My Participation in the 8th Beijing International Art Biennale 2019 , Part Three: Landscape Painting

View of the distant lake, ink on paper

As part of my series of articles on the 8th Beijing International Art Biennale, I'm posting some ink paintings I made in the Chinese landscape on September 1st. 

To my delight I was invited to go on a painting trip to a village called Shuiyucun not far from the mountains with about 30 other artists, a mix of Chinese participants and others from around the world. As I'd found out about this trip before I went to China I packed my ink (bought in Beijing in 2017) and calligraphy brushes and bought paper while in Beijing.

Mountain View, ink on paper

Mountain View, ink on paper

View from the tower I painted from

The journey out of Beijing and into the verdant landscape took about an hour and then we were divided in to groups when we reached Shuiyucun. Some of us were taken down to a small river to paint but I think that possibly artists had specific ideas they wanted to work from because no one wanted to work from the river. (If I had had longer time I would have been happy to paint there as it was quite interesting.) Consequently we split up to seek out other places of inspiration.

Since my first glimpse of distant mountains I knew I wanted to paint them.  Two of the guides took me up a hill to a wooden tower where I was able to paint alone for about 90 minutes. The view was incredible; a panorama that stretched on two sides (north and west) to mountains, and then the land fell away in to undulating pastures and areas of trees to the east, and to the south I could see a lake and far beyond the hazy outline of Beijing. It was very hot and once my eyes acclimatised to the bright sunlight, an array of many greens spilled out from the land. 

I had deliberately taken only ink as my aim was to catch some shapes and lines I might extend back in the UK.

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I painted mostly North, West and South, and made 12 ink paintings. One of the guides had her small daughter with her and I was quite surprised when she looked at a small ink - quite abstract with few marks - and exclaimed 'It's a whole picture yet with so little brush work!'

View of the Lake,, ink on paper

View of the Lake, ink on paper

Though I initially concentrated on the mountains, I soon became quite intrigued by the distant lake because I knew we would be painting there in a few hours. The sun being in front of me cast deep shadows in some areas while other elements faded in to a shimmery haze.

The guides took me back to the village where I met up with the other artists and we had a huge lunch which consisted of many different dishes brought to us freshly cooked from the kitchen. 

Tables being set for us in the village

The table I shared with friends

The amazing dining area

Not long after our meal, we were taken to lake Quilong where everyone set up next to the rippling expanse of water dotted with islands of lotus leaves. There were floating water lilies with small yellow flowers and I became mesmerised by the swaying water as I sat on large rocks to paint.

Ripples on the lake, ink on paper

Artists painting by the lake, ink on paper

I was also intrigued by the distant mountains which seemed to echo the shapes of the tangled lotus leaves....

Lotus Leaves and Mountains

Lake Quilong

Artists at work

The lake and nearby houses

Some of the artists (I am the 3rd from the right)

Finally, we all went back to Shuiyucun to have a discussion with the leaders of the village and the Chinese artists. It was wonderful to have this exchange and to share our ideas. There were several photographers and we were filmed as well. I was invited to say something because they had seen my speech the previous day and I mentioned how much I had loved the experience of being able to paint in the landscape and that I would love to stay for several weeks! I felt really lucky to have been offered this chance and to have had a glimpse in to aspects of village life. 

Everyone was so friendly and wanted to know how we felt about the trip and what ideas we had to extend or improve it for the future.

The leaders of Shuiyucun starting the discussion

Some of the artists

An Artist's Insights in to her Themes and Sources For Painting

'After the Deluge, the Light Rose Over the Mountains,' acrylic on canvas, 70 x 50 cm

This is today's Facebook post:

TWO of my favourite starting points for my paintings are mountains and waterfalls/rivers. I like to use them to explore paint and an idea of space, in particular, to give a sense of the physical space we feel in landscape which is always so different wherever we go. This has fascinated me since I was a child and it took me a while to realise that the actual sensation of space and 'being' in the land is at the root of my abstract-figurative compositions. As a child I used to imagine myself dancing through landscapes and this is what I like to do with paint!
Both of these, from this year, are about being in landscape and feeling the elements and its changing nature, in this case mountains and flooding (which we have had a lot of in the UK), and they are paintings of hope because in the end the light comes through. They are also about the presence of landscape as a being in itself.

I find it really useful to keep thinking about my core values and themes, even if they keep changing, as they always do either step by step or through a sudden insight brought about by trying out a different process.

I would add to this that my work tends to have several areas of focus as I cast out my net to explore the elements I'm interested in. This sense of space is one of the things that has always enthralled me because my earliest memories are of journeys with my parents, often by car, as we travelled to visit relatives in Scotland or Cornwall. These tended to be quite long journeys and I sat quietly feeling the different 'vibes' that came from the land. 

'Three Escape the Deluge,' acrylic and ink on canvas, 70 x 50 cm

I still imagine myself dancing through landscapes and landscape memories. I love that feeling of my own small size in relation to epic landscapes with huge mountain vistas, or being on very flat, open landscape where there is a certain factor of vulnerability. But the theme has widened recently to include the thoughts of environmental concerns, climate change and the eternal precarious aspect of being a human being.

I like to think that my use of paint - bold brush strokes, forms that suddenly appear, an emotional reaction to the paint - are all part of this dance and that I also echo Nature.

To be continued.

