The new challenge: 100 days in the unknown! Half Way

My 100 days into the unknown has stopped for the moment but will resume right after the holidays.

I am now half way into this process and this is the most interesting part of it. This research that started with a bit of experimentation because I felt I needed it into my art has become something much deeper than this, it as become  my inner artist.
Earlier in the year , I did also a little bit of experimentation but at this stage, it didn't really bring me anything very new to my work so may be at that moment in time, I wasn't ready for the discovery.
This time, when I started this new experimentation phase, i didn't think again that it would change my work much although I started to feel different about my work and started to question more but I can now say that it will. I am not too sure what is the difference between the earlier experimentations and this one but my vision  and  my direction in my artwork is changing.
At the moment, everything is a bit shaky ( in term of the work produced) but ideas are forming in my head faster than they are in producing the work:) I am still faced with learning new method of working, new materials, new ideas and how to form them and I think that will take a bit more time but I am making sure that I keep my sketchbook  updated my my thoughts and ideas, even if I am not ready to make the pieces yet.
For the moment, I need to reflect on how I am going to use this other half of the challenge. I am still reading few books to help me in that process, mainly technical books. I need to go through my sketchbook again and reflect on that first 51 days of experimentation and see how I can take this further....

......so in the meantime...

I wish you all a MERRY CHRISTMAS and Happy New Year 2011!!

the new challenge: 100 days in the unknown! Day 51

few days have been since day 50!

I have been waiting to receive some new tools and some new materials, little samples of some very funky new material but i will reveal those much later.

I also need to consider getting a wood burner for my studio next year ! too cold in there to work..can't do below freezing temperatures, in fact can't do below 5 degrees:) so didn't manage to do too much over the last couple of week.

I am still reading my book about Barbara Hepworth but I also bought a new book about graphic designs techniques as I feel this will also hep me a lot in my research.

a fair amount of little works came back from the kiln...nothing broke! will be testing different glazes next...

another little maquette
shape number 1 in clay ( red clay that once cooked becomes black!)

the new challenge: 100 days in the unknown! Day 50

IS IT ABSTRACTION?  (Part II - reflections)

It is quite difficult to explain the process that is happening at the moment with my sculptures and I don't think that "abstraction" is enough. For few years now, I have been concentrating to learn the "knowledge" of the subject, from anatomy to study of the movement. As a result, the subject representation( by that I mean the copy of the reality) gave my sculpture its strength. 

"For me a work must first have a vitality of its own, I do not mean a reflection of the vitality of life, of movement, and so on but that a work can have in it an intense life of its own, independent of the object it represent." Henry Moore.

 This is such a great quote that really helped me to see a different dimension in sculpting. I was concentrating so much on the anatomy that my idea didn’t manage to show through. I needed to strip my works from all the details to be able to find its inner strength. This is the reason why I moved away from the details, not for a conscious need to abstract but to find “its vitality of its own”.

See “Is it Abstraction (Part I – facts and definitions)” here http://marieackers.blogspot.com/2010/11/new-challenge-100-days-in-unknown-day_21.html

latest life drawing class

latest life drawing classes - quick poses- longer poses- exercises, etc

I am really enjoying the life drawing classes.

Life drawing classes by Jane Whitaker: check her website here: http://janewhitaker-painter.com/tuition_workshops.html

Looking for a christmas gifs?

the new challenge: 100 days in the unknown! Day 49

a little maquette / sketch with potential

original drawing sketch for that above

the new challenge: 100 days in the unknown! Day 48- more

Skyscrapers 1 and 2- clay maquettes

the new challenge: 100 days in the unknown! Day 48

I am almost half way of my journey and it is amazing how things seems to fall in place slowly. I have been experimenting so far with few different projects an materials and I still have a long way to go but ideas are shaping in my head and they also feel right at that time.
 I have collected a fair amount of recycled materials from can of cokes, old metals and pieces of wood but for the moment, although I really love those materials, they don't inspire me to build anything so I will keep them in my studio for the future just in case.

Architecture as well as clean shapes and lines are really inspiring me at the moment, probably from my scientific background. In the other half of my journey, I will carryon this experimentation but also concentrate in completing the few projects that I have in mind at the moment.

still inspired by architecture and following the Horse and Amazone pieces ( inspired by the oxford architecture), here is the first maquette for the skyscrapers. I am not 100% happy with the result so far but working on it.

This work is in the same line as the Horse and Amazon pieces, inspired by architecture, clean and sharp lines.

the new challenge: 100 days in the unknown! Day 47

IS IT ABSTRACTION?  ( Part I- facts)

I have been asking myself a little bit more about the new direction that I am taking at the moment.

Few people have mentioned 'abstraction' to me but I am very reluctant to use this word as many artist have used it under false justifications.

Taking the definition of wikipedia of the word 'abstraction'

Abstractions may be formed by reducing the information content of a concept or an observable phenomenon, typically to retain only information which is relevant for a particular purpose. 

 I suppose that when I read this definition, this is what I have been trying to do in some extends but this is not the only way my art is going as I am also trying to define the main components of a movement or attitude and this is not defined by abstraction? or is it? 

Taking another definition about 'Abstraction' in IT- computer science, 

 The mechanism and practice of abstraction reduces and factors out details so that one can focus on a few concepts at a time. One can regard the notion of an object (from object-oriented programming) as an attempt to combine abstractions of data and code. The recommendation that programmers use abstractions whenever suitable in order to avoid duplication (usually of code) is known as the abstraction principle. The requirement that a programming language provide suitable abstractions is also called the abstraction principle.

