Since the New Year, as mentioned in my previous post Cold feet… midwinter motivation I’ve been working on a series of small artworks on the theme of winter weather for an exhibition, ‘No Frost at night’, to be held at Babylon Arts in Ely, Cambridgeshire later this spring. There was a call for artists to respond to an archived weather diary from 1963, by Soham resident Betty Mann. I was delighted to be one of five contemporary artists to have my proposal selected for this commission,
These are the workbook warmups from the studio that I created in between the artworks and occasionally a few small details from the works themselves to whet your appetites for the exhibition. I’ve been having a great time playing with acrylic inks, staining and scribbling on tissue papers and other materials and media, and in the process have discovered new effects and techniques – one of the bonuses of being out of your comfort zone (my first public commission) and using new surfaces and media.
The above are small details from some of the works in progress. So far I have more works underway than I need for the commission, which I’m pleased about as it gives me room to select the ones that work best. The work has been going very well over the past few weeks, considering the battle to warm up the studio. This has given me room to breathe, step back, and live with them for a while before I decide that’s it and I get down to the finishing touches, varnishing etc.
I’ve noticed the importance of warming up in the workbook in the stalled pauses between work on the actual artworks. The temptation has been to keep working on them, but making myself stop and play (with similar materials) where it ‘doesn’t matter’, often results in a discovery of useful techniques and effects, and a loosening up of my creative muscles!
I’ve occasionally been working from home recently as the studio is just too cold (even with a log fire, oil-filled radiator and padded overalls; there’s obviously a drawback to having a big concrete space with high ceilings!). At my kitchen table last week I produced these two workbook collages on the theme of winter; early explorations for a project I’m going to be working on through January and February, which I’ll reveal more of at a later date.
I like to keep a bag stuffed with collage materials, found and made, along with acrylic medium for pasting down, and favourite markmaking tools, markers, inks etc, at home so that I can always get some practice in between studio days.
Weather and light have always influenced my abstract landscapes and winter weather will be pretty much a dominant theme in my work for the next couple of months. Fortunately (for my work at least) we’ve had the whole gamut of winter variations here in the Norfolk countryside the past few weeks – fog, ice, frost, snow (not as much as some areas, yet), rain and bright sun but cold. It’s added interest to my walks round the local area, taking photos of details for inspiration, sometimes playing around with them in photo-editing apps to enhance and abstract them, which itself can suggest directions for work.
In the winter months it can be difficult for me, like many artists, to work up the motivation to get into the studio, especially in cold weather, now that I live 4 miles away and can’t just pop in and out. This last year has been difficult enough, but add into the mix the fact that I live with anxiety and depression (managed well mostly, with medication) and the SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) I also suffer from during the darker months, and motivation can be quite a struggle. So how do I personally cope with it?
When I have to coax myself into the studio I try to pre-plan practical tasks to get started, such as prepping canvases and boards, creating colour mixes and swatches from new paint/ink colours (relaxing and satisfying!), or creating papers for collages. Telling myself that I’ll just do a couple of hours and head home can do the trick and I very often find myself forgetting about this once I get into the work and spend longer anyway, (I always make sure I’ve got milk for a brew and ingredients for a simple lunch in my bag, so I can stay on if I want to). Ironically, it’s often on these reluctant attendances at the studio that I produce my most satisfying work.
Keeping warm: even with a log fire and an oil-filled radiator it’s difficult keeping my workspace warm (it was built as part of a 1930s RAF airbase and was semi-derelict when I first came across it; even now after we’ve renovated most of it, there are many drafts from the windows and leaks from the roof during heavy rain). One of the best things I ever bought were my padded overalls (from Dickies I think, but there are other makes) – cosy and warm. I feel very workmanlike in them! I’ve also covered a large area of the concrete floor with that jigsaw-type rubber matting you can buy online. It’s used for all sorts of work places, inc gyms, play spaces, garages etc. Mine is in dark grey and not only helps keep my feet from freezing but reduces foot and leg strain when working at the easel.
Another thing I find helps me greatly, once in the studi, is to have a few good podcasts downloaded onto my ipad (which I always take with me, usually for photographing work). It can be a solitary business this artist life and it’s good to have some virtual company. I can really recommend the ones listed below:
However you’re coping just now, I hope you’re managing to get some art done for yourself, and that some of my tips may have helped you with using your own workspace.
Inspired by glorious remnants of glowing colour in the woods on the way to my studio…
Bronze beeches, silver birch and sycamore. A carpet of copper leaves, drifts of small gold birch ‘coins’, blazing metals against charcoal branches.
Since early November I’ve been responding to the ever-dwindling autumn colour in the surrounding woods and hedgerows, by experimenting in my studio workbook; simplifying, abstracting, finding ways of suggesting what I’ve experienced. Then with ink, acrylic, collage, calligraphy etc on individual works on paper.
It’s been enjoyable using a variety of my own calligraphy, collage and various ways of mark making, plus limited metallic touches. I like the way the lettering is also reminiscent of the bare branches of the increasingly denuded trees. As the autumn has given way to winter, the sparks and flickers of gold, deeper in the woods where there’s more shelter from the wind, have become all the more precious.
While I’ve enjoyed creating these works and spreads, I’d like to take the ideas further into abstraction. The simple collage in the photo of my studio workbook above top, although somewhat subdued, is the one I actually find most satisfying in it’s minimalism and use of space. It would be interesting to work on similar versions on a large scale at some point.
Mari French RI : contemporary artworks 