New Paintings and Some Great Exhibition News

'Walking Towards a Shared Future,' oil and acrylic on canvas, 120 x 160 cm

This week I received some good news: this painting has been selected for the 8th Beijing International Art Biennale which this year will be showcasing artwork from 125 countries and will open on 30th August 2019. I was really pleased to find that my painting will be included and it will be my third time in this Biennale (previously, 2015/2017) and my second international art Biennale this year.

I painted this specifically for the Biennale which had the theme of 'A Colourful World and a Shared Future.' I was thinking about how the world is not groupings of separate living organisms; we all rely on one another - people, animals, plants, insects - in order to survive. The world is one organism. I was also thinking about my own relation to nature which is a deeply spiritual one and how I love to 'go missing' in the land. This could be described as my archetypal landscape because my favourite journeys always include mountains, distant vistas, colourful fields and fruit trees, and a pathway to a metaphorical future. In this case the path is conveyed by coloured bricks to represent mankind and the communities around the world and also our connection with everything else. I always feel that art can give messages to people and I hope mine is a joyful one full of optimism.

I painted this large canvas fairly last minute as so much else happened last year and I was only 5 weeks before the deadline for posting the submission materials in December! I had an idea of what I wanted to paint, the two figures being pivotal to the expression, but other than that I let the image develop and find its own colours and shapes. It is a bit more figurative than some of my recent work but I have never seen myself as an artist who can only go along one line.

Meanwhile, this week I worked on 2 new paintings which are also based on my feelings about being in the landscape and which I will post soon.

To be continued.

An Acrylic Painting in Progress: Ideas and Insights

'The Deluge,' stage 1, acrylic on canvas, 70 x 50 cm

As a second post today I'm posting another canvas I'm currently working on. I began from marks (above) which were not planned but I had been thinking about the chaos and sadness of the world, in particular the explosions over Easter Sunday in Sri Lanka. I wanted to paint about a deluge but with light appearing over the distant mountains. Rivers, waterfalls and mountains often are a source of material for me though I tend to use them partly as metaphors for human existence or as shapes to build an idea upon.

In the second stage, below, I have begun tweaking elements and introducing more light. While the other painting, 'Coastal Poem,' posted earlier today, went through many changes before I began to find a form for my ideas, (and the ideas evolved while painting), this one seemed to take on a form quite early on and I have not strayed too far from that composition. I decided to modulate the tones and brightness of certain colours to see if it helped the meaning and composition and consequently the painting has become brighter. 

When I paint I like to think about the sources of my ideas and mark making. I don't want to know too much or else it could become a formula, but I'm always sifting through and trying to widen my approaches, while concentrating also on paint itself and what magic it can create. 

'The Deluge,' stage 2, acrylic on canvas, 70 x 50 cm

To be continued!

How I Begin a Painting: Some Tips and Ideas

'Chinese Landscape,' acrylic and ink on canvas, 80 x 40 cm

How do you begin a painting? As an artist I'm always curious to know how other artists approach a blank canvas; do they have a specific idea of the composition and image they want to paint or is the theme and approach flexible? It seems to me that this doorway into a painting is something that many artists find through trial and error though some have a clear path from college as to the kind of painting they feel an affinity with. Some of my art college friends like to work from sketches made in the landscape or from photos, or directly from the figure, and with a clear, figurative approach. Some other friends start from the paint and the idea or image evolves through their relationship with colours and shapes as they emerge. Some need to make numerous sketches to plan out a composition in advance and then draw in the elements before they begin to paint. Others may start from a line in a poem or memory, or work out abstract compositions in drawings before touching a paint brush. 

One thing is for sure; you never stop learning! I follow artists whose approach varied throughout their life as their need for particular elements broadened and changed or more questions about the nature of painting appeared along their journey. I think this is true of all artists though especially with abstract artists there is a need to follow a path to discover the language and poetry of paint. The more you paint, the more its potential speaks to you.

The posted painting shows one of my approaches. This was painted to commission so the brief was fairly specific but still allowed me room to improvise, which is one of the aspects of painting that I enjoy. The client said: it must fit with my Chinese cabinet (which was quite ornate); it should feature Chinese elements; animals and houses would be nice. Then we agreed on mountains and waterfalls. The great thing with digital technology and smart phones in particular is that you can send photos of the painting as you progress, and she was happy with all stages from the start. 

Though I was working to a brief I began the painting as I begin most of my work, with thin layers of colour and fluid paint in order to find shadowy forms that could then take life. I like to let the paint suggest imagery though I don't always work that way; sometimes I have a specific memory I want to translate  - painting, for me, is always my translation of the world around me - and I may have an idea of the kind of composition I need. Over time, certain elements (shape, colour, brush strokes) may take priority and this influences how the painting looks.

I love those early washes and marks but often they have to disappear under stronger more meaningful elements for the image to have clarity. I worked this painting in the same way I work with ink on rice paper; it had to have a certain spontaneity while also suggesting a sense of moving upwards (and downwards) and I liked the idea of a yellow sky - yellow in China conveys the idea of royalty or something special - and the tree on the top peak was painted as a feature to stop the viewer's eye.

In my next post I will be adding photos of a new work in progress to give an idea of how I begin a new painting. This will be painted from the title 'Vestiges of Things That Have Gone.' I don't often start from a title (most times I title the painting once it is finished though there may be a particular theme), but I have a pressing reason for this painting which I will write about next time.

There's no right or wrong, your approach is whatever allows you to convey your idea. Any artists reading this, feel free to leave comments on how you face a blank canvas.