Tea(pot) for Two #14: Tea Painting #3

Coloured pencil, graphite, watercolour & tea/30x20cm

This drawing, featuring a depiction of the small, delicate bone china teapot found on a charity stall during a recent trip to Ludlow (& represented using the medium of tea on the very day, as blogged), was colour-washed using two media: watercolour to represent the subtle shadows and reflections playing over the mutable surface of the white glaze of the teapot, & also, over the remainder of the picture plane, tea – again, attempting an integrity of adherence to all things tea & the use of in the realization of the artwork. ‘ArtTeaOlogy’ is the name.

Various types of brewed liquid tea were utilized in the process (including pale white and green, orangey Assam and Darjeeling and the rich browns of other black teas), each having their own particular hue, built up in numerous layers to create the range of tones that constitute the ground of the wooden board and table surface upon which the ceramic object sits, and also those areas of the wall behind that are not covered by the squared-up sheet of paper that acts as a measuring device and proportional guide.

Tea (Sub) for Two #13: Tea painting #2

coloured pencil, graphite, watercolour & tea/30x20cm

This drawing features the groovy little ‘retromanic’, iconic 'Tea Sub' making another appearance, this time not floating in a white space but anchored to & within the representational spatial environment of the still life 'arena' as observed.

The painting is colour-washed with watercolour for the vivid yellow(s) of the Tea Sub and various types and layers of brewed liquid tea to represent the hues and tones of the wooden board and table surface upon which the object sits, thus, in using tea as a medium in the realization of the artwork, establishing a fundamental link to the 'ArtTeaOlogy' ethos.

Tea(pot) for Two #12: Tea Painting #1

graphite, coloured pencil, watercolour & tea/30x20cm

This drawing, featuring the oft-studied small Japanese teapot observed in the company of a pair of cups from its matching set (as it was, indeed, on a sequence of occasions almost 5 years ago, from the beginning of September 2007, when I began drawing again as a regular discipline & blogging the results of the process: please scroll down to the bottom of the archive page for evidence), was colour-washed using two media: watercolour to represent the pale blue-grey of the pot & the glaze covering part of the cups, & also, over the remainder of the picture plane, tea: as one of the essential accompaniments to the drawing process, it seems most appropriate that tea should form part of the artwork itself, integral as it is to the ‘ArtTeaOlogical’ philosophy being pursued.

Various types of brewed liquid tea were utilized in the process (including pale green, orangey Assam and the rich browns of black teas), each having their own particular hue, built up in numerous layers to create the range of tones that constitute the ground of the wooden board and table surface upon which the ceramic objects sit, and also those areas of the wall behind that are not covered by the squared-up sheet of paper that acts as a measuring device and proportional guide, in something of an on-going homage to Euan Uglow.

Tea(pot) for Two #11

coloured pencil, graphite & putty eraser/30x21cm

This drawing expands the formal repertoire of the summer’s teapot series by incorporating a representative description of the spatial environment in which the object is situated for observation, including the close-toned & similarly-hued horizontal planes of the circular wooden board & table top, which contrast nicely with the pale grey & blue of the crackle-glazed teapot, & the vertical plane of the wall behind that delimits the recessive depth of the space, upon which has been tacked a squared-up sheet of paper that acts as a form of measuring device to aid the drawing of the object(s).

Such a formal device owes something of a debt of influence & inspiration to the work of Euan Uglow, of course, an artist much admired here at TOoT as regular readers might be aware, whose measured approach was a significant feature of his ever-compelling practice.

Frequent recourse is made to the essential 'Euan Uglow: the Complete Paintings’ in the interests of visual research & here, in a scene from the studio, we see Pickle the cat in close proximity to the very volume: she may appear to be sleeping, as is often her wont, but one prefers to imagine that she is instead engaged in Zen-like contemplation of art...

Tea for Two #10 (Tea Sub) (Revisited)

graphite & watercolour/30x20cm

This latest drawing in the tea-themed ‘ArtTeaOlogical’ summer series depicts, through the process, another item of tea paraphernalia &, in so doing, revisits a subject already explored in very similar fashion on an occasion during November of last year, thus, it might reasonably be said, adding another layer to the ‘retromania’ already embodied in the object itself.

