Self portrait inspired by Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio (1571-1610)

I was asked to research the Artist Michelangelo Merisi,  known as Caravaggio and produce a self portrait inspired by one of his paintings.  After a lot of decision making,  I chose, "David with the head of Goliath" 1610 for my inspiration. From the research, I found  that this was one of the most important artworks he had done. Within the original image, the figure of David has been altered to have Caravaggios head on it. The face  is of Caravaggio when he was younger and the beheaded is also Caravaggios face but a more recent representation The idea was to represent how his youth caused a negative effect on the rest of his life. This could also have been the last painting he ever created before dying at age 38. Throughout his work he uses chiaroscuro to add to the sense of darkness, by using shadow to overpower the figures,  It adds an unpleasant feeling to the image. The use of light highlights the the figures to provide a more three-dimensional shape.

David with the head of Goliath 1610

I really enjoyed replicating this painting,  I would like to do another one over a larger timescale so I can perfect it. I enjoyed the realism and the biblical theme. I also found his life story to be very interesting,  especially his last days where he was waiting on a Pardon to be allowed back into Rome and it was only granted after his death.

Artist Presentation - Liz Douglas

Liz Douglas is a local artist based at Wasp Studios in Selkirk,  Scottish Borders. She came into class to show us some of her work. I found out that She spent 6 years studying at Edinburgh college of Art. In 1991 she gained her honers degree in drawing and painting and in 1993 she achieved her master of fine art in painting,  both at Edinburgh college of Art. She has also acquired a few awards over the years including, visual Artist and Craft Makers Award for south of Scotland 2014-15,  The Edinburgh Laser Cutting Studio prize-SSA 2013 and cabn/Creative Scotland Visual Artist award 2011. She explained how most of her current work is researched based and she is inspired by nature and natural surroundings. She showed us some of the work she has done through a power point. There was a piece named "fault line" which was made on top of the Ettrick Valley,  it is 10mx1.5m and is made using a mixture of glue, charcoal and sand- all media was found on site. "elements"  was another mixed media painting created at 2000ft above sea level. In this piece, she wanted to show the difference between then and now, when it was freezing cold and the water was 25 Degrees. She also created artwork at Ravenscraig and Ettrick marshes.  Another style of work Liz does was drawing and painting things in nature, "moth drawing" is an image of a moth, produced by using graphite and chalk on canvas. "Marsh drawing"  is 1.5x4m,this started off with drawing Liz plants, insects and birds on photocopy paper, transferred onto acetate then a carbon copy was made, this piece took a month to complete. The end result is a large paper cutting with the shapes cut out, a very lovely piece of work. "raft" was another painting inspired by whitlaw mosses. The idea behind this piece was making corridors for animals to pass through,  so they were not harmed by the chemicals in the fields. Liz also turned her hand to lazer cutting where she created such works as "inner pool firms" and "pleated landscape".
After listening to Liz describe how important she felt the process in creating her work was,  rather than just the end result,  I decided to look her up online. I found that she had a page containing alot of her artwork aswell as information. A few artworks which I am interested in are :

You can view more artwork and information at Liz@Lizdouglas.co.uk

Tom Davidson - lino cutting and prints

Tom Davidson was born in 1956,  he is a local artist who has a Gallery in Earlston,  in the Scottish Borders. His main form of artwork is producing  lino cuttings, which are transferred into prints . He first gained interest in printmaking in his first year at College in 1984. He creates images from one piece of linoleum using a reduction process then adds colour to make a series of images. Each image is hand-drawn onto the lino,then when its cut,  colour is added, working from light to dark. Tom usually adds two colours at the same time and can produce up to 6 prints with each lino cutting. It can take up to 6 weeks to complete a print as the process has to be done in stages. When producing a series of prints, Tom will usually make between 20 and 30 editions so that it would appeal more to a collector than a large selection would.
I found this work to be really interesting, the detail within each print is incredible. With the use of fine line and delicate shapes,  he is able to create an image representing a 3d view. Below are some examples of his work :

