Kia Ora, Welcome To My Visual Blog. As an artist, I am continually learning, developing, reworking and refining my artistic and aesthetic beliefs. Reflection is a recurrent process that unifies my art theory and practice.
Cathy, 2021
‘SEEING SO CLEARLY’ “LISTEN TO LEARN, PLAY TO LEARNā
Week 1, 2nd March, 2021 āA Weight Off Your Mindā – āTreading Lightly with a Heavy Handā
Tricks – Warm up Drawings.
Task: Choose an instruction 3. Draw exactly the same line 1000 times.
‘A Thousand Lines’ This is not a defining drawing, instead, this exercise has supported my art practice, and made me more aware of possibilities. By being focused, and in the moment, my energy was in the zone. Rather than overanalysing when problem-solving, then stalling, I was able to make decisions about my art without too much prior thought.
Instead of my usual seated position, I changed my stance to stand. Then I was able to move quickly with the ink pen, ruler and paper materials. Learning from mistakes, and working hard within the structured time limit, I didnāt have time to worry. To complete the instructional brief as efficiently as possible, I counted and made centimetre marks in hundreds, and I enjoyed every moment.
Another goal was to focus on weight, mass, measurement, size and force, and I questioned how to produce a weightless artwork. Thinking about my relationship with the materials, and the feeling of weightlessness as I worked, was another aim. I tried to have a lightness of touch whilst listening to the paint brush nib. It flicked ink outwards, and I watched where it wanted to go. By placing pressure on the ruler it grasped and smudged lines, rubbing them together, like river currents over rocks.
Reflection Poem: ‘A Thousand Lines’ By Cathy
An empty volume of white, weightless negative space, Counting the beat, dashing dashes across the page, Measure methodically and mechanically, swipe and drag inkā¦ Smudge!
Messy and inaccurate, though instructions seek precision, Do I criss-cross and connect cliffs, or leave an empty space? 3 ribbon paths, 2 ribbon paths, 1 ribbonā¦ need a second pieceā¦ Rip!
Falling vertically, like floating light-weight feathers, Counting in hundreds, finally, a thousand centimetres reached! Little grey lines against an empty volume of whiteā¦ Phew!
Task: Choose another instruction 6. Make an invisible line that everyone can see.
‘An Invisible Line’ I drew a variety of graphite lines in three different areas of the paper, and somehow a landscape emerged by accident. Then a thick invisible line cut through, also magically appearing as a shaft of bright angular light.
Task: Choose another instruction. 7. Make the largest drawing possible.
In contrast, I used a roll of masking tape (a material aid) to support my chosen line. The controlling effect of circling and joining a set of lines around an object felt different compared to the centimetre line drawing where I had the freedom to flick. In the example below, I imagined weight and mass within the circular ovals, therefore I emphasised depth by drawing tonal qualities.
I have further extended this circular drawing on a large scale utilising an unusual art paper medium: wallpaper. Through play, the overlapping circles have become ovals, turning and twisting like hollow metal cans. This exercise (below) is a large, ambitious task to complete this week, but I am excited to discover numerous connections (i.e. Monism theory / Agnes Martin and Larry Poon drawings, and Yoko Onoās āGrapefruitā Instructional task about the sun). My ideas keep expanding from the original prompt (masking tape), and the instructional task of using an exact line size. Geometrical shapes, and Kowhaiwhai patterns provide length and distance on the large wallpaper.
Poetry Inspiration: ‘There are one thousand suns arising every day. We only see one of them because of our fixation on monistic thinking’ Yoko Ono’s ‘GRAPEFRUIT’ Book of Instructions
Reflection: Artists I admire Maureen Landerās work, and am excited to study and learn more about her, (and our team is named after her)! Her finely woven hanging DNA structures in the āFlat-packed Whakapapaā exhibition (Dowse Gallery / Te Uru WaitÄkere Contemporary Gallery) are memorable. Lander’s cloak lit in moonlit blue, and a large mysterious installation at Toi TÅ« Toi Ora: Contemporary MÄori Art exhibition (Auckland Art Gallery) show her sculptural and raranga talents.
Kate McDonnellās Spendthrift, One Kilometre Drawing, 2020 artwork is a striking bed of ribbon like eels on a flimsy table. Representing consumerism, and the acquisition of āthingsā, their mound of lifeless bodies appear motionless, waiting to be hung out to dry. Not unlike the many purchased consumer goods that were once valued, and used, but then dumped. Utilising just the biro pen McDonnell covers and camouflages these throw-away receipt items. By rearranging and placing them in a new context, she breathes life into a new sculptural form. I am interested in the concept of change, and how every day, readymade, inanimate objects can be reformed.
Cutting and pasting collage is calming, and I am curious to use unusual materials to make art. Thus, I found Christine Hiebertās drawing with tape interesting. The flat plains of the 2-dimensional blue tape reminded me of the blue aesthetic boldness of Henri Matisseās paper cut-outs.
Experimental playing with a range of drawing materials and surfaces on a daily basis is my Semester 1ās drawing goal.
