Exhibition Jennifer McAuliffe

Exhibition Courtyard Gallery, Midleton, Cork - 3 November, 2010.

This is a bright yet cosy little gallery with a permanent collection and temporary exhibitions. I didn’t have a lot of time to spend browsing round at the time, so I narrowed down quickly what inspired me enough to want to find out more.

 Church on Princes Street

I discovered I was soon absorbed in a number of paintings and prints giving off a feeling of atmospheric otherworldliness. These were by an artist named Jennifer McAuliffe whose work was amongst the permanent collection. They were oil paintings of buildings and scenes around Cork City.

The soft, misty, muted colours and sepia tints of all her work on display appear to be bathed in gentle light; reflections seeming to bounce around and to give off a very expressive hazy shimmering quality. These features combined, somehow also give off an aged and comfortable, yet fresh and buoyant look, glowing with light and character.

City Reflected

Research points Kate Atkin and Peter Paul Rubens

Two artists whose work exemplifies mastery of detailed drawing:

Kate Atkin is a contemporary artist who concentrates on form and medium in her drawings and  investigates the separation of certain features from their surroundings. She begins her drawings by taking photographs of objects from different and unusual angles, then combining and transforming  them (ie. a plant or a tree) and re-arranges the subject matter in order to abstract and  expose its curious  side.

She says of her work that the main concern is to remove any lingering associations by concentrating only on form and texture. The process results in large drawings which are mostly black and white and incredibly detailed. As her drawings are so large and detailed,   by repeatedly checking the drawings from as far away as possible as they progress, she is able to make out a sort of geography in them. But the difficulty is knowing when to stop – I could understand why! And it helps to stop a day early – how does she know this?

Kate Atkin

Kate Atkin











Rubens

The Flemish baroque painter Peter Paul Rubens,  (1577–1640),  was the most prominent northern European artist of his day and is also now widely considered to be on of the foremost painters in Western art history.
By combining the realistic tradition of Flemish painting with the imaginative freedom and classical themes of Italian Renaissance painting, he was responsible for the revival of northern European painting.
Rubens was a great admirer of the Italian Rennaissance artists, drawing in the same tradition during his stay in Italy between 1600 – 1608.
He was dedicated to careful anatomical study and  went a step further by filling his works with energy and dynamism as illustrated in this drawing.  Rubens used cross-hatching in pen to define the muscles and sinews of the flayed body parts that he studied from casts, a technique Leonardo also used for his own anatomy drawings.

He has superbly demonstrated in this drawing, an energetic composition consisting of contorted arms in unusual positions, by invented details, and by placing the models in a very complex spatial association

He succeeded in  combining the traditional realism of Flemish painting with the freer and imaginative classical Italian Renaissance painting, thereby  injecting  northern European painting with a new lease of life. In Venice he was also greatly influenced by Titian and spent much time in Rome where he produced altarpieces for the churches of Santa Croce di Gerusalemme (1602); now in Hopital du Petit-Paris, Grasse, France) and the Chiesa Nuova (1607); his first widely acknowledged masterpieces.

Exhibition John Philip Murray

This was a solo exhibition I visited during October, of roughly 25 drawings and paintings by the artist John Philip Murray. They were on display in a purpose built and well lit room at the Cork County Library, which is a very modern glass fronted building. 
Some works on display form part of an earlier series called ‘Sacred Paths’ based on the perceived human need for travel/pilgrimage. The ones on show in this exhibition are taken from actual roads in locations around County Cork. The theme also explores the idea that we humans are constantly searching for something and ancient roads/paths become a metaphor for this ‘quest’.

Route to the Bogboat - watercolour

Forming another part of the exhibition, ‘Measure’ - a large triptych and some small watercolour studies, explores the theme of the annunciation paintings by Fra Angelico. The large triptych ‘Measure’, part of which focuses on the angel’s enduring gaze, also treads on the ‘Sacred Paths’ theme and other themes the artist has used in the past.