William Hogarth - Beer Street and Gin Lane

William Hogarth (1697-1764) was a famous painter and printmaker.  He was born in London,  England and was the son of an unsuccessful writer and schoolmaster from Westmoreland. In 1710 he began engraving his own designs after working as an apprentice at a Goldsmiths. By the late 1720's he started painting portraits using oil paints producing a large variety of successful artwork along the way.
Approximately between 1720 and 1751 in London,  there was a large increase in poverty and overcrowding due to a vast amount of immigration from the countryside. This caused many problems for people, resulting in a rise in drinking gin within the middle and upper classes,  but mainly within the lower class .This became a problem due to the Gin Act of 1736, when the British Government tried to control the production. This then provided Hogarth with the inspiration to create a series of etchings based on what he witnessed at this time. The main feeling behind the his work, was to provide a sense of social disorder,  depression,  difficult living conditions,  crime and danger.  During this time,  people were living in fear for themselves, their homes and businesses. He has portrayed this fantastically through each image.
Beer Street was set in a wealthier part of London,  where an image of St-Martin-in-the-fields church within the print.  Gin Lane focused more on the vision of poverty and desperation, set in the West of Bloomsbury.

Gin Lane 1751

I found this image to be filled with many examples of a desperate society.  The woman letting go of the baby because she is completely out of it,  is just insane. This image is very comical in my opinion,  although it probably shouldn't be. There is so much going on, it produces an insight into how bad things were, it is a clever observation which does not seem to be a reality. 

                        

Beer Street 1751

Although it is serious,  I found this image to be quite humorous in some places, despite the fact these is just chaos erupting throughout,  including people running on the roof top. I found it interesting to see a community which has just stopped caring, and finding the solution to their problems at the bottom of a bottle. 

The Bauhaus School of Art

Staatliches Bauhaus is an Art school in Germany which is famous for its art and design work. It was known as the most influential art school of the 20th century. The Bauhaus was founded in 1919 by Walter Gropius and ceased operation in 1933. Even after it closed, the work ethic and techniques used had a huge impact on Europe and America within the design world. The aim of the Bauhaus was to provide a complete work of art. This included developments in art,  graphic design, interior design,  architecture,  Industrial design and typography.
The key faculty including artist's were: Wassily Kandinsky (1902-1981), Joseph Albers (1888-1976), Laszlo Moholy-Nagy (1895-1946), Paul Klee (1879-1940) and Johannes Itten (1888-1967). Architects, Walter Gropius (1883-1969) and Ludwig Mies van der Rohe (1886-1969) and Designer Marcel Breuer (1866-1944). The school existed in three German cities, Weimar from 1919-1925, Dessaw from 1925-1932 and Berlin from 1932-1933 but unfortunately had to close due to the pressure from the Nazi regime giving the impression of it being communist intellectualism.
The Bauhaus was shaped by the Arts and Crafts movement and proved to be incredibly influential to the teaching of the arts.  This has now led to the teaching of "visual arts" which was once known as "fine art", and has also gave the education of art a sense of importance.
Although there were many talented Artists, designers and architect's who have influenced many within the field of art,  I found the work of Marcel Breuer quite interesting.  Breuer  was a Hungarian -American Designer, Sculptor and Architect and referred to as one of the pioneers of abstract modern art. He was also best known for his "iconic chairs". The Wassily chair, also known as model B3, designed in 1925, is still recreated and sold in this modern day. What I like most about the sleek,  simple design is how the idea came from the shape of a bicycle wheel. Breuer was interested in three-dimensional design which he made his main focus throughout his career.  He was also inspired by the constructivist theories of the De Stjil movement.

