A sketchbook of fragments, abstract paintings and art books…
In this video I show you the progression of my most recent paintings, I take you inside one of my sketchbooks and share a specific approach I sometimes use to start and fill a sketchbook….and share a few books I’m currently inspired by.
Sketchbook of fragments
I call this my sketchbook of lost and lonely fragments…
I start by randomly gluing in fragments and shapes of colour and pattern right across the whole book. These snippets and scraps are the type of detritus that gathers on my desk, left over off-cuts, oddments, abandoned pieces, random bits and bobs from my art making…
And then I come back to the book and develop these pages at random…I add details, marks, lines using varied art materials and build up the book in an intuitive manner.
I find this to be a low pressure, enjoyable way to fill a sketchbook….
It often results in surprises, interesting juxtapositions, shapes and compositions…it feels playful, expressive and happy-go-lucky.
I enjoy having these little odd starting points, I find that the disrupted white page is sometimes a fruitful starting point. It provides an interesting prompt or springboard…a quirky jumping off point that often leads to interesting discoveries and experiments…
Books and links
Mark Hearld Workbook published by Merrell 2012, words by Simon Martin. You can follow Mark on instagram
Picasso on Paper, a catalogue from the The Royal Academy of Arts 2020, to accompany the exhibition of the same name. There is a Youtube video of the exhibition here
Brian Wildsmith, 123 first published in 1965, by Brooklyn Art Books for Children. There is a website cataloguing Brian’s books, art and illustration here or there is an instagram account managed by his family