I received a very comprehensive and constructive feedback that I am satisfied with. Many comments were quite aligned to my own feelings to my works – although I was not always able to phrase them in the right context for myself. I had the chance to have a follow up skype call with my tutor to clarify some topics. I am very glad for her taking the time
My thoughts based on feedback received
- I think I were more successful when I applied a fresh and loose painting approach and interrogated materiality of paint through exploration of texture, transparency, and opacity
- I believe I am more creative when I am not get overwhelmed by huge variety of media or colours. Less is more.
- Work more in paint in my sketchbooks and loose sheets of papers and avoid to ‘over-think’
- Build on at time daring and more convincing pre work in my sketchbook for my larger scale paintings (stretched or others)
- Work more with a loose approach with less planning ahead, a kind of sensing while doing where it goes, to keep a fresh approach. I believe this would allow me also to be more exploratory with paint and surface (e.g P3Ex5)
- Looking more at simplicity
- Exploring more texture, transparency, and opacity with my painting approach
- Not to rely on prep drawings (or not only)
- My tutor suggested me to explore the following subject matters further: Interior, also empty rooms as a mean to show human presence (metaphorically)
- Further exploration of muted and/or broken colour
- Exploration of quick and slow painting approaches (especially in context of figure painting)
- To leverage more my learnings from part 1 and part 2 for the next parts
- Less evaluation of wide options but working more focused in scope of exercises and more time on actually doing painting
- Elaborate visual effects of space that allows the observer to ‘enter the painting‘ (see sketchbook #4 – p.37)
- Keeping my curiosity high during the painting process – as this avoids creation of rather deprived paintings
My tutor suggested as contextual research:
- Black and muted dark painting: besides applying several washes or a mix of e.g. umbra and blue (what I did in part 1): Mark Rothko, Walter Sickert, Louise Wallace, Lynette Yiadom-Boakye
- Muted light paintings (white): Gwen John, Euan Uglow
- Depicting texture in paint: Richard Diebenkorn, Edouard Vuillard
- Tools: Jasper Johns, Lisa Milroy
- Interior: Johannes Vermeer, Francis Bacon, Edouard Vuillard, Pierre Bonnard, Gwen John
- Elaborate further Luminosity (as done partly in my sketchbook #1): Kaye Donachie, Pierre Bonnard
- More graphic exploration of positive negative shapes into colour translation (my sketchbook #4 – p37) : Euan Uglow
- Suggested reading: John Ruskin ‘Elements for Drawing – letter 3′
Comment on life painting:
Life drawing/painting class: I did attend one from Aug 2015 till Feb 2016. I have to see how I can get hold of a model in Switzerland. Otherwise more self-portraits? Or photographs?
I embarked on a parallel project for myself: ‘Daily Self-Portraits’ . With that I will use myself as a subject matter for fresh, experimental, and loose exploratory painting approaches. I will keep this at least till assignment 3. Available at: https://ocapainting1.stefanschaffeld.com/?cat=64
Summary of feedback report:
My strong points:
- Most successful paintings from part 2 (in that order):
– P3Ex5 ‘Still life – colour and mood’: technically a mature study, fluid handling, exploration of texture and transparency and opacity, building on part 1, successful emotive visualization ‘dreamlike’
=> This painting was truly to my heart of painting, intimate, investigative and exploratory
– P3Ex4 ‘Still life – complementary colors’: conveying the same freshness as in my sketchbooks.
=> These two work with quite limited pallet (just two colors plus white) made me more inventive and creative. Curious to see how the painting evolved. I take from here that I need to maintain my curiosity high during painting process
– P2Ex1 ‘Drawing in paint’ : Inventive use of colour for contour lines. Although my sketchbook prep work was more daring and convincing
=> I like the combination of loose strokes in combination with a quite realistic outcome. Something I need further to develop and I think that my parellel project ‘Daily Self-Portraits’ will be beneficial for that. - Sketchbook work: freshness, convincing (a continuation from my previous course unit. Especially exploration of compositional alternatives, cleaning utensils, tools, understated or unfinished touch of some studies (sketchbook #4-p37) “when ink bleeds into tone a good way converting drawing into paint” – During part 1 I was not so convinced how to use my sketchbooks. During part 2 I found back to my more creative and inventive approach with sketchbooks.
- Subject matters: tools, emotive paintings (blurring, expression)
=> I find that my different approach and new perspective on these subject matters allowed my to be more creative and the process as such guided me through. - Colour theory testing
=> Although I did quite some testing, I still need to reconcile how to leverage this in my paintings. - Learning log and contextual researches. Although at time too broadly done –
=> I agree completely.
My main areas for development:
- Least successful paintings from part 2:
– P2Ex2 ‘Still life with flowers’: too dominant background in black, unbalanced composition
=> Although I ‘planned’ this composition meticulously as I intended to convey a disturbing and at times non comfortable picture – Have to see how I can work on that more successfully. I understand that painting black, the void needs more attention and depth. Applying several layers/washes would be more intriguing (see Louise Wallace and Mark Rothko or Helen Frankenthaler)
– P2Ex4 ‘Still life with man-made objects’: too bottom-heavy, center plate badly integrated stylistically, although prep works intriguing for its simplicity and as less recognizable objects when zoomed in
=> I agree that this painting made me uncomfortable and I sensed that there was a major flaw)
– P3Ex3 ‘Still life – colour accuracy‘: loosing some texture and linear qualities from my prep work in sketchbook
=> I agree that I tended to ‘wash away some marks with paint – a kind of overworking habit)
– P4Ex1 ‘Interior’: rather a colored drawing as I am relying on my prep drawings
=> I agree as this was truly rather a colored sketch and not adding something new compared to the prep drawing) - Sketchbooks work is at times more daring and confident. I need to bring this up to my stand-alone paintings in order to become more creative and convincing
Assignment 2:
My strong points:
- Developmental / tonal studies and reflection on composition
- Technical preparation
- More successful when I am applying a looser, freer and more expressive approach
- Well executed wineglass in ‘night painting’ – that one more consistent in stylistic approach
My main areas for development:
- To work more intuitively, less planning ahead
- Assignment development can help to realize my creativity
- ‘Day painting’ less successful due to lack of coherency
- Relying on black, consider different approaches learning from Mark Rothko and Walter Sickert