Pen and Inklings

lovely pen and ink

There’s something about pen and ink that makes it very satisfying to use.  I love pens, but they have to have black ink.  Not blue, blue will not do – don’t ask me why, I just don’t know.

The mark of ink on paper is a thing of beauty to me.  Whenever I get a new journal or writing book I never write on the first page.  Again, I don’t really know why.  Perhaps I don’t want to make a mistake.  I have been known to even start writing at the back of the book – which is probably taking things a bit too far.

this was considered grown up ink by me

I love ink, I love the thick fluid quality of it.  In particular I like indian ink, this contains shellac which makes it good to mix with different media for art work.  We were taught to use fountain pens years ago and practise our handwriting.  I always start very neatly when I’m writing then it all goes haphazard as I speed up!

late 19th century ink bottle

I have some old ink bottles like this and also some old adverts for ink.   I even have a tile over my sink with Stephens ink on.  Of course there has been many mishaps regarding ink.  It’s terrible to get out of clothing.  Milk used to be a kind of remedy for this, but I’m not sure it works on Indian ink.

Stephens ink advert

Of course ink can be used to great effect by drawing with it.  I came across the artist  Kevin’Chopper’ Peshkepia the other day.  Not only are his paintings wonderfully expressive  – so are his pen and ink drawings.  I urge you to visit his site and look at his series ‘Bukowski and the Beats’.  They captivated me!

Ginsberg on Campus 1

Talking of pen and ink – heres my latest Haiku – called ‘elementals’, nice video at the end!

Peshkepia website here

pen and ink image here

Great old adverts here

Shaking the dead by the Finger

styx

In this painting , I used ink, some acrylic and filler.  I tend to use a lot of this as an impasto, it mixes well with acrylic and gives a nice surface for painting on using inks etc.  Originally this painting was called St Michan’s, after the Church in Dublin, where I spent my birthday shaking hands, (well a finger actually) with an old dead crusader (traditional) in the crypt.  So from one old crusader to another ………happy to meet you mate, but I can’t say you brought me any luck, though, at least I AM still here, so that will have to do to be going on with lol!

st-michans-dublin

Read here about it in this interesting blog 

st-michans-mummies

Altered art book page 18 Heaviness is not always Metal

page18

Continuing my Altered art book with page 18, I am continuing with the ‘junk’ theme.  On page 17 I looked at the connoctations of the word ‘junk’, exploring drugs and  assemblage (disgarded stuff used to evoke memories).  On this page is an image of a hand made machine.  I don’t know what it is, I just picked it because it looked like it would revolve (which fitted in with the text).  Don’t forget, a lot of these images and words were chosen a long time ago, and the original reason has been forgotten.  The text on this page reads as follows: –

He stared down at the machine

The machine began to revolve

a gritty roaring sound like the ocean dragging pebbles

soaked up by a piece of blotting paper

page-18-detail

page17-18

It made me think about other pieces of junk.  Junk that we carry around with us: unwanted thoughts, blind beliefs, superstitions, paraphanalia which we don’t really need but which we are frightened of letting go of because ‘something bad’ may happen.

forevertron-park-heavy

The machinery part of the text put me in mind of this place ‘Forevertron’ Wisconsin USA, the biggest scrap metal sculpture in the world.  Its inventor Dr Evermore sounds quite a character…….

From construction to destruction.  In 2001 London artist Michael Landy destroyed all his possessions in the name of art.  He shredded and granulated everything, and I mean everything, including his credit cards: everything.  This took place in an Old C & A store in London and lasted 2 weeks.  The exhibition was called ‘Break Down’ and by the time the exhibtion ended Landy was left with his cat and girlfriend.  Why did he do it?  Apparently it was a statement about Consumerism and more…This is what he said at the time:-

“I see this as the ultimate consumer choice. Once Break Down has finished, a more personal break down, will commence – life without my self-defining belongings.”

michael-landy-breakdown-201

For more about Landy

Media used; inks, photocopy image, printed paper

All the pages so far here

Scratching the Surface and other Crevices

 

Ceramic journal cover

I managed to get a new scanner today, so we’ll see how these images come out……  Given that its one that also prints and photocopies, I’m not expecting great things.

 

Ceramics Journal back view

Mmmm, thought so, as I expected, not a good result.  This image is very large though, I may have to shrink it or try to remove the Moire…

 

I love surfaces!  I love to decorate them!  I can work for hour upon hour building surface upon surface.  I hadn’t been in Uni long before I started t decorate my journals.  The first one just had a big sticking plaster in the shape of a cross over it!  This is one of my Ceramics journals.  I used a variety of inks and acrylics: I also liked to mixed a little Polyfiller powder too….

Altered art book: page 14 Helsinki not ducked nor flinched from

 

 

 

 

page-14-altered art book helsinki

‘Helsinki’

‘And they’d duck and flinch’

This page really stumped me!  Why had I chosen those words?  What did I know about Helsinki?  Why was I attracted by this word?  I had no alternative but to bite the bullet and follow the words I had chosen a couple of years ago.  When I chose the words originally, I thought of ships sinking, probably the Titanic.  I think the stamped star was going to be a ships wheel.  However, I looked at some Google images and painted a small water colour of HELSINKI!  I then decided to research some Finnish artists: I found a few.  

aalto-paimio-chair

 One of them, that some call the  Father of Modernism is Hugo Alvar Henrik Aalto, b. 1898 – 1976, a Finnish architect whose work incuded glassware, painting, architecture and furniture.  He liked to experiment with materials: bending wood to form his famous Paimio cantilevered chair, originally designed for tuberculosis suffers.