Reading: Read articles about 3 artists: Christine Hiebert / Agnes Martin / Larry Poons. (Reflection: TBA)
“FOLLOW INSTRUCTIONS TO LEARN, LISTEN TO LEARN & PLAY TO LEARNā
Week 1, 3rd March, 2021 Inspirations: ‘Drawing Grapefruit’ – Use materials to make a work in response to an instruction. Yoko Ono’s Book: ‘GRAPEFRUIT’ Instructional Poetry 1960’s
Reflection: The narrative theme of my artwork is based on the emotional feelings of revenge and pain from Yoko Onoās 1966, 20th century poem:
āSHOOT I00 PANES OF GLASSā When a person hurts you badly, line up I00 panes of glass in the field and shoot a bullet through it. Take a copy of a map made by the cracks on each glass and send a map a day for 100 days to the person who has hurt you. 1966 Fall, āGrapefruitā By Yoko Ono.
Throughout the process of drawing outlines of figures and shapes, I imaginatively connected the above poem to the 19th century rhyming game: āSticks and stones may break my bones, but words shall never hurt meā. Also, I related both poems to cyberbullying, which is a 21st century social and technological concern.
The task was to choose and respond to a poem, and follow the instructions. I am not sure if I have adequately completed this instruction: (“Take a copy of a map made by the cracksā¦”), nor, did I show the detail of 100 panes of glass, or 100 maps of cracked glass. My maps of cracked glass fly around the figures, and are shown as flat, black 2-dimensional objects, like mail envelopes.
Other ideas: As an alternative approach, and to lessen the literal narrative aspect, I could have simplified both the materials and the story. For example, I could have created a visual pattern with text on a thinking mind-map showing a cracked mirror. I could have gathered found objects: (calendar, street map, broken mirror or glass, or photographed a field, etc.). Continually evaluating my work throughout the process, prompts me to question and re-think about exploring other ideas and possibilities.
As I was drawing, silhouette pattern-making, cutting and deconstructing objects, two female artists came to mind. Lonnie Hutchinson, NZ and Kara Elizabeth Walker, USA are both inspirational for their social, political and cultural commentary, storytelling and silhouette artworks.
Poetry Inspiration: ‘There are one thousand suns arising every day. We only see one of them because of our fixation on monistic thinking’ Yoko Ono’s ‘GRAPEFRUIT’ Book of Instructions
Task: Choose instruction 7. Make the largest drawing possible.
Inspirations: ‘Drawing Grapefruit’ – Use materials to make a work in response to the chosen poems (Theme – Moon) below. Yoko Ono’s Book: ‘GRAPEFRUIT’ Instructional Poetry 1960’s.
‘Moonbeams’ By Yoko Ono
Moonbeams melting
Into my blood stream…
My spirit appears like the sun at dawn
Moonbeams spreading their wings
Shining my rings…
‘Water Piece’ By Yoko Ono
Steal a moon on the water with a bucket.
Keep stealing until no moon is seen on the water.
1964 spring (Grapefruit)
‘Sound Piece VII’ By Yoko Ono
Autumn Take the sound of the moon fading at dawn.
Give it to your mother to listen to when sheās in sorrow.
‘MOON METAMORPHOSIS – TRANSFORMATION’
Photography, Poetry & Video By Cathy
I was inspired by the ‘Moon’ theme poems above by Yoko Ono. In particular, these lines below resonated with me. “Take the sound of the moon fading at dawn…” (In the video I have added a photograph of the moon sinking at dawn, in a pale pink sky.)
“Steal a moon…” (Instead of stealing, I imagined the insect could visit the moon, hide in the shadows of the moon, and inhabitant the moon. Both partners transform their physical shape in a cyclic metamorphosis, and both can transport themselves through the air.) “My spirit appears like the sun at dawn, Moonbeams spreading their wings…” (A parallel existence… I imagined at the end of the full moon phase, the fully formed butterfly could emerge from the chrysalis and the moon’s contoured landscape, to then spread its wings like the moonbeam lights in Yoko Ono’s poem.)
Photography, Poetry & Video By Cathy
Inspirations: ‘Drawing Grapefruit’ – Use materials to make a work in response to the chosen poem (Stone Piece) below. Yoko Ono’s Book: ‘GRAPEFRUIT’ Instructional Poetry 1960’s.
‘SEEING SO CLEARLY’ – ‘ENTOPIC GRAPHOMANIA’
Week 1, 3rd March, 2021 Inspirations: ‘ENTOPIC GRAPHOMANIA’ (Surrealist automatic drawing method) – Use materials to make an ENTOPIC GRAPHOMANIA artwork in response to instructions.
Cathy – having to write a comment here as you seem to have disabled comments somehow. I think we need to have a chat about how you are managing your blog. Not because of what you are posting – that’s terrific but because of the way you are revising one blog post. It would probably be better if you make a separate post each time you log in. Enough about that. Wow, what a start to the year your hunger for making and learning is insatiable and a great motivator for others. Your obvious enjoyment in hands-on making is the driving force behind your practice at the moment but slowing down a little to reflect will help the work reach its full potential. Congratulations, this is a super start to your Visual Arts degree.