Paris and China

'Nostalgia,' corkboard with collage: canvas (painted with acrylic and ink), and acrylic and ink, 

Since my last post I found out I have been selected to show at a highly prestigious international exhibition in Paris in December - I will write more, and the name of the exhibition, once the details have been finalised and the painting is ready to photograph. I will be showing as part of a group of international artists. This selection came through a curator I met in Beijing in 2017 at the 7th Beijing International Art Biennale. I am really thrilled that she selected me!

Last week my MDF box for shipping my painting to China was delivered. Though I still don't have a shipping date I felt it was better to have it ready in advance.I still have to frame the painting.

For this post I am going to add a few images of some collage work I am currently doing as well as a painting about global warming. The collage work is an extension of some painting ideas and the great thing about collage is that it suggests new ways of creating texture and applying paint, and also new ways of creating shapes. So I am excited about these while still working on canvas purely with paint.

'Teardrops of the Setting Sun,' acrylic and ink on canvas, 50 x 50 cm

'Trees,' gesso, ink, collage (painted jute canvas) and acrylic, 25 x 25 cm

Knowing When to Stop Painting

'Excursion,' acrylic on canvas, 30 x 40 cm

My last post was way back in October and normally I would not leave such a gap between writing but unfortunately a family member had a bad accident and I have been running back and forth to the hospital. My whole schedule had to change for a while. I have not yet been able to write the review of the Beijing International Art Biennale or finish a number of paintings that are standing gathering dust!

This brings me to the subject of 'finishing work', a question that was asked by a friend last week on Facebook in relation to the above painting. How do you know when a painting is finished? My response to this question would probably have been different 12 years ago, when I relied more on landscape studies to guide me, using that ready-made skeletal framework to tick off the elements within the painting: is that tree 'correct;' are the shadows the right shapes and colours; what about the horizon line? I have spent years painting in the land but often found that paintings made from the memory of an experience convey more fully the spirit of the place than literally copying a scene. I have also always had a love of paint itself and like to explore how brush strokes, marks and layers of paint can recreate a place or arena of imagination. This excitement of discovery is what keeps me painting.

'First Glimpse,' (work in progress, China series) acrylic and ink on canvas, 68 x 89 cm

That then brings you onto the subject of who are you painting for? If you are painting for the 'market' then most potential buyers need to see something they can pin a degree of recognition on to. For this reason I used to paint portraits and animal portraits and sold a lot. There is a market for colourful abstracts too but it is not as wide as the figurative market. 

'Tom's Midnight Garden,' acrylic and oil on board, 65 x 50 cm (finished)

I take as my starting point that I paint for myself. I am my own critic, and the painting has to meet my intentions and more. It has to have that something extra that is beyond anything you can plan for, and it must extend my own ideas as an artist. If I start with a painting of a memory from China, in particular my month living next to the Great Wall, then I already have some elements in mind that I may want to explore and extend. Then my work nearly always grows out of the process of applying paint, trying things out, scraping paint off, and making changes until the work sings to me. This is a very hard thing to describe! It is easier to say why I feel the need to continue a painting than it is to say why it is finished. It is often judged by feeling and also how does it speak to me as a visual poem?

'Bay Area,' acrylic on canvas, 32 x 45 cm (finished)

I always have several paintings on the go at any one time. This helps me because if I reach an impasse on one canvas, I go to another for a while and sometimes I gain insights from that one that I can take back to the problem painting. Sometimes a work has to be painted over, and then there are glimmers of under-painting that speak to me of something new to be explored. It is always a journey with lots of the unknown thrown in! It is not as 'easy' as having a definite subject in front of me but I love the discoveries along the way.

'Fragile-Landscape,' acrylic and ink on canvas, 30 x 40 cm (finished)

I have a number of paintings that are being 'considered.'  They may end up being considered for months. I used to become a bit discouraged if I worked on something for a long time and it did not come together! But I have realised that bad days lead on to new discoveries and many bad paintings are the result of a re-evaluation of certain elements and either I eventually solve it in that painting or something new enters the next series of work.

Recently, some figuration has crept back in. I don't like to be fixed in my ideas about what is and is not 'allowed.' Some works just end up more abstract than others as I sort through my ideas and look at the needs of the evolving imagery. My Beijing Biennale painting 'The Silk Road and Human Exchange,' combined figuration and abstraction in a way that has since impacted on new work.

'Untitled,' acrylic, oil and gesso on canvas, (work in progress)

As for the paintings in this post that are labelled 'finished,' it is because I felt they were resolved in their own terms, or they presented something unexpected that conveyed an imaginary world that I liked. For me, painting is like creating a visual poem and I seek that elusive combination of elements that make magic! It is wonderful when that world resonates with someone else.

The Beijing International Art Biennale part 3 (food related!)

Entering the dining hall

Three weeks ago today I attended the Symposium for the Beijing International Art Biennale. It was held in the Qianmen Jianguo hotel, where we were staying, and it filled the whole day. I found it very interesting because artists spoke about the Silk Road and how their art related to the theme, and issues of exchange between artists and different countries. It was also a chance to meet more of the artists and exchange our business cards. By then, many of us had become firm friends. It is incredible how quickly artists bond on these events.

