Gyotaku glimpses

Here's a little video glimpse into some gyotaku and information on my upcoming workshop on March 19th.  Scripting is not my forte so forgive the hesitations as my brain fought with painting and talking at the same time.  Not always successfully! 

I intend on producing a smoother piece as a workshop promotion so stay tuned.

Gyotaku & Workshop 2011 from Jeanette Jobson on Vimeo.

Light and contrast

I've spent this evening looking at other artists' interpretations of water and feeling, in varying degrees, in awe, exhilarated and depressed, wondering if my water paintings will actually resemble water or not.

I wanted to have a more impressionistic view of water than the piece I'm currently working on of the wave hitting the rocks.  With each piece I learn a little more about water and reflections.  I know reflections are all about light and contrast and if I concentrate on getting those right, I should be on the path to success.  That and a lot of practice.

So I tried a looser technique in oils on a 6 x 6 gallery canvas. The setting sun was just hitting the top of the ripples adding a hint of yellow/orange to the light. It needs some stronger contrasts I think that will give the surface that reflective quality that makes it look like water.

As I continue on my study of water, I have added another list of blogs to my sidebar - that of artists who paint water.  I will add names and blogs or websites as I come across them, and if you know of any that may be useful, please let me know.

Splash update

 Here's a small update of the wave painting that I'm currently working on.  One more session and I should be able to call it done I think.  I need to add some modelling to the wave and highlights to points of water where light hits. This is my first water based image of the new year and the start of a series of pieces devoted to water, its reflections, movement and interaction with the land.

This is a bit 'chocolate box'-like for me I think.  Its perhaps too smooth and I'll experiment with a loose style over time til I reach the point where I feel comfortable with what I produce.  I see what I want in my head, but it doesn't always come out that way on canvas.  Also using acrylics for this limits me I think.  I'll pull out the oils for the next one and see if they loosen me up.

Sea monkeys

 
When I first started printing shrimp I used a fair bit of paper experimenting with composition.  Yes, I should have worked it out in thumbnail sketches first, but I was anxious to play with the little guys.  Then suddenly the composition came to me.  Sea monkeys!

If you grew up in the 1960's as I did, you may well be familiar with the ads for sea monkeys that every child begged their parents to buy for them.  The whole 'sea monkey' issue is revealed in a 1974 CBC Archive.  It starts at about 6:10 minutes into the video.

Now I don't have a fish bowl full of brine shrimp that I'm using, but they gave me an idea for the composition with their promotion of constant antics.  In my shrimp gyotaku I've created my version of 'sea monkeys' tumbling down the length of the page in shades of phtalo blue and violet red.

These are printed using Caligo water soluble oil based inks on Okawara paper.  I'll let the ink dry for a couple of days before adding the eyes, then the print is ready for wet mounting and framing.

Study of Sarah in sunshine

I've had some images that I took back in August from a model who came out to the farm to pose for me.  Its only now that I'm starting to work with them and decide just where they're going and what I'm doing with them. Sarah had lovely titian hair and it glowed in the sun.  That combined with her pale Celtic colouring made it a perfect candidate for a little watercolour portrait practice today.

This is done on 140lb paper 5.5 x 8.5 inches.  I wanted to leave it loose and ensuer each layer of colour stayed translucent.   I'm not happy with the mouth.  I kept reworking it and it just won't do what I want it to do.  But for a study, it lets me see the colour range I can use in a main portrait.  Although the reference image doesn't have dramatic lights, I want to also intensify the contrast between light and shade to give a strong illusion of bright sun, as well as darkening the hair.

I just love how studies can be so useful!

Aiming for 2011

This is the start of a painting that I began today.  Its 10 x 14, acrylics on canvas board and represents my beginnings for the year.  Its not complete, it looks a little odd in places because there isn't enough detail yet, but it has form and gives me enough information so that I can see success, just as my 2011 plans do.


If you remember my post for 2010 plans from last year, you'll see that I had a portent.  It came in the form of a fortune cookie.   A bit hokey or superstitious perhaps?  Maybe, but I like to think that something is out there guiding me.  I didn't have a fortune cookie handy, so I looked online and found one here and choose a random fortune cookie to see what form the guidance took this time.

You find beauty in ordinary things. Keep this trait.

Pretty good advice for an artist I thought.  Artists can take something as simple as a bolt and turn it into a piece of art, making the viewer see it in a way they never would have thought of previously.

I hope in 2011 I will continue to find beauty in ordinary and extraordinary things and will try to make the ordinary become extraordinary.  And now I will share some of my plans for 2011 that become my goals to work towards.  I am concentrating on two of the same areas that I did last year, productivity and visiblity.  Both push me towards revenue generation which becomes redundant as a category because without the first two, the other doesn't exist.

Productivity

I will create a body of work representing water.  I have concentrated on fish for the past year and they will continue to be in my repertoire.  In 2011 I want to get to grips with their environment – water.  Surfaces, reflections, waves, etc.  I want to really know water and how weather, currents and environment shape it and be able to translate that into art.  The endless forms and light changes provide lots of opportunity.

I will create more pieces in dry media – charcoal, graphite, coloured pencil.  I miss drawing and believe it is ‘the’ most important tool for an artist to have under their belt.  I will work on more portraits and have ideas for other small series of drawings.

I will make more time for the business of producing art.  Its easy to get sidetracked into marketing or simply surfing online when I should be producing art.  Marketing is an essential part of art business, but getting off track and spending too much time on the computer sucks time away from production.

I will complete a book The Gyotaku Project and make it available for sale.  I want a permanent record of the past year’s work and learning process in fish printing. Both as a record for me and as a tool for those coming after me who want to know more about the joys and challenges of gyotaku in Newfoundland and Labrador.  A self published book will serve this purpose and should be available in late winter/early spring 2011.

I will create a local group of artists to produce, explore and exhibit work.  I will invite local artists and develop specific criteria to create an art group that is purposeful and functional.

Visibility

I will create an exhibition proposal for galleries in Newfoundland and Labrador as well as in another province and in non traditional exhibition space.  Galleries can be difficult to be accepted into.  A exhibition proposal based on my gyotaku work, fish and what will be future water paintings will be created and distributed.  Exhibition of art in non traditional settings such as businesses, private homes, community centres, etc. will be considered.

I will create a media resource page and publicity plan for the year.  Publicity isn’t something I’ve done much of in my art career, but is common in my day job.  I will create a media resource page on my blog with my biography,  artist statement, photo and any media releases to date.  I will create media releases based on events as they occur during the year.

I will write articles about gyotaku and submit them and images to fishing/outdoors/boating magazines in Canada and the USA for potential publication.   There are local, national and international magazines and specialist publications promoting fishing and wildlife.  An article on gyotaku as well as images, if printed, will provide me with additional visibility and possibility for the future.

I will join the Craft Council of NL as an active member and continue my memberships with current art organizations.  The CCNL has an art gallery and membership will allow me access to exhibition space, resources and financial assistance.

I will monitor submission calls and participate in local exhibitions when possible.  I have seen exhibition potential slide by me in the last year and haven’t acted on it for several reasons.  I will create a calendar of local exhibition calls and ensure that I have pieces available and framed in time to exhibit.

I will explore additional outlets for cards and prints.  There are many more opportunities for distribution and sale of note cards and prints that I have not yet explored.  I will add additional distribution links for sales of my products.