Post workshop ponderings

It has now been over a month since Martin Campos came to New Zealand to deliver a 5 day painting workshop .

I have to admit, I expected a post workshop lull in my work but did not expect to have to SUCH a lull. He gave me a LOT to think about.

Workshop experiences affect everyone in different ways. Some people take off at 100 km/hour straight after, churning out new work . Some brew a little before the workshop has any affect on their work . And then for other , the brewing takes longer than initially anticipated. Right now, in the brewing stakes, my spoon would stand vertical in the mug!

It's not that what he said was so phenomenally mind-blowing or would change my whole practise....no, its a subtle thing. It's how to incorporate and extend the principles that I found most useful into my own practise without me looking like a Martin Campos clone. Too often, the work after the workshop bears the stamp of the master. Martin is a great painter and he has his own signature style I admire....but I have my own too and I need enough time to pass so that I can remember his words but create my own response using his teachings.

Oh, and then there was Xmas and a holiday with the family to contend with. The break in the work continues. The brewing continues and so does the time-frame.  I may start using analogies about whiskey , soon!

So I look to my own process and analyse how I work and find that much of what I instinctively do was articulated by Martin. I have never been a painter who worked in an orderly fashion, from A to B and onwards, a clear plan in mind of what the painting needs to look like. I think about how I want the painting to FEEL. Or rather, the feeling I want the painting to convey.  The painting  is most often not about the subject matter at all. I am asked "Where is that?" of my landscape painting. The real answer is that is exists in the "feels"....no geographical co-ordinates for those, I'm afraid. Sure, the landscapes are based in reality on places but are changed by my mind, the passing of time in the memory, the way I paint it, my choice of colours and technique and then it is no longer the Taieri plains, its "Burnt around the edges" ....and all that the phrase might mean.

Burnt around the edges

The workshop itself was great. I struggled. A lot. I always do and I know that its a good reaction because learning something new, upskilling and having to work in ways hitherto unexplored is always difficult. I was not the only one. I was exhausted by 4 pm...and he pushed us through till 5, wailing and moaning! 

I have some notes I wrote down and they read:

Simplify

Design

Composition

Shapes

Squint

QUIET!!!!

Tension

Feels

History

Do not be a slave to what you see

Find and lose, repeat

So. 

I sit and think and distill and paint a little plein air before I throw myself headlong into painting again .

Happy New year.

The exhibition in Dunedin

I have been working towards an exhibition in Dunedin at Gallery De Novo for over a year. Good things take time.

This exhibition was in conjunction with my mate, Di Tocker, the cast glass artist. When we exhibit together ( which we have now done 3 times) we refer to ourselves as The Painter and The Glassmaker. We are a good team because we are so different. It helps our mediums are different too. Think Laurel and Hardy, Spock and Kirk, Thelma and Louise, Calvin and Hobbs.


Let me show you my work.

Aurora Australis
38 x 78 cm

Burnt around the edges

100 x76 cm

Chasing waterfalls

72 x 112 cm

Good fences make good neighbours

55 x 70cm

Green quilt
100 x 50 cm

Guided home
90 x90 cm

Heart Full
120 x 120cm

Lupins
55 x 81 cm

Magic Hour
78 x 60 cm

Racing the rain
60 x60 cm

Snow quilt
63 x 123 cm

Southland green
50 x 50 cm

St Bathans blue
75 x 75 cm

The ribs of the things
60 cm tondo

Untethered
120 x 95 cm

Good news travels fast
100 x 100cm

Whispers in between
80 cm tondo

The show runs until 19 October at Gallery DE Novo in Dunedin.

I can honestly say I loved working on these paintings.

Feeling cranky

My studio easel is a Mabef monster that operates on a ratchet system to raise and lower the height of the shelf. Now, I am not sure if "ratchet system" is a real term, but thats what I call it. To raise or lower the painting shelf(yes, I may have made that term up too. Go with it) , one has to pull a pin thingy and either push up or lower gently, ratcheting down the ratchets till you get to the place you think ideal. (It never is, but thats a different tale of woe.)
It requires certain angles of leverage to be just so and I am fairly good at gauging it, but not this time.

