Umbrian Fields

I have made quite a few paintings of Umbrian fields over the years. Theré’s something quite special about sitting in a field of dying sunflowers drawing and painting them. At the moment I have a few studio-based paintings of this subject in progress. Hopefully, there will be a complete series of these sometime later this year. I am currently wrangling with the paint, always oil. The mysteries and beauties of oil paint take quite a bit of coaxing to get them to reveal themselves. Luckily for me I know they exist.

A human response

Drifting aimlessly through Louisiana Museum of Modern Art on Saturday I came across this wide charcoal drawing by David Hockney. This stunning museum had so far been such a powerful experience in itself as a space displaying art in a landscape setting that it really got me thinking about contexts for display. If the art is so set within nature then which has the more powerful effect? Does the nature always blow the art away or do they compliment each other?

I hadn’t expected to see the Hockney drawing at all so it was a pleasant surprise. I have always been drawn to Hockney’s thoughts on art, painting, drawing and experience. His book Hockney on Hockney (publ. 1976) remains one of my favourites on his creative process, the influences and inspirations behind his work and how, from that early period, the work came about. It’s an easy read too as he’s such a great communicator. I really recommend it. I find his ideas on perception, the depiction of space and his attempts to render these on a flat static surface fascinating. I have similar concerns and it’s the same questions that keep niggling away at you provoking you to do more.

I like the wall panel by this drawing and it echoed what I had been thinking about so I shall quote some of it here…

”… the artist generously donated the preparatory sketch…. Built up of myriad line fragments and bundles of hatchings, it is clear how the artist captures just exactly enough of his subject to bring out its pictorial potential. Nature cannot be surpassed, but nor is that the task of art, according to Hockney. Rather, art must elicit a human response; this has been its mission throughout history. Matisse and Picasso, artists whom Hockney holds in high esteem, also worked on the basis of this idea”.

Charcoal Drawing for “A Closer Grand Canyon’, 1988. Charcoal on paper. Wide, about 2.5 metres.

Delaunay/Valadon

I have come to Copenhagen to see two exhibitions of work by pioneering 20th. century female artists at two stunning galleries: Sonia Delaunay at Louisiana Museum of Modern Art and Suzanne Valadon Artist, Model, Rebel at the Glyptoteket.

‘From a childhood marked by poverty to a career as a popular artist’s model, French artist Suzanne Valadon (1865-1938) defied the odds to become a successful painter.

She challenged the social norms of her time to assert her independence, becoming the first self-taught woman to exhibit at Salon de la Nationale des Beaux Arts. Valadon defied her background in terms of class, gender and lifestyle, breaking new ground with her uncompromising portraits and nudes.

It is more than a century since Valadon painted her unapologetic portraits of self-assured women with strong, curvaceous bodies. The Glyptotek’s exhibition Suzanne Valadon – model, painter, rebel presents the contribution the artist made to European art at the beginning of the 20th century with a focus on her agency and business acumen. With their dark hallmark contours and bright colours, Valadon’s works demonstrate wit and boldness in grappling with themes and issues that continue to provoke debate today: female desire, the conflicts of marriage and motherhood, and the way women themselves experience their bodies.’ Glyptoteket exhibition introduction.

‘Sonia Delaunay (1885-1979) was at the same time a painter, designer, and entrepreneur. She ranks among the most original and fascinating voices of modernism.

When Sonia Delaunay entered a Parisian dance hall in 1913 wearing a collage-like dress that resembled a colorful, cubist painting, it was a statement that attracted attention. It made an impression in the avant-garde environment of the time. Here, the visual art came strolling out of the painting’s frame and directly into the modern, dynamic everyday life.

Right there Delaunay manifested her artistic program and trademark: it was not just about modernizing the visual arts but the culture in a much broader sense.’ Louisiana Modern Art Museum exhibition introduction.

Tree at the Top- Hampstead Heath

iPad drawing

I tend to work on a number of paintings in my studio at the same time. It means I have many on-going, some of which I may have started years ago. They might get temporarily abandoned if I reach a point where they’re not going so well or the thick oil paint needs to dry. The image above is an iPad drawing I made on Hampstead Heath in the summer of 2021 for a series I was working on. It’s was drawn probably at the highest point on the Heath near the Vale of Health. I loved the giant pine tree towering over the distant City of London.

So, the work in progress on the right of it is a detail of the oil on canvas version currently on my studio wall.

It’s large, about 140 x 80 cm.

Miami and Tenerife

I have just been into my storage to pull out some work of old. These two paintings date back to 1986!
They´re mixed media on paper about A2 size and they are going into an Air B and B here in Brighton. The deckchair image I made in Miami, a wonderful place I used to go to quite frequently. The other is of the amazing dragon tree in el Parque del Drago, Icod de los Vinos in Tenerife. This tree is a symbol of the island and was declared a national monument in 1917. It´s impressive and a must see!

Miami Beach Deckchair Mixed media on paper 40 x 56 cm 1986

El Drago Mixed media on paper 42 x 55 cm 1986

'Exploring Ink' Online course starts 09 March 2022

I’m about to finish up my current run of ‘Exploring Ink’ and I’m going to run it again in March. It’s an online evening course and I’ve had very positive feedback about it. Ink is an incredible medium. There are many ways you can push it and extend its use besides its more obvious applications, which I will cover in the course too. Have a look at the course details on this site under ‘Art Workshops’ and hopefully I shall see you online on March 09 at 6.30pm. If you have any questions please just ask. Thanks

Art Workshops

New Art Workshops January 2022 by Julian Vilarrubi

I have some new exciting studio-based and online courses beginning in the middle of January 2022.

Painting is my passion and one of its most powerful elements is colour. Understanding how colour works is important in making choice decisions in your creative work. My one-day studio-based colour mixing course here in Brighton is on January 29th. If you need the fundamentals of theory backed by practical exercises then this course will cover that.

If you're itching to get going on digital drawing with the iPad using what is generally regarded as the best painting and drawing app, Procreate then I have two online courses, one for starters and one intermediate. I've been developing these courses over the last few years and they are very informative. Procreate really is a wonder app. The capabilities of working on an iPad for painting and drawing still amazes me after 8 years. My online Procreate courses begin on January 12th. and 19th.

I have a course 'Exploring Ink' which I ran last year for the first time. Ink is such an incredibly powerful medium and can be used in so many distinct ways. We'll be pushing it as far as possible, making our own inks to work from. Exploring Ink, online, starts on the January 19th.