Whatever, the Beatles-inspired yellow submarine ‘Tea Sub’ infuser is again represented in the manner it suggests, liberated from its actual spatial environment as observed, resting upon a horizontal plane, and instead floating in and navigating a pure white space, somehow more romantic as befits the imaginative subject matter.

Tea for Two #9 (Tea Temples)

coloured pencil & putty eraser/30x20cm

This drawing – the latest in the summer’s tea-themed series in the interests of ‘ArtTeaOlogy’ - depicts a scattered arrangement of another item of tea paraphernalia (indeed, an essential one) in the form of teapigs' 'tea temples', which seems a most appropriately reverent name for receptacles containing the precious tea leaves themselves.

The 'temples' are pyramid-shaped bags of a silky mesh material that allows a slightly misty view of the tea within, in this case a selection of three types - (from left to right) chamomile flowers, rooibos and popcorn tea - all of which were brewed and enjoyed before collecting the used, re-dried bags for the purposes of studying & drawing, attempting in the process of doing so to capture the essence of the fine, delicate objects as observed, and represented within a contemplative pure, white space.

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.

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.

More Tea (?)

coloured pencil/30x20cm

Persevering with the coloured pencils, but today's drawing moves into the realm of the still life & a return to the exploration of representing the world of actual objects in space, an enduring artistic itch that is never far from requiring scratching, a thread running through the history of the blog & much further back in time & practice. The subject/object matter represented is a favourite Japanese tea set, previously studied in both graphite & watercolour, as featured here at TOoT in the October (September) 2007 archives, this particular drawing being commissioned for an 'occasional' presentation but also serving as something of a prototype for an intended series of tea-themed work with commercial possibilities in mind via Etsy, in a joint venture with A: more news as & when.

Time for Tea

graphite & tea/25x20cm

A second dispatch from Ludlow, the location for what’s become a creatively working break, presenting a departure from the series of 1970s footballer drawings, not of course into new subject matter, with teapots having featured as models here previously, but, rather, in terms of a medium used in the resolution of the drawing.
Given the subject/object matter, in the interests of aesthetic integrity it seemed appropriate to attempt the use of liquid tea as a staining agent, rather than watercolour, in conjunction with pencil for a ‘monochrome’ tonal study of the teapot’s form: a ‘brown study’ indeed, apposite to the contemplative nature of the looking-&-drawing process & the hoped-for general air of proceedings here, not least inspired & facilitated by the enjoyment of tea.

As might be appreciated from rare photographic evidence of the drawing environment, three types of tea were utilized in the process of representation, each with their own distinct hue & tone contributing to the finished study. In terms of development potential, the provision of drink for thought, one might say…

Black & White World

graphite & putty eraser/30x20cm

And another new Japanese tea set picked up in a sale (this one a fiver: bargain), something of the opposite to the last one in that it's glazed predominantly black, the teapot having a white lid & a bold grey & white floral design. The shape of the pot, too, is different from any other in the collection, so, pleasing as such is, it was something of a must-have.
The colour scheme thus suggested being set up against a black ground, with my rediscovered old studio notebook (dating from immediately post-graduation onwards, the fundamental ideas & theoretical influences as they developed still mostly valid even though the form of the work has changed) with its glossy black cover serving perfectly for the horizontal plane & a satin-finish plastic folder providing the vertical one behind, the teapot & cup thus 'losing edges' & merging with the setting in the process & presenting the challenge of realising their forms in tonal terms, with highlights & reflections offering guidance to so doing. It's the sort of challenge I particularly enjoy working at, the dialogue between looking at what one sees (rather than knows, or thinks one sees) & mark making, transcribing the experience of one's empirical engagement with an object in space, reassessing this evidence all the while whilst the play of light shifts shapes.

Listening to:

Test Match Special Eng v SA 4th test, day 1