An Artist which I admire is, Laszlo Moholy-Nagy, a Hungarian painter and photographer who also taught as a professor at the Bauhaus School.  His work is highly influenced by constructivism with an interest in integration of technology. He was also known as, "arguably one of the greatest influences on post-war art education in USA. In 1930 he worked alongside engineer Istvan Sebok and technician Otto Ball to release the" Light prop for an electric stage, ( light space modular 1930).

Previous to this,  he created an abstract piece,  titled the"untitled construction"  which was created in 1922. I like how the use of line and simple colour choice stands out against the dark background.

 I was also drawn to the photo montage,  "double portrait" 1923. I like the smooth lines and black and white tone. This was done during the Dada period which I found interesting that this movement was an influence in his work.

Wassily Wassilyevich Kandinsky (1902-1981) is  a Russian painter and Art theorist, another Artist whose work I admire.  Colour theory played a large part within his work, my favourite artwork is, yellow-red-blue 1925. Kandinsky has used oil on canvas to produce a beautiful array of bright colours.  He has used primary colours for the main body of this abstract art,  with straight and curved black lines which which surround and overlap the shapes. The black is great at bringing the image to life and it is a beautiful piece to focus on.

 "several circles 1926"  is another inspiring piece, with use of  a variety of circles,  different sizes and colours to represent his lifelong search for the perfect form to represent his spiritual expression.

 I also found " Composition v111 (1923)" inspiring. This painting was done while Kandinsky taught at the Bauhaus.  This was said to be, "an expression of Kandinsky's clarified ideas about modern, non objective art." He creates this feeling through his use of colours,  line and dynamic balance.

Artist Presentation - Kevin Greenfield photographer

Kevin Greenfield is a commercial photographer based in Selkirk,  in the Scottish Borders. He began his career in London,  working as a runner (making tea etc) and eventually progressed as a camera man doing film making. As well as doing film, he also worked part-time in a camera shop to earn more money to buy his equipment.  Kevin liked photography and film making because it gave him the chance to travel. He moved to North Wales and began studying at university, where he managed to get onto a degree course. Throughout his time at University,  he found inspiration from past photographer's such as, Henri Cartier-Bresson and William Eggleston. After university,  he returned to London to work on film and advance on his photography, This then led to him working as a full-time phographer. Kevin travelled around the world with his work but works more locally now that he has a family.
Kevin has a Studio space at, the Haining in Selkirk where he works on his film and photography.  He also does " corporate reportage " where he photographs meetings,  business presentations and advertising for local companies such as Waverly Housing. He has also taken photographs of the Minister at a business opening,  advertising a mountain biking company and kayaking. He also works alongside charities some include:  Scottish cross country race, Rock climbing and the elderly in an care home.
More recently,  Kevin has been doing food and beverage photography, where he works mainly inside his studio avoiding the use of natural light to prevent unnecessary reflections in any glass. Aswell as that,  he also provides images for companies including,  Orwell and Goode,  Linda Lovatt and Hawick Cashmere to promote their stock. In some cases he needs to digitally manipulte some images or combined a few different images to reach the desired effect. He uses 3 main lights while photographing in his studio: the main light for shadow and light, a fill light and a backlight. He has also photographed art works by local Artists including Mary Morrison and John Berry.
Kevin has spent time taking photographs of interiors for advertising and worked at many weddings.  His favourite part about wedding photography is meeting new people,  he describes how working on your own can become quite lonely,  so it is good to take part in weddings.
More recently,  Kevin has been perfecting his work in glass photography for some of his clients.
I found Kevin to be very dedicated to his work with a passion for all that he does. He has a wide range of experience and knowledge about techniques,  styles  and expectations of an image. I was amazed at the quality of the photos he showed us, I would definitely recommend him for any photography work. He also has an email address where he can be contacted -
Www.kevingreenfield.com
Below are some images taken from the website

