REwound: Artists Diary #2//
What I've been up to in the realm of Art
This past month has been hectic for me as an artist. New ideas, different avenues to take, new people to meet… hence the second edition of Artists Diary- I couldn't decide what to focus on in this week's newsletter.
Portraiture//
If you keep up with ‘Outside the Mass', you may have been slapped in the face by the vibrancy and manic nature of MOST of my work. But, to tailor my work to a different older audience, I needed to shake up my style a little.
That's where these portraits come in. They are softer in nature, while still allowing me to not artistically sell my soul… Hopefully, I can grab some commissions with this style?
Social Surrealism Turning street?//
I started to revisit my so called ‘Social Surrealism' due to being roped into some future exhibitions as a part of the mini collective ‘Shambles 5’… But I want to reimagine what this work could look like. Maybe it could lean more into subculture, as I've done above? It could exist outside as street art, as well as being in a gallery?
When I say I have a lot of ideas for this project, I mean it. But I won't share those thoughts here just yet…
Male Gaze?//(NSFW)
This past month has given me the drive to push this project into a higher gear, thanks to the creatives I have been interacting with as of late. I was able to complete a tryptic (above) which might actually have a buyer?! Want to dive deeper into this tryptic in a future newsletter, as I feel that there is quite a lot of depth to it. Getting them framed right now, super excited to see the final result!
This same project is leading to some experimentation too, as will become apparent soon with this piece. I want to change how I use varnishes in a piece, choosing select areas to gloss and darken, playing with texture and dimension. Again, will share this once it's complete, I plan to do a twin piece to compliment the themes and inspirations shown here.
I have also been asking myself, ‘what could this project look like visually?’ It is all about reflecting the male gaze in on itself, and that could take me down dark avenues. This piece was accidental, a badly proportioned watercolour on A1 led to me going crazy, overlaying everything with oil pastels (while sweating towards faintness on the hottest day so far in the UK).
What's next?//
As can be seen, I have been up to a lot, and actually have more to do than what I have shown here. July will show the return of live event drawing, more surrealism and maybe some surprises?
I'm excited at the direction my art is taking, and I owe most of this to the new people I am connecting with locally, as I continue my journey to become ingrained into my local arts scene. I am learning to keep my integrity iron clad, while constantly adapting and grasping any opportunity that crosses my path…
I have also made the decision to try self employment for a year, to see if I can develop my art in that time period. It's scary, but exhilarating!
So, if you want to give me a one off helping hand to aid in my purchase of Materials, consider donating to my Ko-Fi. Any amount is appreciated, nothing is too small!
See you in the next newsletter!