Creative Cocooning

Artist Gillian Cussen joins us from her home in rural Cork with her cat Riley this week! We wanted to say hello to some of our regular visitors who are cocooning, as well as welcoming people who may enjoy a creative activity with no expectations.

The Lonradh programme usually takes place in the gallery with a cuppa, it is an arts programme for older adults and their family members. 

Lonradh is an Irish word which means to illuminate (it is pronounced Lun-rah). Join artist Gillian Cussen in her garden with this short video with an invitation to join her in looking and enjoying being in the moment.

Dandelions

Join artist Gillian Cussen in her garden, this short video is an invitation to stop and look at the dandelions!


You can make comments, suggestions or observations directly to the Crawford education here:

Anne Boddeart
Curator / Programme manager, Learn and Explore:
anneboddaert@crawfordartgallery.ie 
+353 (0)21 490 7857

Emma Klemencic
Education:
emmaklemencic@crawfordartgallery.ie 
+ 353 (0) 21 4907862

Please Share:

Virtual Extended Thursday Club 2 with Artist Julie Forrester

Like a musician…Learning from the masters “like a musician playing a composition written by someone else”

This week I invite you to learn from the masters

We are going to begin online, with a brilliant lecture about Vincent Van Gogh by Katie Hanson. And we are going to use the screen as creative tool, we will be life drawing Katie Hanson as she delivers her lecture.

Then we will take a leaf from Van Gogh’s book and look at another master work and copy it, not in a slavish way but  “like a musician playing a composition written by someone else”

Online Resources
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mlwoc6RooRQ
Katie Hanson, assistant curator, Paintings, Art of Europe
Oct 6 2015, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

Materials

You will need drawing materials -

For my quick sketches, I used a sketchbook and pencils, sharpener, rubber. Use what you have to hand!

The Art Historian by Julie Forrester

Watch Katie Hanson
You are invited to watch this brilliant lecture by Katie Hanson delivered as part of a series of lectures on Vincent Van Gogh at The Boston Museum of Fine Arts

The lecture is great because Hanson is so passionate about her subject. She is beautifully lit from an intriguing angle and there are plenty of pauses as the camera moves from close-ups on her face to wider views which include the works she is speaking about.  As I watched I became fascinated by the forms in Katie Hanson’s face, and I began sketching her as I listened, trying to familiarise myself with her particular features and characteristics and absorbing what she was saying about Van Gogh at the same time. I listened all the way through and then replayed the video stopping to make longer studies. One of the bonuses of using video is the option to stop and catch up or rewind and pause, to go away and come back throughout the lecture all the while bearing in mind the insights the lecturer delivers into Van Gogh’s process.

TASK 1A

You are invited to listen to this fascinating lecture and draw Katie Hanson as she speaks. Treat it as life drawing session - you are doing quick sketches to familiarise yourself with the forms in Hanson’s face.

Try to go with the flow, for your first drawings you will be listening to the lecture and looking at Van Gogh’s works and taking in details about his life and ideas as much as looking at Katie Hanson, so your sketches will be quick and fluid. Make a series of quick gestural drawings without pressing pause.

TASK 1B

Later you can go back later and make longer sketches, pausing the video to capture particular angles and expressions, looking at the play of light and dark across her face. You can use pencil or charcoal for this building layers and carving into the marks you make with your eraser to seek out the play of light across her features. Take as long as you want for this, make your own flow

Consider Vincent Van Gogh’s self training methods “like a musician playing a composition written by someone else”

In the lecture Hanson talks about Van Gogh’s efforts while teaching himself to draw, how much he learnt from looking at the masters, firstly from prints, and then from paintings, looking at mark-making, gesture, composition and colour play.

KH talks about Van Gogh’s photographic visual memory, how particular gestures and motifs in other paintings were burnt into his imagination and how he used them again and again in his own works, like The Sower by Millet (see link below). We can see how Van Gogh also read extensively on contemporary colour theory and we learn how exacting and thorough and inventive he was in his quest to master these skills for himself. (links below)

Van Gogh wasn’t interested in slavishly reproducing what was in front of him -  he describes his approach as being “like a musician playing a composition written by someone else”  - he thinks in terms of music, as well as in terms of colour and composition - I imagine him claiming the masterwork before him like a musical score, embodying the work in a dramatic act of interpretation, perhaps in the way that Sinead O’Connor, interprets Prince’s song “Nothing Compares to You” and owns it! Musicians attempt to claim the songs the sing with the expressive qualities of their own voice, and visual artists do the same.

