Extreme Composition Lesson 5 I

Real courage is displayed by those who are afraid to go, but go. (Anonymous)

On large cheap drawing paper make marks in various methods
Make a viewfinder and isolate and develop one area and then another. 
Connect those areas, and then connect with the whole. 

I made about 6 starts here are first 2

50 x 36 cm

Random marks 

Spread with credit card

50 x 36 cm

Random marks 

Worked two areas with lines

veiling, transparent collage pieces

View-finder 19 x 19 cm

50 x 36 cm

Random marks

Large brush stroke 

Lifted and blotted with small paper

Bristol

50 x 36 cm

Random marks

Large brush stroke 

Two worked areas

Crayon work and penwork

View-finder 15 x 20 cm

Please excuse photography, I see now part was in shadow.

Final resolutions coming! Para Para!!!

Jane's advise!

Finally: resolve the piece. This, of course, is the hard part, and it is up to you to find a way to do this. Take your time. Each piece will be different, and some will not lend themselves so easily to resolution. Do your best. If your piece is at a standstill, unresolved, leave it. Move on. Don’t agonize, and feel free to post pieces that you feel are unresolved. Just don’t say “This Piece Sucks” or anything like that!

Dotty's advise!

Find your brave spot!

Day 30 January 30 x 30 2017

What's hiding in the shadows?  This is the second section of #25  for the start. Tried to simplify but not too successfully, Added veiling to make this section more unified   Think this needs more work. Maybe destroy and build again.  

Hiding

17.5 x 12  cm

Brown Paper

Crayons Acrylics

Start

17.5 x 12  cm

Brown Paper

Crayons Acrylics

Day 29 January 30 x 30 2017

Cutting #25 into two pieces I will be using these as starts. For this piece, I used the top section as my start rotating it. Added acrylic paints and added crayon work. Felt it had a pastoral feel hence the title.

Pastoral

17.5 x 12 cm

Brown paper

Crayons and Acrylic

The Start

17.5 x 12 cm

Brown paper

Crayons and Markers

Day 28 January 30 x 30 2017

For my starting image, I took the top of Day 26  and also turned it on its side. I toned down the image with grays but kept the bold black marker structure. Did some crayon work and some collage work using a picture from my art alumni magazine, rows of colored pastels.

I am finding it very difficult working in such a small format,

Dreams of Spring

17.5 x 12

Brown paper

Crayons and Markers

The Start

17.5 x 12

Brown paper

Crayons and Markers

Day 27 January 30 x 30 2017

So I cut Day 26 into two smaller pieces and turned it on its side. This is a very strong piece and I had no idea how I was going to proceed. I had to go for babysitting duty and wouldn't be back until the next day, but I did want to make a start before leaving. I sort of veiled it with watercolor crayons, adding a bit of water and then blotting. Left it to dry. It was quite difficult to completely cover the strong black marker.

Taking this later today I had no idea what I was going to do. I just started playing, working with my watercolor crayons, dipping them into water. Letting them drip in places and soon the image started to emerge.

It is quite busy for its size, I want simple and keep getting complex. Thought maybe to add som fine lines but that would make it more complex. I was quite limited in how many layers this piece could endure.

I named this piece celebration. All is well in the "Apartment to Let" and all the residents had a nice party to celebrate!!

Celebration

12 x 17.5 cm

Brown Paper

Crayons and Markers

After cutting and turning this is the piece I started with this.

12 x 17.5 cm

Brown Paper

Crayons and Markers

Day 26 January 30 x 30 2017

Already the 26th. Four more after today. Some say just four more as if in another few days they can rest. I feel now towards the end that I am really just getting started. Have tried many different ways, media the underlying theme was that these are without references or anything preconceived idea. I have made many more than I can post on the challenge. Some I will post in the following month.

Back to my WIP. Here are
 the start and finish before they get the scissors.

WIP # 4

18 x 25

Brown paper

Crayons and Markers

WIP # 5

18 x 25

Brown paper

Crayons and Markers

Here I didn't add wet paints but went boldly with my crayons. Then following the "Apartment to Let" theme put a few of the residents,  Now I can cut in peace!

See you !!!

Day 25 January 30 x 30 2017

OK, I have cut yesterday's study. Posting the first half as a reminder of the start.

WIP  #2

18 x 25

Brown paper

Crayons and Markers

I got out my acrylics, at last, and added color by putting the paint on a piece of paper and blotting it on the work. Blotted excess paint with clean paper. When it dried added more crayon work. Dotty said that yesterday's piece reminded her of an apartment building. I agree, What better apartment than Lea Goldberg's Apartment for rent, Dira L'Hazkir.   So below see the new version, before it also gets cut into two smaller pieces. I can see a small kitten in one of the windows!

WIP # 3

18 x 25

Brown paper

Crayons and Markers

The Start

I just may go along with that theme in this second half. 

See you!!!

Day 24 January 30 x 30 2017

This is what became of Day 23 after I got out my black marker. Also added a white gel marker,  Really went to town on this. Looked at and said, "What have I done?" Put it away and worked on some others with the black marker. 

This morning looked again, maybe there is something there, who can tell. Maybe a bit of color. Scanned it and cut it half.

WIP # 1

25 x 35

Brown Paper

17.5 x 15

New Start for Day 25

See you!!

