Being a finalist in Australia’s richest landscape art prize this year was an experience that I will always treasure. Since 2017, the prize has attracted artists from a variety of art disciplines from across the country. The location for the exhibition in Hadley’s Orient Hotel in Hobart is truly wonderful. The hotel has been fully restored to its former glory by owner Don Neal and his family, who also sponsor the main prize.
I have entered before, but without success. How could an artist working mainly in coloured pencils stand a chance against some of Australia’s top painters? Would the judges even consider coloured pencils as a worthwhile medium? I’m convinced that some don’t. Not to be deterred, I kept on entering, as I do with several annual major art awards. On this occasion I was successful. Joy, shock and amazement followed upon receiving the news. I was told by a friend to ‘enjoy the ride’. I did and my entry sold which was an added bonus!
My entry, “Ancient Light”, 103 x 82 cms, coloured pencils and ink on paper, came from my experiences following trips to the North East of Tasmania, along the Ralph’s Falls track below Mount Victoria.
This part of northeast Tasmania, not far from Mount Victoria, looks ancient, undisturbed, with the appearance of being in a time capsule. Every time I visit it looks the same. That’s why I return. Fallen timber and man ferns keep the landscape a prisoner from the rest of the world and that’s a good thing. If I’m there early enough, I’m greeted by a warm, reassuring golden light that lifts one’s spirits as well as those that dwell there.
I’m working on an entry for next year’s prize despite little chance of being a finalist again, but I’m up for the challenge!
As we get older, most of us spend time in various waiting rooms, usually associated with health issues. Often these places feature locally produced artworks that grace the walls and give us something to look at and can be a welcome distraction to playing with our phones. The standard of these artworks can vary immensely and they either attract our attention for a period of time, or receive a passing glance. I’ve seen some inspiring artwork and others that I would categorize as ‘terrible’. People waiting to see a health professional are often anxious, why then hang artwork that’s only going to increase their anxiety? Of course, there are waiting rooms devoid of anything creative. What does one look at to ease one’s anxiety?
Art has the potential to relax and calm, especially art that is appropriately chosen.
I have examples of my artwork in our city’s (Launceston) major hospital and at a doctors’ surgery and plans to feature a collection of recent work in a medical centre later this year.
I believe that art in a waiting room needs to be ‘curious’ as well as calming, as this a ‘different’ audience than one would expect in an art gallery. Artwork can be offered for sale, but it’s rarely sold. It’s more about a public service than a commercial venture.
Stones from Anniversary Bay, WIP. Coloured pencils and ink, 82 x 56 cms.
What examples of artwork should be found in a waiting room? Obviously, the art on display needs to be calming and engaging, not upsetting or alienating. Triggering one’s curiosity will go a long way to relieving stress and anxiety. How does one do that? A warm, bright colour palette can certainly uplift one’s spirits, but there is another way, one I call ‘Where’s Wally Art’. In book form, ‘Where’s Wally’ has long been a hit with children as they pour over the illustrations to find ‘Wally’ or other specific subjects. Adults like such challenges too!
I’m taking a different tack by creating seemingly ‘mundane’ drawings of objects such as beach stones, hundreds of them. The rational being that people will stare at such drawings for long enough to take their mind off their anxiety. They will ‘see’ things ‘hidden’ in the stones, or simply look for things that aren’t really there, but their imagination tells them other-wise.
I have included a photo of a drawing that I’m currently working on of beach stones from Anniversary Bay in North West Tasmania. Interestingly, I have found creating this particular drawing extremely therapeutic and hope its audience will feel the same. At 82 x 56 cms, it’s a reasonably large drawing, but I’m also considering one mush larger and more detailed to increase the ‘curiosity’ level.
Details from my current drawing of stones.
Hopefully, on this occasion, ‘mundane’ will prove to be an attention-grabbing artwork in an anxious environment.
It starts with a dot, maybe a short line followed by a multitude of longer lines either straight, twisted or curvy. Dots may suddenly appear everywhere. It doesn’t matter of what you’re doing makes visual sense. This is about process; calm, letting go of all that’s around you and about you. It’s art therapy time, on this occasion with a pen or a pencil making marks for marks sake.
Most of the drawings I create are therapeutic, but not all. If you enjoy drawing, regardless of what you draw, then that’s a good thing with positive personal benefits. Such drawings more often than not, don’t require planning, they evolve. You draw what you like, when you like. It can be in colour, black & white, or both. I find that my most relaxing drawing are with black pens or graphite pencils. Sometimes colour isn’t required probably due to the world being full of all sorts of colour combinations. Back and greyscale drawings when displayed alongside coloured artworks can draw the most attention because we see so much colour in galleries. Printmaking too, with its strong contrasts readily attracts attention.
But why just black mark-making? The secret lies in its simplicity; just varying widths of black on a white surface will suffice. An occasion to cut yourself off from the rest of the world and just ‘make marks’. Usually this involves us drawing something we like. Patterns, often repeated are great to draw for example. Maybe a memory, something your recently saw or something that you completely make up through random thoughts. It’s all valid.
Most of these drawings are done in diaries and are usually private. I have folders full of these drawings that I occasionally publish on social media. I’m thinking of publishing a print-on-demand coffee table book later this year. And what do I draw and consider my mark-making therapy? Would you believe sticks, stones and leaves?
About 40 years ago while staying at Lake St. Clair, Tasmania, I came across rows of these objects strewn along Frankland Beaches along the lake’s southern end. It was an amazing sight, so much so that I have produced a vast range of coloured pencil drawings (2 of which won major art wards) and many greyscale and at least 250 black line drawings. One from the latter is currently on my easel. