Annika Romeyn

cliffs

2012-02-20T22:51:00.000+11:00

The first proofs of a new lithograph printed today with some fantastic help and guidance from John Loane. It was a challenging stone to print due to its density and size (56 x76cm), but that made for a great learning experience & I'm looking forward to trying out another variation with some very subtle colour.

Fitters' Workshop Inquiry

2012-02-13T21:46:00.002+11:00

Last week I attended the very official "Future use of the Fitters' Workshop" inquiry at Canberra's Legislative Assembly as a very official 'court artist' on behalf of the fabulous Megalo Print Studio. Here are my impressions of the proceedings:

Megalo board on the left, Vikki Dunne MLA on the right

Witnesses on the left, politicians on the right

Spokesperson for the acoustics, Chris Latham

Megalo Print Studio (where I make all my prints) has long been in search of a permanent home and was due to move into the Fitters Workshop in the Kingston arts precinct this year, however an epic political saga (following protests from groups interested in the acoustic qualities of the empty building) recently brought plans to a standstill. You can read the complete submissions and transcripts from the inquiry etc here, or an entertaining summary of the situation here. If you need convincing that a permanent home for Megalo is the best use for the Fitters' Workshop just look at all the dedicated printmakers in the recent photo (below) who are ready to restore life, energy and creativity to the historic workshop - each and every day of the year!

photo: Ulli Brunschweiller

Past and present workers outside The Fitters' Workshop

ArtStart & work in progress...

2012-02-07T00:58:00.000+11:00

It has been fantastic to begin 2012 with a helpful boost from the Australia Council for the Arts - I'm grateful to have received an Artstart grant to assist with a year full of exciting projects and professional development. My activities will centre around refining my skills in lithography by working with a variety of Master Printmakers including John Loane (Viridian Press) and Peter Lancaster (Lancaster Press). Artstart has also supported my transition to a dedicated studio space with A.N.C.A. - a truly wonderful place to draw, which I'm happy to be sharing with Mel Willis (a superb glass artist). I'm also enjoying making prints at Megalo Print Studio and have been able to continue as an extended access member of Megalo with thanks to a Start Up grant from Arts ACT. I'll keep you updated as the year progresses, but here are some quick camera-phone pictures of the studio and some things I've been working on so far:

charcoal, 76 x 102 cm

ink, sketchbook

studio

beginnings

beautiful summer garden outside my studio door!

large lithograph in progress

2 drawings on stones ready for a 2 colour lithograph

experimenting with different colour combinations

mixing inks for the 2 colour lithograph proofs

and for something different I was inspired to try a woodcut!

detail of the woodcut (to be printed soon...)

1 2 3 4

2012-01-26T10:31:00.000+11:00

Qijiang International Print Festival

2012-01-16T22:39:00.000+11:00

sketchbook cover (based on Chinese textile design)

At the end of November 2011 I had the pleasure of attending the Qijiang International Printmaking Festival in Chongqing (a large city in south-west China) where I participated in a fantastic exhibition and symposium. I was really impressed by the quality of all the prints and the broad range of techniques on display. A highlight for me was the opportunity to meet some of the other artists involved, share images and ideas and learn about some of the similarities and differences in the way printmaking is practised around the world. Here are some photos and sketches* from the trip, thanks for looking :)

*The sketchbook I took to China will soon be sent off to tour around the U.S. as part of The Sketchbook Project 2012 before finding a permanent home in the Brooklyn Art Library, New York!

at Singapore airport on my way to Chongqing

the international artists outside the exhibition held at Southwest University

(the big sign suddenly made us feel very important...)

Canadian artist Heather Huston and I

(now suddenly feeling very under-dressed!)

opening ceremony

me with my lithograph

translator and audience before keynote presentations

Chinese artist Dai Zensheng in his studio

U.S. artist Jon Goebel giving a demo for a large crowd of enthusiastic students at the Sichuan Academy of Fine Arts

Jian Lan helping to translate my artist talk @ Sichuan Academy of Fine Arts

The hosts of the festival were very generous and went to great effort to show the visiting artists some of the their city and culture. They also delighted in feeding us multiple banquets each day consisting entirely of the most unrecognisable and spicy (but for the most part tasty) food I have ever encountered!

The famous Chongqing hot pot (huo guo) & a list of some other delicacies

Jon overwhelmed by dinner

Our hotel was right in the centre of Chongqing, a fascinating city undergoing some rapid developments, wandering around it was easy to get caught up in all the contrasts between old and new.

This lady was sitting outside a cafe sewing suits on an amazing old Singer sewing machine

Fancy western shopfronts in the city, I later found out that the van at the bottom represents a corrupt authority who are supposed to prevent people selling meat etc on the street

From Chongqing we took a day trip to Dazu to see some extraordinary Buddhist rock carvings, which filled the steep cliffs and caves above a lush green valley.

We also visited Qijiang, a district of Chongqing, and the Qijiang Farmers Printmaking Institute. Farmers Printmaking is a famous folk art movement in the area where happy, brightly coloured scenes of village life are printed from a single woodblock. The artists would often print in layers using different colours of gouache painted on different areas of the woodblock with a brush while the paper was held down by a weight on one side.

the woodblock & print in progress (the image was based on one of the Dazu Buddhist carvings)

a beautiful arrangement of brushes for applying each colour

detail of a typical print in the folk art style

on the bus again!

From Qijiang the tour bus took a little off-road excursion to see the new mountain-top artist village which was still under construction. The road there also still seemed to be under construction and at one point we came to a complete stop and had fun watching people filling in the road ahead.

The bumpy road was completely worth it though, especially to meet this amazing 80 year old man and the other lovely people in the village!

The village was quite secluded with wonderful views and lots of interesting spots for sketching.

One of the Chinese artists did this great sketch of Heather and I while we were sketching!

On our last night as a group we were treated to a beautiful Chinese tea ceremony!

After the festival I stayed on in China for about 10 days to explore the region a little more. My roommate from the festival, Italian artist Marica Rizzato, accompanied me to Wulong National Park to see the spectacular Three Natural Bridges.

once again our journey into the mountains was delayed - this time the road was in much better condition, but that just seemed to make the drivers a little too confident...

We also visited Chengdu (along with the wonderful Jian Lan) where there were some great temples, above is a Taoist temple and below is the large Wenshu Buddhist temple.

Chengdu is also famous for their Giant Panda Breeding Centre, home to some incredibly cute pandas.

... and the ultimate in cute: baby pandas!

My last stop, and definitely a highlight, was Zhangjiajie national park - a strange landscape of sandstone pillars on an unbelievable scale, which disappeared into the fog just like a Chinese brush painting!

Some areas of the park were quite busy with Chinese day-trippers who all wanted to take photos of me (apparently the tallest girl they had ever seen). However, there was a great youth hostel in a quiet spot right on top of the mountain where I stayed for a few nights. The view above was just a quick stroll out the back door of the hostel to what seemed like a secret balcony and became my favourite spot to revisit and see how dramatically the mountains changed at different times of day.

some of the great people I met in the hostel on the mountain-top - Rock & Cecilia (above) & Tim with the resident canine (below)

If you're interested you can see more of my photos here and find links to some of the other participating artists here.

Artist's Palette Magazine

2011-12-20T23:50:00.001+11:00

Artist's Palette Magazine, Nov 2011

So much new news to catch up on here! I look forward to posting more about some exciting recent events and/or adventures, but first here is an article from the November issue of Artist's Palette featuring illustrations from my picture book Autumn Leaves and describing my involvement in the 2011 JUMP Mentoring Program.

East Africa Famine Fundraiser

2011-11-14T23:31:00.000+11:00

This Thursday Megalo Print Studio and Gallery is holding a fantastic exhibition for a great cause! We are aware of the severe drought and food crisis in East Africa and want to do something to help the 16.5 million people who are starving. Many artists, including myself, have donated artwork and all funds raised will go to Uganda Village Project and CARE Australia. Furthermore, as part of the current AusAID Dollar for Dollar Campaign the Australian government will match every donation made dollar for dollar. I hope to see you there!

Thursday November 17th 6pm

Megalo Print Studio & Gallery,

Canberra Technology Park, 49 Phillip Ave, Watson

works available for viewing 15-17 Nov 9am-5pm

my donated work: Drift, lithograph, 56 x 76 cm

Drift exhibition

2011-11-12T17:36:00.000+11:00

Wash, etching and drypoint, 38 x 28cm

Rush, scratchboard

Alum, scratchboard

Terrain, scratchboard

Skeleton, scratchboard

Encased, watercolour on stretched paper, 100 x 150cm

Encrusted, lithograph, 56 x 76cm

Whirlpool, lithograph, 56 x 76cm

Pass, lithograph, 56 x 76cm

Drift, lithograph, 56 x 76cm

Faults & Facets, etching, 38 x 28cm

Sheet Flow, lithograph, 38 x 56cm

It has taken me a while, but I'm happy to finally share some images of my solo exhibition Drift held at Belconnen Gallery (Sept 13th-30th) as part of their Emerging Artist Support Scheme Award! Above are a few photos of the install plus images of most of the individual works. The work for this exhibition was made in 2011, primarily as a result of an Emerging Artist Residency at Megalo Printmaking Studio.

