Interior of a theatre using acrylic paint inspired by the artist, Sickert.I was particularly pleased with the darkened and aged effect that I produced and the development of shades and tones of similar colours. By using a dry brush technique in some areas I was able to create a textured effect. The dark and light tones give a sense of depth to the painting.
One of my first AS topics developed still life paintings based on household objects.This still life of a bowl of cherries developed a sense of realism and perspective. The use of shadows and a simple range of tonal colours gives an excellent 3D effect. I also had the opportunity to photograph my own compositions as seen with the bowl of grapes.
I have attended several workshops including paper sculpture, textiles, felt making and printing. I created my own head dress using thin card and paper. I was inspired by the sculptors, Louise Nevelson and Richard Sweeney. I liked the curved leaf and wing shaped pieces and over laid them onto the basic support system. By photographing the finished design I was able to experiment with different lighting effects.
I have produced several artist research boards and in this board I was inspired by the artist Liam Spencer who creates urban landscapes.I was attracted to his excellent use of light, reflection and energy in his paintings. I was able to copy some of his designs to develop his style of art. I then produced my own images after completing a photoshoot on the streets of Manchester. It was raining whilst I was there and as it was during the late afternoon I was able to recreate the atmosphere and mood that Spencer captures with the lights reflecting on the wet surfaces.
These experimental sketches using my photographs taken in Manchester were developed using pen and ink, charcoal and soft pencil. I was pleased with the finished products especially the use of shadows to give depth and perspective. From this I decided to use greyscale for my final piece as I liked the simplicity of black and white paintings.
Debenhams corner in Manchester using watered down acrylic paints. By using colour the light and reflections become more vivid. I like this normal everyday urban scene where the movement and energy of people crossing the road is clearly seen.Initially I was daunted by how busy the photograph seemed but as the effect is slightly impressionistic I didn't dwell too much on close detail. Liam Spencer also incorporates some blurred images in his paintings which emphasise the speed and energy within the picture.
This is my favourite greyscale painting based on one of my Manchester photographs. I feel that I have shown different tones and shades of black and white and developed depth, perspective and light reflection well. It took a long time to complete and I could have used a bigger brush for the shadow areas in the foreground.
This painting was painted on a canvas which was a much softer surface that moved more. I was a little disappointed by some of the building shapes and windows to the left of the picture as I didin't feel that I had developed the realisma and 3D effect that I had hoped for.
This is part of my first A2 project based on the theme of warfare. One of the artists that inspired me was Paul Nash and I was able to develop his style of painting by copying some of his original pieces of work. Some of these designs and techniques were then incorporated into my own work. I have recently been to several art galleries in London where I was able to see some of his original art pieces which was fascinating.
One of my starting points to my war project was watching the opening title sequence of the film 'The Pacific' where graphic artist Steve Fuller used photograpy and simple charcoal line drawings to capture dramatic scenes of soldiers at war. By introducing splashes of blood red to his images the associations were clear. Fuller experimented as I did on simple stark silhouetted images and added texture by crumbling and breaking the charcoal. Simple black and white splashes and quick brush strokes took on a symbolic quality.
I developed photographic images of action man dolls in various poses to use in my own compositions.Once again I learnt about the importance of lighting to develop shadows and to emphasise key body positions which were to be sketched later.
Another of several war artists that I researched was James Ensor who used skeletons in some of his pictures. This was a copy of one of his paintings which I feel is quite macabre and disturbing. I recreated the camouflaged background in some of my own pieces.
I went on a photo shoot to Delamere Forest focusing on wooded landscapes similar to that of the forests in the First World War. Here I shot close ups of the forest floor and damaged trees reminiscent of bomb damaged woodland. I then combined my action man doll shots with these landscapes using a ICT package called 'Photoshop.' I added colour and created these collaged images.
This is one of my collaged pieces incorporating a Nash skyline and broken trees, silhouetted soldiers inspired by Fuller, a painted action man doll and photoshop soldier lying on the floor. I developed a sense of perspective by having the largest figure in the foreground.
