This looks simple, just a bunch of scribbly lines, but it’s the product of years of practice building enough confidence to just “let go” and not worry about doing a ‘proper’ drawing – if there’s such a thing…..
Heads And Hats
Here’s another head I sketched at the recent launch of Jen Wilson’s book about Jazz. I find it hard to draw heads and hats. They’re alright separately, but put them together and I’m all over the place with my proportions.
Please follow the link here if you want to find out more about Jen’s book….
The Lovely And Talented
A couple of evenings ago, Husb and I went to the launch of Jen Wilson’s new book, “Freedom Music: Wales, Emancipation and Jazz” at Swansea’s Dylan Thomas Centre. There were singers and dancers performing, including the lovely and talented Elissa V Evans who sang a beautiful and haunting version of “Oh Susanna”. Of course, I scribbled her!
The Lady In The Dress
A couple of evenings ago, Husb and I went to the launch of Jen Wilson’s new book, “Freedom Music: Wales, Emancipation and Jazz” at Swansea’s Dylan Thomas Centre. There were performers as well as readings by Jen. The Congolese Development Project had drummers and a dancer – here he is along with a lady in an awesome dress who was watching him.
Otherworldly
I’ve been doing a manier noir drawing (above) the past few days (click here if you want to see the process), based on an original sketch I did a few weeks ago on a field trip with scientists from Swansea University’s FIRE Lab project. We were looking at culverts up in the Brecon Beacons. I found them fascinating, lovely stone architecture, probably Victorian. I thought there was an otherworldly atmosphere to them.
From left to right: paper prepared with charcoal; original sketch; manier noir drawing in progress using wire wool and aluminium oxide paper.
I like this technique, it has a spooky, soft, ethereal quality. Manier noir means “the dark manner” which I think suits it.
Getting Mucky Together
Getting Mucky
I spent a couple of hours at Swansea’s Creative Bubble this morning with fellow artists Patti McJones and Chris Bird-Jones. We unleashed a box of compressed charcoal! And got mucky together. That’s one of the nicer things about being an artist, you always have an excuse to shamble around in overalls with charcoal dust up to your elbows.
Alban Hefin: Summer Solstice
Husb and I caught the midsummer sunset at Mynyddbach Common, one of the city’s high points, last night just before 9.40pm.
The colours were extraordinary and my digital camera didn’t really catch the range of colours in the lower sky. Of course, I had to have a scribble, with Daler Rowney artist quality soft pastels.
Herstory, Heroines and Swansea Satire
Bog Art and MWGA launch: Cinema & Co, Swansea, Tuesday July 9th from 18.30 – 20.30 with art, literature, short films, a pop-up kitchen and FREE CAKE! Please come along.
Rosie Scribblah and Patti McJones (aka The Revolting Women) are officially launching Bog Art alongside the launch of the satirical book “Making Wales Great Again” (M.W.G.A.) by Swansea author “Notsogreatdictator “.
What is Bog Art?
If you want people as in “The People” to see art where’s the best place to put it? Art galleries are where art lives but not everyone see themselves as the sort of person who goes to art galleries which is why lots of people don’t go to art galleries, but everyone has to use the toilet! So we thought why not let “The People” take in some culture as they take a seat in Cinema & Co. We put artwork on the walls in the toilet in case you’re not very clear on exactly what we did. All the work features women artists and heroines and is by me and Patricia McKenna Jones. We are both very interested in the role of women in history and art and take great pains to bring their often-forgotten contributions to light again. Not just because they are women but also because their work and lives are uniquely inspiring and show a depth of commitment and skill that needs to be seen and recognised.
Herstory
My work is a set of silk screen prints of my favourite artists including Kathe Kollwitz. I’ve loved her work for many years and I think she’s one of the greatest artists of the twentieth century. I defy anyone to go around the Kathe Kollwitz gallery in Berlin and not cry – her work is profoundly moving. She suffered the tragedy of losing her son in World War 1 and her grandson in WW2 and her war memorial, ‘The Grieving Parents’ in the Vladsio German War Cemetery is imbued with a terrible sadness and hopelessness.
Heroines
Patti’s paintings are about women who fought to defeat fascism during WWII. One is Noor Inayat Khan (1914-1944) a half Russian, half Indian Muslim woman who signed up to the Special Operations Executive (a secret army with the aim of helping resist Hitler): She helped foil enemy operations in occupied France but was eventually captured and shot at Dachau after proving her worth many times over.
M.W.G.A.
Swansea author Notsogreatdictator (not his real name) is also launching his new book of satirical snippets based on the weirder and dafter aspects of life in Wales and especially Swansea. Copies will be available for sale and he’ll be there to sign them.
Food, Drink and Cake
There will be a pop-up kitchen from Goggi (including vegan food), the excellently stocked Cinema & Co bar and FREE CAKE made by Patti, Notsogreatdictator and me.
Here’s How It Goes
Here’s the itinerary for the evening, we would love to see you there –
18:30-19:00
Grab some food and drink and Meet the Author and Artists
19:00-19:30
Short films and background to “Making Wales Great Again” and Bog Art
19:30-20:00
Question and answer session with the author
20:00 – 20.30
Book signing and Bog Art viewing
Cutting The Vinyl
I did a lino cut today, well it was on vinyl, from an original sketch I did in my sketchbook when I was on a field trip recently with the Fire Lab, to study Victorian culverts on the Tafarn Y Garreg road towards Brecon.
The drawing is quite abstracted, I was looking down along the stream bed as it wound its way down the valley wall into the River Tawe. I transferred the drawing, in reverse, onto the vinyl using powdered chalk and a hard pencil and then cut it with my Flexcut tools.
Turning Over A New Page….
I do quite a bit of teaching, to adults, and many have a big problem with drawing, they feel that they can’t draw and that when they try, they get very demoralised because “it isn’t perfect”. So many people have unrealistic expectations about drawing and don’t realise that, like any skill, it takes commitment, practice and dedication. They also don’t realise that even professional artists don’t get perfection every time we put pen to paper, or even most of the time. I started drawing from a sheep skull earlier today and the first one (below) was a bit rubbish. But instead of giving up, I turned over a new page and started again, scribbling away with a ballpoint pen and producing something I’m happier with.
scribblah 