In recent months I have been working on a large painting, Ovum Nymphs, which proved to be a challenge. It had been hung a prominent spot in my studio where it was easily viewed but ultimately was over contemplated. Yesterday I realised that its presence had started to sicken me, so I placed it in storage with the hope that it will give me the head space that I need to focus on my other pieces.
180 x 90cm, oil on canvas.
The studio feels refreshed without the painting’s door-sized presence. My struggles with this canvas were partly due to not being comfortable working on this large scale. The sheer amount of paint used makes it discouraging to rework once applied — the background alone is made up of two large tubes of white. After using up all that paint before thinking that maybe it would be better a different shade, my relationship with this painting soured. Giving myself distance from this painting will allow me time to lay aside any negative feelings I have for it. In due course I will be able to rework this painting with a fresh mind. Although I do not dislike this painting in its current state, I have not brought it to a satisfactory conclusion and, I am unable to understand how I can improve it at the moment.
I am happy to share that The Banquet has been accepted into the Vacant Museum‘s virtual exhibition, Cravings.
oil on canvas, 100 x 100 cm.
Curb your cravings! Feast your eyes on the delectable female figure laid out for your sole enjoyment. On-the-bone sumptuously plump idea of emaciated perfection. Starve yourself no more!
That was my response to the exhibition brief What do we want, now? What fuels the viscous cycle of wanting and wasting that defines our modern world?
A closer look at the works accepted into the Agored 2021 exhibition by Galeri Caernarfon.
(04.12.21 – 15.01.22)
Mynediad, Von Restorff, and Nascene of Nostalgia.
All are oil paintings on aluminium panel
Janus
Air-drying clay
I am very grateful to of have this opportunity. Below is my artist statement for the show.
Dottie-may Aston is a painter and sculptor based in Anglesey. She has an idiosyncratic fascination with objects. Interested in how we impose sentiment onto otherwise everyday items, she created delicate personalities within the light-hearted motif of seashells. The paintings and sculptures convey how a memory can become the object itself.
The way in which my artistic interest began is unclear. I was born into an artistic family which meant I subconsciously took inspiration from the original paintings and prints that decorated our house. My first memory of scrutinising over an artwork was with a reproduction of The Kiss by Gustav Klimt. When looking at its gold shapes, I realised there was a face of a woman. With astonishment I asked my mum if it was a face. After confirming my discovery she pointed out the male figure. I then realised, through child’s eyes, that they were hugging. The thought of kissing did not cross my mind.
Flaming June by Frederic Leighton.
Another painting that holds emotional nostalgia is Flaming June by Frederic Leighton, a print was hung in my grandmother’s house. Similar to The Kiss, I would have only been around four when I first saw it. I viewed the painting from a very different angle than would have been originally intended by the artist. I remember the foot hidden within the vibrant blanket. The narrow hallway in which the print hung mean that it took a number of visits, with me staring at it intermittently, to discover the full figure. I haven’t viewed this painting much since my childhood. When I recently rediscovered it, I was taken aback by the proportions – as of course they were very different to my childhood memory.
My foremost experience of drawing from life was within the months before starting my at university degree. Prior to studying, I was home-educated by my mother, due to my school lacking the support required for my learning disabilities. As part of my home-education, my mother encouraged me and my siblings to draw from imagination every day.
On the lead-up to university I decided to broaden my abilities through a sketchbook of observational drawings. Initially this sketchbook was just to improve my draughtsmanship but looking back, these drawings hold more feeling than a mere diagram. Although I don’t study these sketches for my current paintings, I feel there is a connection to my current approach to seeing as well as handling of different media.
Still life, how and why, we became friends. Although I had drawn objects from life, I never really thought of them as still-lives. Until the second term of my first year, when I produced this series of oil paintings. These paintings were done after I suffered the bereavement of fellow student and friend – only two days before the start of the Easter semester. During the first lesson, I could not think of anything but what happened a few days before. Everything my tutor said seemed to trigger me.
The subject for this painting workshop was to paint an apple, the painting I did was awful. At the end of the class my tutor suggested that we all produce at least one fruit painting by the next week. So on my way home, I picked up some fruit and painted them that night. I painted the same apples over and over again to prove to myself that I could paint an apple well, because I had failed so miserably in class. The following painting is my favourite that I have done of an apple.
I surprised myself with the amount of enjoyment I got from these paintings, I had never really thought much of still life. But whilst painting I found satisfaction in their subtle positions and giving them personalities. After that term I drifted away from still life until the first national lockdown. When, for a painting workshop, I painted a bat – I will tell you more about that painting another day. After that I started to paint the objects around me. I settled for a while on the inspiration of shell formations – find out more about these paintings here.
