Feedback on Assignment 3

The drawing blindfold project was weak and it was suggested that I look at the work of Claude Heath. There are some great loose free abstract lines and it was immediately apparent that I had given up on my drawings too quickly. This is a consistent theme with my work I need to keep pushing a failed drawing as perseverance is where the improvements and discoveries are made. I found Heaths work difficult to get close to without a written explanation but fortunately I found one here and here. The use of an anchor in the form of a blob of Blu Tac would definitely change the way that a blind drawing evolves. Heath also says "skill in drawing was something to be on my guard against, that it could replace meaningful content if you were not careful" This is a completely different approach to drawing to me, and maybe represents a more academic or educated approach to making art? 
I had another go, first using the Blu Tac anchor and a random purple felt tip.

The anchoring helped with the drawing of the lamp but its still stilted dull and squiggly. You might like it but I found it very unsatisfying. The thinner lines were Bic biro, still very squiggly but the computer mouse (mid right hand side) might hint at something more interesting. Part of the problem is that the drawings are too small, though if it gets too big I won't be able to stop myself seeing what I'm doing without some more technical equipment. These are biro again, about A3 size, I abandoned the Blu tac which was distracting me with it's stickiness;

 This one works best, the multiple lines give a feeling of movement and fractured views

This is more like a bike but not detailed enough, again I stopped too soon. Once you've looked at the drawing the spell is broken and you can't continue in the same way, the relationship with the resumed drawing is different. In both drawings things worked best when I relinquished control and let my hand move freely from the arm rather than fiddling. I can see potential here but it still don't find the process of creation satisfying enough to hold my interest. I might try this again when I need a creative kick.

For the Drawing Machines project my tutor suggested I look at Tim Knowles  specifically his drawings made by trees Its a great idea but I don't feel that they make enough movement to get an interesting enough trace. I prefer his drawings made by the movement of cars which create some interesting lines and curves, controlled but random, and the Nightwalks photos which are atmospheric and beautiful. The variety of his ideas are exciting.
My tutor asked what is the role of the artist when using a drawing machine? They are the generator of the ideas but also the editor of the finished product, choosing what and what not to include. Photography plays an important role in this sort of art, documenting the project but also creating visually pleasing images of the set up which may be more interesting than the finished drawing. Again there is the theme of loosing control which makes a more fluid drawing and a more interesting response.

Other Artists;

Barbara Dougan  

A variety of projects around the theme of "threat, constraint, resistance and adaptation" Channel your angst involves the the participants constructing of the web that constrains them. They seem to find it enjoyable, like a three dimensional version of the childrens' game Twister. the project demonstrate how we create our own boundaries. There are some bold charcoal drawings in the film from her project Fitting In which involved occupying the Minories Art Gallery in Colchester. It is interesting how she takes the drawings project further using film and performance. The smudgy results of her Action Drawings seem more valid when set alongside the film of her and Darren Ellis writhing in charcoal in the gallery and if this is viewed through the themes of constraint and resistance it is an understandable response. I became a bit impatient with the film, I preferred watching them occupying the gallery where different angles views and times are played out concurrently on a divided screen. It held my attention as I tried to link the action between the frames. I am interested in the details of ordinary daily life which so often goes unnoticed and I felt like a spy watching a security camera.

Diogo Pimentao 

Sticking with charcoal I was immediately attracted to Length(Fraction) it's even more interesting when you see how it was made, dramatic and physical. (Then I got distracted by geometric shapes at Polyhead) There are different shapes made by different folds but you have to work through the websites to see them. His work is very geometric and simple. There are some three dimensional sheets which peel off the wall. I'm not so taken with the planks or columns but I guess that they may have more presence in real life.

Lucy Skaer

I usually start my research by Googling the artist then looking at images to see if anything catches my eye. With Lucy Skaer I'm struggling a bit. A lot of busy looking images come up on first search. I did find this piece about a film which does sound interesting. I looked at her pages in Vitamin D which led me to a more interesting set of drawings. I'm squeamish and a bit disturbed by her drawings of corpses which feels like an imposition on the newly dead but if I forget that then A Problem in Seven Parts is visually appealing. Should I be responding to the back story and the meaning of a piece or my gut reaction to what I see? The two are often very different. this drawing has similarities to Diorgo Pimentao's monochrome work, I'm not sure what it is called as I found it by Googling Bevelled Map 2004 which gives me a completely different set of pictures than what I have in my book.