See the works that Katie Hanson talks about here:

The Sower - Jean-François Millet 1850

Sower after Millet - Vincent Van Gogh 1889

Colour Wheel Charles Blanc 1867
showing the theory of complimentary colours (opposing each other on the wheel) as applied by Vincent Van Gogh

Task 2

In the lecture Hanson talks about Van Gogh’s desire to create portraits as archetypes …”the poet”, “the peasant in the landscape” , “the postman” “the mother at the cradle”  etc. She also talks about how he began to play with colour especially the play between complimentary colours - blue and orange - deep yellow and lavender - greens and reds.

Take a look at this portrait of Deirdre from the Crawford Gallery collection
Deirdre c 1964 bronze with stone base by Jacob Epstein (1880-1975)
Collection of the Crawford Art Gallery

Who is Deirdre? Imagine her as an archetype. All we know about her is she was “Housekeeper” or “Cook” or “Artist’s Model” in Epstein’s household and then she married and went to Australia and most likely inhabited other archetypal personas.…

Using media of your choice crayon, paint, collage etc. I invite you to copy this work, Deirdre like a musician in front of a score. Follow the rhythms and asymmetry of her face, the gesture of her pose, you can go further and invent a background that speaks about this archetypal personage, think about colour and rhythm in your work, make your own reference points, let Deirdre and Jacob Epstein speak to you, and enter the dialogue from your own perspective!

Here is one of my versions following the score set out by Epstein (and Deirdre)

Deirdre after Epstein
You can see more of my responses on Instagram at #thurs_day_club

While I call my version Young Woman, my daughter has called her Mermaid - what do you think? Why not upload your own, it would be fun to see a gallery of Deirdres as different archetypes.
Julie Forrester 2020
Young Woman (Mermaid) after Deirdre by Jacob Epstein

SHARING

You can make comments, suggestions or observations directly to the Crawford education here:

Anne Boddeart
Curator / Programme manager, Learn and Explore:
anneboddaert@crawfordartgallery.ie 
+353 (0)21 490 7857

Emma Klemencic
Education:
emmaklemencic@crawfordartgallery.ie 
+ 353 (0) 21 4907862

Please Share:

Drawing Faces

There are many ways of approaching drawing a face. This timelapse demonstrates techniques like comparing distances, using one feature to measure others, breaking down areas into shapes...

Try something new or find your own method. Draw people around you, use photos or magazine images or take inspiration from portraits in our online collection. 

Here, Avril referred to Fergus Martin’s 'Head No. 32001' from the gallery collection, which can be found on the website. 

Avril O’Brien is an artist and teen tutor.

#crawfordartgalleryhomelife

Click on the video below to view a timelapse of the process

Figure Drawing

We share tips and tricks for drawing a figure. 
Get the low down on ways of finding proportion.
Stuck for art materials? Raid the kitchen cupboards for materials to create expressive mark-making.

Avril O’Brien, Artist and teen tutor, demonstrates with a portrait from the gallery in this short video and handy downloadable PDF.


You can download the PDF in Irish here.

#crawfordartgalleryhomelife

CAG.2431 Eileen Healy, Portrait of Cónal Creedon (detail), 2007, pastel on paper, 115 x 75 cm. Presented, Friends of the Crawford Art Gallery, 2007. © the artist
CAG.2431 Eileen Healy, Portrait of Cónal Creedon (detail), 2007, pastel on paper, 115 x 75 cm. Presented, Friends of the Crawford Art Gallery, 2007. © the artist

Drawing is all about Visual problem-solving. Eileen Healy’s ‘Portrait of Conal Creedon’ (2007) which is part of our collection is a stimulus for this figurative drawing video.

HANDY TIPS FOR FIGURE DRAWING

Expression through media, mark-making

MATERIALS

You don’t need a collection of traditional art materials. Look around your home!

Paper- Paper shopping bags, baking paper, cardboard boxes, packaging.

Media - Spices, vegetables, condiments. We used beetroot for dramatic expression. Ground turmeric (a tiny amount added to a little water), soy sauce, tea and coffee created a sepia tone. Think about light, medium and dark tones.

Mark-making tools – what is in the garden? Leaves, sticks. Around the house? Pasta, straws, biros, scrunched up tissue, string.

Click on the video below to view a timelapse of the process

Colour our Collection

Download a colouring sheet and break out your pencils, crayons and stickers!

Click here to download the Colour our Collection descriptions in Irish.

Jump to your favourite image and download the PDF file to colour:

Swanzy

Mary Swanzy 
Samoan Scene
1924
© the artist’s estate

Mary Swanzy’s painting of a Samoan Scene is bursting with life and colour and we’re challenging you to make this scene your own! Did you know: in 1924, Swanzy sailed 2,600 miles from Hawaii to the island of Samoa, where she painted many scenes of the people she encountered there? What an extraordinary adventure! What are the people in this scene doing? Can you find out anything more about Samoa and the people who live there today? As you colour, perhaps you can imagine that you are travelling to an island in the middle of vast ocean: what would you take with you?