In this collection of drawings and prints I wanted to continue investigating and activating topographies that can be read on a micro or macro scale. The title of the exhibition “Drift” is a geological term referring to the debris or fragments deposited by glacial or tidal movement, while on a broad scale I wonder about epic processes, such as continental drift, and on a more intimate level the ‘drift’ of the imagination.

I have developed an interest in observing and drawing directly from nature and have found that a way to do this within the environment of a printmaking studio is by looking at small found objects – debris/relics, such as seashells, that can be transported inside, held, moved and fluidly viewed from different perspectives while drawing on a lithographic stone or etching plate. Earlier in the year I was unexpectedly inspired by a crumpled plastic bag lying around the studio, which brought back memories of walking on Fox Glacier in New Zealand last year. For some of the works the faults and facets of the plastic bag became the subject matter of the image while in others it seemed to provide the context for other subjects to emerge from. In this way, incorporating simple everyday objects, such as the plastic bag, into surreal or ambiguous 'scapes' became a means of visually uniting the humble and the sublime.

Autumn Leaves

2011-10-31T22:32:00.000+11:00

Autumn Leaves, written & illustrated by Annika Romeyn

Limited edition of 60 hand-bound books with hand-cut dust jacket,

printed with archival pigment inks on MOAB Lasal paper.
double-page spread measures 31 x 42 cm

A huge thank you to everyone who came to see my Autumn Leaves book and exhibition, which was recently on display at Canberra Contemporary Art Space Manuka! I'm still recovering from the excitement and effort of finishing my first picture book, but I am extremely proud of the final product and happy to have had the chance to display it alongside the complete set of original drawings. I received lots of wonderful responses and feedback, which will definitely keep me encouraged to pursue publishing opportunities and continue to develop new ideas and stories in the future :) Special thanks also to JUMP Mentoring, Robin Eley, Arjen Romeyn, Aidah Aliyah Rasheed, Allan Comport & Patrick McGuire for their valuable assistance & support at various stages of the project!

To anyone interested in purchasing the book, part of the edition is still available to order, please contact annika_romeyn@hotmail.com for further info.

Below are a some images of the exhibition, visit CCAS Social Pages for further images & thoughts from the opening night. A selection of the individual graphite and watercolour drawings for the book can be seen on my website.

p.s. book-binding process post coming soon... as always thanks for your interest :)

Autumn Leaves (exhibition & book launch)

2011-10-03T22:17:00.000+11:00

I am very excited to share the outcome of a long-term personal project - a limited edition hand-bound picture book "Autumn Leaves," which I have written and illustrated. You can see the book displayed alongside all the original artwork very soon! The exhibition is opening at 6pm October 13th at Canberra Contemporary Art Space (19 Furneaux Street Manuka) and continues until October 23rd (Gallery hours Wed-Sun 11am-5pm). For a fabulous description by the kind people at C.C.A.S. you can check out the facebook event. This has been a very challenging, but fulfilling project and it would be really fantastic to see you at the opening! Tell your friends!

Below is a preview of a new page from the book & I will endeavour to post some pictures of the bookbinding process over the next week :)

Press Print 2

2011-10-02T17:52:00.002+11:00

Hi there :) I promise to post some images of my recent solo exhibition very soon, but first I wanted to share some information about another show that I'm currently involved in. A couple of my lithographs are on display as part of a great exhibition of emerging artists at Megalo Print Studio and Gallery. All of the artists are recent graduates of the A.N.U. School of Art and while some were specifically trained in printmaking there are also photographers and painters who have engaged with printmaking techniques in some interesting and innovative ways. As well as offering us the chance to exhibit together Megalo also supported the creation of our work by allowing all the artists a month of free access to their printmaking studios and equipment... thanks Megalo!

PRESS PRINT 2

A Megalo project supporting emerging artists curated by John Hart

With works by Emma Beer, Dean Butters, Kate Groves, John Hart, Helani Laisk, James Lieutenant, Brendan McDonald, Annika Romeyn, Dan Vukovljak

Exhibition dates: 27 September - 15 October 2011

Gallery Hours: Tuesday to Saturday 9.30am to 5.00pm

Drift

2011-09-14T00:15:00.001+10:00

My first solo exhibition of printmaking and drawing, Drift, is now on display at Belconnen Gallery inside the Belconnen Community Centre (Swanson Court, Belconnen, ACT)! The official opening is on Thursday September 15th and I would love you to come along (there will be food, drink and a speech by the fantastic artist/teacher John Pratt). You can also see the exhibition during gallery hours 9am - 4.30pm Mon-Fri until the 30th September. Below is a detail view of a large painting in the show.

Encased (detail), watercolour, 100 x 150 cm

BMA Magazine Artist Profile

2011-09-01T23:15:00.001+10:00

Have you ever wondered what makes me laugh? Or wished you knew my plans for the future?

You can find answers to these questions (and so much more) here:
BMA Magazine Artist Profile

For the next couple of weeks you can also pick up a free copy of the fantastic BMA Magazine on the streets of Canberra!

mountains (the sequel)

2011-08-28T17:34:00.000+10:00

Memory of Ice

2011-08-26T20:05:00.000+10:00

Memory of Ice I, watercolour, 49 x 20.5 cm

Memory of Ice II, watercolour, 20 x 19.5 cm

Memory of Ice III, graphite, 19.5 x 16.5 cm

Our group exhibition opening last at Alliance Francaise in Canberra last night was splendid, it was lovely to see some familiar faces and also to make some fantastic new friends :) These are a few more of my drawings from the show, which will remain open until 16th Sept if you would like to check it out! The inspiration for these particular drawings continues on from thoughts and memories of walking on Fox Glacier in New Zealand last year.

mountains

2011-08-26T19:23:00.002+10:00

Alliance Francaise Exhibition

2011-08-15T19:52:00.000+10:00

Hi everyone :) I have a few exciting exhibitions coming up, the first of which is opening next Thursday (August 25th). Below are the details for the exhibition, I hope to see you there!

Canyon, scratchboard, 54 x 78 cm (18 panels)

Mind and Soul, 2011 Alliance Francaise Emerging Artists Support Scheme Group Exhibition.

Annika Romeyn (Printmedia & Drawing)

Hyun-Hee Lee (Gold & Silversmithing)

Tommy Balogh (Painting)

Elisabeth De Koke (Ceramics)

Melinda Willis (Glass)

opening 6.30pm Thursday 25th August

exhibition continues until 16th Sept

Alliance Francaise

66 McCaughey St

Turner, ACT

Gallery hours:
Mon-Thurs: 9am - 7.30pm
Fri: 9am - 5pm
Sat: 9am - 1pm

Spain (part 17)

2011-08-09T22:59:00.001+10:00

As an artist the subject matter of my work is primarily nature based so the opportunity to hike, drive, and sketch in the spectacular Spanish Pyrenees mountain range was a very direct inspiration for my future work. I became particularly fascinated with the geological history of the region when I saw a display of marine fossils in the visitor’s centre of Parque Nacional Ordesa y Monte Perdido - Walking through this mountainous alpine region it was extraordinary to think that once (400 million years ago) it was tropical rainforest and the sea separated Spain and France. For the first part of my stay in the Pyrenees I was based in a tiny, fairytale, stone town called Torla, just outside the national park, and loved hiking the high and low trails through Ordesa Valley with cow bells tinkling in the background.

Torla

looking out at the mountains from Torla

partly a bar Torla + partly the train to Bilbao later on

Canyon Anisclo

I also explored the dramatic terrain of Canyon Anisclo as well as participating in a day of canyoning with Luis from Compania Guias de Torla, which involved exploring 2 canyons or "barrancos" (Viandico & Furco) by walking/swimming/sliding down the river and jumping/abseiling when we encountered a waterfall. Turns out I love canyoning, it was amazing! Being able to access areas of the river that couldn't have been seen any other way gave me a dramatically different and inspiring perspective on the landscape.

Canyoning near Ordesa National Park

From Ordesa, which was considered part of Aragon, I drove to Parc National D’Aiguestortes i Estany de Sant Maurici in Catalunya, again a very different, but absolutely amazing terrain marked by an abundance of beautiful, shining alpine lakes. In Aiguestortes I was able to spend a night in the secluded mountain Refugi Colomers, which allowed me plenty of time to complete the longer lake track circuiting around all the lakes in the area including the surreal dark waters and ice of high altitude lakes still surrounded by snow.

Aiguestortes National Park

view from Refugi Colomers

On the way to Bilbao from the Pyrenees I stopped for half a day in Zaragoza where I enjoyed seeing some of Goya’s early frescoes in the Basilica.

At the Guggenheim, Bilbao I was immediately struck by the organic freedom of Frank Gehry's architecture, especially inside the foyer where the tall curving walls made me imagine I was inside a shell or a skeleton. I also appreciated Gehry's design for the innovative way that he integrated existing elements of the city and the river. A number of great exhibitions were on display at the Guggenheim including the fantastic, contemporary, private collection of D. Dakalopoulos, “The Luminous Interval.” However, my favourite area was, by far, the permanent space devoted to the giant, experiential work of sculptor Richard Serra, which gained power and sensory effect the most time I spent with it.

Frank Gehry's Guggenheim, Bilbao

Richard Serra, "The Matter of Time"

The Museo de Bellas Artes, Bilbao held a wonderful collection of Spanish painting, of which I especially enjoyed the dark, swirling brushwork of Ignacio Zuloaga, and the special exhibition “Sacred Gold” exploring symbolism in pre-hispanic Columbian gold-work. Bilbao's Alhondiga had a very imaginative foyer with forty-three columns of different design and materials intended to represent important or popular materials and styles used over time, and in different cultures.

Spain (part 16)

2011-08-08T12:23:00.002+10:00

coolest tour guide ever

I found many of the artworks in the Museo d’Art Contemporani de Barcelona interesting and provoking, but many artworks were at also initially challenging to understand or identify with. This was one instance where joining the daily group tour proved to be amazingly helpful. It turned out that knowing a little more of the context, the social and political situation in Spain at the time the work was made, usually helped in understanding why it was made and why it was important. I enjoyed the video/sculpture/performance work of Sterbak who both used technology to alter bodily experiences and the experience of natural forces, such as gravity. While in a way gravity defying, Sterback's creation also seemed to expose elements of restriction in technology and fashion.

Jana Sterbak, "Remote Control II"

Another highlight of my time in Barcelona was a beautiful classical Spanish guitar concert by Xavier Coll at an amazing art nouveau theatre, Palau de la Musica Catalana, adorned with colourful mosaics, stained glass, and sculpted relief figures and horses emerging from the walls and ceiling.

Palau de la Musica Catalana

From Barcelona I took a day trip to Montserrat where a huge monastery was somehow built high in the mountains, accessed by cable car! The surrounding area was a wonderful place for walking with numerous trails and interesting, bulbous rock formations. My friend David and I walked to summit of Sant Jeroni where there were amazing views of most of Catalunya, before heading back down to look around the Basilica and hear the boy’s choir perform. Unfortunately the boy's choir turned out to be a major tourist attraction and the Basilica was filled to more than capacity with people squeezed in like a rock concert! Returning afterwards I was able to better appreciate the Basilica in peace and quiet.

Summit of Sant Jeroni, Montserrat

the ghost of the Basilica, Montserrat

David on the train back from Montserrat

I also took a day-trip from Barcelona was to Figueres to visit the Teatre – Museo Dali, which was interesting and effective as a surrealist object, however I found that the strange furnishings and environment of the Museum often distracted from, rather than adding to the impact of the best paintings.

Teatre – Museo Dali, Figueres

In the tiny town of Figueres there was a camp of protestors, part of the same nation-wide movement that I mentioned earlier, however instead of the thousands of gatherers I saw in Barcelona, there were about 7 dedicated protesters in Figueres and half of those were juggling/dog-walking.

Protest central in Figueres

Spain (part 15)

2011-08-08T00:34:00.000+10:00

Fundacio Joan Miro was an extremely well laid out museum with a fantstic and very unusual temporary exhibition "Genius Loci" made up of immersive installations inspired by and experienced in tandem with songs by independent musicians/bands from Barcelona. It was great to discover some new music in an unexpected environment, I particularly enjoyed Mishima and even bought their CD "Set Tota La Vida," which, later on, became the soundtrack for some long drives in the Pyrenees. My favourite artwork in the permanent collection of the Fundacio Joan Miro was a huge tapestry with amazingly innovative use of heavy texture and dimension.

Miro, "Tapis de la Fundacio"

The Barcelona Caixaforum had a fantastic exhibition of art and artifacts from the Teotihuacan, an ancient city close to Mexico. Amazingly enough, later on in Bilbao, I met a friendly archaeologist form Mexico who works at Teotihuacan. Another exhibition "The Cinema Effect: Illusion Reality and the Moving Image" was honestly one of the best surveys of video art I have seen, I was particularly captivated by Antony McCall's interactive video/installation/drawing(?!) using linear light.

Anthony McCall

The Museo Picasso gave an insightful, chronological overview of Picasso's life and work, putting into context the many styles he adopted while helping to explain the influences that caused these transitions. It was a very valuable experience to see Picasso's extensive "Las Meninas (after Velazquez)" series, especially after seeing Velazquez's original painting in the Prado in Madrid. I have really begun to appreciate Picasso's interest in shape and composition, when looked at in this way elements of the painted that appear unfinished if you expect them to be figurative (eg bottom right hand corner) actually help to balance the image and break down the picture plane.

Picasso, "Las Meninas (after Velazquez)"

Velazquez, "Las Meninas"

Fundacio Antoni Tapies opened my mind to the philosophical concerns of Spanish painter Antoni Tapies and enabled me to discover that maybe my work has more in common with him that it would appear, specifically the desire to "give a cosmic dimension to an insignificant object... expressing a desire to give value to small things." Aesthetically, I enjoyed the primal nature of Tapies' marks and materials with lines often incised in sand attached to the canvas.

Antoni Tapies, "Matter in the Form of a Foot"

Inside Gaudi's La Pedrera was an exhibition called "Eating Art: from the still life to Ferran Adria", which featured this wonderful painting by Antonio Lopez, I was really attracted to the combination of drawing, painting and collage causing interesting disruptions in the painted surface and creating sensitive layers of real and abstract.

Antonio Lopez, "Dinner"

The Museo Nacional D'Art de Catalunya was a large Museum with some great temporary exhibitions -one focusing on Courbet & ideas of realism and the other on the drawings and artwork of Torres-Garcia. The permanent collection featured a fantastic collection of Gothic and Renaissance altarpieces and sculptures while in the 19th century section I was excited to see Fortuny's "La Batalla de Tetuan," a huge composition of tiny figures, which viewed up close are quite loose and gestural, adding to the energy and activity of the scene.

Mariano Fortuny, "La Batalla de Tetuan"

Spain (part 14)

2011-08-07T20:46:00.001+10:00

Barcelona is a wonderfully eclectic and artistic city, filled with fantastical modernista architecture and more than a few great museums. I happened to visit at an interesting time as the nation-wide political protests (calling for democracy and addressing major issues including high unemployment rates) were in full swing with hundreds of people camping and thousands gathering in Plaza Catalunya, nearby my hostel. I often took time to walk through the protest centre (and found a couple of friends to translate the signs) because it seemed valuable and relevant to learn a bit about what is important to the Spanish people in the here and now, in addition to learning about their history in museums and institutions.

peaceful protesters in Plaza Catalunya

The weekend I arrived, excitement filled the city as Barcelona took on Manchester United and won the European Cup of Soccer. The victory led to a massive amount of people celebrating in the street, including dancing on top of light-poles, fireworks all night, and the football team parading around on a double-decker bus the following day.

football fans

a sketch of some American guys I experienced the soccer celebrations with (they contributed the smiley face & a portrait of me at the bottom)

Visually, Barcelona is defined by the genius of Gaudi and his wild, curvaceous architecture. I loved the organic vaults and archways of Parc Guell, the alien stone figures/chimneys populating the rooftop of La Pedrera, and the swirling marine inspired interior of Casa Battlo.

Gaudi's La Pedrera

listening to fun & energetic music by Buenas Costumbres in Parc Guell

Gaudi's most ambitious and extraordinary project, La Sagrada Familia, was breathtaking and a clear example of Gaudi's interest in the geometry of nature. Many natural forms and structures can be seen in the complex interior of La Sagrada Familia, including the branching tree-like columns and radiating shapes of palm leaves on the ceiling. It's hard to believe that, almost a century after beginning, this epic project is still under construction using traditional stone-masonry techniques. The Sagrada Familia already stands high above the surrounding city, but with the largest towers still to be built I would be fascinated to return one day and see how it has changed.

Gaudi's La Sagrada Familia

La Sagrada Familia sketch

Spain (part 13)

2011-08-07T00:25:00.006+10:00

In Valencia I stayed across the street from the amazing Mecardo Central, a brilliant fresh food market where I purchased kilos of strawberries and cherries as well as other favourites like Jamon (cured ham) and Queso de Cabra (goats cheese) while gaining a liking for Valencia's famous drink Horchata (made of earth almonds). My hostel was next-door to La Llonja, a gothic silk exchange building with beautiful twisted columns. Not far away the sculpted facades of the Cathedral and Palacio de Marques de los Aguas were also gorgeous. In contrast to the historic architecture, Valencia is home to the fabulous space-age architecture of the City of Arts and Sciences (a huge science museum & aquarium complex), with a variety of unusually shaped buildings that can only be described as out of this world!

Ciudad de las Artes y las Ciencias sketch

Ciudad de las Artes y las Ciencias

In Valencia, I was grateful to receive an extremely warm welcome at the Instituto Valenciano de Arte Moderno (IVAM) where I had the pleasure of meeting a couple of curators who introduced me to the permanent collection and temporary exhibitions. I was even able to see an exhibition of contemporary Brazilian art, which was still in the process of being installed - "A Giant by Thine Own Nature" featuring an amazing line drawing, by Sandra Cinto, evocative of the cosmos.

The permanent collection focused on the work of artist Julio González, primarily a sculptor with a great ability to use flat planes and linear pieces of iron to analyse, assemble and abstract compositions of shape and space often based on the human figure.

Julio González

Temporary exhibitions included "Masterpieces of Painting in the Collection of IVAM. Past, Present, Future," a broad survey of trends in 20th century painting, and "Ignacio Pinazo", 19th century figurative painter and his studies leading to the painting "The Smoke of Love". However, I most enjoyed Liliane Tomasko's exhibition "Luminous matter" which approached everyday domestic subjects like stacks of clothes and window-sills in an ambiguous, painterly way, treading the borderline between abstraction and representation while employing subtle shifts in colour and light to create mysterious, transcendent spaces.

