Sue Hodgetts

4 Mar

“AN ABSTRACT EXPERIENCE”

Well what an enjoyable afternoon! With aprons donned and Sue’s guidance we certainly packed a lot into 2 hours, so mostly photos for this one… But before we start… a big thank you to Sue. It looked like a lot of thought, preparation and effort had gone into this demo.

Sue started by introducing us to some inspirational abstract artists and their work. Here’s a reminder of their names so you can explore further if you wish.

Canadian artist Agnes Martin (1912 – 2004)… ‘Morning’ a near invisible grid in monotones in which Agnes found emotion in the lines. American art dealer and gallerist Arne Glimcher (1938 – ) A good friend of Agnes Martin and who’s daughter Isabelle was asked by Agnes “Is a rose still beautiful even if you can’t see it?”

American artist Cy Twombly (1928 – 2011) ‘Bacchus’ huge red spirals based on personal signatures.

Dutch artist Pier Mondrian. (1872 – 1944)… ‘Composition with Reg, Blue and Yellow’ a grid in back on white with blocks of primary colours .

Swiftly onto the practical part of the demo and five different mark making exercises a la ‘Martin’, ‘Twombly’ and ‘Mondrian’.

Table 1 was covered in white paper with pots of red paint and brushes for Twombly inspired marks.

Table 2 was covered in black paper with different types of white pens and pencils again for Twombly inspired ‘etching’ style marks.

Table 3 had sheets of white paper, rulers, graphite, blue and red pencils for ‘Martin’ style grids and lines.

Table 4 was covered in offset boxed outlines on white paper with primary red, blue and yellow pens in the ‘Mondrian’ style.

Table 5 was where we were all invited to draw our initials onto a small square of paper with instructions to make sure our letters touched each side of the square before decorating as we chose.

After a very chatty tea break we relaxed and viewed the fruits of our combined labours. It was interesting to see our mark making from all five tables and note how the marks had changed on progressive sheets of paper from quite scribbly marks to more and more defined pattern like marks. We reflected on how we felt when others created marks over the top or our work and vice versa. Sue reminded us that layering and reworking areas is an important part of abstract painting.

And lastly Sue treated us to a personal insight into her own ways of working on a succession of her paintings from recent years. Experiments in painting whole abstract works and then slowly covering over parts of the painting until she is left with a few areas of the original. Texture added by mixing paint with calcium carbonate.

Other works were created only using a pallet knife or bright florescent colours and touches of spray paint. My descriptions are sadly lacking, please enjoy the photos.

I look forward to seeing our Members Art Share table next session…where I hope to see lots of abstract experimentation!

If you would like to guest write a demo report, please let us know upon arrival!

Loved the demo?