I have some largish canvasses on the go at the moment and yesterday I needed to raise the level to work on the bottom of the canvas. Monster canvas on the easel, it's lardiness disguised as mere wood and canvas airiness, I casually leaned down , pulled the pin out and then WRENCHED THE SHELF AND THE CANVAS NORTH.....and nothing happened. The Canvas and the easel remained unchanged . Something DID , however, happen to my back.

Shit.Shit.Shit.

So, yesterday was spent alternating hot water bottles and ice packs (hideous torture, what mad fucker thought that up?), guzzling ibuprofen and tea and wailing a little.

Now, please do not inundate me with tips on lifting heavy objects, unhelpful instruction to try yoga or  
some arcane homeopathic remedy. I KNOW how to lift heavy objects(theoretically), I yoga REGULARLY and I am all for an arcane remedy if it includes booze, but THIS type of injury was an accident and it requires the remedy that can only be offered by shopping.

So, I need a new easel that has a crank.

NOW you may offer a suggestion.

You are invited.....

The packers arrive tomorrow to  crate all 17 paintings in anticipation of their journey from my studio in the Waikato to Gallery De Novo in Dunedin. From the north island to the south island, the paintings are going on a trip.

Seventeen paintings take up quite a bit of space, I must tell you!! I am living in Trip-Hazard-ville.  I am anticipating a small crisis of loss at their departure, but we will be reunited on Dunedin 6 October at the gallery, all hung on the walls and telling their stories.

Di and I titled this exhibition VISIT. It happened organically because we always refer to our trips to Dunedin and Otago as "visiting". So, what better title than Visit?
Both of us harbour a whimsical desire to live in Dunedin. It really is a special city and is very close to my heart.
I think the works in the exhibition bear testament to how I feel about the whole Otago and Southland area. I like the place in a way that I can't  fully express with words. I like the extreme conditions, the rock, the dry, the harsh vistas that are supplemented with waters of the most insane colour. Its hard and cold and hot and prickly and nothing says "It will be easy here".....and I love it.I respond to that.

There is something in this unfamiliar landscape that I recognise and I try to portray that in my work...along with all the intense emotions that they seem to elicit from me.

So here is your ticket to the exhibition. We would love to share this trip with you.

Di and I will be in the gallery for the entire of saturday . We can talk about the works, the process, the inspiration, our collaboration....natter natter. The visitors are visiting.

When the cat's away.....

I am not very DIY inclined . Saying that, I do have a Pinterest account full of clever things to do and make if only i could, say, use a saw. That Pinterest addiction and the exposure to waaaaaaay too many clever projects has opened some kind of Pandora's box of curiosity about DIY. A Glasshouse made of old wooden windows?! Sure, I could knock that together. Raised Garden Bed?Totally doable! Garden furniture with something clever built in somewhere? Sure, why not. A million projects for a palette?????Hell, yeah. And don't even start me on my sewing projects. But I digress....

I also want to be able to be more self-sufficient and do more of my own cutting of boards to paint on etc. To know how to do basic DIY and work a saw should not be too far out of my capability.

Now usually, I start muttering things about machinery and DIY and Charles shuts me down with the reminder that it's quite dangerous and possibly I have more to loose (Digits, an eye, my dignity) that I have to gain. Curiosity is a cat I know well.It has led me down many paths and a few have been a bit wild. But Charles is not here. Charles is riding motorbikes in Australia with the Romanian Photographer and the Naughtiest Man alive. The cat went shopping.

...and bought a circular saw. And board. And hinges. And some other wood thingies I thought would be useful. I forgot screws.

Then I came home , unpacked the thing and went straight to Google" How to use a circular saw". You tube, I thank you.

A few hours later I realised I was short of a few things. A saw horse or two, clamps, safety goggles any experience.So I alarmed my dear neighbours by borrowing their sawhorses and clamps and asking for a live tutorial on circular saw usage , with focus on what NOT to do, too. Brian is a saint. He gave me the tutorial and left.

