Cabinet of Curiosities

Hello fellow bloggers,

Since seeing this link on Rinda's blog - a brilliant and inspiring website - I have been inspired to join in my first ever on-line challenge. I love the thought of not knowing what each monthly challenge will be and what ideas I can generate to meet those challenges. It is an opportunity I don't want to miss. 

As you may well know from past blog posts, I have a great fascination with Natural History and when I saw that the sketchbook challenge was a 'Cabinet of Curiosities' how could I resist?

I used the same theme to inspire my work at University, the idea that an explorer travelled to the far reaching places of the world, brought back curios and assorted natural paraphernalia and placed it together as a collection. This is a brilliant concept and still inspires me. Cabinets were the precursor to museums; imagine what the world would be like without them!

I have a large collection of different natural objects placed around my home and I began to wonder... how would I display them in a cabinet?

Here is a list that I have come up with:
Fossils
Insects
Minerals
Shark teeth
Skulls
Dried plants and crystals
Shells and stones
Tree branches and feathers etc.

Great explorers also sprang to mind, like Charles Darwin and David Attenborough, and my favourite, and the first museum I ever visited as a boy, The Natural History Museum in London. (I will need a large Cabinet to fit all mine in!)

I was also reminded of a school project that I did with Year 8, two years ago. Here are a few images from the sketchbook I created to show them examples of a timeline.

The students produced a fossil timeline using collage, print and different painting techniques.

All of this has sparked off my excitement to create a 'Cabinet of Curiosities' and I hope to be able to document this over the next couple of weeks, before the end of October. I have always been intrigued by the story of evolution and the tree of life. Here are some of the pages I have done so far.

"Life will find a way" Michael Crichton, author of Jurassic Park

Looking forward to joining in with the Sketchbook Challenge at the end of this month and seeing everyone's creative Cabinets.  

The large canvases for Flora's class have had to take a back-seat this week due to illness. I lost my voice (imagine that for a teacher!) but I am now on the mend after a rare visit to the Doctors. I am hoping for a creative weekend ahead and will post them soon.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend.  

Andy

About Inspiration ...

Hi everyone, 

Here is a photograph I took last weekend while standing in a corn field. I love the textures on the maize husks and the natural skyline behind. It was a beautiful day, and I can't wait to use this image in a future project.

Last Monday, as I was driving to work, I noticed that where the crop of corn had been, it was now barren earth. I am so glad I had my camera to hand last weekend. 

I am still working on last week's course instructions that are about getting back to nature, recording your thoughts, sketching, taking photographs and collecting natural elements. If you read my previous posts, I really DO have an ever growing collection.

We were asked to answer some thoughts on 'What enliven's me?'

So here is my list :

1) I am inspired by insects; trees and fossils; birds and their natural song; old, unusual antique finds; stunning landscapes and wonderful sunsets; nature as a whole. 

2) I collect stones and pebbles that have certain markings or have natural holes in them; shark's teeth; crystals; fossils; shells; tree twigs or branches; dog fish cases. I have a fascination with old keys and maps (especially when the maps say "Here be dragons!"). To me, they conjure up many different ideas. 

3) My two favourite places in the UK are West Wittering Beach and Kingley Vale. Both locations are in West Sussex, near my mother-in-law's house. I love to visit these places in the school holidays and top up my creative flow and... collections!

4) A windy day on the beach makes me feel alive as I listen to the sound of the waves crashing on the shore.

5) I love to read and usually have a couple of books on the go. I love food (I am a man!) especially lots of different cultural flavours. I have a sweet tooth. My sweetheart knows me all too well as she baked me cupcakes last weekend. Yum Yum! And last, but not least, my sweetheart.  

6) Friends say I am happy person and have a smile on my face and a bad joke ready to be told. I always have a pen and paper to hand, sketching away in my own world.

7) Favourite colours are all the shades and tones of green. 

8) Drawing everyday makes me feel at peace.

9) I am in awe of David Attenborough. A life time of working with nature is, in my opinion, enough to inspire anyone. This is a quote from Nature's Great Events that I think about when I am walking in woodlands or on a coastal shore-line: “Vast movements of ocean and air currents bring dramatic change throughout the year. And in a few special places, these seasonal changes create some of the greatest wildlife spectacles on earth.” 

10) I am curious about old, ancient trees and their history; their story (if only they could whisper it). 

Here is the progress on two of the updated canvases.

Canvas 1: 

Canvas 2:  

How is your week progressing? I am eager to get painting again but due to a manic week and late nights, I will have to wait until tomorrow before reaching for those brushes again.

In another post, I am hoping to share some of the resources I am working on with my students. Would you be interested in seeing those?  

Until the next time, take care. 

Andy 

  

Adding tonal and contrast...

Hi Everyone, 

I had a wonderful and non-stop weekend with my family... so, as you can imagine, I was unable to paint as many layers as I hoped. Last week's lesson was to playfully add black and white to the canvases, in order to add tonal contrast, and make the strokes and mark-making 'pop' from the canvas. Of choice, I wouldn't normally add these colours to a painting and I really had to trust myself not to over-think it too much. I have to switch off the critical button that I use everyday as an art teacher. My gut (Yoda) had lots to say but I am looking forward to this week's lesson to bring back colour to the canvases. 

For the moment, here are the canvases and their playful black and white strokes:    

Canvas 1

Canvas 2

Quote:

See and hear the song here!

Thank you to everyone who is enjoying the journey as much as I am. It is amazing to look at the contrast from week 1 to week 2. I have now started a third canvas. I am recording all the layers as I proceed so that when it gets nearer a finished piece, I will do a post of the whole process in one blog post. This idea came from one of Flora's interviews and it has inspired me to give it a go too. It has had a big, visual impact on me!! Fingers crossed.

I hope everyone has a great week. 

Keep you posted. 

Andy