Bristol University Botanic Garden Illustrated lecture to the Gardeners of North Devon

Or the story of Alan Titchmarsh and his Ladies wearing Jimmy Cricket Wellingtons... let's paint a flower darling. All things considered it was a successful evening.

I was asked to give a Lecture on Botanical Illustration and Bristol University Botanic Gardens to the Combe Martin Gardening Association on Thursday 12th May. Therefore, with my recent redundancy radar twitching, I set off with many preconceived ideas and a spare set of Jimmy Cricket wellingtons.

Dressing for comfort, not speed….

Gardening is for life, not just for potatoes….

Constable, not Cy Twombly….

My work with Bristol University and the Botanic Gardens has been a voluntary affair, which began with me being asked whilst lying under my sketchbook, amongst some ferns one sunny Sunday, if I would draw at the Easter Exhibition in the garden in 2012. I have been drawing and exhibiting in the Garden since then and was artist in residence at the Easter Sculpture Exhibition in 2012 and 2013.  I also drew bees at the Bee and Pollination festival in 2015 and helped illustrate a Cookery book.

 

The lecture was an introduction to the Botanic Garden and also an attempt to show what can be achieved with a pen and paper, whilst sitting on a tree stump or lily pad in the sunshine, like an enormous beard-free leprechaun.

It was a tough crowd - Imagine 30 or so people of pensionable age with sandals and stern faces who knew their ‘Euphorbia sikkimensis’ from their elbow.

On the other hand, I know nothing of the scientific nature of plants and my fingers are only green when covered in paint. My love is drawing an unusual or beautiful organic form. However, the gardeners of North Devon were kind and appeared enthused by my overview of the Botanic Garden and clapped (if not wildly but audibly above the hum of the electrically challenged extension lead). I even managed to tempt the group to a creative ‘masterclass’, drawing and painting flowers from life whilst waiting for me to judge the ‘Beautiful Blooms’ competition and draw the raffle. The over-60s can be a pretty scary bunch (bunch geddit?) however, as you can see from the results, some of the work was excellent, particularly as some students last held a paintbrush when Elvis actually had a pelvis.

Since my visit to Combe Martin, I found out that apparently due to my enthusiastic and entertaining talk, Enormous Rod (6ft 8) has organised a coach trip to the Bristol Botanic gardens on Wednesday June 8^th and I also won the raffle. Therefore, I can stuff my face with homemade shortbread biscuits as I write this.

 

SILKSCREEN THE WATERCOLOUR MONOPRINT

Experimental addition to ‘Expression with colour’

May 2016

In an attempt to work with more subtle control and delicacy of tone rather than the application of block opaque colours, which has been the result of using acrylic colour for both my print and painted image, I tried using watercolour paint directly onto a silkscreen. I use watercolour paint in my work for both botanical and portrait studies and feel comfortable with handling this media.

 

Using a similar method as with my previous acrylic monoprints, I found that with watercolour, one can produce work which contains a much more ethereal quality and has the added interest of a ‘reticulation’ pattern which is created within certain areas of the print (particularly where more water is used to blend the pigment which, once dry leaves a gradation of opaque to transparent colour).

In addition one does not have to work so quickly as with acrylic monoprinting. It is essential that the watercolour paint dries completely. I used a hairdryer to speed up this process. Therefore it is the dried watercolour paint when combined with acrylic silkscreen print medium which created these delicate ethereal style prints.

I liked the haphazard, experimental nature of the overall print with areas of transparency and then unexpected blotches of bold colour. Using this technique it is possible to achieve about three prints of worth, with the first ‘pull’ more effective as the colour is stronger and the effect of the ‘reticulation’ more obvious to see.

I experimented by working with watercolour on some of my existing silkscreen printed single colour figurative keylines and with examples of the same figurative designs on plain paper without a keyline. Both examples were successful, although the addition of a keyline gave a more definitive context for the print.