Journey Started - graphite on paper




Afar - graphite on paper 2009 50x35cm



 I was suitably fascinated by a certain drawing - ‘Afar’ (part of the ‘Sacred Paths’ series) to focus my attention on this one in particular. It was actually one of the very few drawings on show and a fairly small scale work in relation to the huge triptych, but it did have quite a big impact on me. It portrays a landscape with a path or track extending away into the distance. Incidentally, when browsing around the artist’s website later I discovered that this drawing in fact has a partner which precedes it. The first drawing ‘Journey Started’ shows two figures walking away into a darkened landscape. The second landscape ‘Afar’ is an altogether brighter composition.

I can’t help thinking that the whole effect could have been enhanced if both drawings were on display alongside one another; however that, of course is only my interpretation.

To return to the drawing displayed, what most interested me about it was:  

I have a fascination with images which are suggestive of a path/track or passageway leading inwards or into the distance; it always leaves me wondering what could be around the corner or over the hill. They have the effect of drawing me in, and the way these two drawings are done are particularly interesting as they extend away through an undulating wilderness with numerous endless looking horizons. The contrasting areas of light and dark, (the paths are very light and flat in relation to the roughly textured and darkly rendered areas) to me are suggestive of foliage and vegetation. I think the dark areas could also represent possible obstacles along the way; this is most hinted at where one forms an almost unbroken dark thick horizontal band across the paper, giving a look of foreboding, just before the background. These textured areas, made up of multiple squiggly marks, add further to the distinct contrast with the paths. They begin in the foreground with the largest squiggles, alternating as the path recedes with the lighter, plainer areas, gradually reducing in size and adding to the sense of vastness and distance.

'Afar' - sketch made at the exhibition

Sketch of 'Route to the Bogboat'

Detailed Observation

Detailed Observation

1. Which drawing media did you find most effective to use, for which effects?

For the drawing of a piece of driftwood (getting tone and depth in detail) I found the versatility of soft pencils from 2b to 6b were very suitable for both building up soft areas of shadow, yet with some noticeable hatching and for underneath quite detailed areas. Also a sharpened pencil on the point was just the thing for producing very thin wavy and broken lines.

Detailed observation - driftwood

 I enjoyed the wispiness and energy of the line produced by the ballpoint pen - used for the shell drawing (stipples and dots). It lends itself well to a tentative delicate line or mark and the building up of tonal depth in areas of shadow, with a sketchy mesh like structure – marks interweaving and crossing over on another. In these areas the marks were quite short quick frenzied flecks and scribbles formed by a flick of the wrist. Depending on the pressure applied and how the pen was held, I found it was relatively easy to create various weights of line, from faint and delicate to quite dark and bold.

 2. Did you enjoy capturing details or are you more at home creating big broad brush sketches?

I generally prefer the freedom of doing larger less detailed sketches, although I have to battle with an enduring nervousness about using broad brush effects if it’s work to be critiqued or put on display. In the past (and often still do) I had a tendency to become bogged down when trying to include a lot of detail, resulting in a sense of frustration and irritation. Unsurprisingly perhaps, in recent years this has resulted in my increasing attraction to more free and expressive work by other artists. Surprisingly though, I did enjoy doing these exercises. I think this was because the object was to concentrate on detail and create interesting texture in only one object rather than the whole composition.

Above are some notes and sample marks which might work well to create tone, pattern and texture and ways I could improve the composition of each drawing.

Stipples and Dots - shell in ballpoint pen

5. Did doing a line drawing get you look at space more effectively?

Because the spaces in the drawing (sliced cabbage) were devoid of detail I think they became much more apparent and larger than a drawing containing tonal shading, greatly emphasizing the contrast between open plain areas and patterned areas. Because of this the effect is more 2 dimensional and less solid. As there are no directional shadows within or around the object, it could almost be a flat cut out shape floating in space, apart from the fact that, it is safe to assume I think, it is in front of the white background of the paper surface.