I enlisted Julius to help me because he HAS actually used a saw before. He is 12. I must admit to being a bit startled at the realisation of how MUCH he knew. He advised me on technique (start the saw before you hit the wood) hat and encouraged me not to chicken out half way through the job. He even worked out a more efficient way to deal with the project of cutting the hardboard.

I was crap at it. The early learning curve is very, very steep. Thank goodness I realised this quickly and lowered my expectations of my DIY Skills from" Rehab Addict" to " Cowboy builders" . Also, DONT'T saw hardboard indoors, it gets everywhere (like a dusting of "what the hell were you thinking dust" on every surface of the entire room. that is going to remind me for days) Also, what you really should have bought is a table saw, a drop saw and a handyman.

Ai ai ai.

But, I did cut the board

......very badly.

I made some mistakes. I chickened out of one cut half way.

I had to restart and forfeit that piece of board.

I stopped cutting 1 cm too soon on 3 cuts. Slow learner, but I did learn.

Modern clamps are so easy to use!!!! I remember those crappy metal vice clamps..the new ones are fancy!

Did I mention fine sawdust?

Everywhere.


But I DID cut it and they will be perfectly good boards to paint on....and trim IF I want to frame them. Sigh.

My other neighbour has a table saw. I might go ask if I may have a tutorial on the table saw.......

Charles is home next saturday so my window of opportunity starts closing soon.

Oh, and I was selected for the Arts Gold Awards 2017 with  painting inspired by an exhibit in the Central Stories Museum in Alexandra.

There is a heartbreaking letter attached to an anonymously donated knife sheath and leather strap in the Museum in Alexandra . The letter is from a dying father in England to his son prospecting for gold in Roxburgh, Otago. In the letter , the father farewells his son James with great love and affection but simultaneously  cuts him off financially . He explains that they are destitute if they help him and no more money could be sent to support him and his . This poignant letter, dated 1862, has stayed with me for years. What happened to either is unknown. The area around Roxburgh is unforgiving, especially in winter and I imagined the grief both men felt at the finality of that letter. This work is my interpretation of that story.

Nowhere to Turn




TheExhibition of works will be At Central Stories Museum and Art Gallery
!6 September till 19 November
Alexandra
Central Otago
New Zealand

Breathing space

All the works for my upcoming exhibition with glassmaker Di Tocker at Gallery de Novo in Dunedin are completed. And when I say completed, I mean signed, varnished , named and photographed. Seriously completed. Done. Dusted. Done and dusted.

I have moved them ( all 20 pieces) out of the studio into the room I annexed specifically for completed work...shall we call it a the viewing room?...and now there is a vacuum in the studio. The space that was filled with months and months worth of work...is now empty. The thing is, I feel empty too. I love the work. I am happy with it, but I thought I could move straight on to new work...and I cannot.  Di tells me that I need a break and to enjoy the time, but it has come at a time when a break is NOT what I want! I want to work! I want to paint! Charles is away on a three week trip through Australia, the boys are engrossed in school and studying....its the perfect time to be engrossed in painting, unapologetically , 100%, forget to eat,bathe and drink into painting...and I'm spent. I need a break, like it or not.

So, tomorrow I begin my break from the studio.

I have no idea what I am going to do, but if I pitch up on your doorstep, be nice. Make me a cup of tea, show me something interesting, give me a book you think I would like to read ...whatever, just throw something at me and let's see if it sticks.

The universe keeps saying "Tasmania" to me. I am going to chase that lead.

This one is called " Chasing Waterfalls"

More information about the Martin Campos workshop in New Zealand

For those of you who would like to attend this workshop and need more information, heres what I can tell you.

It is going to be an opportunity of a lifetime. Seriously.

Martin loves teaching, he loves talking and imparting his knowledge on others  and he loves pushing painters out of their comfort zones to create great work.

Have a look at this clip of his work .

