If you happen to be in New York…..

…..you could do worse than go and have a look at this exhibition:

http://huff.to/Kqb0kj

It’s about drawing and I think it looks fascinating and uses a very original approach, which will definitely resonate with those of us who enjoy a sketchbook habit.   I was particularly taken by the animal skulls, a collection of which, along with other found bones, rocks and stones, take pride of place in my studio.  What do you collect that pops up in your artwork from time to time? and do you keep the objects after you have drawn them?

John Cleese on Creativity

I have been talking alot recently about how Bad Art and Artist’s Journals are an excellent way for us to tap into the creative side of our brains and overcome the fear of failure.  I have just come across this excellent little video where John Cleese is talking about creativity and the ways he has found to access what he calls “the open mode”.  It’s fascinating and very funny too, as you would expect.

Find it here:  http://bit.ly/ICxSvS

By the way, BAD ART NIGHTS begin again on Tuesday night in Bristol – I would love to see you at all or any of them. See the Workshops page for details.

The Potting Shed Mentality

Once upon a time, on a little damp island in a cold sea, there was a race of people who made stuff.  They didn’t belong to organisations, they didn’t attend workshops, they didn’t have much money and they had never heard of “designer sportswear”.  They didn’t get their ideas from the television or the internet because there was no such thing. Continue reading

Thomas Edison was absolutely right

One of my favourite quotes by Thomas Edison is this one:

“To invent, you need a good imagination and a pile of junk.”

This was amply borne out by my very inventive attendees at last Tuesday’s Bad Art Night.  They surpassed themselves, and I wanted to show you the astonishing results.  Bad Art Nights attracts people from all walks of life, and this time there were a few engineers in the mix as well.  As my Dad was an engineer, I have a few of those genes myself, and have found that Bad Art is one of the best ways I know to stop fiddling with tiny details and look at the bigger picture. Continue reading

Mood Music Painting Session

This week at my Bad Art Night, I set my class to work one of my “Mood Music” sessions, where they are asked to listen to a piece of music and paint whatever they feel about it, in terms of colour, shape and texture. It can be abstract or representational, and they have to stand up to do it so that they can move to the music as they paint. Everyone seems to enjoy this exercise and we compare results afterwards. What is particularly interesting to discover is that very often the paintings produced are quite similar to each other, which seems to suggest that music invokes particular feelings about colour and shape which are universal.  Continue reading

WHAT IS BAD ART AND WHY DO SHOULD WE DO IT?

A Bad Art painting set to music

“The intuitive mind is a sacred gift and the rational mind is a faithful servant. We have created a society that honours the servant and has forgotten the gift.”  Albert Einstein Continue reading

Bad Art Nights at Hamilton House

The attendees at the first of these new drop-in sessions produced some wonderful (Bad?) art so I am posting up a few of their creations. We had so many paintings, drawings, collages and sculptures by the end of the evening that I can’t, unfortunately, post all of them here, but here are a few examples of what we got up to.  These are chosen entirely at random so please don’t be offended if yours isn’t there this time!

I look forward to seeing you all next time and any new Bad Art enthusiasts who would like to drop in.  See workshop page for details and what to bring.