Download the PDF here

You can view the original artwork here

Saturday Closgin

Stephen O’Driscoll 
Saturday Closing

Hold onto your hats! In this artwork, it looks like a big gust of wind has come and jumbled everything! It was made by the nineteenth-century Cork artist Stephen O’Driscoll who worked in Pembroke Street in Cork City. This is an example of a silhouette: an image of something or someone represented as a solid shape of a single colour, usually black, and placed against a lighter background. Can you think up some names and a story to go along with this scene once you’ve finished colouring it in?

Download the PDF here

You can view the original artwork here

Samradh

Muriel Brandt 
An Samhradh Sámh
© the artist’s estate / IVARO

In this painting we can see some friendly cows who have come to say hello to a couple who are taking a shady break from the summer sun. What else can you see in this image? What colours will you use to bring your fields to life? You could give the characters here names and think about what the cows and people could be saying to each other!

Download the PDF here

You can view the original artwork here

 Goldfish

Walter Osborne (1859 - 1903) 
The Goldfish Bowl

Walter Osborne was an Irish artist who painted many scenes of children, animals, and everyday life. His father, William Osborne, was a painter of animals, too! This painting features two young girls inspecting a bowl of goldfish! How many fish can you spot? Can you give these fish a name? As we know, goldfish are typically bright orange, but why not experiment and make up your own one-of-a-kind fish with spots or stripes or zig-zags? What kind of food does the fish in your picture eat? 

Download the PDF here

You can view the original artwork here

Rowland Smith

Daniel Macdonald
General Sir Rowland Smyth K.C.B.
c.1845

This painting is a portrait of a man named John Rowland Smith. What do you think of his outfit? Can you count how many buttons he has? In the original painting, his military uniform is coloured in red and white with gold details, but you can dream up your own colour scheme! Which colours will you choose? And where do you think Smyth is in this portrait? Can you add some friends, flowers, or animals to keep him company?

Download the PDF here

You can view the original artwork here

Domino!

Frank Bramley
Domino!
1886

Frank Bramley was an English artist who lived in Venice, Cornwall and the Lake District. This painting depicts an indoor scene of board-game-playing between two young women. Although it was painted more than 130 years ago, many of us still like to play these kinds of games with our friends and families, especially on rainy days! Board games can be lots of fun but they can also lead to tensions sometimes…who do you think will win this game?

Download the PDF here

You can view the original artwork here

 

Thomas Chambers
Panoramic View of Cork

Thomas Chambers (1808 - 1866) 
Panoramic View of Cork
[taken from Smiths History of Cork] 

Can you find the former Customs House on Emmet Place in this ‘View of Cork’ from 1750? Today, this building is where the Crawford Art Gallery calls home! You might be surprised to see tall masted ships outside, but that’s because many of the city’s streets were once filled with water and boats were used to get from A to B. Why not take a line on a walk through the city streets as you colour in this image? Can you recognise any other buildings or places? You could draw some colourful birds, balloons or rainbows in the sky above the city, too!

Download the PDF here

You can view the original artwork here

Mainie Jellett
Abstract Composition
c.1935

This painting by the Irish artist Mainie Jellett is an example of a style of painting called Cubism. This style involves giving lots of different perspectives of an object in one painting and often using flat, geometric shapes like rectangles, semi-circles and triangles. How many shapes can you see in Mainie Jellett’s painting? How many colours can you use? 

Download the PDF here

You can view the original artwork here

Norah McGuinness River to the Sea

Norah McGuinness
River to the Sea
1959

© the artist’s estate

This painting is a celebration of Ireland’s rural landscape, from the mountains, to the flowers, to the fields, and most especially the rivers and the sea! Can you see the patchwork quilt effect in Norah McGuinness’s original painting? You could use some different colours to make this scene your own! Who do you think lives in the cottage in the distance? Could it be the man in the cap? 

Download the PDF here

You can view the original artwork here

Alfred Elmore
Beppo, "Laura by the side of her adorer, when lo! the Mussulman was there before her." (after Byron) 
c.1847

Alfred Elmore
Beppo, "Laura by the side of her adorer, when lo! the Mussulman was there before her." (after Byron)
c.1847

Alfred Elmore was born in the West Cork town of Clonakilty. In his career as an artist he painted mainly historical scenes, but this one is inspired by a story-poem by Lord Byron, an English poet. Where do you think the people in this painting are? Does the boat or the canal give you a clue? What do you think these people are thinking or saying to each other? Once you’ve coloured them in, maybe you could add some speech bubbles!

