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| Swaygency Segues |
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Drawing and hybrid media
I have embarked upon a series of large works that combine the use of new materials. Water based oils, inks, pigmented marker and water soluable oil pastels on watercolour paper. The weight of this paper is 800gsm so saturating the paper with these waterbased media shows no sign on cockling during this process.
The paper is expensive but still cheaper than good canvas.
Other work on Yupo paper, a synthetic paper used in the commercial printing arena has also provided new directions for producing work that will not 'bruise', fox or cockle like fibre based papers and is easy to send to clients.
These works are a series of commissioned works I produce as memorabilia for people's children. Often kids appear in quirky photographs. The photos may be bad quality, have poor composition or other undesirable subject matter within the image. The child however looks great. I reproduce them in poster size for gifts and memorabilia. I am sent the photo digitally with a description of the nature of the child and any particular aspects or stories that form part of the personality or relationship they had with the parent or family. Wedding photos have also been included in this series.
The photos are always unusual or quirky. The upshot is a cheap and enjoyable image with a sense of fun and affection.
The recipient of a 21st birthday portrait
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Spreading the Word
Last Wednesday I attended a symposium supported by the Australian Business Arts Foundation and the Perth Institute for Contemporary Art on Art and Sustainability. Alison Tickell from Julie's Bicycle, a UK based nfp organisation devoted to advocating and servicing sustaiable practice for the Arts, spoke with passion and enthusiasm about the role artists must play in the bigger picture of global environmental action.
Julie's Bicycle provides information, tools and case studies for ways in which artists and arts organisations can reduce their carbon footprint. Ostensibly a site dedicated to the performing arts and in a UK context Alison assured me their aim is to create an online resource for a global context and for all arts. As she said it is a global issue.
Her key points were for all artists are
1. Do a study of your own practice and carbon footprint
2. Take action to minimise it (without sacrafice to your creativity and finances) and embrace sustainability in your practiice.
3. Go beyond the arts world and engage with others on this issue - learn more about sustainability
4. Be proactive with your suppliers by asking them what and how sustainablitiy is incorporated in their business. Packaging, materials, transport and so on.
5. Spread the word with your fellow artists and networks.
More on this later as I build my own knowledge of sutainable practice for visual artists.
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