Art Progress: "Grandpa's Tea"

For a few months now I have been wanting to put this piece in ink. It came out of love for my Grandfather who passed a few years ago. He was an honest and simple man who had lived through the World Wars. With that it was second nature to reuse something as much as possible.
   For him it was very evident with his tea. I remember visiting him and seeing the spent tea bags drying out so they may be used again latter on. He continued this practice with a single teabag for an unknown amount of times.
   Tea for my family was a normal way to greet guests or end a meal. I feel so blessed to have had such a man as my Grandfather and I miss him dearly.
  It was very satisfying to see this work start (finally). Once everything is inked out the real task will be to portray how reusing tea so many times will effect the colour and taste.

"Grandpa's Tea" WIP
 Ink on paper
8 x 10 Inches

In the Studio: Tea Swatches!

         In case you are new to my humble little part of the web, My artistic practice is based on tea and it includes it as a medium at times. Over the past few weeks, while writing a grant, I decided I needed a guide for future works.
      Above is a start to this idea. I feel that I will need to get a small watercolor sketchbook to use just for this purpose. When I have notes like this in a larger sketchbook it gets lost when I no longer am working in that book. Pocket Moleskines are great for this kind of reference. They fit in your pocket, you can have them close at hand in the studio and they take up no space in a bag.
        So, why do I paint with tea? My main medium is Japanese Sumi ink, and it has a coldness to it. Tea warms it up and creates a balance. There are many different colours that can be achieved with all the varieties of tea out there. The only true problems I have run into is using berry/hibiscus based tea and matcha. Both change color after they dry and have been exposed to air for a while. Matcha changes to an odd brown and berry/hibiscus changes to  a blue/indigo.
   In this instance it makes sense why I should have this little reference on hand, especially when working into the wee hours of the morning.
   

Working with water

 This year has been great. I have joined the AGO and the South Asian Visual Art Centre. In addition to attending great workshops, documenting and  self-mentoring.
    To begin the year I showed Hysteria that was a return to an old process that I used. One of which I am working on still on the side.
    My other work is branching out slowly. Watercolour has come back into my work, and I need to understand it more. Just as I need to learn more about sumi-e ink, I hope to play, make mistakes and possibly take more classes on them. This coming year is very important to me as I am turning 25. No longer am I a young adult but a full adult. Its time to make everything fall into place, a lot is planned for 2012. I have a whole to-do list dedicated just to my art practice which is displayed in large print on my wall next to my desk. Seeing it since I printed it just reminds me of how much needs to get done for the more technical side of art. Website, professional business cards and networking sites. Everything links together.  Exciting! Exciting things are going to happen.
                    Over the next day or so I will be finishing a work for a e-card for my mailing list. I have added a few people whom I hope want to be included but this initial Holiday "card" will allow them to opt out if they so please.  If you would like to be added to my list I have a link to the right of my blog for you.
    It has been a long few weeks leading up to the holidays. I am off to be for the night to be prepared for another day of work Studio and Work-Work. Happy Holidays everyone~

At it~

Just a quick update. Finished study above and my mini studio below. Picked up my piece from the gallery today, I coming back to me has given me the push I need to figure out how I want this new style to go. Colour is working, but I just need to find the balance of it and how much (or how little) detail to put into the works. I hope to finish the second study tommorow (today rather) before heading out to a tea tasting downtown. Really looking forward to the next pay day at the end of this month. A new easel could be in my future, or re-arrange things and bring my big one here. Choices, till next time~

Grid progression and development of style

Working on studies >.<
How the grid looked last Friday.

New work

After seeing Nicholas DiGenova's work at LeGallery, I started this peice. Its more so to build up skill with my pen and ink.  I hope to get going on a series soon.

Documenting

Just before heading off to bed I quickly documented all my work from my thesis. Quite a lot to photograph but I will be adding them here sometime tomorrow. And then work on setting aside time to properly document them for portfolio use, just in time since I am going to be studying CSS/HTML/XHTML to create my website. Let's hope the next work, possibly series, does not distract me from getting this all done. Anyhow, Good Night all~

Finished work~

Took a bit to finish but it's a good start to find out how I can incorporate tea properly. Heading to my parents' this weekend so I can grab better paper amongst other things I need to grab (watercolours included). The room/studio thing is slowly compromising itself to a comfortable level. Poor Shuuhei (Kitty~) might have his cat litter moved so I can have a little cart with my supplies available. We will see how things go after my trip home~

New works on the go~

Bought

I was glad to head down to the TakePart Fundraiser after a long day to discover that my work had been bought. They had only opened 20-30 minutes before I had gotten there. Whom ever purchased this work, Thank you for supporting this wonderful annual fundraiser. Sarah worked realy hard on this show and made it work. Next year I hope many more artist submitt peices so that there is an even larger selection for patrons to purchase.
Again thank you~

Ink and Tea

Recently I have been playing with my two favorite things: Ink and Tea. So far I have been just been experimenting but I soon wish to utilize this in a final piece.

In addition I have been trying out different surfaces of which these two can be placed on. Canvas, paper, and cotton fabric. Are so far the ones I have played with.

In addition I hope to make notes here on the different tones each kind of tea creates as well as document my other art or rather art form through Gung Fu Cha (the way of tea or Cha Xi).

I actually picked up a new tea pot resembling an Yixing pot but made out of glass. I am about to enjoy another session of tea before heading out to see friends this evening. I will post more once once I begin my list of tones/colours that the teas I have create.