The workshop will take place in Hamilton, close to Hamilton Lake, at a private studio. The mornings will be spent painting plein air (that"s outside, from nature) . Martin will demonstrate his abbreviated, 2 brush method of gathering information in these plein air works. Small canvasses, short bursts of time ( 20 minutes)  spent on each painting and several paintings and then back to the studio and the model. The afternoons will be spent drawing the model and incorporating the information gathered in the morning from the plein air work into the paintings of the figure.

Martin teaches is most painting mediums: oils, acrylic, pastel,watercolours. He stresses that the workshop is not about the materials , the mediums, the substrates or any of the technical paraphernalia of painters but about a new mindset, a way of thinking.

That sounds exciting!

Imagine 5 days of this and 5 days of personal painting growth!.

27 November- 1 December, Hamilton

Spaces are limited to 12 participants

Please email me jennie@jenniedegroot.com if you are interested in attending and i will forward you payment details. New Zealand participants can pay via internet or bank deposit. Foreign participants can pay via paypal.

Martin Campos workshop

Workshop fees

deposit $750.00 NZD full price $1,500.00 NZD Final payment $750.00 NZD

So, this is exciting news!!

I invited Martin Campos, a contemporary American figurative painter, to come visit and hold a workshop in New Zealand .....and he said yes! Who knew you could just do that?!

There was squealing....I confirm it was me.
There was delight...me too.
Martin then confirmed his excitement...so we are all squealing , delighted. and excited.

Martin teaches figure drawing at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts and figurative painting, plein air, and still life painting at the Wayne Art Centre.

You can see more of his work here and a video of his works here

Here is the description for the workshop:

FIGURE AND SPACE
27 November -1 December
5 days

with Arcenio Martin Campos

Join American contemporary figurative painter Arcenio Martin Campos in exploring the connection between figure and space in this 5 day dynamic and thought provoking  workshop.

This workshop will include an introduction to Martins refined and abreviated plein air technique that aims to report and gather information in small format in a short period of time.This work is the means to creating powerful and dynamic figurative pieces. Martins observation of light in in its fleeting moments drives his figurative pieces in the studio

Students will explore the construction of form and how it relates to a real or an imagined environment. We will employ a wide variety of approaches, from the traditional, to the organic as well as the intuitive —– with the final goal to build  solid design and composition. Added discussions will focus on narrative and imagination and the importance of how they correlate to drive and support an image to completion

A model will be provided or participants may use their own personal reference.
Combined with image making, we will also discuss the importance of an artists studio and surrounding environment as an inspiration and influence.
Please Note: This workshop is suitable for artists with some painting experience.

This trip includes:

• 5 day workshop with Martin Campos

• access to a private model

• Use of private studio and adjacent space

• Delicious lunches daily

• Morning and afternoon coffee and tea available

$1500 per person

Please note: Fee does not include travel costs to this destination or accommodation.

Policies:

Payments:
• Enrollment is made with 50% deposit
• Spaces are limited to 12 students. In order to reserve your spot, it is advisable to enroll as soon as possible
• Balance Due 30 October

• Cancellation policy
• Up to 01 September you will be fully refunded if you have to cancel your trip, excluding your deposit.
• Cancellation made between: 1 September and 1 November will result in a total loss of 50% of your art retreat funds.
• Any cancellation made after that will result in 100% loss of art retreat funds.
• We reserve the right to cancel the trip if it is not meeting the trip minimum and in that unlikely event, your deposit and any payments made will be fully refunded.
• Trip cancellation insurance is strongly recommended if there is a possibility that you might have to cancel your trip.


Still not sure....go and listen to him as he was interviewed by Antrese Wood The Savvy Painter https://savvypainter.com/podcast/martin-campos/Podcast.

Getting naked on a Sunday evening

Have I told you that I am going to a life drawing session on a Sunday night?

No?

Well, I am.

In Fact, I was invited by two artists whom I had not met in person (we each inhabit our own hermit shells. It's ridiculous, really) and the group meet at the Waikato Society of Potters on a Sunday evening and draw lovely bodies for two hours. I love a weird invitation.

