Reflecting on my identity as an Artist and as a Teacher has proved a source of inspiration for my art inquiry and I  have begun to explore the female form in crouched positions as if hiding, unsure, praying, protecting the face or hiding the identity. These works were approached using the methodology of blind drawing initially then slightly worked into to accentuate line and form. I was surprised at how I was able to capture the shape and form of the female body purely by focusing on the subject matter and not on the page. These A1 studies will form the basis of development/sketchbook work and will be further developed into either prints or paintings. Experimenting with the orientation of the page allows for a change in composition and can make the image look quite different, depending on which view the drawing is being looked at.

THE JOURNEY 1991

This set of six prints is from a series of seventeen etchings which depict my journey from Belleview park where I lived as a student, to  Backhouse Park art college, where I studied. Nearing my Degree show, I faithfully walked this route every day finding inspiration. Continue reading The Journey, 1991 →

These are quite different studies, of the same subject, The Five Sisters,(which I find myself returning to time after time),and capture, in their own way the essence of the subject matter. The ‘Five Sisters’ shale bings, a reminder of the extensive mining which occurred in the West Lothian area and beyond until 1947 when the Burngrange disaster struck this small mining village, killing 15 men in an underground explosion and fire. Continue reading Nostalgia: The Five Sisters →

As part of the Med. Artist Teacher programme I am required to regularly submit work for discussion between my peers and course tutor, through a discussion board or Voicethread. For task one,  I revisited a painting which I had completed several years ago as it contained a particular area of interest, a small tree, sprawling into the surrounding, undulating landscape. Continue reading Task 1: Buachaille Etive Mor: Detail: Autumn Landscape →

These photographs were taken using my Canon EOS 550D DSLR camera so I have captured a lot of detail.  I love the colour of the flowers and petals, a subtle purple and yellow, which is very eye-catching against the strong green and rich velvety red of the other blooms. Continue reading Studies for Observational Drawing within Sketchbook →

Focus 2 Learning journal/sketchbook

The purpose of a reflective journal/sketchbook is:

To increase active learning  and ownership of learning; to enhance reflective practice and creativity; to foster communication, reflective and creative interaction within a group; critically review something-painting; make decisions to resolve uncertainty; empower or emancipate ourselves as individuals. Moon (1999) Continue reading Topic 2 →