It is quite an interesting definition to understand the direction that I am taking with my art as before becoming an artist I have spent over 15 years working in IT and with a master degree in computer science, abstraction has always been part of my work, decomposing in reusable objects....  Has my scientific and IT education is influencing my art?    if I look at the the english definition of abstraction

abstraction - a concept or idea not associated with any specific instance

This definition does bother me a little bit about the possibility to call this direction 'abstraction' as all my idea and concepts are associated with a very specific instance, the horse and for some of the work it is associated with the essence of the movement and the rhythm.

I could also call the all process of this new direction 'derivation' although part of it is also an 'abstraction' for some instances...

According to definitions, derivation in mathematics is the development of the theorem. In Linguistics the derivation is a set of forms including the initial form, intermediate forms and final forms showing the successive stages in the generation of a sentence as the rules of grammar are applied to it.

some interesting definitions of abstraction and derivation , mathematical concepts that are helping understanding were my work is going and what is influencing it. I need to reflect more on that subject....

I am currently re-working one of my work called extended trot 2 to redefine the shapes that makes the piece but also working on few projects, one influenced by architecture and the other one by the concept of space.

the new challenge: 100 days in the unknown! Day 46

I am currently still working on some of my drawing and new materials  but all the pieces are still ongoing at the moment.

also finished my new version of Horse and amazon. After this version, I notice that I am still very inspired my architecture so I am preparing another piece inspired by modern architecture - sketches to come soon.

here is the next version of horse and amazone -

Horse and Amazone2

the new challenge: 100 days in the unknown! Day 45

Building this design using new material - still ongoing 

little works for SALE

small works for sale here http://marieackerslittleclays.blogspot.com/

the new challenge: 100 days in the unknown! Day 44

Reading a book about Barbara Hepworth....

the new challenge: 100 days in the unknown! Day 43

Still trying to rework the extended trot piece.
I think I am now happy with the rhythm of the piece!

top- initial version
middle - yesterday's version
bottom- todays version- much happier with the rhythm of the work

I will eventually rework it using a new material, much larger as well.

the new challenge: 100 days in the unknown! Day 42

I have been reworking this piece ( see original picture commented below). Still unsure but I will try to take another picture of it using the same angle as this might help but I am still not 100% happy with it.

original work

re-working the sketch

the new challenge: 100 days in the unknown! Day 41

Still working on my installation.

 so more little horses for it, since i have decided to do 100 of them , I have a bit of work!:)

the new challenge: 100 days in the unknown! Day 40

I am currently re-working on my my work called extended trot 2

I have also been thinking around the concept of abstraction so will soon be posting something about it.

the new challenge: 100 days in the unknown! Day 39

My work is still going on with the multiples...
few new little horses being built.

A little bit different from the initial plan. 

I was suppose to built about 16 of them but I have now decided that this installation will be bigger and I think I will try to built about 100 of them!

the new challenge: 100 days in the unknown! Day 38

well.... what an interesting day!

Started playing a bit with the new material. I need a big saw machinery but this will have to wait! ( cant afford it:) ) so got little saw instead and other little little tools... if you want to see the result then you wont ...not  quite yet! not quite grasp the new stuffs yet:) but one thing I did manage to make is a BIG BIG mess in my studio:) I think I was a bit too ambitious with what I was trying to make to start with. so tomorrow, I will have another go but i will be sensible and start with simpler shapes.
For that I did few little maquettes in clay and will try to reproduce them using the new stuff ( starting with the small one!). here is my little "organic forms" to use.

The multiple project is going on well, few more little horses on the go ( very small ones) but will be adding pictures tomorrow.

the new challenge: 100 days in the unknown! Day 37

today I was so exiting to start working with the new material... and OH NO!! missing some of the tools:(

so off to B&Q tomorrow to get few of them! in the meantime, I had a bit of fun with shapes here!

the new challenge: 100 days in the unknown! Day 36

new sketches

....and new material (YEAHHHHHHH)!


I wont tell you more for now...keep watching!

Reflections- 2 years on....

I have been sculpting for over 5 years now but only 2 years as a professional artist.

There are no manuals on how to become an artist. Before becoming an artist, I used to work in IT for over 15 years and although you always decide your own career, there is always along the line someone to give you advices if they feel you are going the wrong way or doing any mistakes. I remember those famous yearly reviews at work ( they used to drive me mad!) where your boss used to tell you the good and bad points about you, what you needed to improve and work on, and what training you required... There is nothing of such for artists, you have to think it for yourself with nobody asking you for it. 

Developing techniques, understanding materials and understanding anatomy are important tools to hep artists expressing their vision and develop their identity. To find the right technique or material to communicate our vision accurately is a journey of experimentations, discoveries and can be difficult. 

Yesterday I was visiting one of the Top UK artist ( who does the most amazing contemporary work!) and learned about new materials to use so I am so exiting to apply it to some of my sketches.  

latest sketches

As difficult it can be to learn new techniques, they can be taught and can be learned and it is probably the easiest part of the journey of an artist.

          Picasso ”I paint objects as I think them, not as I see them.”

Finding your vision and your identity is a much harder task. Finding your message, that something special that defines you  can not be taught!  We are alone in this part of the journey and I think this is probably the hardest part of all. Many artists spend so much time developing their techniques to perfection that they forgot an important element that defines us as artists.

Abstract american painters Richard Diebenkorn said, “For every artist that has something worthwhile to say but lacks the technical ability to communicate his idea perfectly, there are a thousand artists with all the technique in the world and nothing to say”

I am sure that there are a lot of different interpretation of Richard Diebenkorn quote but for me this sentence gives me hope to becoming a good  artist one day.....