Oil Painting Portrait Workshop at Victorian Artists Society - Day 7

I thought initial sketch went very well, but, I had a big problem on shadow area.
I ended up wiping it off at the end of the session.
I'm not sure where I'm going from there.
Well, see how it goes next Monday.

Work in progress.

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HBIA Hairdressing Championships 2013

Doing hair on stage in a competition is an exhilarating experience.

I was alarmed that very few stylists took part in cutting comps on stage.
I fear they will be all pre-done in the future.
It's really hard to do it on stage, but.....

"Only if you have been in the deepest valley
can you ever know how magnificent it is
to be on the highest mountain."

Here are some competitors from Zucci Hairdressing in action on stage.
Congratulations everyone who partook in this event on stage and pre-done comps.

All photos are shot by me.

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Afternoon at NGV

I went to 'Monet's Garden' introductory talk. It's a bit disappointing that there's nothing I didn't know already.
For a brief lecture like this, I don't really see the point in spending $8.

At level 3, there's a room for International Contemporary Art.
I always felt there's not much in this big room, but, today was different.
This exhibition is really worth going.

First of all, there's Gerhard Richter. This is amazing. I didn't know NGV has his abstract painting.
One of the most important painters alive!

Then, Sarah Lucas, Julian Opie.

The kinetic sculpture by Zilvinas Kempinas keeps visitors amused.

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MinuteTakers at Victoria Hotel

Pip is a great friend of mine at Princess Hill life drawing class. Great artist.
Here, she showed another side of her creative talent with her band.
All photos are by me.

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Oil Painting - Self Portrait

My first ever self portrait.

Oil on canvas. 10 x 14 in.

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Oil Painting

Just retouch. I changed the background and enhanced the contrast of skin colour, so that it glows in the dark.

Oil on canvas. 10 x 12 in.

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Gallery-hopping in Melbourne

I lost count of how many galleries I went to today.

Here are some notable ones.

"Plate Glass" by Sam Shmith at Arc One Gallery in city.
Large scale photographic images are subliminal expression of the surroundings in which we live.

"Interzone" by Sonia Payes at Fehily Contemporary in Collingwood.
Shot in Beijing, they are testimony of distraction of farmlands and construction of modern cities.

Erwin Fabian at Australian Galleries.

Quite often, when I see sculptures made of pieces of scrap metals, I feel very disengaged from them.
However, I found the works by this artist very welcoming, inviting me to their unique humanistic spirits.
It's an amazing achievement, because they aren't figurative at all.
I really liked these.

I'm very disappointed that Ben Quilty's exhibition at Tolarno Gallery is temporarily closed. 

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Life Drawing at Last Peek Studio

I went to the evening class.
Fantastic model to draw. I love foreshortening.

Maud 

Maud

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'Monet's Garden' exhibition at NGV

I don't think many people know that NGV is open on Tuesday for this exhibition. It was far much quieter than I had expected.

Nothing is more relaxing to have lunch outside the gallery, basking in the beautiful autumn sunshine in Melbourne.

As usual, I joined a guided tour. They offered us a wireless headset. It's a fantastic idea, so that we could hear her from a distance.

To focus on one aspect of a famous painter and put together his works around that subject is a great way of presenting his creative outputs .

In this case, it's his garden in Giverny.

It opens with some Impressionistic paintings. 

Then, paintings of water lilies and gardens.

These are beautiful paintings. All those colours.... It's really astonishing to see these in my naked eyes.


Toward the end of his life, he started to lose sight due to cataract, but, he continued to paint by reading labels of paints, then applied them to canvas.
In other words, he didn't paint what he saw, he painted from his knowledge of how it supported to be.

Imagine, a painter losing his sight. It must have been punishingly painful. But, he didn't give up.

I tremble in awe, standing in front of these paintings, "The path under the rose arches, Giverny".

It's a triumph of this man's dedication to art.

In the last room, there's a panoramic video display of the garden in Giverny, with beautiful orchestra soundtrack.
It's a great way to exit the exhibition, but, I couldn't help thinking that I wish I could go see the real one.


I also went to see 'Top Art' at Federation Square.
The only thing that caught my eyes was a video work 'Waiting (l' Attente)' by Rex Kane - Hart.

This is a brilliant clay animation, dealing with an elderly man's loneliness.

It's very touching, really. It's amazing someone at this age actually created this splendid work.

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Oil Painting Portrait Workshop at Victorian Artists Society - Day 6

This is the third painting at this workshop.
I'm reasonably happy with composition and likeliness of the subject, but, not happy with skin tones on this one.
I probably did too much simplification, not so much variations of tones, hence, the face looks very flat.
I'm really struggling with oil painting portrait. It's very challenging.