My final prints have the potential to be used as background samples for my future ‘feminine’ portraits or as abstract patterns in their own right. I have produced a sample book made up of one A2 size print on proofing card which contains a combination of interesting sections - bright, opaque colour and more subtle areas. In my opinion, the overall effect is one of anatomical imagery – internal sections of the figure combine with macro patterns reminiscent of cell structures and blood vessels.

Everything I produce returns to the human form.

THE PORTRAIT

'Every portrait that is painted with feeling is a portrait of the artist, not of the sitter'.

Oscar Wilde

Initially as part of my professional practice I looked at combining the traditional with the contemporary - looking at the Graphic Artist - Miss Bugs, the Fine Artist - Peter McGrath and the Art Gallery - the Cube. Unfortunately these parallels in direction did not combine as i had hoped; with the Cube closing its Bristol premises to concentrate on the London Gallery and Peter McGrath, the fine artist, wishing to focus on his forthcoming exhibition at the Cube (see above). Alongside this I was made redundant (boo hoo). Therefore, my dear friend offered to paint me in return for Photoshop tuition and I decided to concentrate on Miss Bugs alone.

Peter McGrath is a traditional fine art 'painter'. He avoids the term 'artist' as he is too humble to believe anyone would see him as such. His work is beautiful, reflecting a skill and ability to capture a likeness, light and texture on canvas. Peter strives to emulate the old masters, with inspiration ranging from Rembrandt, Raphael and Titian to Manet and Breugel. Peter is very conventional in his approach to the media, using both Oil and Acrylic paint, although is attempting to use more digital influences within his work. His photographic work particularly. http://www.petermcgrath.co.uk

Pontificating, procrastinating, reworking, reinventing whilst painting. He stands gladiatorial, like a grizzled Roman centurion, paintbrush in hand about to strike the canvas a deadly blow.

I found it extremely difficult to sit still for long periods of time and it was very uncomfortable to be scrutinised by another human being whilst sitting motionless with only a table as my shield.

The series of 10 or so portrait paintings shown here are my attempt to document this portrait process, producing a sequence of images which describe the work in progress; after five months my portrait is still unfinished and ever changing (still being revisited from memory and direct observation).

As you can see, my face changed with each brushstroke. The artist attempts to capture a likeness and paint light onto the canvas - this light altered the structure of my face and the emotion displayed within seconds. Vulnerable and uncomfortable are adjectives to describe this experience. It is as if my portrait appears as an amalgam of all the female sitters who've gone before. I will be immortalised in a unique way unlike a photograph. It is rather like watching a distant memory made flesh - fuzzy and vague in some places, but also recognisable clarity in others. This is easy to see with these images in book form - highlighting the idea of 'a sequence'. I have called this mini book - The Black Madonna (an ironic title since I am not a virgin or black).

As Dali said " I do not paint a portrait to look like the subject, rather does the person grow to look like his portrait'.

ABC BOOK GROUP

Bower Library Exhibition April 2016  

'Turn the Page' June 2016

I made 3 books as part of the ABC book group for the Bower Library Exhibition which started April 18th 2016. These books could potentially be taken for the Turn the Page Bookfair in Norwich in June 2016.

Book 1 - Concertina fold. 
NUDEs
Inspired by my first textile painting - my Matisse style figures (think 'Le Danse') were silkscreen printed onto large card and then I worked into this figurative black printed key line, combining figures curved patterns and colour together. I used a limited yet vibrant colour palette for my first painting - Blues, Reds and Golds.

Dots or circles have begun appearing with regularity within my current work. They could be seen to evoke the 'feminine' theme, representing nipples or possibly to simulate and highlight the more curvaceous nature of the female form. these dots also link to my halftone work - where images are 'hidden' rather like 'Colour Blind' test imagery, so up close they appear as patterns but from a distance one can see the form and subject of the print.

Book 2
LISTEN BUDDY...
inspired by the 1968 Film 'The Odd Couple' with Walter Matthau and Jack Lemmon. I captured a series of film stills using portraits of actors with minor roles in the film as the subject for my prints eg. gormy go-go dancer, matronly waitress etc. and silkscreen printed the half tone image, then folded it concertina style (as with previous books).
To add interest, I took lines of dialogue from the film and chose one word from each line on each page, emboldened this word, to make up a completely different and 'out of context' surreal sentence. If you open up the whole book a Spanish Dancer appears!! 

