Pushing my personal practice forward

Posted on October 23, 2020 by Andie Clay

Work in progress 1

Work in progress 2

Work in progress 3

I’ve always wanted to work on a large scale but not always found the courage to do it. Earlier this week, I spent 3 days on Zoom studying with Katie Sollohub.

She was running a course entitled ‘Embodied Drawing’ at Seawhite Studios. Emily Ball is the owner of this set up and for this course she was participating alongside us.

https://www.emilyballatseawhite.co.uk/

“The course is for students wishing to expand their drawing practice and find new limits, beyond the scale of your average drawing, by working large, freely, involving body and breath. You will be your own model, working on two or three large scale drawings, and guided by Katie’s exercises and meditation…… By connecting the process of drawing to our own physicality, we can harness directly the power and sensations of the body to create marks. The outcome is perhaps not important, it is more about the process than the product in this course. However, the results may surprise and inspire you in your approach to drawing and painting beyond the course, helping you to discover a fresh way of working from the figure, reinventing your visual response to the physical body.”

Climbed a mountain during the course but it was so worthwhile, great group of participants worldwide and we’re staying in touch on social media, supporting and inspiring each other.

My thanks to Emily and Katie and the Seawhite team for putting this on for us. If this description inspires you, they plan to run this course again in the new year.

Free flow experimentation, gestural mark making, salt

Posted on October 14, 2020 by Andie Clay

Experimental work done after the strict discipline of the Zen workshop, playing with salt, pre-wetting the paper, and using large watercolour sheets

Experimental work done after the strict discipline of the Zen workshop, playing with salt, pre-wetting the paper, and using large sheets of watercolour paper

Zen Brushwork Workshops

Posted on October 14, 2020 by Andie Clay

Detail of Dai ji zai

Mu Ichi Butsu

I have recently attended two Zen Brushwork workshops which are only allowed to happen online due to current restrictions.

The first workshop was beamed into my studio from Kyoto, Japan and was led by Sarah sensei and Inoue sensei. The whole experience was new to me, involving strict disciplines of Zazen (sitting meditation), Yoki-Ho (30 minute warm up exercise), Kusho (writing in the air) followed by painting the Kanji (Japanese characters) with Japanese ink and brush. The Kanji we painted was Dai ji zai, translated variously as ‘complete freedom’, ‘great freedom’ or ‘great unhinderedness’.

The second workshop was led by Jos Hadfield, working from Cornwall, again on Zoom. The Kanji we painted was Mu Ichi Butsu, which translates as ‘Owning no-thing’.

I really enjoyed the gestural mark making but fully appreciate I have a long way to go with this discipline which also feeds back into my study of Tai Ji and my painting.

Latest news from my studio…

Posted on October 14, 2020 by Andie Clay

I have recently started a new body of work based on ideas and experiences that have been rattling around on the back burner of my brain for a while now.

This ongoing series are currently grouped under the heading Fires in the Mind, and make reference to the source of inspiration of Dave’s installation of the same name.

These autobiographic paintings are attempts to portray the struggles and internal dialogues I am currently going through whilst still receiving counselling to help me come to terms with the traumatic event of Dave’s death that changed absolutely everything in my life.

‘Rabbit Holes’ seeks to express the crazy internal unfocussed state of mind that I found myself enter, heightened over recent months by the solitude of lockdown restrictions.

‘Fires in the Mind – Rabbit Holes’

An easing of lockdown restrictions over this summer has highlighted to me the need to find the courage to become more earthed and focussed as the world too begins to feel its way through this pandemic that has changed everything in everyone’s lives forever.

‘Towards Awareness’ expresses the beginning signs of movement towards focus and a more frequent feeling of calm. Still sensing the omnipresent hair trigger of grief that kicks my feet from under me, the slow process of regaining my centre and grounding myself has begun.

‘Fires in the Mind – Towards Awareness’

Taking Part in the Sketchbook Project Volume 17

Posted on October 13, 2020 by Andie Clay

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Excited to have received my sketchbook from Brooklyn Art Library yesterday. Looking forward to enjoying filling it in. Lots of ideas in my head but see where my pencil takes me…

Just to explain the background, Brooklyn Art Library is a non profit art organisation that has been completely funded by participation since 2006. The Brooklyn Art Library crew say

“By buying a sketchbook, you have helped us ensure that we are keeping our physical library space free and open to the public as well as our digital library accessible world wide. Your book will be joining our collection of 50,000 artists books from 130 different countries. This project is meant to encourage creative storytelling, within a global community.”

https://brooklynartlibrary.org/

Forthcoming Exhibition: Chalk + Cheese

Posted on September 16, 2020 by Andie Clay

Flyer front CHALK AND CHEESE

Detail from kinetic sculpture ‘Horse and Alter Ego – Shadowplay’ by Andie Clay

Detail from installation ‘Fires in the Mind’ by Dave Clay

Dave and I had always planned to have a joint exhibition called Chalk + Cheese. Sadly, it didn’t happen while he was alive, so I’m going for it now. It will showcase his installation and sculpture work and a range of my own mixed media work too. There’s also an opportunity for past students of Dave to participate digitally.

