I'm so far behind in posting. This feels like a long time ago. Painted these along with Uma Kelkar and her students on the Vivify Platform. Gouache still feels uncomfortable to me and painting so small (the size of a coaster) even more so. But there is so much to be learned in painting together. I'm a firm believer in that. And I do love these communities of fellow artists who keep inspiring me.
Had a great time practising this technique from Andrew James on the Vivify platform in preparation for lines, shapes and madness in Poznan! Writing this less than 48 hours before I travel, and I already feel like I'm missing out as sketchers from around the world are gathering in Berlin and Poland ahead of the International Symposium. I am so lucky to be going. Maybe it's just excitement I'm feeling?
I had all these pages with not very successful sumi ink experiments. So I decided to make collages out of them, as ideas for when I start painting again. Because I am autistic, I have trouble with transitions. So I was going to Belgium for two days, then back in Dublin for 4 days, before travelling to Poznan for the Urban Sketchers International Symposium. And I simply could not get into painting mode in the intervals of time. It's like my brain cannot switch from travel to sketching to painting overnight. I need time for my brain to get into the right mode. That's where having a studio book is useful. I'm not painting painting, but I can play around with ideas in my studio book that might lead me to something when I look at my book again when I come back from Poznan. I have plenty more squares, and so far, I have only added some collage to one of them. Maybe I need to let it percolate through my brain for a while before I add layers.
I felt my sketches had become too "vanilla" and I decide to shake things up by prepainting my sketchbook pages. Before knowing where I would be sketching (as Dublin Sketchers is organised by volunteers, I never know in advance where we will go), I had applied red and light green tempera squiggles to one of my pages, and a light sienna on another spread. Not the best colours when I found out we were going to Dun Laoghaire, by the sea. I could have sketched some of the buildings, or the fun fair, that probably would have worked with the colours on my page. But if I'm by the sea, it's like I am pulled by an energy that I can't explain. So there I was looking at the turquoise sea in the sunshine, and I didn't even have white gouache to cover up the red! I think I managed to make it work. It certainly isn't vanilla. And I had one page left in my sketchbook. Xavier happened to be sitting across from me. I don't think he was too happy with my sketch of him! But hey, I had a great time. That's all that matters!
I know at this stage that Sumi ink won't do what I want it to, but it does pretty cool things all the same. I'm sure if I mixed it with something, I would get the effect I want. Adding powdered charcoal looked great with lots of sloshing water, but when everything dried, it wasn't so interesting. Still, I can't seem to stop myself. I think I will crop and collage some of these.
It was a while since I had attended one of these Street View World tour sessions. But I'm glad I attended this one. It was challenging and fun. And I moved some of the street furniture around to serve my purposes.
Some inconclusive experiments. At this stage, I really don't know what I'm after. But I'm in Symposium mode, so I won't get back on track until after I'm back.
I felt my previous skech with Dublin Sketchers was a bit tame. So I prepainted pages with random colours and brought red, green and orange tempera sticks with me. And yes, the car parked in front of the old Ballsbridge Post Office happened to be red. The post office is closed now. There is a planning permission sign, it's not clear to me if it's for a wine bar or an art gallery. Added gouache swatches on the second spread, just because I wanted to keep track of the mixes. Then I added a grey gouache sky and shadows under the cars. Maybe I could do that with the first sketch?
One watercolour with square brushes, one creating a big gouache shape. All a bit frantic, as I'm not a fast learner. But always developing new skills while watching and trying to keep up with these amazing women artists, Isabell Seidell and Uma Kelkar, on Vivify
Dispersed energy? Cars, ink, gouache ? When will I get back to my painting? Not just yet, it seems!
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Why I thought that separating sumi ink would be easy, I have no idea. I knew it contained soot and animal glue (or resin in the politically-correct translation). It's designed to be permanent. But surely there is a way to cause a separation, if you act before it has a chance to dry? I'm not a chemist. But I want to investigate this, although the Google AI is advising me not to! I bet the Google AI would not have discovered America!
In the meantime, I have discovered the wonderful Pilot ink in the take-sumi colour.
But also I have forgotten why I started exploring inks. I have a watercolour painting waiting for me to give it love and attention. I don't think any of my ink explorations will contribute anything to it!
Cars are never easy, but this method from Andrew Jamess on Vivify was brilliant. (Just ignore the first one, I was only warming up!)
I have been struggling with my sketching lately. Maybe I'm trying too many things. Or I'm not taking enough risks. But I keep working at it! These are from an art festival (mostly for kids) outside the Hugh Lane gallery.