A view of the dining hall, at breakfast

One of the interesting aspects of our hotel was that it was a theatre hotel so there was the chance to see theatrical productions every night, and I felt that the decor reflected this theatrical theme. I am including some photos of the dining hall which was quite elaborate and colourful. The choice of food was laid out so beautifully on orange gauze and materials, or displayed in huge metal trays. I found it almost impossible to choose because every item looked so delicious! As well as cold and warm food, there were many different kinds of tea and juices, and eggs were fried in front of you! Of course, there were noodles and dumplings. I found meal times a really good time to sit with my friends and chat about art and everything else!

Breakfast display

Strangely, I did not feel too much jet lag this time, or find it difficult to eat breakfast at a time when my husband was getting ready to sleep!

I loved this screen in the dining hall! Red is one of my favourite colours so I felt quite at home with so much red.

A great memory of conversations with friends at breakfast

Next time I am going to write about the Opening Ceremony (September 24th) and our visit to the interesting and unique 798 art zone. Also, still to come, a review of the Biennale. Sadly, it closed yesterday, and I still can't believe how fast the time has passed since I was in China.

Fiona with Soraya Sikander and Yvette Kaiser Smith in the hotel foyer

Countdown to China!

View from London Bridge towards the east

In 48 hours I will be on the flight from Amsterdam to Beijing. It feels rather unreal how quickly the days have passed since the time I found out that I am one of the lucky artists who have been invited to Beijing for 4 days for the Opening Ceremony of the 7th Beijing International Art Biennale.  I still can't believe it. This will be my third trip and my second participation in the Beijing Biennale.  Unlike the first time, I know what to expect and how organised our reception and schedule will be for the four days. I have already been sent the schedule and printed it off today.

On Monday I went back up to London to collect my visa. It was a wet day. The trains from Tunbridge Wells to Cannon Street (nearest station to the China visa office) were non-existent so I had to walk from London Bridge station across London Bridge to Cannon street and then to the visa office. Suddenly rain pelted down and I was without an umbrella! 

View from London Bridge to the west (St Paul's Cathedral to the far right)

Though I already had a visa in my passport from last year's trip to China, I had to get a new one because the purpose of this trip was as an invited artist (with an official invitation letter from the Biennale) so I needed an 'F' category of visa.

This time we are staying at the Qianmen Jianguo hotel, which looks really lovely. I believe that there are about 200 invited artists. I will meet a few old friends from last time and make new ones! It should be exciting and also very inspiring. I am going to take a small sketch book with me.

On Friday morning I fly first to Amsterdam and then on to Beijing. I arrive at 6.15am local time, and we will be collected from the airport and taken to the hotel. I leave at 9.30pm on Wednesday 27th September, and my journey is rather an odd one because I travel first to Guangzhou airport (southern China) and then have a horrendous flight (near 14 hours) to Heathrow.  I don't really like flying at all, I like my feet on the ground, but will think about Art. Last time I watched a marvelous film about the artist Soulages and that kept my spirits high because I began imagining my next paintings. I am hoping there may be similar art videos.

My next posting will be on Friday 29th September and will include the first installment of photos of the trip!

Writing a Blog!

'Mutianyu Valley Memory,' acrylic and ink on canvas, 70 x 50 cm

This week I helped my niece set up a blog as part of her new college course. It caused me to reflect on my blog and the reasons I started it in 2009. At that time I knew nothing of Facebook or Twitter and I was very isolated as an artist, and writing the blog became my way of expressing my ideas and thoughts. It made me feel less isolated. I have always loved writing and enjoyed regular posting. I think it also gave me the chance to let off some steam about rejections and the struggles of being an artist.

Since that time I have discovered the diverse artistic communities on Facebook and Twitter and this has extended my own artistic practice and allowed me a great deal of support. I have also discovered some fabulous blogs by other artists either about their art and ideas, or advising artists on the complex aspects of exhibiting, finances, marketing, and discussing the evolving strategies for showcasing your work.  I continue to learn through these blogs and one of my most recent discoveries was a blog entitled: making a mark:

https://makingamark.blogspot.co.uk/2014/11/10-golden-rules-for-every-busy-artist.html

This blog is one of the most comprehensive blogs for useful and important information for artists.

'Traces of My Thoughts,' acrylic and ink on canvas, 50 x 40 cm

 After I set up my niece's blog, I decided to check my own and for the first time in 7 years I went right back to my first posts and read them. It was a strange feeling because it was as if I was reading someone else's blog. It also pointed out to me that I have done a lot of writing over these 8 years!

At this moment I am getting ready for my trip to Beijing for the 7th Beijing International Art Biennale. I have received my official invitation letter, booked my flight, my visa appointment is in a few days time, and two weeks from now I will be on the long flight to Beijing. It is only a short trip but I know that it will be exciting to see my large painting in the National Art Museum of China and to meet the other artists. This Biennale will feature work from 109 countries with 652 artworks on display. It will also give me a chance to pop across the road and buy more calligraphy brushes, ink and rice paper!