Liliane Tomasko, "Yellow Light Folding", 2010

The historical art museum in Valencia, Museo de Bellas Artes San Pio V, was also very welcoming and I had a lovely guide who helped me to learn a lot, particularly about the layout and meaning of early multi-paneled altar paintings (14 and 15th Century), which are quite unbelievable combinations of painting and sculpture, and a very important part of the museum's collection.

Nicolás Falcó y Onofre, Damián y Pablo Forment, "Retablo Eucarístico del Convento de la Puridad de Valencia"

For me the other highlight of the Museo de Bellas Artes San Pio V was definitely Ribera's "San Sebastian Atendido por Santa Irene" for his amazing command of anatomy and gesture, dramatic use of light, and the strong contrast between the almost peaceful expression on San Sebastian's face and the contorted tension in his body.

Ribera, "San Sebastian Atendido por Santa Irene"

Spain (part 12)

2011-08-06T21:24:00.000+10:00

Alhambra sketch

Granada is a unique and vibrant city, memorable for its lively atmosphere, free tapas, and absolutely extraordinary Islamic architecture. Walking around the sprawling grounds of the Alhambra was unlike anything I have experienced before, each section was spectacular - the gardens of the Generalife, the ruins of the Alcazaba, and the incredible plasterwork of the Nasrid Palaces. I really enjoyed the opportunity to return to the Nasrid Palaces for a night-time visit, which allowed me to fully appreciate and focus on the architectural details without any of the daytime distractions. At night the plasterwork was dramatically lit, revealing it's true dimensionality and distinguishing every intertwined line, shape and section of script. It was meaningful to me to be able to look up at the rich patterning of a ceiling inspired by the night sky and then to sit next to a still reflecting pool looking up at the real night sky framed by the walls of an open courtyard.

Nasrid Palaces plasterwork sketch

amazing dimensional plasterwork on the ceiling

intricate interweaving of image and text

reflecting pool at night

Also at the Alhambra I also saw "Infinite Universes," a fantastic exhibition of lithographs and woodcuts by M.C. Escher, which placed in context with the architecture really added to my understanding of his work and influences. Apparently Escher travelled to the Alhambra shortly after completing his studies and made numerous sketches. The geometric, interlocking designs of the Islamic tiling, carpentry and plasterwork had a very evident impact on his ideas and artwork. I thought the exhibition text described his work particularly well as "not idealising reality, but rather about provoking the meeting of different realities that act through reciprocity or exchange... worlds embedded within other worlds in a continuous infinite succession."

Escher, "Encounter", lithograph

Granada from the Alhambra

From the Alhambra, it was possible to look out over the picturesque city in one direction and the surreal, snow-capped Sierra Nevada mountain range in another. Seeing the giant mountains from this perspective made me all the more eager to go forth and meet them! I was granted a perfect sunny day, a local bus and a lovely hiking buddy (Kel the Australian graphic designer I met in Malaga) and soon found myself in a beautiful little mountain town called Güéjar Sierra, although the hiking trail itself was nowhere to be seen. After a couple of hours walking in the general direction indicated by friendly locals, including one kind man who drew a detailed map in the dirt, we reached the beginning of the Ruta La Veruda de Estrella. From my experience seeking out special price train tickets I had learnt that Estrella means special or literally star, which led me to believe that this hike would be especially spectacular and it certainly was! We walked along the quiet track all day passing beside mountains, above a river, spotting the occasional ruined hut or nimble goat, while the majestic snow-capped peaks drew ever closer. I honestly found myself having a "wow" moment at every corner :)

going out to meet the mountains

glorious!

Although, for me, the Sierra Nevada was more awe-inspiring than any man-made cathedral/structure, I did enjoy seeing the Royal Chapel in Granada, a stunning gothic style chapel centred around magnificent tombs of carved stone representing royal figures. There were also some great paintings in the Royal Chapel Sacristy Museum of which I particulary enjoyed the sensitive, finely detailed Flemish painters Rogier Van Der Weyden and Hans Memling.

Hans Memling, "The Virgin and Child on the Throne"

The Museo de San Juan de Dios was another interesting historic building, the house/hospital of Saint John of God who once cared for sick and needy people in Granada. I had a delightful guide who led me around the museum, speaking good English, but when that failed enthusiastic sound effects usually got the point across! I learnt a lot about the specific symbolism of the house/museum, which was adorned with numerous pomegranates (the symbol of the order of Saint John of God), relics such as the knee-bone, rib-bone and basket of Saint John of God as well many exotic gifts from numerous countries around the world where chapters of the order of Saint John of God still exist (Australia had a minimal representation with a couple of boomerangs in the bottom of a cabinet!). There were some great paintings, but my favourite objects were a collection of walking sticks with carved handles featuring animals and other fantastic creatures.

Speaking of fantastic creatures, I saw this very cleverly camouflaged giraffe (below) while spending time surveying the plentiful and exciting array of street art in Granada, particularly in the Jewish quarter and Albayzín neighbourhood.

unknown artist, Granada

Spain (part 11)

2011-08-03T01:27:00.003+10:00

study of the choir benches in the Mezquita, Cordoba

The day I arrived in Cordoba the sun was shining and the river was sparkling! Looking back at the city from across the Roman bridge was truly magnificent. For me, like many visitors, the highlight was the remarkable Mezquita, extraordinary in design and detail as well as a great example of the contrast between Islamic and Christian architecture. The Mezquita visually preserves the fluctuations in power in the history of the region featuring remnants of Roman, Moorish and Christian occupation in the one structure. My favourite part of the Christian section was the Choir, in particular the wooden choir benches with their elaborate carvings, which in some cases told biblical stories while in other places seemed to simply describe sinister or mischievous gargoyle-like figures.

Organ from the Choir, Mezquita, Cordoba

In the Islamic section my favourite parts were the very beautiful, geometric forms and patterns of the arches and domes.

Mezquita, Cordoba

Cordoba's old town was fascinating to wander through, and I became very interested in the marks, and meeting points, of order and disorder that I observed while walking the narrow streets:

I also enjoyed the Alcazar, a grand palace with especially wonderful gardens, and Palacio de Viana, a historical residence with extensive private collections of furniture, crockery, leather etc as well as some great tapestries designed by Goya.

An unexpected, but fabulous exhibition in Cordoba was "Picasso Grabador," presented on the lower floor of the CajaSur bank. As with the Caixaforum museums, it was interesting to see another example of Spanish banks creating opportunities for people to see great artwork for free. "Picasso Grabador" featured some of the lithographs that I saw in Malaga, but focused more strongly on his etchings, including some examples of his copper plates. A great series of portraits revisiting the face of Ambroise Vollard using various etching techniques really inspired me to think more about mark-making and how it can add to or alter the effect of an image.

Picasso, "Portrait of Vollard II"

Spain (part 10)

2011-07-26T02:36:00.000+10:00

study of Picasso's lithograph "El Ensayo"

In Malaga I fell in love with Picasso's lithographs and Picasso reminded me what I love about lithography! He really threw himself into the medium later in his career (from about 1945) and created lots of amazing prints. The variety of materials and mark-making techniques that he incorporated into each image was inspiring and showed his willingness to explore the potential of the medium. I was also inspired by his extensive exploration of a single subject - frequently revisiting the same face, usually his wife or lover, to draw it in a different way often changing his approach in terms of materials or in the degree of abstraction.

Picasso, "Portrait of Mademoiselle Rosengart"

Sometimes a single image was progressively worked on and altered with lithographs taken through up to 18 states (I believe credit is also due to the outstanding skill of Picasso's printer Fernand Mourlot in Paris)! At the Picasso Foundation there were two temporary exhibitions devoted to Picasso's printmaking ("Cherchez la Femme" and "Belleza Multiple") each presented in small, quiet gallery spaces, which I had practically to myself on the multiple occasions that I visited - In contrast to the larger museums, on this occasion I really enjoyed being able to take my time and give all my attention to a smaller amount of works from a single artist.

Picasso, "David and Bathsheba (After Lucas Cranach), state 10"

Kel, Marie & Kristian

At my hostel (just around the corner from Picasso's childhood home) I met the three fantastic, friendly travellers that you see above who I enjoyed sharing my Malaga experience with. Apart from Picasso one of my reasons for visiting Malaga was the unique environment of El Torcal, an otherworldly landscape of unusual limestone formations, situated near Antequera (about an hour away). I wasn't quite sure how I was going to get to El Torcal so I was thrilled when Kristian, from Germany, offered to drive and then managed to navigate us there using only a compass! It turned out to be a beautiful day and walking along in between the tall, neat stacks of rocks I felt like I was exploring some kind of wonderful prehistoric city.

El Torcal

For me, another worthwhile day trip from Malaga was to Marbella to visit Museo Del Grabado Espanol Contemporaneo (Spanish Contemporary Printmaking Museum) where I saw a fabulous series of Miro etchings. It was great to see all the different elements of the print displayed together - the image below is the multiple colour print, but it was displayed alongside the black lines printed alone, the black lines printed in relief (so they appear white on black) and a print with just the coloured shapes on their own. I was interested to find that my favourite state was generally the relief print due to the intriguing texture and details that the roller picked up in the etched areas.

