This last week, I’ve been distracted from any artistic activity due to the never-ending quest to put bread on the table. 5 days of MS Teams meetings with folks in China meant getting up at 03:00 local time. The up-side to that is that I had a good portion of the afternoon to think a bit about something that has been on my mind for some time.
It’s been my observation that aviation artists tend to fall into two categories: those who draw and paint with almost photographic accuracy and those who take a looser, more unstructured approach. As I’ve spent pretty much my whole adult life in the highly structured technological world of driving airplanes around the sky, my artwork tends toward the more technically accurate type which is sometimes linked to the left side of the brain. This is fine, as far as it goes, but somewhere inside is a yearning to loosen up and get more “painterly” and use a more right brained, less structured approach to painting. I’ve had some success with non-aviation subjects, (see the painting of the camel in the sandstorm on this web site). That work was done only with palette knife and was never intended to be more than an impression. I also painted the small Sopwith Pup on my “latest works” page with a much looser than normal style and a lot of palette knife work. While I’m happy with it, it takes me out of my comfort zone and I do that sort of painting with a lot less confidence than I do ordinarily. I find this frustrating as I would dearly love to cut loose and push the boat out a bit more. I’m not sure if anyone else feels this sort of conflict. Regardless, I will forge ahead and force myself to get bolder with my work. Whether I ever show any of the results to anyone is a bridge I’ll cross when I come to it.
As far as things to see in the world of art this week, it’s going to be very hard, in the run up to Christmas, to get out and about, what with the change in Covid restrictions. Thankfully, our little corner of Hampshire is still (fingers crossed) in Tier 2, but now part of the family is in a tier 4 area, so no visits to them, or shopping in Portsmouth or Havant for that matter. Be that as it may, there are still some art related things to see online and on TV.
The 5 part Series “Great Art” is still available on ITV Hub and Britbox, with looks at the lives and works of a number of Artists.
Artcast is a streaming service that displays art on a TV. It's available on Roku, Apple TV, and Amazon Fire TV. The app features over 400 galleries filled with fine art, photography, and videos. The galleries are auto-looped, so you don't have to come back later and restart playback. You can go here to have a look: https://artcast.tv/stream/
Artnet haș links to 9 tv series related to art and art history that can be streamed or watched on a variety of platforms. https://news.artnet.com/art-world/art-history-tv-series-1843368
As is my usual practice, here are some links to the pages of some more outstanding aviation artists: Enjoy!!
Ronald Wong: https://ronaldtkwong.com
Derek Blois: https://www.derekblois.co.uk
Simon Atack: https://www.simonatack.com
Phil Jackson: http://philjacksonart.com/Phil_Jackson_art/WELCOME.html
Don’t forget that the online GAvA exhibition is still on at: https://www.artsteps.com/embed/5fb7de5cec7b9d30697459b8/560/315. It runs until the 23rd, so there’s still a chance for you to fill that empty spot on the living room wall with an outstanding example of aviation art.
’Til next time….