#80: A Practice Celebration

Well then.

It seems as if I have reached my 80th post since it all started just over two years ago with some clothes-wearing bears. Back then I'd just gotten back into regular art production, having left it behind for four years while I studied English literature at university. Though I'd never really liked watercolours much before, they were the only colouring method I had on hand, so I picked them up and man - I've not looked back since.

Two-ish years, two shows and most likely more than 100 paintings of strange creatures later, watercolours are my dearest friend, providing me with glorious washes and intricate detail and the most curiously luminous colours a girl could ask for. So thanks for being you, watercolours - thanks a bunch!

Phew, That was more than enough sentimentality, don't you think? To cut the sugar of my ode to art & watercolour-y goodness, allow me to show you some sketchbook experiments I've been performing in recent weeks.

The subject?

PEOPLE.



Can you even believe it? Look around you! These are PEOPLE in Victorian clothing! No animals in sight!!



I made the tough (for me...people are way more intimidating to draw than animals/birds/etc.) decision to have the main characters for the next show/book be Victorian humans, as they'd give me more leeway in the curious creatures their imaginary studies could cover (on that note, there will be more detail about my current project coming in future entries...man, I'm excited for this one!!).





These characters are all culled from Flickr, which holds a rich collection of scanned vintage photographs, many of which contain the most incredible faces - stunning beards, whimsical moustaches, elaborate hairdos and glorious noses abound, along with a plethora of delectable dresses, waistcoats, military jackets and suits, everything providing fodder for a whole new artistic direction!





After making myriad sketches, I've developed just enough confidence to begin transferring my favourite faces over to watercolour paper, where they'll eventually become pieces for the next show. Below is a wee timeline of one such piece:



This is the sketchbook version of an as of yet unnamed woman, dressed in the regalia of a secret society (which you will hear more about in later entries!).



And here's the current progress of the 'good copy' - initial washes complete, ready for layers and miniscule detail!


So that's a peek into my sketchbook's most recent denizens - please do stay tuned, as I have another entry coming up quite soon, which will contain more peeks into the new project as well as a few more details about the project's theme and such.

Happy (Gory) Valentine's Day!

Don't be afraid - this grizzly bear means well, he just isn't very good at managing his claws/teeth:



Happy Valentine's Day, everyone!

Inspire Me With Your Insides

Since I haven't had time to do any scanning or photography (but want to try and start posting more than once a month), here's another episode of Things That Really Really Inspire Me Right Now, Hooray!

As noted in the last original-art post, I've been kind of obsessed with drawing the insides of things (thus far mostly fish, though I did sketch a human torso once). These images, therefore, are fantastic for both inspiration (the drawing style and the colours make me drool a little) and reference -







Amazing, right?

Inspiring Movement

As I embark on a whole new idea artistically (and, it so happens, in my life as well), I find myself seeking new sources of inspiration. Where my last show saw me rummaging for the bright lights of the circus and freakshow, this new direction has lately been calling for the muted colours of the sea on a stormy day, for tiny, detailed illustrations of scientific specimens, and for all manner of anatomical illustration.

To help collect the inspiring images that appear in the digital world, I have set up another Tumblr scrapbook - Collected Collection. Along with that resource, I have been absorbing stimulating images elsewhere, including at the movies. Just last night I made my way to a theatre to see L'Illusionniste, a thoroughly beautiful (and quietly tragic) film directed by Sylvain Chomet (who also directed one of my all-time favourite animated films Les triplettes de Belleville).

Though much more subtle than Les triplettes (which rollicked merrily along, skirting storms of darkness but never succumbing to anything less than manic, glorious fun), L'Illusionniste offered equally beautiful animation. The colours of the visual landscapes, which moved through Paris, London, the Scottish highlands and Edinburgh, matched the story's quiet, sad beauty with slightly muted tones, as if the whole movie was 'shot' either at the golden hour or during the soft drizzle of a newborn autumn storm.

I found myself immersed in the world of the Illusionist, completely enthralled by the detail filling every single frame, and inspired by the animators' use of colour. Cases in point:







Absolutely incredible, eh? If you've got a love for the wonders of traditional animation, make sure to see this one on the big screen, as the amount of detail put into every scene is unbelievable.

I promise I'll have a post of my own art ready soon - I've been sketching busily away in my book in preparation for actually starting to work on the new show/idea (the thrill!).

Oh, and as a bonus, here are the two trailers for the movies mentioned in this post (because the animation is even more amazing when seen in motion):





L'enjoi!

New Year, New Projects!

Now that 2011 has dropped its bags on my floor and moved in for the long haul (well, the next 300+ days, at least), my mind has also rambled along, onto exciting new projects that (mostly) don't involve circus freaks.

Here's a sneak peek of the main thing on which I'm working right now. It's in its very earliest planning stages, though my thoughts can't help leaping ahead to even more thrilling stages of the work. Sometimes it's an effort to keep myself confined to the sketchbook, making the necessary preparatory sketches.

Here's one of the more finished (a.k.a. watercoloured) sketch-beasts. Let's just say I'm currently finding myself quite obsessed with marine life, anatomy and cross sections:



Onwards, 2011! May you be full of fishes and sea-swells and the odd curiosity too!

This Saturday Only: Farther's Freaks - The Re-Freakening!

