Tea(pots) for Two #8

coloured pencil & putty eraser/42x30cm

Both TOoT & 'ArtTeaOlogy' must admit a fondness for fine examples of 1960s - 1970s design in many of its forms, the natural continuation of our abiding attachment to Mid-Century Modernism, and Hornsea Pottery's mid-70s 'Heirloom' patterned range of ceramics have recently found their way onto the 'collectable' radar as objects of desire to be acquired for the home, to both serve a functional purpose in our daily life and be aesthetically appreciated in the process.

This larger-than-usual A3-scale drawing features a composition of the tea and coffee pots from the 'Heirloom' collection, distinctive in their form and the design adorning them, which proved a particular challenge to represent (‘it’, of course, being what the making of art is all about), not one it would be overly tempting to repeat, at least in the immediate aftermath of the process. Again, the objects are depicted within the now-familiar wood surfaced 'arena'.

Tea(pot) for Two #7

coloured pencil & putty eraser/30x20cm

A recent present from A of an exquisite glass teapot provided the object matter for this particular drawing, the most recent in the summer’s tea-themed series, & the challenge – historically & traditionally one of still life’s staples - in representing its delicate form as described by the fleeting play of light & reflection of subtle colours upon its surface & also, incidentally, that of the immediate environment of the wooden ‘arena’ upon which it is placed & within which it is observed & depicted.

The transparency of the glass pot also allows the depiction of some tea within, of course – ever an essential accompaniment to the drawing process.

Tea(pot) for Two #6

coloured pencil & putty eraser/30x20cm

Presenting the sixth in the summer’s series of teapot drawings, the objects observed from life & pictorially composed within/around the formal device of a circular arena.
The subject in this particular instance is the pairing of a pea green Japanese bamboo-handled teapot & an accompanying mug, attempting to communicate, via the ‘exploratory’ medium of coloured pencils, a sense of solidity of form &, more elusively perhaps, something of the nature of the objects’ surface glaze, as a natural light source plays across them & highlights & reflections occur.

Tea(pot) for Two #5

coloured pencil & puty eraser/30x20cm

Presenting another variation on the Japanese teapot theme, in the interests of an exploration of the medium of coloured pencils & 'ArtTeaOlogy', persisting with the formal device of locating the object(s) within a circular 'arena': it's hardly Francis Bacon, but...

The particular pot & cup, as depicted, a striking pair indeed with their black & red glazes, were introduced into the collective fold by A, fellow 'ArtTeaOlogist' & possessor of exquisite aesthetic taste, of course.

Old School #3

coloured pencil & putty eraser/20x30cm

Returning to the football after the recent break for tea(pots), & presenting the third in the putative series of drawings of impressively-extravagantly-moustachioed footballers plying their trade in the French League circa 1976, sourced from images of original stickers available at the delightful ‘Old School Panini’ website.

As with the previous example, the drawing was processed using a variety of found coloured pencils & also some from a newly-acquired ‘proper’ set, with an A4 colour print of the image as saved from ‘OSP’ & scaled-up – experiencing certain losses of pictorial fidelity in translation from screen to page(s) along the way - serving as the immediate physical reference: again, various levels of representation, of re-mediation, from the original printed sticker, as object, to the drawing, are involved, influencing & informing the appearance of the latter, not least in terms of (artificiality of) colour.

The portrait subject of the drawing, a rather debonair Monsieur Raymond Domenech as he appeared during his playing career, might be said to be more famous, or notorious, now for his ’managerial’ role nominally in charge of the mutinous 2010 World Cup French squad, a trait made topical again by certain recidivist tendencies as revealed within the recent 2012 European Championship, as France once again seemed to implode as the tournament progressed.

Tea(pot) for Two #4

coloured pencil & putty eraser/30x20cm

Here again is a coloured pencil interpretation of the small pale blue-grey Japanese teapot as has featured previously, both via this same & other drawing media, on this occasion as an independent object itself, compositionally arranged upon & within the now-familiar wood effect circular 'arena'.

Tea(pot) for Two #3

coloured pencil & putty eraser/30x20cm

(Re)presenting the third in the series of teapot drawings to be processed in the intended interests of 'ArtTeaOlogy', this Japanese-style object displaying rather more vivid colour along with another variation in form.

Tea(pot) for Two #2

coloured pencil/30x20cm

A second intended 'ArtTeaOlogical' exploration in coloured pencil of another recently-acquired & rather beautifully minimalist Japanese teapot, as previously featured represented via the medium of tea itself.

Tea(pot) for Two #1

coloured pencil & putty eraser/30x20cm

Another coloured pencil drawing, processed with direct reference to a recently-acquired object, a Japanese(-ish?)teapot of rather interesting form & a certain vintage colouration, displaying subtle modulations of both hue & tone, & what might be termed the initial 'ArtTeaOlogical' exploration.

Compositionally, the inspirational thought occurred that the circular 'arena' (an interpretation of the surface of a wooden chopping board) might make a suitable base upon which to present the object, rather than have it exist purely within the otherwise blank white space of the picture plane.

Old School #2

coloured pencil & putty eraser/30x20cm

Being the second example of drawing in coloured pencil processed with reference to a print of a digital image of a mustachioed footballer active in the French Ligue 1 circa 1976, sourced from the splendid 'Old School Panini' (stickers not bread).

Of particular redolence regarding Monsieur Lopez, our portrait subject as resulting from the mark-making interpretive process, is, rather than the individual concerned, the club for whom he played, as stated upon the drawing in the form of lettering, Saint-Etienne, whose mid-1970s team were the very epitome of exotic glamour, aesthetically resplendent in their green satin-finished shirts with the tricolour collar & cuffs, dashing their style across the floodlit fields of Europe, although alas not ultimately successfully outside of France: the nostalgia for such is palpable, the memories triggered still vivid, intoxicating then & imbuing a passion for the continental game that endures.