Download the PDF here

You can view the original artwork here



Laocoon and His Sons

Hagesandros and Polydoros Athenodoros
Laocoon and his Sons

About the artwork
This artwork tells a story. Poseidon is a powerful sea god and he sends serpents to attack Laocoon and his two sons! Laocoon faced the wrath of the Greek gods because he tried to foil a plan to invade the city of Troy. Greek soldiers had made a huge wooden horse, which they pretended was a present, but really it was filled with an army ready to attack the city of Troy.

Download the pdf here

You can view the original artwork here

Harry Clarke The Arras Rich with Horseman (Design for the Eve of St. Agnes Window) c.1923

Harry Clarke
The Arras Rich with Horseman
(Design for the Eve of St. Agnes Window)
c.1923

About the artwork
Harry loved stories, he was inspired by all kinds of storytelling, fairy tales, poems, spooky ghost stories and romantic legends. Harry made this drawing when he was working out ideas for the design of a stained glass window. In this picture, two characters are running away from a castle on a very cold and wintery night. As they flee they pass a woven cloth called an arras, it is a tapestry that is sewn with horses and woven like their very own dreams.

Download the pdf here

You can view the original artwork here

George Mounsey Wheatley Atkinson A Frigate Being Wrecked off a Rocky Coast 1849

George Mounsey Wheatley Atkinson
A Frigate Being Wrecked off a Rocky Coast
1849

About the artwork
George was born in Cobh over 200 years ago, he sailed the seas working as a ship’s carpenter. George taught himself to paint. He painted Cobh harbour in storm, calm and in sunshine. His paintings show boats of the time with curious names like brigs, schooners, steamers and cutters! In this painting, George imagines a ship battling a storm on the rocky Cork coastline.

Download the pdf here

You can view the original artwork here

Edith Somerville 
The Goose Girl
1888

Edith Somerville
The Goose Girl
1888

About the artwork
This young girl has made friends with the farmyard goose and does not want to see him being served for dinner! The artist Edith Somerville was born in Corfu in 1858, but she spent much of her life living in Castletownsend, West Cork. 

Throughout her life, she painted and sketched daily, while successfully publishing short stories and novels with her cousin Violet Martin. 

Download pdf here

You can view the original artwork here

James Barry

James Barry
Portraits of Barry and Burke in the Characters of Ulysses and his Companion Fleeing from the Cave of Polyphemus
c.1776

Cork-born artist James Barry gave this work a snappy title Portraits of Barry and Burke in the Characters of Ulysses and his Companion Fleeing from the Cave of Polyphemus! James Barry was born in Water Lane, Cork City in 1741. In this picture, he imagines that his friend and teacher, the philosopher Edmund Burke, is a legendary Greek hero called Ulysses. They are trying to escape from a monster called Polyphemus who is a cyclops, shown hunched in the background. A cyclops is a giant monster from legend with just one eye!

Download the PDF here

You can view the original artwork here

Colour the collection bar image

John Lavery
The Red Rose
1923 

About the artwork: 
This is a very romantic painting of a woman holding a lovely red rose. The woman’s name is Hazel Lavery. It is one of over 400 portraits that John Lavery, her husband, made of her. One of his portraits of Hazel even appeared on Irish banknotes in 1928. Can you imagine your own face printed on money? The Red Rose started off as another person’s portrait, but John decided it would be better to paint his wife again! John painted over this canvas several times. So why not experiment? Raid the house for recycling materials to reimagine this picture with collage.

Download PDF here

View the original artwork here

Colour the collection bar image

Gerard Dillon
Old Woman & Washing
c. 1959

About the artwork:
The artist Gerard Dillon loved the people of Connemara, he wanted to show life in the West of Ireland. This painting shows the inside of a cottage before cookers, washing machines, central heating, widescreen televisions or even hoovers! The woman who lives here keeps her home spick and span, her washing is drying and her teapots are warming in front of the fire. Look, there is a place waiting for you by the cosy fire! Imagine what stories this woman could tell.

Download pdf here

View the original artwork here

Daniel Maclise
Francois I and Diane de Poitiers
1834

About the artwork: 
What is this fellow holding in his hand? Does his face look angry, sneaky, surprised or sad? This character is a jester from a painting by Daniel Maclise. 

Daniel was an artist from Cork and he loved history, theatre and storytelling. His painting tells the story of a woman called Diane who comes to the King of France to beg for her father’s release from prison. Her father is released, but Diane must stay with the King.

Can you imagine what happens next?

Download the PDF here

View the original artwork here

John Baptist Closterman
Portrait of a Gentleman
c.1710

About the artwork: 
This painting is over 300 years old! It was painted in the 17th century, photography had not been invented and only the richest people could afford to have a portrait painted. We do not know the name of the gentleman in this portrait, it is a mystery. Feeling playful? Give this gentleman a cunning disguise to add to the mystery! 

Download PDF here

View the original artwork here


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