 

 

 

 

_schjerfbeck

Another Finnish artist, Helene Schjerfbeck (b.1862 -1946), was known mostly for her self portraits, painting 36 of them during her lifetime.  This one is from 1939 the year war broke out.

 

 

 

 

tapio-wirkkala-designer-scuptor

Finnish designer Tapio Wirkkala (b. 1915 -1985) worked as a graphic designer and sculpter and was also an industrialised designer.  His organic vase designs look like sculpture.  His hand blown vase with flared rim, called ‘Kanterelli’ was made for Littala who produced various models of these vases from 1947 – 1960.  These small bowls, silver plate over brass with incised design are by Wirkkala.

Well I still don’t know where Helsinki came from, BUT I didn’t duck it and I didn’t flinch, lol!

 

 

 

 

page-13-and-14-helsinki

The finished pages 13 and 14, which proved the most difficult to do.  I wonder what lies ahead……..

 Media used: ink, watercolour, paper, rubber stamp

 

 

 

 

 

Altered art book page 13 A deadly reminder’

 

 

page-13-altered book

 

The chosen words are: –

‘He listened to his father breathing’

‘And made plans for that lonliness’

 

 

valley-of-the-kings

 

The Egytians made plans for their  death.  They left nothing to chance.    Sometimes a whole lifetime was dedicated to their own rememberence:   Egypt is full of these reminders.

 

 

page13-skeleton detail

 

Memento Mori: this means ‘Remember you will die’ or ‘Be mindful of death‘.  The symbols associated with this reminder of mortality are skulls, clocks, hourglasses, flowers. Sometimes wine, books, musical instruments.   served as ‘vanities’, a reminder of worldly pleasures.

 

‘and made plans for that loneliness’

What does this mean though?  Does it mean coming to terms with eventual death? It could mean a physical reminder that lives on when we are no more. Surely we live on in the hearts of people who love  us?  Why would we need a tangible reminder?

p13-skeleton detail2

Sometimes a place or a memorial can act as a focus.  Like a gravestone, a grave, somewhere we can feel close to the person, as well as a written reminder for others, that our loved ones existed: a way of them living forever: enjoying everlasting life.  On a large scale, the Taj Mahal, India  reminds the world of the undying love of Shahjahan and his beautiful queen Mumtaz.

 

 

taj mahal

 

One of the Ancient Wonders of the Old World was The Mausoleum of Helicarnassus, Bodrum Turkey.  It started out as a memorial for the Persian King Mausolus, by his wife/sister Artimisia.  But when she died, became a mixture of all different styles as artist continued with their own ideas.

 

 

mausoleum-bodrum-halicarnassus turkey

 

Media used; ink, card, gem stone, silk flower, fabric,organza ribbon (wings) and handmade paper stamped with vercemark and chalked.

to be continued……

Altered art book: page 12 By the light of the Silvery Moon furtively

 

 

page-11-and-12

My scanner is now out of action.  It was playing up the other day, now it’s completely packed in.  I have  had to take a photo of these pages, with not much success. but anyway …….

Page 12, the words chosen were: –

‘He hid his own fears and wishes and only took them out in private under the eye of the moon.’

A childhood memory flashed up.  I was counting money and the moon was shining though the window.   I saved my pocket money up in an old French coffee bean tin.   It was blue and white striped.  There was something about this tin that was exotic and ooh la la.  I hid the tin away, only taking it out when the moon was full.  I had heard that if you turned your silver over when it was a new moon, your money would increase! 

This is wrapped up in superstition and also fear.  It is the compulsive feeling that if you DON’T do something, something bad will happen.  Being told that Santa won’t come unless you go to sleep…then not being to be able to get to sleep because you are too excited, then panicking!!  

page-12-moon

Although not very clear, the moon I made is actually silver.  A coffee tin hangs from it, followed by a small silver charm of a handbag. 

Media used: ink, oil pastel, silver card, photocopies, ribbon, charm

 

Altered art book: page 11 Walk a life in my shoes

page-11-walking through childhood

The words I picked out were; –

‘They walked through their childhood’

The idea of walking through childhood is of course associated with memories: nostalgia for what has been.  My immediate thought was childhood toys, until the shoes hit me that is.  How many pairs of shoes do we go through in life I wonder?  What about past lives? all those shoes!  One CANNOT have enough shoes…… or enough lives?

page-11-shoes detail

I scribbled these hastily on a prepared white background.  The idea of walking in different shoes puts me in mind of Reincarnation, doing unto others as they would do to us, role reversal and of course following in our Forefathers footsteps.  Is there a purpose? is there a pattern? or is life just a repetition of what has gone before? (in our personal sphere)

I have quite a few artists in mind, associated with this page, but they will have to wait until tomorrow.

Media used; ink,wax crayon, watercolour paint, print, mock snakeskin paper