September 18, 2023
I am currently taking Sally Hirst’s “Approaches to Abstraction” course and it is absolutely fantastic. One of the assignments inspired me to pull out the gelli plate I bought months ago. What a joy! It took me off the rails of the course and straight into endless explorations with things I have found around the house and things I pick up on my walk. But it is also a wonderful way to explore mark-making with different (not too sharp!) scraping tools.
I am having a blast.
The first few rounds I just made a mess, but I am finding ways to layer that work for me and maintain a pretty balance of light and dark values. My favorites will go into my sketchbook just as they are, with little notes about what I like, and the not-so-successful ones will go into the collage basket, perhaps to end up in the sketchbook as part of a collage some day.
Prompts for the Week:
Do you have a place to record the lovely things people say about your work? If not, can you remember some of your favorite comments? Start collecting them.
What role does texture play in your medium of choice? Try experimenting with texture in a way that you normally do not. If you are an acrylic painter this is easy; there are so many different texture mediums you could add to your paint. If you are a watercolor artist, perhaps experiment with gouache. If you are an oil painter, try a little cold wax, or something to make your paints thinner: whichever feels most unusual to you.
Is September a time of transition for you? How is it going? I would love to hear about it! My September transition is feeling a little frustrating. Any tips beyond just reminding myself that I feel this way every year?
Having completed Sally’s ‘Monotype and More’ course earlier this year, I know how liberating and versatile a gel plate can be. September, yes writing aside it’s been harder to get going again. Sometimes it feels like everyone else is already motoring... I guess we have to accept that the resistance is trying to tell us not to force things.