Miro, from the series "Mallorca"

Miguel Conde, "Cabeza (Head)" series

At M.G.E.C. I was also introduced to the fantastic work of Miguel Conde whose expressive figurative etchings were often printed in a series of wide variations as colour monotypes.

Miguel Conde, "Cabeza (Head)" series

Spain (part 9)

2011-07-24T21:21:00.005+10:00

Martin De Vos, "Juicio Final (The Last Judgement)"

The Museo de Bellas Artes in Sevilla was one of the most welcoming and wonderful museums in the time and attention that they offered me. I really enjoyed looking around the museum, originally a convent, with a large collection of painting and sculpture that once belonged to the church. Museum Educator Clara was very friendly, knowledgeable and helped me to recognise some of the recurring themes and symbols in religious art, which increased my understanding of many images as my travels continued. I also had the rare opportunity to visit the conservation area of the museum where I was able to hear the conservators talk about the process of their work and see paintings being cleaned and restored, including extending the canvas of a large crucifixion by Zuburan so that Christ’s hand would not be hidden by the frame. The museum holds a particularly strong collection of paintings by Valdes Leal, Murillo and Zuburan.

“Sant Tomas de Villanueva Dando Limosna”

I was in awe of Murillo’s work, particularly his painting “Sant Tomas de Villanueva Dando Limosna (distributing alms)”, which displays an amazing command of anatomy and light, especially in the kneeling beggar, and an interesting flow of expressions and gazes in the surrounding figures. It was appropriate to see the majority of Murillo's works displayed in the room that was once the convent church, complete with elaborate frescoes.

Of the 19th century paintings I was intrigued by Rafael Martinez Diaz's "Escena de Familia," which I found attractive in light and colour, while eerie in mood. The almost oppressive stillness of the scene is contrasted by the slight movement of the curtain and the subtle, but abundant texture in the surface of the paint - particularly in the background where the air seems to vibrate.

Rafael Martinez Diaz, "Escena de Familia"

Cathedral, Sevilla from La Giralda

The Cathedral in Sevilla was beyond belief, legend has is that the aim was 'to build a Cathedral so large and beautiful that people who saw it would think us mad.' It certainly was enormous in scale and yet so intricate in detail. Highlights for me were the Chapter house, a small beautifully designed elliptical room with an “Immaculate Conception” by Murillo and the tower, La Giralda, which offered an amazing view of the city. Observing the city from such a high vantage point really allowed me to appreciate the buildings and streets as interesting, abstract arrangements of colour and shape.

Sevilla from La Giralda

When I visited Iglesia San Salvador in the late afternoon the sun was streaming in through the stained glass windows, adding to the glorious effect of the stunning gold and polychrome carved altarpiece.

Iglesia San Salvador

The Alcazar in Sevilla was my introduction to Mudéjar architecture - the influence of Islamic art and continued work of Moorish craftsmen in the period after the Christian rule conquered the Moorish rule. The unique approach to geometry, pattern and design was extraordinary and evocative, especially this beautiful domed ceiling (below) inspired by the night sky.

Alcazar, Sevilla

Alcazar Jardins, Sevilla

The garden of the Alcazar was glorious and the nearby Park Maria Luisa and Plaza Espana were also truly grandiose outdoor spaces.

Guadalquivir River

Across the bridge (on the other side of the river from which Christopher Columbus set sail to discover America) is the Triana district and the Isla de a Cartuja once home to the Cartuja Monastery, then converted to a famous ceramics factory and now is the Centro Andaluz de Arte Contemporaneo. As you can see below it was a fascinating environment with contemporary artworks constantly juxtaposed against the various histories of the architecture - the characteristic interior of the monastery and strange towering ceramic kilns in the courtyard.

part of the exhibition "Without Reality There is No Utopia"@ CAAC

Zhou Xiaohu, "The Crowd of Bystanders" @ CAAC

A favourite work at CAAC was Zhou Xiaohu's "The Crowd of Bystanders"a clever combination of sculpture and animation - moulding detailed clay scenes based on real events (sometimes with fantasy elements), filming the short claymation narrative in black and white, then firing, colouring and displaying the sculpture and video together. The collection of narratives often sourced from news stories, both everyday and catastrophic events presented side by side, was a humorous, but powerful critique of the media and our role as spectator.

Jessica Diamond, "I Hate Business"

Jessica Diamond's large, confident "Wall Paintings" also resounded with me - funny, but true, I hate business too.

Spain (part 8)

2011-07-21T02:06:00.000+10:00

Flamenco performers & crowd, Sevilla

In Sevilla I was lucky to experience an intimate, outdoor Flamenco performance and was overwhelmed with the strength, passion and emotion of the art-form. In terms of character and beauty, Sevilla was paradise! I loved walking through narrow streets to observe the colours and textures of the buildings, or along the edge of the river where people were always outdoors exercising (running, biking, skating, tight-rope walking between tree trunks, rock climbing under the old stone bridge, canoeing, rowing and everything in between) or just relaxing in the warm weather and long daylight hours. I found people in Sevilla to be very friendly and even with my linguistic deficiencies I enjoyed meeting some good amigos:

Directly above is Sergio, my room-mate in Sevilla, a fantastic guy from Austin, Texas who was towards the beginning of a whole year travelling around the world - what a great adventure! I had a feeling that this scene reminded me a little of something... I think I might have been inspired by Goya's painting that I saw at the Prado a few days earlier?!

Francisco Goya, "La Maja Vestida (The Clothed Maja)"

Spain (part 7)

2011-07-18T00:55:00.002+10:00

In the heart of Madrid is the Museo del Prado, the place for studying the masters and another of my favourite museums :) The collection is enormous and particularly strong on the history of Spanish painting including plenty of Velazquez, Goya, and Ribera. I also loved works by Van Dyck and Durer as well as temporary exhibitions "The Young Ribera"and "Chardin."

José Tapiró y Baró, "The Dancer Parache"

There was a gorgeous, small temporary exhibition "Fortuny and the Splendour of Spanish Watercolours", which I was very excited to see. The subtlety of Tapiró y Baró's painting was extraordinary - my favourite part is how the hessian wrap rests so lightly on the shoulder of the white shirt and how the hessian seems to emerge from/dissolve into the rough texture of the paper.

Francisco Pradilla, "Queen Joanna the Mad"

There were a number of epic (in scale and story) history paintings at the Prado and Pradilla's was a highlight. This scene shows the distraught Queen who was not able to let go of her beloved husband after he died (to the point of exhuming his coffin). The wind, flame and general atmosphere of the painting is amazing, perhaps most of all I appreciated the composition and how successful it is at making Queen Joanna feel isolated even though she is surrounded by people - her figure and the coffin at the centre is the area of highest tonal contrast in the painting directing our focus to her while giving a sense of her narrow and fragile state of mind.

Hieronymus Bosch, "The Garden of Earthly Delights" (detail of hell)

I found Bosch inspiring for his wild imagination and exquisite attention to detail. It was also fascinating to see this painting as an object rather than just an image - the sides of the triptych act as shutters and are painted on both sides, the work is displayed so that you peek around the back to see the painting on the other side and imagine how it would look if the shutters were closed (below). A really interesting contrast to the bright coloured busy garden & hell scenes, the world during creation appears dark, mysterious and quiet, almost like the calm before the storm...

Hieronymus Bosch, "The Garden of Earthly Delights" (triptych - shutters closed)

Mariano Salvador Maella, "Italian Sketchbook"

A really special exhibition for me was the Prado's "Goya and More" an exhibition of recent acquisitions of works on paper, primarily Spanish drawings. Due to their fragile nature works on paper are rarely on display so I felt very lucky to be able to time my trip for this exhibition. Drawing is my favourite artistic medium because, to me, it is the most direct and personal. I loved seeing the character of marks and use of line and tone employed by each different artist - from the clarity, confidence and dynamism of Ribera's drawing (below) to the soft, sensitive touch of Maella (above).

Jose de Ribera, "Young with a pinwheel and an Old Man Pulling a Cart with a Dead Body"

I noticed that there are some great online resources for the "Goya and More" works on paper exhibition including videos and a catalogue if you're interested.

El Greco, "The Burial of Count Orgaz", Iglesia Santo Tome, Toledo

From Madrid I took a day trip to the beautiful historic city of Toledo, once home to El Greco and a fantastic place to see his work. "The Burial of Count Orgaz" captures El Greco's ability to depict the everyday alongside the heavenly, while his original approach to painting helped me to think about the artist's power to manipulate of light, colour and anatomy as a means of expression.

Like El Greco's work above, many great artworks from Spanish history were commissioned by the church and can be found inside Iglesias (churches), cathedrals, and monasteries. My first visit to a Spanish monastery (Monasterio De Las Descalzas Reales, Madrid) was an interesting experience as it allowed me to grasp a context for the religious paintings and sculptures, which feature so prominently in the major museums. The collection of tapestries inside the monastery, designed by Rubens, was particularly extraordinary and opened my mind to an artistic medium that I have had little exposure to. Monasterio de La Encarnación (Madrid) also had a fascinating collection of painting, sculpture and relics interwoven with a number of royal and religious histories.

