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Tuesday 20 January 2015

Art, doing and viewing

As my work schedule has changed, I have had to move from Morley to a different art course.  If anyone is looking for a business idea, may I suggest day time classes in drawing for beginners in the London area.  Every course I have tried to get on to has been full.  I have therefore compromised and joined a course in drawing and painting at the Mary Ward Centre, taught by Sophie Charalambous.   Like Morley, the Mary Ward Centre has a great feeling when you go in, and the studio where the course is taught is at the top of the building, so is large and light.  Sophie concentrated on drawing last term, so is focussed on painting with acrylic paint,  for beginners,  this term.  It isn't quite what I wanted, but I am going with it.  Last week's theme was developing colour wheels, and this week the focus was on creating transparency, tints and shades.

Mine is the one with the big orange drip, as I tried using a desk easel - not the right tool for an exercise involving a lot of watery paint!

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I've never really  understood about using complementary colours to darken a primary colour, but after Sophie's very clear explanations, I really got this yesterday.  Interesting to see the black and white copy of the tints and shades side by side.

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The morning had been a return visit to Peckham to see the continued presence of my friend's art work, "People of Peckham".  This has survived well, and is still relatively free of graffiti.

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A walk past a local mosque, where the minaret was in startling contrast to the winter sky.

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Then off to the Horniman Museum, to see the exhibition "River", by Kurt Jackson.  I cannot get over how much I love  these paintings.  The way he uses paint to show light on water is inspired.  This exhibition finishes on Sunday 25th January, I wish I had gone earlier so that I could see it again.  Also fantastic to see his sketchbooks, ceramics and zoological sketches.

I am trying to continue to draw during this term, before Sophie returns to drawing next term.  Last night's attempts - better than 6 months ago.

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3 comments:

  1. Never mind in London! Feel something quick over lunch in MK could be useful.

    And I also feel I could do with a bit of colour theory.

    Went to Morley myself for the first last Saturday. Can you believe it? All those years I cycled past and yet I never went in! I did a one-day course organised by the Lambeth-based group make a hood. I really enjoyed it and will be writing a blog about it.

    But Morley is lovely and it would be great to do a longer course there.

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  2. Love the people of Peckham - great idea

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  3. Having seen the River exhibition in a gallery, I wanted to go again to the Horniman - and forgot!! The work surprised me; it was definitely a case when seeing it "for real" is so much better then on screen or printed.
    As for the drawing, do keep going, you're doing fine ... it's all about learning to look, being able to see; the bit with the hand comes suddenly. Frustration is good, it means you're making progress. (That's what I was told...)

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