Oil on canvas. 14 x 16 in.

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'i carry your heart with me' by E. E. CUMMINGS

i carry your heart with me (i carry it in
my heart) i am never without it (anywhere
i go you go, my dear; and whatever is done
by only me is your doing, my darling)
                                                   i fear
no fate (for you are my fate, my sweet) i want
no world (for beautiful you are my world, my true)
and it's you are whatever a moon has always meant
and whatever a sun will always sing is you 

here is the deepest secret nobody knows
(here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud
and the sky of the sky of a tree called life; which grows
higher than soul can hope or mind can hide)
and this is the wonder that's keeping the stars apart 

i carry your heart (i carry it in my heart)

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Oil Painting

This is boring :(

Oil on canvas. 12 x 16 in.

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'The Mona Lisa Curse' by Robert Hughes

This superb art documentary is a punishing indictment and devastating critique of contemporary art scene, entangled with big money.

He introduces the arrival of Mona Lisa in America in 1962 as an epic moment of history of art.

“People came not to look at it, but to say that they’d seen it. (….) The painting made the leap from artwork to icon of mass consumption.”

The juxtaposition of this painting with Damien Hirst’s 'For the Love of God' is fascinating.

The remaining section portrays his observation, over 50 years as a leading art critic, of the monetization of art and its effect on our society.

“Some think that so much of today’s art mirrors and thus criticizes decadence, not so – it’s just decadent, full stop. It has no critical function, it is part of the problem. The art world beautifully copies our money driven, celebrity obsessed, entertainment culture; same fixation on fame, same obedience to mass media that jostles for our attention with its noise and wow and flutter.” 

“For me, the cultural artifact of the last 50 years has been the domination of the art market. Far more striking than any individual painting or sculpture. It has changed art’s relationship to the world and is drowning its sense of purpose.” 

“If art can’t tell us about the world we live in, then I don’t believe there’s much point in having it. And that is something we are going to have to face more and more as the years go on; that nasty question which never used to be asked because the assumption was always that it was answered long ago - ‘What good is art?, What use is art, what does it do? Is what it does actually worth doing? - and an art which is completely monetized in the way that it’s getting these days, is going to have to answer these questions or it is going to die.”

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Oil Painting Portrait Workshop at Victorian Artists Society - Day 5

We had a new model today.
I've stopped making an initial sketch now.
It's still very difficult to block in large areas without drawing lines first, but, I've found it's great to start a portrait painting that way. It's much looser and freer.
I'm happy with overall shape at the moment, but, colours started to look a bit muddy.
I'll finish it next Monday.

Work in progress.

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HBIA Australian Hairdressing Championships 2006

I dug up old competition photos I took a long time ago.
The comp was held at beautiful Royal Exhibition Building.
After some years of disappointments, this design cut was a winner.
Not a bad one for only 35 min. Well-balanced asymmetry.
There aren't any photos of me cutting on stage :(
Daphne was lovely.

Model :  Daphne
Hair Design & Photo :  Hiro
Makeup :  Tracey


   

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Parkinson; Masterclass - Jonathan Yeo

This is an interesting interview with one of the most famous portrait painters in Britain.

There're many fascinating stories and insights into his own life.

For example, his illness, Hodgkin's disease, in his early 20s, and ultimate recovery really focused his determination to become an artist.

His series of paintings of plastic surgery patients are particularly interesting.
He considers plastic surgeons as artists, just like sculptors.
That's really a good question.
I've been thinking about it myself.

It's a very entertaining and informative program.

Here is the link.

"I'm going to spend my time doing what I want in case I don't have very much of it."

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Oil Painting Portrait Workshop at Victorian Artists Society - Day 4

This is the second painting.
Barbara's method doesn't involve an initial sketch, putting colours straight in, blocking in large areas first and quickly.
It's completely different from what I've done, so, I've found it very difficult.
However, I really like the idea, and hopefully I'll improve a bit more.

Oil on canvas. 14 x 18 in.

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Portrait In Focus Demonstration Day

My painting teacher Barbara asked me to come along to this art session at AGRA Gallery in Camberwell.

It was very educational for me to see four artists painting portraits in their own different ways, using different mediums.

Not just seeing how they create paintings, but also hearing how they approach their subjects, that's really fascinating.

Alan's drawing & wash are very powerful.

Barbara's pastel work is always beautiful.

I didn't have time to see Lorraine's demo, but, her watercolour paintings are very delicate and lovely.

Lee didn't have enough time for this session, but, as an oil painter, it's understandable.
However, I learned a lot from her.

Alan Close

Barbara McManus

Lorraine Lewitzka

Lee Machelak

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