The Waikato Society of Potters studio is fabulous place to draw in. It is covered in a fine dusting of clay powder, extruders bolted to walls, shelf upon shelf of items drying or waiting for their firing, first or second, I know not. Potters wheels, electric cords hanging from ceilings and odd notes tacked onto every allspice( " Items not removed from this bench will be thrown out!" dated 2016. Items still very much there)

Now, I don't often draw the figure. In my work, it's rather an anomaly ,but it was for that very reason that I embraced the opportunity. Say yes to the undressed.

I worked out fairly quickly that I like a sketchy image, not a perfectly executed rendition of a figure. I want mystery and shape and confusion and suggestion. Can you understand why buying me a birthday present is such a nightmare for my dear ones?!!

The boys had bought me some watercolour inks a few years back and I used them, drawing with the dropper and adding lines with a fine liner if I felt that way inclined.

I loved the sketchiness !

I missed last Sunday but will be back for this Sunday's session.

Open studio and sale

Studio sale

Please accept this invitation to my open studio and studio sale

When: 2 July 2017 10 am till 1 pm

Where: 158/2 Gillard Road, Ngahinapouri, Hamilton

There will be a selection of work available: Big and small, framed and unframed, studies and finished pieces and perhaps a few on paper etc. I am discounting work between 30% and 50%.

There have been a few changes at the studio and i am looking forward to showing them to you( it makes my life a bit easier!) and talking with you about the works and the works.

Being a maker is quite a solitary existence, so this is my opportunity to socialise and have some conversation with my audience .I am always delighted to put names and faces together and to see faces I know well , again. Did you know I have an Instagram account and a blog? True story! www.thedistractedpainter.blogspot.com and Jennie De Groot on Instagram. Easy!

If you cannot make the date and still want to come and visit, let me know and we can always make a plan.

You can email me on jennie@jenniedegroot.com or call me 0274534307

Looking forward to seeing you.

Cold wax, good wine and demystifying artist speak.

I travelled up to Auckland( I know I always make that sound like an epic journey, but I am a country mouse. Auckland is scary for country mice) last weekend at the invitation of Sandy from Takapuna Art Supplies . The invitation was extended to Jenni Stringleman, two Janets and myself to use their studio facility and brainstorm the use of cold wax medium in our various practises. We watched Sandi give us a wee demo and then all went hammer and tongs for 5 hours producing a small series of works using the wax and trying out techniques.

This interest comes on the heels of 2 successful workshops and a new book by Rebecca Crowell and Jerry McLaughlin called  :Cold Wax Medium: Techniques, Concepts & Conversations.

ps. Its a good Book

Anyhow, it was a great opportunity to work and play with a new medium .Thanks you Sandi.

Sandy from Takapuna Art Supplies

The lovely Ms Jenni

Mine

Janets's

Sandy's

I stayed overnight at the home of the lovely Ms Jenni Stringleman ,and was hosted with a fine meal, a bottle of Mt Difficulty Pinot noir and a super comfortable bed. Does it get any better?
Mt Difficulty, for this not in the know, is a renowned vineyard in Bannockburn, central Otago, New Zealand. It makes heavenly wine and sits close to my heart because I love the area so much.

The following morning I attended a writing workshop with the articulate and very considered artist, Lana Lopesi. I have heard Lana speak before and have read a few articles about her and was very interested in hearing what she would have to say about writing for artists etc. I was not disappointed. She's a smart, insightful young woman who has steel in her veins and genuine interest in the written words around art. I valued her considered responses to questions (and some of them were awkward! There always that one angry person...).
If you are interested in the world of revising, have a look at there online review project, Hashtag500 words. www.hastag500words.com

The premise of the workshop was to help artist write statements about their work(and others!) and to take the "artspeak" out of the statement. If you have ever read and artists statement and gone" What the hell did I just read?", then you are not alone. It seems there is a lot of that about and Lana showed us how we could write a statement and still keep out vices without once having to explain how Marxist theory applies to the work!!

Tongue in cheek. If you don't know what I mean by the above, google this and see what I mean
www.artybollocks.com   I guarantee you some laughs!