Tag: dotmaston

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Painting Uncategorized

Ovum Nymphs in progress

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.

Dottie may Aston
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.

All images are protected under UK copyright law

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Drawing Uncategorized

Dissections

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© 2020 Dottie-May Aston. Nasal Cavity.

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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.

© 2020 Dottie-May Aston. Insides on the Outsides.

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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.

© 2020 Dottie-May Aston. A Horse Kicking In the Bucket.

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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.

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Categories
Painting

The Shunga Occurrence

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I’ve always been a fan of this print; The Dream of the Fisherman’s Wife by Hokusai, the image was first published in 1814. Although I wasn’t thinking of Hokusai at the time of painting the first few of these images, after I noticed this visual link I decided to look into these prints further. Turns out that The Dream of the Fisherman’s Wife is part of the ukiyo-e movement that sought to express an idealisation of contemporary urban life and appeal to the new chōnin class. It was also Shunga, a Japanese term for erotic art, that was enjoyed by all social groups in the Edo period.

© 2020 Ameonna, Dottie-May Aston.

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I then came across something called Ero Guro or the English-Japanese highbred name, Wasei-eigo, ero from “ero(tic)”, Guro from “gro(tesque)”, and nansensu from “nonsense”. The “grotesqueness” implied in the term refers to things that are malformed, unnatural, or horrific. I think this unique name could be applied to the majority of my work.

© 2020 Ameotoko, Dottie-May Aston.

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This led me to continue with this painting series as a contemporary Shunga/Ero guro series. Looking deeper into the human fixation with making erotic connections with cephalopods, in a somewhat Surrealist style. 

© 2020 Gigolo, Dottie-May Aston.

I decided to name these paintings after Japanese folklore, mythology and, other intriguing stories that I have always found fascinating. The ones I’ve done so far are titled, Amabie’s Kiss, Gigolo, Ameonna, and Ameotoko. I plan to repaint some of these at some point and continue more paintings relating to this recent research.

© 2020 Amabie’s Kiss, Dottie-May Aston.

I named this painting, Amabie’s Kiss. Amabie originating from a Japanese legend of a mermaid or merman who has three legs, and allegedly emerges from the sea prophesying either an abundant harvest or an epidemic. The figure to the left I have painted as Amabie, who is spreading the epidemic in the form of a kiss to the jellyfish.

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“I have drawn things since I was six. All that I made before the age of sixty-five is not worth counting. At seventy-three I began to understand the true construction of animals, plants, trees, birds, fishes, and insects. At ninety I will enter into the secret of things. At a hundred and ten, everything–every dot, every dash–will live”

-Hokusai Katsushika
Categories
Painting

Studio Space Old and New

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© 2020 by Dottie-May Aston. Previous studio (window view).

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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.

© 2020 by Dottie-May Aston. Previous studio (outside).

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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.

© 2017 by Dottie-May Aston, Previous studio (my messy desk).

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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!

© 2020 by Dottie-May Aston, Current studio space.

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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.

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Painting Uncategorized

Me and My Blue Devils

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I don’t say everything, but I paint everything.

Pablo Picasso
© 2020 by Dottie-May Aston, Blue studio.

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My blue period is a series of paintings where I have used the human body to express personal traumatic experiences featuring things that are otherwise sensitive for me to describe…

© 2020 by Dottie-May Aston, Blue.

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But because I decided to use the human figure and not random shapes, my tutor’s disregarded these paintings as “college art” and not “real art”. I found these comments difficult but I know there is truth to these words, so after their feedback, I have decided to let go and lose all care of if the future viewers understand my work. I will be posting these blue paintings regardless, explaining the concepts.

Categories
Painting

Me, Myself, and I

I’m currently in my second year, proudly studying an undergraduate BA degree at Aberystwyth School of Art. Born in the Forest of Dean, to a mother of Gypsy heritage, I moved around a lot growing up. Home-education seemed to be the best option for me as I struggle to write due to having severe Dyslexia and Dyspraxia. Practical work comes more naturally, although that too is also often met with additional challenges. Speaking about my work has also posed further problems, as the concepts are usually personal – focusing on sensitive issues. I am often confused with being a shy person. My quietness is confused with insecurity but that is not the case. There is of course elements of insecurity in everyone but my primary method of communication is through visual signage and not through vocal discharge! Sometimes people misread these images as being ‘too obvious’ but they have fallen victim to their shallowness, rejecting the invitation to look deeper.


Recently someone asked why I spoke quietly. Being unaware that I was, made me go inwards making my quietness worse. On the outside, I am usually perceived as a calm gentle person, but under the surface, there is a creative potential stocked by there fires of inadequacy. Born into an artistic family, I have always compared my talents to theirs something that always hurt when I had made something and thought it was good to then look at my sister’s work and I felt utterly useless. My artist Mother, although incredibly supportive, has also unintentionally made me feel useless in comparison. Today I look at artists that I know I don’t have the same skill set as, and I will keep doing this because it is the way I’ve taught myself so far.

A lot of people I know have said “oh! I don’t think I’ve seen any of your art” this is because of other artists in my family, I feel I’m in the giant shadow of there superior talent. I don’t like to flaunt my work at people after they’re shown me theirs. I’m frightened of casting my little shadow on another, particularly my younger brother who doesn’t want to show me his drawings because he thinks they’re not good. Having said all this, my blog is intended to be a depository of perfectly collected thoughts and observations, surrounding my passion for the visual arts, topped off with perfect grammar and punctuation of course!

Be yourself; Everyone else is already taken.

-Oscar Wilde.