Veils and Dreams

Veils_and_Dreams

Veils and Dreams (1991)
mixed media on paper
90 x 97 cm. (35.5″ x 38″), irregular

As I continue to sort through slides and prints and post to my gallery, I am occasionally surprised by work that I have forgotten about. The above piece is one of those. It is a one of a kind piece with print elements, drawing and cheesecloth.

Other than the slide, which fortunately was labelled, I could find no records of it nor could I find the piece either. Perhaps there are some notes in an old sketchbook? Did I sell it or trade it or destroy it? This is not very professional of me!

I am happy to have found this image and am rather fascinated by it. It is for me a revisit of a period where I seem to have combined elements from two print series, the Veils Suite and Dreams.

two sketches

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Two quick drawings from my art school days recently came back home to me, one of my then future mother-in-law and one of my then future husband. She loved these so I had given them to her. They were framed along with another one I’d done of a future sister-in-law. They were hung in every home she lived in since.

Being behind glass, I had difficulty capturing good photos of these drawings. Finally I tried my scanner by taking the lid off in order to fit the frame over the edges. They are still not accurate copies but suffice as an example of my very early sketch work and shall be my record in case one of our daughters wishes to have these. As I’ve mentioned before, my late mother-in-law’s home has been sold and contents are being dispersed amongst family as much as possible. “Omi” was a wonderful supporter of my work, even purchasing several of my prints which have also come back.

found art (2)

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spotted on my messy potting table outdoors
folded paper, damp, stained, one of the ‘paper tears
escaped, blown here and weathered,
art by nature, like a soft dyed silk scarf

Related: the first “found art”

paper tears (2)

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Another peek at what has been happening in the studio with some of the ink drawings….

pen, ink & wash

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My most recently unrolled set of drawings, again from 1982, consist mostly of life drawings done in pen and ink with wash. I will always remember the mixed feelings of trepidation in using such a demanding medium to do very quick studies, as well as the excitement in the challenge and in seeing the almost instant results. The flaws only add to the dynamic freshness of this way of working.

A wonderful surprise for me in some of these was to discover how the blue-black ink had in some places transformed over time to a sepia tone. In fact, the second image above is the reverse side, a bleed, of the top one. Though I have enhanced it a little for viewing here, it still does not show well here yet I think I like it more than the original. The third piece is a favourite detail from a larger sketch with a lovely blend of colours, accidental in that it was a product of the passage of time, rather than coming from the artist’s hand.

paper tears

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June is often a cool wet month here on the Pacific Coast but this year it seems worse than usual, and has been cheekily renamed in the media as Junuary! Frustrated at being unable to garden, today I decided to tackle some more of the rolls of drawings from decades ago. As before, I took photos of some and proceeded to tear up the rest for composting. Beguiled by the images of the torn paper – what lovely edges – I turned my camera on these. I’m quite excited how these turned out.

drawings again

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Still more drawings for my digital archives. I keep thinking about the model in the first one… how long did he hold that pose? I cannot crouch like that, never have, not even for a minute.

torn drawings

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As I go through numerous life drawings from decades ago, the least favourite are being ripped up and put into the paper recycling bin. Today, I decided to rip these into even smaller pieces and feed them to the compost as carbon material to balance the current overload of nitrogen from lawn clippings. A few little pieces attracted me and I thought I’d scan them.

The first ones are reminding me too much of kitchen towels drying on the clothesline, maybe because I do have stuff on the line at present! The second set makes me think of ancient Greek or Roman fresco pieces, which is so much more artistic. What fun!

standing figures

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More life studies from 1983….

reclining figures

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For today, two more extended figure studies from that roll from 1982-83. I think my quicker ones feel livelier and fresher, though of course these figures are not in a lively position. More time sometimes leads to overworked and/or stiff drawings for me. Interesting to look at these with different and more critical eyes.

Speaking of which, I found a watercolour I had done at the age of 17, in grade 11 art class with Miss Hunt. A label on the back indicated it was sent to The Royal Drawing Society’s Exhibition-Competition in England. A sticker on the left front corner says ‘highly commended’. I think it is awful work!