Day 23 January 30 x 30 2017

This is WIP and was done with watercolor crayons and ink intense watercolor pencils on brown paper and will be my start for my first exploration in changing, cutting. re-doing. I have been fascinated this whole month with this process shown by the work of Dotty Seiter. Some of my reasons are: not to get to attached, to explore more options, and to be looser in my work. I hope this exercise will help me get out of brick walls, where I freeze and don't know how to continue, although I know the work is not finished.  This piece has areas that I love, so normally I wouldn't touch it. But today I am going to dive in. It's just a piece of brown paper and crayon marks.

Work In Progress

25 x 35 cm

Watercolor crayons and watercolor pencils

This was started with the pencils which I blotted with a little water. Then I did crayon and pencil work, then some brush work that was also blotted, like a dry brush. 

I will start with my dread of a marker, black or any other color. I only have a F and M markers but will purchase a wider one. So wish me luck and see you tomorrow!

Day 22 January 30 x 30 2017

I think I did this sketch the same evening as #21. It also has a feeling of Morocco, at least for me. 

Drawn with a charcoal pencil and conte stick. Seems I always come back to the same type of amorpheos shapes and vertical and horizontal scratchy lines. 

25 x 25 cm

Charcoal Pencil + Conte Stick

White Bristol

Day 21 January 30 x 30 2017

Day 21, 3 weeks into the challenge, has passed by in a flicker of an eye.  This months challenge is one of a journey to new places and new ideas, and not about producing a perfect sketch or painting, so the stress is off and a new calm has taken its place. If there is some stress it's about choosing the works to photograph and write a post.

This small sketch was almost put aside. The next day looking at it I felt a small ping, a remembrance of my trip to Morroco. All during that trip, I was bombarded with images, colors, cultures, and shapes that I wanted to capture somehow. I hardly had time to digest each day and moment. Have to paint this, have to sketch that. I did do some works on the Morocco theme, but really not enough, and suddenly this sketch came up. There are some links to photographs I took, Sadly I didn't continue, maybe someday!

Moroccan Memories

25 x 25 cm

Charcoal and conte stick

White Bristol 

Day 20 January 30 x 30 2017

I guess I must miss the snowy winters of my childhood. Sometimes we get snow in the Jerusalem area. Small brown paper, I rubbed white on the whole sheet and used water on a brush, almost dry. Didn't want too much of a wash, wanted to keep some of the strokes. Then kept adding the white marks and the blue-gray. 

17 x 26 cm

Brown Paper

Watercolor crayons

Day 18 January 30 x 30 2017

Found a small piece of heavy brownish red paper. Stiffer than the usual brown paper, more like card stock. Made some dancing lines and then just scribbled away. Lot's of fun. Seems I made some dancing trees. 

15 x 20 cm

Heavy Paper 

Oil/wax crayons

Click to enlarge

Day 17 January 30 x 30 2017

I often ask myself what is urging me on with painting, drawing, and creating. I know I am not going to famous, have my work in galleries; something more primitive is working here. Making my mark. Making something that will say  "here I am" "I was here". I am exploring, traveling paths I haven't been. Trying new ways to express whatever seems to come through. What is there, is what is there, nothing more and nothing less.

30 x 23 cm

Brown Paper

Mixed crayons + mechanical pencil

Click to enlarge 

Day 16 January 30 x 30 2017

Small mixed crayons, mostly my oil/wax crayons, neo-color I, caran d'ache. Looking at this on the screen I am thinking what if... so I may tweak this. Think it could be warmed a bit... 

15 x 25 cm

Mixed crayons + charcoal

Cheap drawing paper

Click to enlarge

Day 15 January 30 x 30 2017

When I posted day 13 I mentioned that I might tweak the image after watching Nicholas Wilton's video about control and spontaneity.  He is a marvelous teacher and generous. Control and spontaneity don't have to opposites, but can work together and compliment one to the other.  Just added areas of a sort of veil in controlled rectangular fashion. I have decided that if figures or any other images try to sneak into my abstract I am going to let them come and welcome them.

25 x 18 cm

Charcoal & Chalks

Brown Paper

Click to enlarge

Day 14 January 30 x 30 2017

More circles in the sky, charcoal and chalks on brown paper. Somehow my scanner doesn't quite pick up the correct tone of the brown paper. Knowing that everyone sees this differently on their monitors or tablets etc I am leaving it alone. Looks a little too dark!

Each evening I sit in bed, my new studio, ha ha, and try to let myself go and see what new marks I will be making. Certain materials I react differently than with others. I usually have several going at the same time, sometimes changing, adding or discarding. 

18 x 26 cm

Charcoal & chalks

Brown Paper

Click to enlarge

Day 13 January 30 x 30 2017

This is another in the amorphous series. Charcoal, white and gray chalks on brown paper. Thinking of doing more work on this. Just saw a small clip by the artist Nicholas Wilton about control and spontaneity. This seems a bit out of the control. Thinking in what if.....?

25 x 18 cm

Charcoal & Chalks

Brown Paper

Click to enlarge

Day 12 January 30 x 30 2017

Small graphite sketch on plain white paper. Just a bunch of circles! Added a touch crayons.

26 x 15 cm

Graphite Pencil + crayons

Plain Paper

Day11 January 30 x 30 2017

A monster has invaded my sketch. I don't usually associate abstracts with subjects but sometimes they come out without you're asking.

21 x 15

Mixed Crayons 

Plain paper