Spain (part 6)

2011-07-15T23:32:00.000+10:00

Shangaan Electro @ CA2M Picnic Sessions

I love CA2M! Also known as Centro de Arte Dos de Mayo, a fantastic contemporary art museum in the suburbs of Madrid. I had the privilege of meeting with the very welcoming director, looking at an unusual and fascinating exhibition "Experimental Station"about a favourite interest of mine (art & science), and also attending an outrageous/awesome concert on the rooftop by a visiting South African band Shangaan Electro (check out the video)!

The artworks of Experimental Station were connected by a playful, curious exploration of science at its most impossible/magical, focusing on the handmade rather than the high-tech.

Luis Bisbe, "Despectaculo", 2011

In Luis Bisbe's clever and provoking work "Despectaculo" the artist cut a rectangular hole in the wall of the gallery and used the material from the wall to make a chair, creating a frame through which to contemplate the unseen interior of the gallery.

In terms of subject and medium I most connected to the work of Ilana Halperin's beautiful drawings and diaries, which accompany her investigations and efforts to imagine/glimpse geological time.

Spain (part 5)

2011-07-12T01:21:00.002+10:00

people in the park outside the Prado, Madrid

Sorolla's house

Sorolla's garden

Museo Sorolla, an extraordinary collection of Sorolla’s work presented in his historic house, gave me a valuable insight into both Sorolla’s life and work. Sorolla’s use of light and colour is particularly inspiring and I was very interested in the strong abstract shapes and compositions underlying many of his figurative works.

Joaquin Sorolla, “Siesta”

Joaquin Sorolla, “Cordeleros de Avea”

Caixaforum, Madrid

The Caixaforum was a unique and exciting combination of modern ideas in architecture and museum layout. The fantastical “living wall” growing high on the outside of the building created a rich, organic combination of texture and colour, which contrasted with the dark geometric cave-like space where the museum entrance was located. The temporary exhibition, “A Floating World: The Photography of Jacques-Henri Lartigue”, was a celebration of technology, speed, and life in the early 20th century. I really enjoyed the artist’s numerous quotes and diaries, which conveyed the thoughts and ideals that drove him to create photographs, particularly the desire to halt the perpetual flow of time, "ever since I was a young boy, I've suffered from a kind of disease: all the things that amaze me slip away without me being able to store them well enough in my memory" (Lartigue).

Jacques-Henri Lartigue

The Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando, once a great art school and now a museum, is also home to the Calciografia Nacional where I had the privilege of meeting a master-printer in the workshop. It was really a treat to look inside the printmaking studio to see the 18th century Spanish wooden presses as well as examples of prints from contemporary artists that are currently being made. One of the highlights of my trip was the opportunity to see and study the extensive collection of Goya’s copper etching plates (“Disparates”, “Los Caprichos”, “Tauromaquia”, “Desastres de la Guerra”), which gave me a different perspective on his creative process and allowed me to study his mark-making technique in the most direct way.

Goya's copper plates

I was also given a tour of the Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando permanent collection by an extremely kind and knowledgeable guide who placed each painting in the context of art history, helping me to better understand the relationship and aims of movements including Baroque and Neo-Classicism and Mannerism. Mannerism is a captivating style that I previously had little exposure to where elongation and stylisation is often used in scenes of powerful emotion.

Luis de Morales, "Pietà"

Spain (part 4)

2011-07-07T22:48:00.001+10:00

Before visiting the armoury of the Royal Palace in Madrid, I never imagined that it would be so interesting and exciting! It is hard to fathom the detail, design, care and craftsmanship, that went into every single weapon and suit of armour... and to think that they were made to be worn and used. In a large open room full suits of armour from different eras were displayed on dynamic bronze horses to dramatic effect. While I was drawing I was approached by a couple of lovely school children, and then swarmed by their whole class! The kids asked all sorts of questions and although there was a significant language barrier I enjoyed being able to engage with them through the drawings. When the security guard became concerned about the large crowd milling about the ancient piece of armour the school teacher simply said "VAMOS!" (let's go) and before I knew it the kids were gone and I had learnt my favourite (and most efficient) Spanish word.

Palacio Real, Madrid

Walking around the Royal Palace was pretty astounding, some things I wrote in my notebook were: "splendour and opulence to the extreme", "enormous fresco by Tiepolo is spectacular!" and "there are even peacocks in the yard... unreal." Each room was decorated in a different character or style depending on the tastes of the King at the time, my favourite was the Rococo style Gasparini room (chamber/dressing room of Carlos III). In response my notebook reads "this room is alive!" The ceiling seemed to be writhing with vines carved in wooden relief, the walls were hand embodied with sliver and gold threads, every inch of the room was decorated in some way and then those decorations were reflected times infinity by an abundance of mirrors. I admit it might have been slightly over the top, but it was very immersive and I was happy to revel in the fantasy of it all.

Gasparini room, Palacio Real, Madrid

Spain (part 3)

2011-07-06T00:03:00.004+10:00

tasty tapas!

some blind drawing from the masters at the fantastic Museo Thyssen Bornemisza

It might be hard to tell, but for the part of the drawing on the left I was looking at Rembrant's "Self Portrait" (1642-3), below. Standing in a room full of portraits from the same era Rembrant's painting really jumped out as it seemed to overflow with life and luminosity captured with incredibly sensitive, and in many places merely suggestive, brushwork.

I loved that the Thyssen collection spanned a broad range of time periods and artistic movements from medieval to modern allowing me to consider all sorts of different approaches and ideas in the one day. In much of my recent work I have been interested in finding the surreal and otherworldly within natural forms so it was really intriguing to look at Ernst who sees natural forms within the abstract and haphazard textures of paint created with a decalcomania/monoprint technique.

study of Schiele's self portrait

I went back for a second day to spend time with a couple of great temporary exhibitions at the Thyssen. I really enjoyed Heroines which pulled together historical and contemporary artists working in a range of mediums who all portrayed women as strong, active individuals:

John William Waterhouse, "The Magic Circle"

Frida Kahlo, "Self-Portrait with Thorn Necklace and Hummingbird"

Also on display was a retrospective of Jean-Léon Gérôme (1824-1904) a French academic painter, with a great eye for light and colour, who tended to portray slightly unusual narrative scenes often focusing on the moment after an event had occurred.

Jean-Léon Gérôme, "Moorish Bath"

Spain (part 2)

2011-07-04T18:19:00.002+10:00

the splendid courtyard in the centre of the Reina Sofia

A peaceful place with a large Calder sculpture - bright red and yellow leaf shapes bouncing in the breeze, set off by the abundance of brilliant green trees that formed the circular space of the courtyard. Two elaborate fountains bubbled away in the background and I sat in the sunshine for a minute thinking "how unbelievable it is that I am here!"

study of Picasso's "Guernica"

Inside the museum I was particularly struck by a number of daring and emotional responses to the horrors of war. "Guernica"is a widely reproduced image that I had seen many times, but I wasn't prepared for the impact of the enormous painting and the experience of tension and turmoil that it evoked. Picasso is a master of abstraction and I really appreciated seeing the extensive collection of studies that led up to the final painting - figures, shapes, light & dark constantly being pushed and pulled, drawn over and over, in order to achieve the desired expression. A number of the studies focused on different ways of drawing the screaming mother cradling her dead child as if to capture and distill the overall terror and devastation caused by the bombing of Guernica (1937).

Francisco Goya "Y no hai remedio (And There's Nothing to Be Done)", Reina Sofia, Madrid

In Comparison, Goya's amazing "Disasters of War" series of etchings were small and detailed in scale, but no less epic in content or message.

José Ortega, "Pan, tierra, libertad (Bread, Land, Freedom)" Reina Sofia, Madrid.

One more favourite work from the Reina Sofia was Ortega's woodcut (1959), which was part of a collection of printmakers' visual protests in opposition to the Spanish dictator Franco. I was particularly attracted to the raw, expressive quality of the drawing and the interesting tones and marks left visible in the background.

Parque del Oeste, Madrid

Another day in Madrid I got terribly lost in the large Parque del Oeste while looking for the Ermita San Antonio de la Florida. It turned out to be a beautiful place to get lost and a good opportunity to try out the plastic fisheye camera that I recently inherited from my brother.

From the outside the Ermita San Antonio de la Florida (a Goya masterpiece and his burial place) was a small simple chapel, but inside were some of the most beautiful frescoes that I have seen. Goya was able to capture so much space and atmosphere with his soft, loose brushwork that I believed the central dome of the small chapel opened up to the sky.

Goya!

Spain (part 1)

2011-07-04T00:07:00.005+10:00

As I mentioned in my previous post I would love to share with you some of the delight and inspiration that I experienced on my travels in Spain. To write (or read) about everything all at once is too overwhelming so instead I will start posting smaller bursts of sketches, photos & thoughts. If you have any questions/comments I would love to hear from you!

I travelled for almost 2 months in a loop that looked (almost) like this.

Background:
My trip was made possible by the Embassy of Spain Torres Travelling Scholarship, which is awarded every year to a graduating student from the Australian National University School of Art in Canberra. The structure of the study tour was fantastic in that I had the freedom to write my own itinerary and make decisions about which exhibitions, museums, cities etc I wanted to visit, while the Embassy helped me to make some invaluable connections with staff and resources in many of the places I went. Over the coming year I am working towards a solo exhibition (to be held in Canberra, 2012) inspired by my journey so I hope that this series of posts will eventually transition into ideas and works in progress in preparation for the exhibition.