The exhibition will take place at The Corn Exchange Gallery in Cardigan from the 15th – 20th February 2021.

Further details nearer the time.

Background to ‘Embrace Tiger, Return to Mountain’

Posted on June 15, 2020 by Andie Clay

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This film was shot on location at Rhosygilwyn mansion. The following quotations are taken from the DVD cover, further information about Glenn and Sean is below.

“Taiji is so much more than the physical form-the energy, chi, flows through and beyond the body filling the space around. Andie’s work reflects the ebb and flow of that energy in a way that no other medium can, giving a sense of that continuous stream of universal energy that we can all immerse ourselves in.” Sean Dowdall

“What interested me here was the contrast between Andie’s rapid energy and the measured concentration of Sean’s slow movements. The situation crackled with creative intensity-which even a sudden downpour failed to dampen. Indeed, Andie incorporated this chance intervention into the work.” Glenn Ibbitson

“The quiet energy of Sean’s Taiji, together with breathtaking vision by Glenn resulted in a Zen-like experience that was far beyond my wildest expectations. Thank you both.” Andie Clay

Further details about Sean and Glenn below.

Tai Chi, Sean Dowdall. http://www.dragontherapies.co.uk/

Glenn Ibbitson:

Painter and Film-maker. Worked as a scenic and storyboard artist with BBC before turning freelance to work in film and theatre. Moved to West Wales to develop his own painting and film projects. “Tatsuko” [2012: silent; B/W] has been shown in London and Tokyo. “A hauntingly beautiful, dramatically gripping yet enigmatic film ..the shots breathe the artistry of Antonioni, while the enigmatic yet intense story echoes Tarkovsky.” -Gillian McIver-Tanbouli: co-director Studio 75 London

www.smokingbrushfineart.com

Short filming showing me painting a scroll, depicting movement through Tai Chi

Posted on June 15, 2020 by Andie Clay

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GxWY-c3jA88

embrace tiger return to mountain youtube image

This short film called ‘Embrace Tiger, Return to Mountain’ was filmed as a three-way collaboration between myself, Glenn Ibbitson (film maker and painter) and Sean Dowdall (Tai Chi). The film was used in support of my recent successful application to the RWSW.

Honoured to be selected for membership of the Royal Watercolour Society of Wales

Posted on June 8, 2020 by Andie Clay

I’m looking forward to having the opportunity to exhibit alongside other professional artists whose work contains a focus on the versatility of water-based media on paper.

Showcasing my work within the Society’s lively exhibition programme at quality exhibition venues both within Wales and internationally, will bring new audiences to my work.

https://www.royalwatercoloursocietywales.com/

Being Inquisitive

Image: ‘Being Inquisitive’

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Walnut Shell Art Installation – concepts

Posted on March 15, 2017 by Andie Clay

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The thought process behind my ‘box’ which I completed for Tim Ilife’s multi-artist installation (see Blog entry 2.3.17 “in our minds there are many rooms…”) contained several threads.

Having a mature walnut tree in our garden sparked the initial thread of interest, seeing how each nut and shell was similar yet quite different from the next one. As with everything in nature, no two walnuts are identical. On researching the history of walnuts I became intrigued that in Victorian times the reassembled shells were used to pass secret messages and love tokens. Further research onto the resemblance of the kernel to the human brain lent itself to being used in this art project about mental health. I chose to cover the empty pill box in black and white felt – a reference to yin and yang, darkness and light, and padded cells. Before I sealed the interior off I inserted three walnut shells that were filled with screwed up pages from the ‘i’ newspaper from Friday 13^th January 2017, and strapped them into the shell halves with strong wire so there was no escape! I then combined concepts relating to Gulliver being tied down on one face of the box with the opposing face featuring a spiders web with its prey wrapped and ready to eat. Strands of copper wire and thread were used throughout. No one but me (and you!) knows what is inside the box making intriguing noises as the box is turned over. This project has intrigued me, such a simple concept but so many different interpretations as the 1000 artists all explore their own “rooms”. Currently installed until the end of April at Bangor Cathedral, I will keep you posted as it travels to each venue over the coming months.