Line drawing - cabbage section

Part 2 Observation in Nature

Coloured Media

Most expressive media:

Wax crayon and Oil Pastel
Pros and Cons: Quickly covers large areas, expressive and bold, can be used as resist under ink and watercolour washes. Oil pastel can be used in a wash technique when diluted with thinners, easily blendable.
Cons: not conducive to fine detail


oil pastel



Watercolour crayon

Pros and Cons: Can use as wash under or over pencil, pastel, wax crayon or pen, versatile – can use dry or wet – diluted with water, easily blendable, covers large areas quite quickly, expressive and bold, not a good choice for fine detail.

Conte Crayon
Pros and Cons: Detail possible with corners and edges, quite sturdy, slightly less messy, more controllable and less dusty and doesn’t wear down as fast as soft pastel, quite good for detail although not as good as pen or pencil.

Soft Pastel
Pros: the texture is more velvety and colours are vibrant, and more powerful than their equivalent in Conte, but the brand may have and influence on this. Lighter shades are more vibrant if combined with darker shades than when used alone. Also vibrant on tinted paper. Easy to blend.
Cons: Both Conte and soft pastel are messy – powdery and dusty and need to be fixed. A large range is needed to achieve the optimum no of colour variations.
All above crayons and pastels are more convenient than paints for sketching on location.

Best for both expressive and more detailed work:
Coloured ink on stick, feather quill and dip pen.
Fine detail is possible but can be unpredictable and more difficult to control the flow of ink than commercial pens, but when things go right the results can be more rewarding when expressive and delicate lines and marks start to emerge. Areas of tone must be built up with lines, dashes or dots of some kind, which can often be very time consuming depending on the amount of detail used. A brush can be useful to wash on smooth areas of colour and/or tone, under or over dry mediums such as soft pastel, pen etc. Ink used on a sponge or rag is effective for suggestions of rough textured surfaces such as rocks and tree bark. Being eraser proof can be a help as well as a hindrance, in that most other dry mediums when used over ink, can be erased without interfering with the ink layer. This could be desirable or not.



ink

2. Media more suitable for detailed work.
Coloured pencils
Pros: non smudge and comparatively easy to control, clean and convenient when outdoor sketching or on the move. Fine detail is easier than with crayon or pastel, but comparatively slow to cover open areas.



coloured pencil



fibre tip

Felt tips
Definitive, incisive marks and lines, pure uniform colour, good for adding definition and detail. Not possible to soften or graduate areas by smudging or erasing, very uniform thickness of line, slow coverage, lighter colours tend be gaudy, unless expensive pens are used.

Gel pens
Very precise line – good for detail, scratchiness of line can look expressive depending on how it is held. Very time consuming to build up areas of tone/texture especially with dots or dashes, lines can be hit and miss and can be blotchy.

3. Most enjoyable
Watercolour pencils and crayon - shading with tip moistened in water giving a deep rich impasto effect and vigourous lines by rubbing side of tip.
Wash on hatched areas producing smudgy texture where lines remain visible.
Applying washes using watercolour crayons or oil pastel hardens the outlines and intensifies colours,
Dry shading applied on dried wash – good for intensifying narrow delicate lines as on a cabbage.
Oil pastel and watercolour crayon and pencil blending - harmonious colours, then applying twisted dots or flecks of much lighter or darker shades or colours over top builds up a very textured look
Pushing side lengthways in opposite directions in random fashion – many possible uses including foliage, rocks, bark, flowers, seed heads, shells and cones - (all on oil pastel on A2).
Producing muted colour combinations by blending certain bright colours such as lime green and yellow orange.
Scraffito
Wax resist
Soft pastel and conte crayon - building up webs of colour by hatching in random broad strokes - optical blending (as Degas). Blending (shading), then loose hatching over top (also coloured pencils). Long wavy lines using harmonious colours.
Soft pastel – very vibrant colours especially when very light and very dark hues (not blended) are combined.
Flat end of stick rotated producing broken lines.

A useful tip I discovered: If I apply a wash over fibre tip pen, colour cannot be trusted not to bleed (although this can be attractive at times), but if dry pencil or watercolour crayon, in same hue as wash, is rubbed on line first, the line doesn’t appear to smudge.