Graphic Arts Projects: A General write-up on: starting points, creative processing, progress and work produce.

My Graphic Arts course work has come to a close for this semester although i shall be continuing with my work through out the summer and into the third year, as  i feel my methodologies and practices are now discovering its potential maturity. The theme's i have developed through research interests, concepts building, reflective critique have introduced source's of narrative to go by and have created more specific avenues to potentially investigate further. These ares have become strong now in a direction for my working progress. I have touched on these interest and it is some what reflective in my work of recent, i have reached only the the tip of the iceberg. What i mean is that i am developing reflections within my work in regards to the narrative and conceptual themes. I have also been developing my creative practice's through various fields of media along with the techniques i have employed to process them. 

Paint, sketch, and print is where i have stemmed from. Digital-painting, sketching and collage, photography and filming (with what ever i can get my hands on i.e. phone cam) have been newer ways of trapping images, developing and producing them. Also, there is a creative style that i am working toward by way of experimenting throughout these field of medias. I have produced satisfactory work within these areas, but i believe i am still yet to merge a stronger common language between the technical style of media, conceptual idea and narrative of work within the notion of my practice. Within this last academic year have found my feet, the strengths i have developed, the visual communication i have found and perceived through these experimental and researched processes have influenced me further so to establish this idea and style i have in mind.

My recent 'Practice and Processing' activities in reflection:

*I started early in work by reflecting on some older works and tried to make sense of what i was doing and where i intended to go with them...

*I discovered underlying theme's and concept's such as Alienation, translation of language, abject hardship within those works.

*I then spent some time collecting and collating sources of interest: images (moving image) and text. They were all to provoke a way i wished to work by.

* Again i reflected on what i had conjured up. From that point i started to research more specific into ideas in and around the original found subjects and interests through an eclectic world of writings- reveiews/various texts, poetry, novel, song lyrics and again image. 

*As i go along i also realised that i had a fascination with lighting, shadow and space also the linear object that interferes with such, within ambiguous environments.

*I picked up a book that caught my eye called 'Gender Voices' , which was about male and female identity with the personal, social and cultural environments and that how a lot of if not all of which is determined by the many languages and communicative form we connect by or not connect by. This was a major influence to me as i picked up newer and further articulation of my initial subject interests which in turn would stimulate my, response and reflect my idea (as sometimes in a round about way).

*I have generated an interested in: creating an image which reflects communication and languages of an eclectic world of form that contain and have knock on effects within the personal, social and cultural, highlighting  the juxtaposition Alienation and Involvement within these environments.

This is a program about use of light in art televised by the BBC , this really conveyed my underlying interest in light and shadows, traveling and still within space.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00fm1vb

My concept & narrative investigation

 After looking and collecting initially for this years project building, these pictures had become one of a few focal points of my creative investigations for my projects of this academic year (and may continue to be throughout next years practice also) . They convey an idea and a feeling which i have been trying to grasp and capture within my work.

In response to these pieces of artwork, or more so the idea i had thought of them to give, i had taken initially several photos at various occasions.

My gallery: Investigating 'Light'

  These are some of my photo's i'd taken, showing variation of light, subject, shape, tone-travel and time ...between almost the same picture..

Inspiration and Enjoyment

I love Van Gough's work. His life is fanscinating, full of hardship, passion, creation and genious.

I think the lyrics to "Vincent" by Don McLean are very profound and in my mind accurate in portraying the troubled mind which produced such magical and outstanding paintings...

Starry starry night paint your palette blue and grey look out on a summer's day with eyes that know the darkness in my soul.

Shadows on the hills sketch the trees and the daffodils catch the breeze and the winter chills in colors on the snowy linen land.

And now I understand what you tried to say to me how you suffered for your sanity how you tried to set them free.

They would not listen they did not know how perhaps they'll listen now.

Starry starry night flaming flo'rs that brightly blaze swirling clouds in violet haze reflect in Vincent's eyes of China blue.

Colors changing hue morning fields of amber grain weathered faces lined in pain are soothed beneath the artist's loving hand.

And now I understand what you tried to say to me how you suffered for your sanity how you tried to set them free. perhaps they'll listen now.

For they could not love you but still your love was true and when no hope was left in sight on that starry starry night.

You took your life as lovers often do; But I could have told you Vincent this world was never meant for one as beautiful as you.

Starry starry night portraits hung in empty halls frameless heads on nameless walls with eyes that watch the world and can't forget.

Like the stranger that you've met the ragged men in ragged clothes the silver thorn of bloddy rose lie crushed and broken on the virgin snow.

And now I think I know what you tried to say to me how you suffered for your sanity how you tried to set them free.

They would not listen they're not list'ning still perhaps they never will.

It's always worth showing more Van Gough paintings, they're fantastic

Inspiration and Enjoyment

After returning from his last European trip, Hopper rented a studio in New York City. His exposure to many styles of art seemed to do little to help him find his own distinctive style. Reluctantly, he returned to illustration. Being a free-lancer, Hopper was forced to solicit for projects, and had to knock on the doors of magazine and agency offices to find business. His painting languished, “it’s hard for me to decide what I want to paint. I go for months without finding it sometimes. It comes slowly.” His fellow illustrator Walter Tittle described Hopper’s depressed emotional state in sharper terms, seeing his friend “suffering…from long periods of unconquerable inertia, sitting for days at a time before his easel in helpless unhappiness, unable to raise a hand to break the spell.”In 1912, Hopper traveled to Gloucester, Massachusetts, to seek some inspiration and did his first outdoor paintings in America. He painted Squam Light, the first of many lighthouse paintings to come. (Taken from Wikipeadia)

Inspiration and Enjoyment

Ashley Wood is an internationally acclaimed, commercial illustrator, concept designer and comic book artist. He lives with his wife, three children and one cat in Australia. Ashley has been a professional illustrator for fifteen years and has worked for most major publishing and entertainment companies. Clients include: Dreamworks, Warner Bros, Sony, Konami, Vivendi International, Random House, Marvel Comics and Todd McFarlane Productions. Ashley’s work has appeared in books, movies, magazines, comics, television and video games. He is a three-time Spectrum Award winner and a two-time Communication Arts award winner. His art is published worldwide on a regular basis and he has contributed to both joint and solo fine art exhibitions. Art books include, Uno Fanta, Dos Fanta, Tres Fanta and the compilation work Grande Fanta. His Popbot editions are also available in several formats and multiple languages. Sideshow Toys, Medicom Toys have made toys based on Ashley's work.Ashley is the co owner of 3A toys with Threezero.

Inspiration and Enjoyment

I love Studio Ghibli films, i find them inspirational and magical...