Giles Davies Art
Work, work in progress and thoughts
Sunday, 27 November 2022
Saturday, 1 May 2021
Friday, 15 January 2021
Friday, 4 September 2020
Friday, 17 July 2020
Thursday, 19 March 2020
iPad drawing of Laura
I drew this on an iPad using a stylus pen in pencil mode. For the most part it felt like using a pencil the way it responded to pressure, although broad sweeps with the edge of the stylus were more charcoal like. This is the first time I've made a digital drawing and I rather liked it. However, because the resulting image has much in common with a pen and ink wash, a medium I also have little experience of, I have been inspired to experiment with that instead of doing more iPad drawings! I'm sure I will do more digital drawing, the ability to flawlessly undo marks is fantastic. But, may be that's the appeal of pen and ink; every mark counts and is more or less permanent and scratchy corrections, unwanted blobs and smears all add to the challenge and character of a drawing.
Saturday, 31 August 2019
Monday, 21 March 2016
Monday, 16 February 2015
Selfie - updated status
Oil on canvas 65 x 50 cm
|
Know Thy Selfie
This painting is an exploration of the
relationship between the painted self-portrait and the selfie.
Someone taking a selfie will take (or select from several
recently taken) a photo that adequately reflects how they want to be
represented at that moment. They then upload it to a networking (or sharing) platform such
as Facebook or Twitter where it goes to the top of a time line. Typically,
there will be many images of this person earlier in this time line and there
will undoubtedly, be more later too. So a virtual version of the person exists
in parallel that they can control in order to maintain a certain self-image; it
is a curated self that aims to impress.
This self-portrait was painted from life using a mirror, not
a photo; the phone was just a prop. Although I've adopted the pose of a
selfie taker my intention is self-study, born from curiosity more than
propaganda. I find that to get a reasonable likeness I have to examine myself
with forensic care and record what I see with ruthless objectivity (not always
a kind process). It is a reflective practice that strips away ego and hopefully
reveals something honest and without pretence. The painting took several days
to complete so it captures the full variety of the relationship between me and
my reflection over that time: different moods, thoughts, etc. Also, how a
portrait is painted says as much about the painter as it does of the sitter so
in the case of the self-portrait you have this extra layer of information. It is a distillation of time into a
timeless image; a milestone that acknowledges mortality.
The selfie is a captured moment, a disposable image that
joins a stream of images past, present and future; images whose main function
is not memory (like the family album), but to maintain the existence of online
ME. A stream of images that flow into a river (the sharing platform), then into
an ocean of yet more images.
Does this ocean of images represent a new generation of
self-obsession expressed through photophilia, or could it be that as
technology becomes more integrated into our lives then everyday experience and
ideas of self are increasingly mediated through this technology? Then, the posted selfie becomes a natural and inevitable practice for many people.
Related articles:
http://www.economist.com/news/books-and-arts/21599322-it-time-stop-invoking-narcissism-diagnosis-so-many-modern-ills-self-love
Related articles:
http://www.economist.com/news/books-and-arts/21599322-it-time-stop-invoking-narcissism-diagnosis-so-many-modern-ills-self-love
Monday, 2 June 2014
Saturday, 26 April 2014
Melon on a Cloth; a Metaphor for Resurrection
Oil on canvas 36cm x 36cm |
This study of a cut up melon on a white cotton sheet is as much a portrait of the sheet, with all it's creases, folds and subtle coloration, as a depiction of melon with it's contrasting strong chroma. If any additional layer of meaning arises while arranging a still life, a process that usually takes hours, then those elements tend to stay and become a focal idea which informs how the painting is painted.
The red melon flesh lying on a crumpled sheet stained with melon juice reminded me of the idea of the body of Christ lying on a shroud, and the old master paintings depicting this and also the still life paintings of the C17th monk, Juan Cotan. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juan_S%C3%A1nchez_Cot%C3%A1n
There is also a trinity aspect; one melon cut into three pieces. Unequal in size, there is a large piece
on a raised level, a medium sized piece and the smallest teeters on an edge. It is three aspects of the
same thing from a spherical whole.
My studio is located inside a Baptist church. Before Easter
I was chatting with the minister, James, about his preparations and mentioned
this painting. I discovered that the apostle Paul describes Christ’s
resurrection, as ‘first fruits’ (1 Corinthians 15:23). First Fruits is a
harvest term, it’s an offering, an opportunity to give the first fruits back to
God as a show of faith. There are also other references to fruit concerning
Jesus and his teachings in the Bible. I was not aware of this when I started
the painting, but did feel that somehow fruit was a good metaphor for Christ, crucifixion
and resurrection as it conferred ideas of ripeness, seeds and growth,
regeneration and rebirth.
He then invited me to talk about this painting during the Easter service. This was a great pleasure and an honour as it was also the churches 75th anniversary service.
He then invited me to talk about this painting during the Easter service. This was a great pleasure and an honour as it was also the churches 75th anniversary service.
Thursday, 24 April 2014
Thursday, 5 September 2013
Festival portraits
The Ark T Centre, where I have my studio (which is actually in the adjoining church), had a stall at the Elder Stubbs Festival this summer. It's an unusual festival, being held in garden allotments and hosted by the charity Restore that offers support to local people with mental health issues. I set up shop at the Ark T stall doing portraits of visitors in charcoal to help with fund raising for the Ark T Centre, which is also a charity.
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