Before going away I was encouraged to write down a few of my goals for the trip:
History: to gain a broader understanding of the history of Spanish art, architecture and culture through a survey of major museums and institutions.
Technique: to examine approaches to tone, mark-making and composition in the prints and drawings of artists including Goya and Picasso.
Concepts: to study artists inspired by natural forms and structures (eg. Gaudi) and who have united elements of observation and imagination (eg. Dali).
Landscape: to explore subject matter for my future work by hiking in National Parks including Parque Nacional Ordesa y Monte Perdido.

It's interesting to look back on these initial goals and realise that my expectations were exceeded in each area, while along the way I found so many additional, and equally important, inspirations everywhere I looked! One of the things that I love most about travelling is the feeling of openness I have when exploring new places - to feel that my primary concern in that moment is simply to observe/absorb/experience everything around me, not only the most enormous cathedrals, but also the narrow streets, not only the postcard view, but also the details, the perspectives and the atmosphere. I think that this is how I try to approach life in general, but my awareness definitely seems amplified when travelling...

Anyway, here is a sketch from my first day in Madrid, it began with an observation of a great hanging wire sculpture by Gego at the Reina Sofia (amazing modern art museum). I was drawn to it because of the delicate use of line in space and because of the interesting contrast between the analytical precision of the sculpture and the mysterious soft, shifting shadows that it cast. The bottom half of the drawing started off being about the shadows, but also became about the general excitement of that day zipping about Madrid on the Metro :)

Imprint

2011-06-27T13:37:00.001+10:00

Imprint, Winter 2011

Hola! As you can see above I am excited to have an artist profile (written by Sue Forster) in the current issue of the Print Council of Australia's magazine Imprint. It's a great publication that I always enjoy reading so it's really an honour to be involved.

Also, I am back in Australia after an absolutely spectacular trip to Spain (for the Embassy of Spain Torres Travelling Scholarship). I don't know how to start describing all the inspiring things that I was able to see and experience, it was really mind-blowing to be able to study so many amazing artworks up close, being able to see every mark and brushstroke helped me to learn a lot and will influence the way that I approach my own work in the future. Being immersed in such a rich, varied and fascinating culture and history was just great! The museums, architecture and national parks were outstanding and I enjoyed meeting lots of fantastic people along the way :) I will endeavour to post some of my sketches and photos over the next few weeks along with some more detailed thoughts & memories from the journey.

hasta luego!

2011-04-26T09:30:00.002+10:00

Today I am leaving for Spain for a tour of art, culture & inspiration made possible by the Embassy of Spain's Torres Travelling Scholarship. I am super excited and looking forward to an amazing experience! I may or may not be able to post an update while I'm away, but I will definitely tell you all about it when I return in a couple of months. In the meantime here are some more prints from my time at Megalo. Best wishes to all :)

lithograph, 56 x 76 cm

soft-ground etching, 20cm diameter (from a series of works in progress)

fall

2011-04-13T17:45:00.000+10:00

graphite, watercolour, coloured pencil, 33 x 43 cm

Hi everyone my picture book project for the JUMP program is slowly, but surely progressing :) Although occasionally it feels like a bit of a marathon I'm still enjoying the challenge of bringing each new page to life & trying to focus on one step at a time. My mentor for this project, Robin Eley, has just launched a new website where you can see some of his incredibly sensitive & stunning paintings - check it out!

rush

2011-04-11T16:02:00.001+10:00

scratchboard, 12.5 x 18 cm

Rick Amor Print Prize

2011-04-07T23:06:00.001+10:00

Twist, lithograph, 56 x 76 cm, 2010

I am happy to have my print Twist included in the 2011 Rick Amor Print Prize exhibition, which opens tomorrow at Montsalvat in Eltham, Victoria. If you are interested, or in the area, it promises to be a great exhibition and will be on display from Friday April 8th - Sunday May 22nd.

drift

2011-04-04T17:31:00.001+10:00

lithograph printed in 2 colours from 2 stones, 56 x 76 cm

Here is another lithograph that I have worked on during my residency at Megalo print studio. For those who are interested I've included some photos of my initial drawing on the lithographic stone as well as separate proofs from the two stones. I continue to be inspired by the infinite visual possibilities offered by small found objects with the basis for this shifting landscape stemming from a seashell rotated in my hand and a crumpled plastic bag that was lying around the studio. The faults and facets that I observed in the plastic bag brought back memories of my trip to Fox Glacier in New Zealand last year and provided a ground from which the drawing could emerge.

drawing on 1st lithographic stone

black and white print from 1st stone

(dark red top layer of 2 colour print)

red print from 2nd stone

(bottom layer of 2 colour print)

sheet flow

2011-04-01T22:00:00.001+11:00

lithograph printed in 2 colours from 2 stones, 38 x 56 cm

soft-ground etching, 20cm diameter

I'm currently enjoying spending some time at Megalo Print Studio through their Emerging Artist Support Scheme residency. Its been a great place to try some new things, develop my skills and be around some lovely people. Time is flying by (I will be leaving for Spain at the end of the month!), but I have more recent prints and experiences that I'd like to share with you before then :)

picture book process

2011-03-20T18:13:00.003+11:00

As I continue to work on my picture book as part of the JUMP mentoring program I hope to share some more insights into my process. So far the most valuable part of the mentorship has been a critique of my original storyboard, which allowed me to realise the importance of looking at the story in a broader sense - not only making sure that each individual page is a well composed image, but that each page contributes to the flow and feel of the story as a whole. Once I was happy with the revisions I scanned them in, used photoshop to roughly indicate areas of colour before printing a copy of the storyboard, cutting it up and making a simple mock-up of the book (above). The mock up is only tiny @ 5 x 8cm, but has been really useful in helping to visualise my final goal and keeping me on task with the larger, more detailed illustrations (below).

watercolour, 33 x 43cm

whirlpool

2011-03-07T16:33:00.002+11:00

lithograph, 56 x 76 cm

first day of autumn

2011-03-01T18:15:00.002+11:00

graphite, watercolour, coloured pencil, 33 x 43cm

sketchbook

2011-02-17T22:07:00.001+11:00

The Canberra Times

2011-02-16T20:10:00.001+11:00

The Canberra Times, February 15th, 2011.

A great article by Jacqueline Williams with further information about the JUMP program, as well as fellow Canberra participants/wonderful artists Amy Kerr and Hanna Cormick.

skeleton

2011-02-10T20:06:00.001+11:00

scratchboard, 12.5 x 18 cm

JUMP Mentorship

2011-02-06T00:09:00.004+11:00

I am excited and fortunate to be part of the JUMP National Mentoring Program for 2011. This week I attended the program induction in Brisbane where I met an incredibly talented and diverse group of young Australian artists from a range of artforms (eg. visual art, theatre, dance, literature, music). I am especially looking forward to working with my mentor Robin Eley. I was first introduced to Robin and his work during the Illustration Academy program in 2008 and have since grown to know and admire him as an artist, illustrator and all-round amazing person.

In the last month Robin has assisted me in revising and improving the storyboard and manuscript for Autumn Leaves an original picture book that I will be completing during the mentorship with funding from the Australia Council for the Arts. Autumn Leaves tells the story of a girl who lives beneath an Autumn tree where she witnesses the beauty of nature and comes to terms with the changing seasons. I am interested in creating a story that is simple and visually engaging for children, but which offers adults the opportunity to contemplate a more symbolic experience of wonder and change. Autumn Leaves will initially be produced as a limited edition hand-bound book that I plan to present alongside an exhibition of the original graphite and watercolour drawings at the Canberra Contemporary Art Space (Manuka) in October 2011. Below is a new illustration for the book:

Those of you that have been looking at my work for a while may remember some of the first illustrations for this book and, although there are many more drawings to go, it feels great to follow through on a project I feel passionate about. Those of you who have been looking at my more recent gallery work may be interested to learn that I also enjoy writing, illustrating and visual storytelling. However, whether it is picture books or printmaking that interests you most I will be sharing plenty of both in the coming months!

field

2011-01-31T19:35:00.001+11:00

scratchboard, 12.5 x 18 cm

Port Jackson Press Graduate Printmaking Award

2011-01-26T00:01:00.005+11:00

Last week I had the opportunity to travel to Melbourne for the Port Jackson Press Graduate Printmaking Award exhibition, which was full of amazing work by new printmaking graduates from around Australia. I was very honoured and thankful to have my lithograph "Gape" (above) named as the winner of this $4000 acquisitive award for 2011.

I really enjoyed seeing the broad variety of ideas, mediums and approaches from all the artists in the exhibition. Along with some amazing work I saw in Melbourne's multitude of galleries, including the fantastic NGV's Naked Face exhibition, it was certainly an inspiring couple of days! It was great to meet some new people as well as catch up with old friends in Melbourne. Since I began learning and practicing lithography at the beginning of 2010 I have found a sense of joy and freedom in drawing on the stone while the knowledge and experience of my teachers John Loane and Surya Bajracharya continues to encourage me to push myself and make progress in the medium.

At the moment I am working on a few interesting new things, which I will begin to post in the very near future :) For now, below are some recent, experimental lithographs that I never ended up posting. I was trying out different types and ways of making marks on the stone - in these I placed cling wrap on wet lithographic tusche (the basic branch lines were masked out first with gum arabic). When the tusche dried and the cling wrap was removed it was fun to see the unexpected organic textures created.

voyage

2011-01-07T14:14:00.001+11:00

Happy New Year! Last week I enjoyed my first house-boating experience, floating down the Hawkesbury River with some great friends & many friendly jellyfish... it was truly magical :)

amazing news!

