Assessment Feedback: Pass

Extract from OCA Assessment Team (2019), LEVEL 1 VISUAL ARTS SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENT FEEDBACK [Attachment to Email November 2019 Assessment Results sent to Howard, D. 11/12/2019.] T

Overall Comments and Feed Forward

Reflection on Assignment 5 Feedback

Overall

I waited a while between the last tutorial to write up my reflection on the feedback. This is partly because I have been very busy, and partly because its was worthy of significant consideration. In approaching Part 5 I was focusing more on my approach to work than on the finished result. I am planning, as discussed, going to create more work using this approach and possibly base much of my on-going work on the approach I’ve developed during this part. Where relevant I will update the cycle write up for the work I complete before submitting for assessment. If the new work is part of the best then I will include it in my assessment submission, and I would hope that there will be at least one piece that does.

Painting aside

Given some of the challenges I’ve been having with coloured pencils and pastels, and colour in general, I decided that I may as well give painting a quick try. To be honest I’m enjoying it more than I expected to. Firstly, an attempt with acrylic paints:

Tankerton slopes, Acrylic on paper

Assignment 5 Feedback

Overall Comments

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You set out a clear plan – described as a series of ‘cycles’ – for the creation of several work informed by the work of other artists. As discussed, the submission seems a little thin when compared to – for example – the figure drawing submission last time. You have time to return to the project(s) you have set yourself and flesh them out and explore them more fully.

Assignment 5

Artist’s Statement

Title:

Developing a body of work that conveys the feeling of the landscapes.

This enquiry was focused on building a body of work, rather than a single drawing, which was trying to convey the feeling of places in landscape drawings. This meant selecting an appropriate approach to creating the image that would convey something of the image which isn’t based in technical accuracy.

Reflection on Part 5

Direction

The overall challenge I set myself for Part 5 was to develop my ability to convey an impression of a landscape, rather than to focus of accurate portrayal. I want the viewer to gain a sense of the scene from looking at the picture, leading to a level of interest in the image beyond that simple representation of the scene.

Cycle 5: Elbigenalp cross

Note 12/06/2019: Some text has been added after Assignment 5 feedback has been received. This has been dated and highlighted to provide context.

Context

On the top of a mountain near Elbigenalp there stands a cross which is clearly visible from the valley. I first saw thew cross back when I visited the valley for the first time, and wanted to get up to it. I finally managed to get to the top, and the scale of the cross and its presence is hard to put into words. I decided to see what I could do with a drawing.

Cycle 4: The sea

Note: There has been some rework of this article since the Assignment 5 Tutorial. This has been highlighted in colour and dated.

Context

Although this isn’t exact a new concept for drawing it is definitely one that is close to my heart. I’ve spent much of my life on and near the bodies of water. Early in life it was the Lakes of Cumbria and smaller bodies of water. Later this has expanded out to the sea, and threaded through all of this is running water in rivers and streams – with the inevitable water falls. For this cycle I’ve decided to focus on the sea.

Chania drawing

I was in Chania for a holiday and continued with some sketching:

Cycle 3: Fountains Abbey

Context

Fountains Abbey is a beautiful place owned by the National Trust. Its connected to a large park and water gardens, and even when relatively crowded it has an air of tranquillity about it. I also have strong connotations with the site due to walking round it with my wife, and sometimes my children, as a break point in long journeys.

Reflection on Part 4 feedback

Tonal Life Drawing

In the feedback session and write up my tutor mentioned that I am still too hung up on outline, and that I should be producing more tonal work rather than concentrating on outlines. In my next life drawing session, therefore, That was my focus, and it was at least partially successful. There is still some visible outline, bit that is partially because I ran out of time.

Cycle 2: Line study

Intent

In this cycle I’m shifting focus to studies using line over tone. That is:

• Using line over tonal blocks to represent the image;
• To convey a strong impression of the scene;
• To convey texture using line;

This is a bit more of a stretch, as my line work has left something to be desired over time. I’ve included it at this stage because I suspect that it is an area where improvement would lead to benefits elsewhere.

Life drawing session

After a set of initial warm up session we went to a 15m pose, and I decided to go for tonal work this time:

Cycle 1: Tonal study

Intent

For this first cycle I’ve decided to follow up on my tutor’s suggestion of focusing on tonal work. Thus I would like to achieve the following:

• Tonal drawing with no visible outline.
• Grey scale rather colour.
• Matching tone and medium to subject; and
• Conveying the feeling of the scene – rather than accurate technical portrayal.

Part 4 Feedback

Overall Comments

… As discussed, you have been attending life classes throughout your Drawing One time and some of the work you submitted is over a year old. We mostly spoke about the work made more recently as this benefits from the feedback I’ve given on other work. …

Considering Part 5

Work Review

The course notes for part 5 require a written review of the part of the course so far. To a degree I’ve been doing this as I go, with the following articles providing the main content:

• Assignment 1: Evaluation and Reflection
• Reflection: Part 2 So far…
• Part 2 Feedback and Reflection
• Part 3 Reflection
• Assignment 3 Feedback
• Part 4 Reflection

Part 4 Reflection

Approach and Progress

As noted previously, I knew from the start of the course that part 4 would be a challenge for me. I started making progress with Life Drawing classes, but a change of working approach made it much more difficult to get to these sessions as much as I’d like. Strangely, therefore, I’ve been doing less life drawing during the Part 4 than I did earlier in the course.

Assignment four

Seated model in an upright chair

I started this with the Schiele experiment:

Life drawing session

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Linking to Egon Schiele

Now, lets try a similar experiment with Egon Schiele, who I have less exposure of. Again, I’ll start by looking at some images:

“Reclining Woman”  from https://www.dorotheum.com/blog/en/egon-schiele-radical-draughtsmen/