Pablo Picasso - The Vollard Suite

Pablo Picasso is best known for his Cubism paintings but he also had an interest in printmaking. Between 1930 and 1937, he produced many etchings which became part of The Vollard Suite. This became the most important series of etchings by one of the most important artist's of the 20th century. In 1930, Picasso was asked to produce a series of etchings by the art dealer and publisher Ambroise Vollard (1866-1939) in exchange for paintings by Pierre - Auguste Renoir and Paul Cezanne. It was Vollard who got Picasso his first exhibition in Paris.
Picasso wanted to create a story where he showed the passion of love and lust while exploring identity and inspiration. He began working on the suite in 1933 and finished in 1937. It was  due to the death of his dealer and publisher Vollard and WW 11 that prevented the sets from being on the art market until 1950s.
Th Vollard Suite is known as a neo-classical masterpiece but does not follow a linear narrative.  Throughout his work, Picasso produces an insight to his 'beast within ', where he identifies a tension between man and beast. He uses a variety of techniques to bring his vision to life. In 1934 Picasso found inspiration from the work of Rembrandt (1606-1669). There are traces of inspiration seen within his work  through the use of light, dark and shadows.
During an exhibition in Madrid in 1971, the suite was targeted by a parliamentary group named the guerrilleros del christo rey (warriers of Christ and the king). They tore up some of the pictures and poured acid over the prints.
While Picasso worked on the suite he began a romantic relationship with Marie-Therese Walter (1909-1977) although still married to his first wife Olga Picasso. Walters was nearly 30 years younger than Picasso but she was a big inspiration and is visible within the suite. In one image, she is portrayed as a model lying in the arms of a bearded sculptor. She also inspired him to produce a series of bronze heads in the neoclassical style.
The suite begins with a theme of the sculptors studio which are not titled but each piece is inscribed with the year, month and day that he drew it. There are also three prints which are portraits of Vollard.
It is thought by some, that the minotaur became an important role in building a visual of Picasso's identity, it also provided a deep psychological importance with the suite.
Along the way, Picasso also learnt new techniques including line etching,  dry point and aquaprinting and sugar aquatinting,  this helped him achieve a larger variety of painting effects.
After learning about the Vollard Suite,  I found it to be an interesting idea. The images are quite strange and alarming to look at. It also made me question what he was thinking.  It does provide an insight into his life at the time he created this.

Self portrait influenced by Picasso's blue period

I was asked to do a self portrait in the style of Picasso's blue period for a homework assignment.  I was not aware of Picasso's blue period so I had to research this. As I began to discover the meaning and inspiration behind the work,  I found it to be an interesting and inspiring.  I was also drawn in by the connection Picasso had with his subjects,  which provided insight into his own emotional state.
I discovered that Picasso's blue period began in 1901, lasting 3 years.  Throughout this period,  he used a simple colour palette of mainly blues,  with only occasionally adding another colour. I found out that during this time, Picasso was experiencing difficulties in finding success through his art, as well as not having a fixed studio space. By 1904, Picasso had moved to Paris but its important to say that his work was originally inspired by Spain.  His work also reflected his personal problems at that time, including the death of his friend Carlos Casagemas, who took his own life, by shooting himself in the head on February 17th 1901. This had a great impact on Picasso,  but he used his experience to create his Art. Most of the people in his paintings are what we would call "lowlifes". It was unfortunate,  but most of the people he painted were beggars,  drunks or prostitutes.  I feel that by only using a variety of blues to create his work, he has captured the emotional state of these people,  giving an overall sense of failure to each painting. Picasso managed to capture his subjects feeling low, helpless and defeated, this inspired me for my self portrait. I decided to sit with my head slumped in my hand, this is how I would express my feelings of defeat and sadness.  My eyes are open wide because even at my lowest point, I never close my eyes and shut the world out - I am too strong a person to hide away.  I used only watercolour to create this portrait using various brushes for detail, and a stipling technique for the background so that it didn't take away from the main image.  I enjoyed making this self portrait much more than I thought I would,  probably because I found it interesting that the colour was creating the mood and sense of feeling. I would definitely like to try this again.