Thanks to the kindness of a friend, I will be lucky enough to take part in the 401 Richmond Artisan's Marketplace this Saturday from 12 p.m. until 8 p.m. only. Please come and visit (I'm sorry I don't know the studio number yet, but that's alright - it shall be like a thrilling adventure, a mighty quest! The Freaks are worth it!).

The following freaks will be making an appearance...

A. Buckingham Farther, The Egotistical Show-runner:


Mrs. Whilemina Farther, A Giant:


Mr. Alonzo Purcell, The Amazing Moustache:


Buford B. Bartleby, Strongman:


Ida Eckhardt, Contortionist:


Gideon Gilead Gander, Sword Swallower:



Also available will be the last remaining poster from the Farther's Freaks traveling show - a VERY rare collector's item, coveted by freakshow enthusiasts worldwide:



Hope some of you manage to make your way out to visit - it promises to be a great event, with plenty of entertainment available (even outside the realm of the freaks).

Dance Bears, Dance!

This post is all about bears!



Wait...no, no. THOSE ARE THE WRONG BEARS!



Much better. Those are the bears I was talkin' about.

Anyways. I made a visit to the gallery today to check in on my Fascinating Freaks and was pleased to see that many of them have found new homes with loving familes - just seven creatures remain!

I was also able to take some video of the bears waltzing in their serene forest home, and I'll share it with you in just a moment. First, though, I'd like to share a few more production shots of the woods in which the bears reside. Oh, and I'd also like to mention that the fact that the bears move at all is entirely due to the hard work of my friend Anibal, who did the mechanical/electrical elements of this peep show. I'm not sure I've mentioned that the installation was not mine alone here before and thought I should remedy that fact, as I could not have made this happen without his help.

Right. Back to your regular, bear-filled programming!


The scenery, pretty much done - just needs a couple more ursine inhabitants.


My cellophane flowers (no, they don't grow so incredibly high, but I love them nevertheless).


A very enthusiastic moon-man.

Alright. Now, without further ado, I present the Internet debut of THE BEARS, dancing to tunes from the band Beirut (because the original music box plinkings didn't get picked up so well by my camera's mic. Thank goodness for iMovie). Please grin and bear (pun sort of intended) the absolutely crap quality of my camera - its low light abilities aren't really up to par.

Video #1: Probably too long, a bit wobbly, has an awkward cut near the end. Hooray?

More Bears Waltzin' to Lovely Tunes from Jessica Bartram on Vimeo.

Video #2: Black and white, much more succinct than the first one, but you don't quite get to see the awesomeness of the scenery.

Waltz in the Nightwood: B&W with Music! from Jessica Bartram on Vimeo.

(Click through to Vimeo to see both videos a bit larger. And yes, I also post wholly ridiculous attempts at ukulele playin' on the account. What of it?)

Enjoy!!

Farther's Opening Gala: A Pictorial

The work went all the way to the wire (the peep show was still being installed at 7:30 p.m.), but in the end the show's much-awaited opening went off without a hitch! There were homemade baked goods (moms are the best), a rollicking crowd, lovely tunes and a whole bunch of colourful freaks ready to entertain the masses.

For those of you who could not make it out last night, remember that the show will be up at Freedom Clothing Collective until Dember 9th!

Since I'm still in a bit of a haze (the week leading up to last night was, to put it mildly, hectic), you get a pictorial of the evening. Enjoy!






My darling Martha, the first freak to sell. I'll miss my mer-tiger ever so much!


A dim shot of the store window, all bunting'd and carnivalesque.

To follow: Peep show shenanigans...












Two VERY relieved bear-wranglers, thrilled that the thing works!


The jazz hands were out in force last night.


Spectators spectating.


The crowd at its zenith.

Thanks to all those who made it out last night - you made me a VERY happy lady!

Many thanks as well to the lovely ladies of Freedom CC who provided me with wonderful walls in a glorious shoppe and made the organization of this show easy as pie!

Ever So Soon

Sorry (again) for the extreme dropoff in blog-things - the past few weeks have been a leafy blur of hot glue fumes, paper cutting and workshop jaunts, which, when combined with my day job, made for little free time for keeping this sucker up to date.

I figured it'd be useful to drop in now, three (THREE?!?) days before the show opens to toss down (a) a reminder of the time/date/awesomeness of the opening, and (b) post a few shots of (hopefully) tantalizing trees!

First off, the deets on the show's opening (and tenure at the gallery):



Farther's Fascinating Freaks
New Paintings & Other Curiosities by Jessica Bartram


Please join me for the show’s opening
Friday, November 12, 2010, 8:00 p.m.
at
Freedom Clothing Collective
939 Bloor St. West, Toronto

Ph: 416.530.9946
www.freedomclothingcollective.com

Show runs November 12 - December 7

---

And, as an added bonus, you also get a visual essay (maybe more of a visual haiku, actually) documenting the last few weeks of work via sketchy cell-phone and photo booth photos:


The nearly-finished swan.


The swan's headshot - needs to find itself a better photographer.


First look at the facade of the peep show (pre-colour, post-primer).


Tibetan momos - one of my workshop-time staple foods.


This is my SAFETYFACE (preparing to make use of my friend the circular saw).


Starting the first tree...


...slightly mad at 2 a.m., post finishing the second tree...


...and completely done all three trees!


This is most likely the last proper post until the show opens on Friday - after that, I'll have a bunch of material (including a VIDEO of the peep show! Exciting!!), so make sure to check back sometime next week!