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Grad Exhibition- Saturday

So this is where I have ended up. Cards are up, the works look great (although I'm wondering If I should have had matted them) and the show is coming to an end tomorrow. On the side I have continued to work on this series in my own studio. Experimenting with application and letting the ink be ink, not controllable pigment. I am hoping to put together a proper website soon and have it launched before September.
If you happen to come here after seeing the Graduate Show, I thank you for taking the time to see everyone's work and to visit this page. If you would like to see more of my work I can show you my portfolio in person or online. Ink is my current obsession but I also work in Acrylic, Oil , Graphite, Watercolour and Charcoal.
Please excuse the warning which came up before reaching this page, it is for you that I have decided to place the warning as my work tends to dip into the explicit at times.
If you have any questions I can be reached at bellmanart@gmail.com at any time. And I will be around on Sunday to answer any questions in person. Again thank you.

Pieces shown:
"Spot" 2010
Ink on paper. 18" x 18"

"Hold" 2010
Ink on paper, 18"x 18"

"Hug" 2010
Ink on paper, 18" x 18"

"Choo" 2010
Ink on paper, 18" x 18"

"Nervous" 2010
Ink on paper, 18" x 18"

"Mine" 2010
Ink on paper, 18" x 18"

"Held" 2010
Ink on paper, 18" x 18"

Large works?

Been so busy with papers and such I took a moment to start some larger pieces. I have always been fascinated by the old art of the east. Gods and Goddesses, Buddha, immortals and demons. Especially the Bodhisattva with a thousand arms.



After thinking it over I have decided it was time to reincorporate my old themes into my new work. I am hoping this piece turns out as well as I wish it will. In addition I have plans to create an even larger piece which will play out the HIV advertisements I saw last year. Bodies covered in many arms, clining and possesing the body. I am beginning to wonder if these new pieces are still part of this collection or not. They do not invoke innocence but desire and the want to be loved or held by someone. It has been perhaps too long since I have seen my girlfriend that it's unconsciously being put to paper with my ink brush. Oh well time to get back to work <3 ----------------

Now playing: ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION - Rewrite

via FoxyTunes

New peices

This series is currently titled "Reclaiming the body" and ongoing series I am working on. I hope to reach 25 before my final critique.

Back to my roots

So in the end after much debate I went back to ink, but with better paper. This series is much more enjoyable compared to my past work. With exception of my fetus series and cats cradle. There is something just simple and yet complex to the drawings that come out when I use sumi-e ink and Chinese brushes. Perhaps it is because I had so much "training" in water colour that it just comes naturally now or because of it's simplicity?
I an currently working on a rough copy for my artist statement, max 100 words or so for the catalog and I think it's 250 for the final copy. In addition I have to come up with a artist statement of 5 sentences max for my submission for the Retrospective show (due friday by 4pm). Things are slow to fall into place but things are getting there.
On another note I realized I'm near the end and I have done next to nothing for the paper, so I'm getting it going now. I also have a curatorial project to make a power point for (got it going so no big there) and an essay about Simone De Beauvoir for Modernism: Critical perspectives (I have everything I just need to pick out what I will use and start it). Even though there is a lot to do in such a short time I'm thankful that I have at least got things going.

Today I paid to stay for the summer or rather paid for august and I have to pay for the others as it comes up. I applied to jobs to stay, if all goes well I will hear back from someone soon. Well that was just a quick update on things that are going on. Back to writing! ( will post images of what is going on with my work soon<3)

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Now playing: Laibach - Nippon
via FoxyTunes

Past Work

Thought Id go over some past work before running off to put the laundry in the machine AND maybe buying a porn magazine for reference (Seriously...).
So this series was done last year in April. Cathy titled the project "Fear" and I really dislike the idea of being pregnant. This is the various stages of the fetus through pregnancy, done in Chinese ink on rice paper. 20 in all , each peice is 9 1/2 x 10 1/2 inches.







The next series was done again with Cathy, this time on childhood memories. When I was trying to learn "Cats Cradle" I continued to fail at it, getting to one point then getting stuck. I just really wanted to learn at the time, even now , sometimes, I will try to get past that point but I always fail. Chinese ink on Reeves paper 10 x 10inches roughly each.





This Diptych came from a sketch of a Tengu (Japanese mythological being). I came up with a story in my head about this captured beast and a young woman falling in love with this creature. Does it tear her to shreds? Does it love her back? Does it know what love is? Does it understand her? Many questions went though my mind of this strange relationship. It reminded me of how my girlfriend and I are seen by others, as she has transitioned and looks gorgeous (I guess people are jealous of me for having her?). Perhaps I understand this woman more than my peers did in my class, no one liked it , except for Cathy if I recall correctly. The second peice next to it, with the creature being absent, shows how maybe she imagined it. Sometimes I hear Elizabeth's (My girlfriend) voice, but how can I when I am in Toronto and she is in little Bowmanville? So perhapse this woman's longing for something "abnormal" or "new" made her dream up this creature (which personally I think is awsome by the way). Also Chinese ink on paper, and tissue paper. 18 by 20? I think.



I am currently trying to work on this series. I am attempting to depict the stages of transition for FTM, but simplified. The last one is ment to be a post-op chest or Male chest, I have not decided what of those two yet.
Charcoal/pastel +oil. on NO idea what size canvases (their at the studio).



Very graphic depiction of what I refer to as " misconceptions of Sexual reassignment surgery".
That's pritty much all it is, to me, but I guess it could be about feminism as well.
Acrylic on 18x 18 inch canvas, with collage.








Last one for tonight- Remember. This was done last year in October in remembrance of those who died. All of the subjects are trans or went outside of gender roles in some way or form, subjected to hate crimes. Remember Our Dead was my refrence for this series of portraits done in acrylic. 20- 4x4 inch canvases. I am deciding still if I should do more or not. I think my goal would be to do a whole wall of them.


Anyhow I hope those of you who check out my blog enjoyed that. I'm off to do laundry, (yey) and make tea. Hope your night is well.