Book 3
BUMS 
inspired by my life drawing and using the idea of layers - my mini concertina book - contains overlapping nudes - silkscreen printed in two colours. I used transparent textures combined with a key line to create the idea of skin with the definition of strong bold outlines. I stamp printed the word BUMS on the front cover just in case anyone had no clue what this teeny book contained.

'Listen Buddy', my Dotty Odd Couple book is going to be taken to the Bookfair in Norwich in June 2016.  Excited and I can't believe it!!

Book making takes precision, care and patience and all of these things are alien concepts. I am haphazard, careless and impatient. Straight lines and measuring are an anathema to me. At school I was the child sitting on the naughty step during maths lessons for putting cheese in the maths teachers bag whilst she attempted to teach me trigonometry. I used to get my twin sister to swop classes with me!  Hence my surprise and this anti-precision diatribe at getting a book selected.

Oscar Madison: Don't you have any gravy? 

Felix Ungar: Where the hell am I gonna get gravy at eight o'clock?

FABRIC: COMPOSITIONAL PROPERTIES

How this can affect the quality, pattern structure and nature of the overall print achieved.

The fabrics I used for my digital prints were natural fibres, made up from organic sources ie Cotton (cotton plant), Linen (flax), Silk (silkworms) or a combination/blend

eg. Twill Silk, Silk Habotai Medium, Cotton Duck Canvas, Cotton Valdez and Juniper Linen.

These natural fabrics composed of short fibres, called staple fibres, are easier to twist to form yarn which can then be woven into a fabric. The exception to this is silk, one natural fibre made up of continuous filaments. The nature of the fibres denote the Mechanical properties of the fabric, therefore indicating why some fabrics are springier, denser and easier or more difficult to handle and the Physical properties indicate the fabrics which hold their colour better and reflect light with more vibrancy but are prone to fading.

‘A bugger to cut’… even with pinking shears and taping down the fabric with ‘springier’ properties, it was extremely difficult to dissect these patterned pieces into neat samples for a book.

It was also noticeable that when putting together my material swatches, the ‘give’ or stretch of each fabric’s ‘personality’ – ie mechanical and physical properties - altered the length and shape of the printed pattern. I found too that the strength and richness of the colour was determined by the structural properties of a particular fabric.

As I mentioned in a previous blog – Silk or silk blends are more successful for retaining vibrancy of colour and better drape on the body, although they are not lightfast so prolonged exposure to natural light not recommended.

Therefore a fabric with elasticity, strength, fineness and durability to light – Juniper Linen, Twill Silk or Silk Habotai Medium or Heavy – would be effective samples for my current digital pattern work.

 

Variations in the hand and appearance of fabrics with the same fibre content can be caused by differences in the weave or finish used in each fabric as well as in its biological make up.

The Mechanical Properties of Fabric

1. Strength

2. Elasticity

3. Extensibility

4. Rigidity 

The Physical Properties of Fabric

1. Length

2. Fineness

3. Lustre

4. Softness

5. Density

6. Appearance

7. Flexibility

8. Toughness

9. Elongation

Cotton (cellulosic)

Comfortable

Soft hand

Absorbent

Good color retention, prints well

Machine-washable, dry-cleanable

Good strength

Drapes well

Easy to handle and sew

Linen (cellulosic)

Comfortable

Good strength, twice as strong as cotton

Hand-washable or dry-cleanable

Crisp hand

Tailors well

Absorbent

Dyes and prints well

Lightweight to heavyweight

No static or pilling problems

Fair abrasion resistant creases badly

Silk (animal fibre)

Soft or crisp hand

Luxurious

Drapes and tailors well

Thinnest of all natural fibres

Dyes and prints well

Hand-washable or dry-cleanable

Little problem with static, no pilling problem

Poor resistance to prolonged exposure to sunlight