2010-12-12T21:36:00.001+11:00

Today the A.N.U. Graduating Exhibition officially came to an end and I'm happy to say that it was an extraordinary success! Thanks to the A.N.U. Emerging Artist Support Scheme and some very generous patrons I am looking forward to lots of exciting projects and opportunities in 2011.

I'm extremely grateful to have received the Torres Scholarship for Young Australian Artists awarded by the Embassy of Spain, which will enable me to travel to Spain to learn from amazing artists and museum collections as well as experiencing unique architecture, landscape and culture.

I was also awarded a solo exhibition at the Belconnen Gallery, a group exhibition at the Alliance Française, a residency at the Megalo Print Studio and acquisitive awards from KPMG and Annabel Wallace. I really appreciate the incredible support from all of these organisations as well as everyone who came and enjoyed the exhibition :) I will be sure to keep you updated on my progress as I get started on the new work.

Dad, me & first class honours degree in printmedia & drawing

good news & illuminations

2010-11-30T19:18:00.002+11:00

This lithograph has been selected as part of the Port Jackson Print Press Graduate Printmaking Award exhibition at the James Makin Gallery in Melbourne, 11-29th January 2011.

Also, here are a few more layered drawings combining various microscopic subjects (including a poppy, everlasting daisy, shell, urchin, coral, alum crystal) and lovingly fitted with fluorescent lights for low wattage, long lasting illumination.

microcosmos

2010-11-23T18:36:00.002+11:00

softground & drypoint etching, plate: 20cm diameter, paper: 28 x 38cm

Here are some individual images of the series of etchings from the exhibit I mentioned in the last post, there are 18 prints which come from 7 copper plates that I rotated and printed in different colours to represent my experience of observation - the way a single scene or object can change depending on external factors such as time of day, or internal factors such as state of mind. Each image is a small universe that I have imagined based on objects such as banksia seedpods, sponges and various corals that I either held in my hand or looked at under the microscope. As always I hope you enjoy them as much as I enjoyed making them!

install

2010-11-22T23:00:00.003+11:00

Hi!
Here are a few photos of the final work I presented for an Honours degree in Printmaking and Drawing at the Australian National University, which I finished last week. My work in this exhibit focused on the potential of relatively small natural forms and structures to suggest vast or otherworldly realms. I also searched for ways of uniting the experiences of observation and imagination. I really enjoyed having the freedom to explore new processes and ideas this year and look forward to continuing these explorations in the future. I will post some more images of individual artworks in the next few days :)

For anyone in Canberra the ANU School of Art grad show opens Friday Dec 3rd @ 6pm and runs from Dec 4th - 12th.

encounter

2010-11-11T20:45:00.003+11:00

Hi everyone :) here is a recent lithograph on three sheets of paper, approx 76 x 168cm altogether. I printed all three from the "Twist" image (a few of posts ago) using various circular stencils to search for, and isolate, interesting moments in the same way that I would if I was looking through the lens of a microscope. Below are details of each print, hope you enjoy!

lightbox

2010-11-10T22:00:00.001+11:00

Testing combinations of drawings to sit on homemade plinths/lightboxes... the drawings in this image (on a few layers of drafting film) were made while looking through the microscope at a poppy and an everlasting daisy from my garden, this turned out to be an extremely exciting experience when I found a multitude of aphids crawling all over the flowers - strange clear creatures with red eyes that move with speed and agility. Sorry I did not capture the aphid inhabitants in my drawing, hopefully you can imagine something equally amazing and terrifying!

fossil

2010-11-05T00:41:00.001+11:00

watercolour on stretched paper, 210cm x 106cm

details:

Hi everyone :) here is the second of my large watercolour paintings, for this one I begun with a loose wash and placed a plastic drop sheet on top while the wash was drying. I used the abstract texture created by the plastic to suggest the composition and to help integrate figure and ground. The folds of the plastic reminded me of folds and fractures in an icy landscape and influenced my choices as I painted from a small pencil drawing of coral that I observed under the microscope.

In continuing to look through the microscope and draw and paint these small natural objects, I am continuing to search for:

"... a way of looking; of rediscovering... Instead of being yet another explanation of what we have lost, it is an exploration of what we may yet find."

- Simon Schama, Landscape and Memory

twist

2010-11-01T19:51:00.002+11:00

lithograph, 55 x 75cm

echoes

2010-10-17T20:26:00.001+11:00

"... every now and then, we skirted a universe (or else a universe skirted us), but it wasn't clear whether these were a number of universes scattered through space or whether it was always the same universe we kept passing, revolving in a mysterious trajectory, or whether there was no universe at all and what we thought we saw was the mirage of a universe which perhaps had once existed and whose image continued to rebound from the walls of space like the rebounding of an echo."
- Italo Calvino (The Form of Space from Cosmicomics)

The Big Draw!

2010-10-10T20:57:00.002+11:00

A drawing of people drawing Leger's Trapeze Artists @ the Big Draw, National Gallery of Australia. I coordinated an activity based on Leger's painting using tracing paper to have fun with overlapping, layering and movement. I also really enjoyed seeing artist Gosia Wlodarczak create a drawing and talk about her process & ideas.

backbone

2010-10-06T20:18:00.001+11:00

Julia and the Deep Sea Sirens - Family Pets

2010-10-04T22:57:00.003+11:00

watercolour on Arches cold press paper

album launch, photo credit: Huy Nguyen

I recently had the opportunity to paint a CD cover for my good friend's band, Julia and the Deep Sea Sirens. I have enjoyed listening to the band grow over the years and their new album Family Pets is absolutely beautiful! Julia is a super talented singer and songwriter and has a great group of musicians behind her. Fun fact: Julia tried to teach me how to draw horses in grade 2 and she designed the horse on the cover to match with her shadow puppet graphics on the interior booklet of the album. I highly recommend you check out their Myspace page - there are a couple of tracks from the new album up for your listening pleasure (Little Suprises and Family Pets).

gape

2010-10-03T23:43:00.002+11:00

lithograph, 55 x 75cm

For this image I worked directly on a large lithographic stone, spontaneously combining and composing elements of form and texture from a single seashell that I turned over in my hand and looked at from multiple points of view. My approach was inspired by William Blake's words, "To see a world in a grain of sand and heaven in a wild flower, hold infinity in the palm of your hand and eternity in an hour."

abalone

2010-10-01T22:49:00.001+10:00

2 x 1m watercolour on stretched hot press paper, based on microscopic observations of an abalone shell. I wanted to bring this piece of the shell onto a human scale to explore the way that I imagine myself in relation to it. The time I have spent looking at a minute section of nature under the microscope has only reminded me of the immensity of nature and the reality that I am not really that much bigger than the shell. Below are a couple of details, the texture in the background was created by spraying water into the semi-wet watercolour wash... hope you enjoy :)

ode to a lizard

2010-09-16T20:18:00.001+10:00

This week I visited the zoology department at the Australian National University and spent an afternoon drawing in their museum, which is like a library except the shelfs are filled with a huge assortment of jars. It was a bit of an overwhelming experience - quite amazing and haunting at the same time.

branch

2010-09-09T23:30:00.001+10:00

Hi everyone, I hope all is well :) Recently I have been playing with sandblasting on layers of plexiglass and glass petri dishes, which can create subtle lines that cast interesting shadows. I am still developing a hanging system for this piece - at the moment it is sitting on a table, but I would like to display it on the wall. The blocks of wood will be replaced with clear plexiglass before then!

60cm diameter

details:

314

2010-09-06T20:36:00.001+10:00

work in progress

2010-09-06T00:17:00.001+10:00

masking with PVA glue (above) in preparation for sandblasting plexiglass (below)

passage

2010-08-21T20:52:00.002+10:00

lithograph (34 x 44cm)

graphite sea urchin study

soft ground etching (20cm diameter)

fragments

2010-08-16T21:19:00.001+10:00

sketchbook

2010-08-13T23:45:00.001+10:00

variations

2010-08-10T23:20:00.002+10:00

Hi everyone :) These are some new prints and drawings trying to bring some imagination into my recent microscopic observations. The prints are soft ground etchings printed in glorious colour. The drawings are graphite on layers of drafting film arranged in a few different orders playing with depth and opacity - this was on the way to being a little artists book, but it could also be a wall piece with the drawings sandwiched between plexiglass... let me know if you have any thoughts!

images

2010-07-29T21:08:00.002+10:00

"Images form themselves in our minds perpetually as if they were reflected in some pool... We can make our minds so still like water that beings gather about us that they may see their own images and so live for a moment with a clearer, perhaps even a fiercer life because of our quiet." - W.B. Yeats

p.s. This little circular etching is part of Loupe, a show of miniatures, at Megalo print workshop in Canberra which closes on the 31st July.

terrain

2010-06-14T19:31:00.002+10:00

A dusty piece of sea urchin skeleton drawn while looking through my Dad's microscope!

light

2010-06-12T19:42:00.001+10:00

Work in progress:

top - stack of sandblasted perspex sheets

bottom - watercolour on paper, resin, glass petri dish