Having spent a week or two not clearly focussed, I decided the best course of action is to make studies from artists drawings and etchings. It provides some drawing discipline and gives me the chance to engage more fully with the work of artists that I like. I start with a quick A2 charcoal sketch of one of my favourite Goya etchings “ The Sleep of Reason Produces Monsters”
Searching through my collections of Breughel drawings I found this complex image of a shipwreck. It is fun to zoom in on a small section and concentrate on that. I sketched first with an HB pencil held loosely.
Then I moved to charcoal, working quickly.
More work done-
This is as finished as I want to go with this image. I like the energy of the exaggerated figures.
Kathe Kollwitz was one of the finest expressionist artists of the early 20th century. I find her work really moving. I have done another drawing in charcoal from her 1908 etching “The Prisoners”. This was the last of her series about the Peasants Revolt in Germany in the 16th century. Again I drew it out loosely with pencil.
I then moved to charcoal to get the strength of the lines and tones.
This is the final study. It seems better to keep it loose than try and “copy” the original.
I have more of these in mind. it seems to suit me at the moment.
Focus is such a hard thing! I seem to have so many things on the go at once that I don't achieve anything. This is a way forward - although you seem to be drawn to paintings of people in difficulty- Covid reflected?
Dear Daddy, While I do NOT miss the sunflowers, do you think you could do some more cheerful pictures? How about that for a NY resolution? XXX