At the start of term, my painting tutor suggested that I paint objects without thinking of them as a still life. With this feedback I then went on to portray two paintings, one a rosebud, and the other a Murex shell. While painting the Murex I decided to video it using my phone as a time-lapse. This is the first time I have filmed the development of my paintings. As odd as it may sound, I found it interesting to see myself work. There are some painting decisions that I can’t remember making, some of which I regret. For example, I repainted the shell after destroying it when painting the background. In hindsight I should have focused on the backdrop before detailing. Despite this I am glad I made these mistakes, through this experience I have learned more about my process. Please let me know if there is anything that you think I should have painted differently.
At the start of this term me and Jonathan sat in on a horse dissection. To begin with it was horrid! After the initial shock of the situation and the overpowering smell, I was put at ease to be told that the animals had been ethically sourced. That is, they died from natural causes and their bodies used for educating future vets for them to better care for the animals. This information helped me get over the fact I was watching students cut open an animal. I was then able to focus on my sketches. The environment was no different from that of a painting workshop, people chatting about mundane subjects, giving the class a fairly normal vibe.
Attending these dissections over several weeks had improved both my paintings and drawing ability. Drawing something that I have never seen before in person was an exciting challenge and it has changed my perception completely. After the first class my eyes had started to see differently, making me more conscious of what’s under the skin, and how movements are made in mammals.As the dissection is a continual process, the whole composition could change in an instant. This has forced me to look even harder than I would normally. I’ve found that it has made my abilities with mark making as well as my drawing skills from life and imagination have both noticeably improved.
The studies are all from my A5 sketchbook. To see all of them visit my sketchbook gallery. Most were done standing up which was somewhat intense, although I am used to standing up for art workshops. It is difficult to drawing without an easel, not to mention arriving at the dissection tiers due to it being a long steep walk to the campus. Like the smell, I slowly got used to this. I hope you found this interesting! Your welcome to share your thoughts in the comments, thank you.
At the start of the lockdown, I struggled a little bit moving out of the studio, not having classes or seeing my tutors. But when it settled down a bit I had a creative run! I was doing so much painting each day that was until, I realized I was behind on my art history assessment. This as usual paralysed my practical work because when I painted I was in fear of not getting my art history done. When doing my art history I was completely blank because I was stressing, it was gastaly! I decided that to keep myself claim, I should do some sculptural work.
It may appear that for me sculpting can sometimes be a form of procrastination. These are the sculptures that I have been distracting myself with. They are taking a long time to complete, because they are not part of my degree, making me work on them intermittently. I usually like to slowly build up the clay. Consistently working over dry layers that will gradually form the figure..
The picture on the left was taken July 1,2019. When she was in her early stages. The photo to the right is of another sculpture from June 26,2019. I had only just started sculpting this lady, as you can see I was working from a sketch. I think this is the first piece of sculptural work that I had made a physical plan for. Usually, I would just visualise ideas before picking up my clay, pondering on them as I work.
As you can see she has changed a lot from the beginning layer, and the original plan, but this is all part of the process. The only reason I noted this plan down as a drawing was because I wasn’t in the position to sculpt, when the idea struck.
Although she may look like she’s close to completion, I still have a lot more work ahead of me. Next I need to sculpt the ends of her fingers witch I will do individually so that I don’t accidentally destroy them – this cold take days. I also need to sand her and possibly carve some of her away as I think her knees need to be reworked. When the sculpting bit is done I will proceed to prime her with several layers of gesso. Then I will finally paint her, something that I’m both excited and scared to do.
I don’t normally share pictures of my work when it’s in-progress, nor do I share my sculptural work online, so I hope you like this post and share your thoughts.
“You find me at work; excuse the dust on my blouse. I sculpt my marble myself.”
I still remember my first real studio, it was in the same building as my mother’s studio gallery/shop. I contributed a bit of the rent every week to have the little room above the kitchen. It was very cosy as it was an attic. The building was a historical property located in cardigan. Originally a stable for the cardigan castle, my room would of been where they stored things. It had to be painted with yellow ochre because it was made of limestone.
This little room suited me, it was such a happy time for me to have somewhere that wasn’t my bedroom, to make and create. I came to love the studio so much more than my room, to the point that the only time I spent in my bedroom was sleeping or getting ready to head to the studio. The times that I wasn’t doing any of these things I was working to pay for my studio with my little jobs.
Because of those jobs I rarely had a full day in the studio, that’s why I’m so happy to have a studio space in my second year of uni. I’m trying to make the most of the time that I have as a student and focus on my main goal which is to develop my artistic talents and skills, without worrying about other commitments. Plus having my studio in the old college is so inspiring for me!
I would of never dreamt that my studio would be in this stunning Gothic building! It’s charming character inspires my work and its sea view calms my mind from the midst of my chaotic thoughts. I have been very lucky to have such a big space! I will miss this building very much so when we get kick out in June. I am also happy it will finally get the attention and love it’s been waiting so long for! I hope my third studio will be as charming as the last two.
Dottie-may Aston 