops on image construction using my newly acquired collage/drawing techniques midway into the residency. I am also open to other workshops if required on areas of my personal expertise, for example oil painting.

In negotiation with the school, I would like to post a weekly blog that journals and documents this process, similar to a diary with the warts-and-all self-critiques of the projects development. This can be accessible to the students and staff to look at and even comment on throughout the residency (either though the school’s online system or a specific blog on my own web page). It is my hope that the final series of drawings could inform new work, but I am not set on this agenda, it could simply be the development of a way to work.

I think the importance of this proposition will be the actual demonstration of thinking though making. Showcasing the transparency and vulnerability of the processes, not only for the students, the staff but also myself. Seeing firsthand the discipline of hard work and testing that goes on behind the scenes in an artist’s practice rather than the polished resolved work normally shown in the gallery is so important. Additionally highlighting the curiosity and risk taking I believe are imperative for creative practice. My aim is to not only demonstrate this but have my personal practice enriched and invigorated by it

Tell us about yourself.

I have been living in Tasmania since late 2003. I completed my formal training 2018 at the University of Tasmania gaining a PhD which focused on painted imagery’s relationship with space and nature through the motif of the garden. I still consider myself an emerging artist as I have only been represented by a commercial gallery for almost three years, and to date only had one solo show with them.

Contributing to my enthusiasm for this position is my anticipation of the interactions and exchanges between the staff and students within the school community. Since the pandemic I have been working in my home studio and have missed all the serendipitous conversations and cross-pollination of ideas that happens when working within the arts and educational communities.

I consider the breadth of my background in the arts to be beneficial to both the students and staff. Although I am primarily an oil painter, I have also exhibited iPad drawings (Brushes /Procreate), video work and collaborative sculptural work with a 3D- designer.

This versatility testifies to my belief that the message should dictate the best medium.

Additionally, I have nine years the experience of being a sessional tutor and lecture at the School of Creative Arts & Media (CAM) painting department, working mostly with absolute beginners in painting.

A key attraction of this opportunity is that it would enable me to focus on encouraging students in their individual creative projects and development, without the pressure of being their teacher, (all the fun bits without the huge responsibility). The capacity to devote time and energy purely to the creative process and how to develop a meaningful authentic body of work. This is the aspect of coaching which is not only most enjoyable, but I find energises both the student and myself.

Lastly it would be great to have a dependable income for a season, with the boarders unpredictable and the arts industry hit so hard by Covid there are minimal opportunities to generate income, so six weeks as an artist in residence within a school environment would be a welcome relief.

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I’m sharing this because a good friend who is very successful at getting grants shared what they had written to demystify the application process. I hope this helps other emerging artists. Pen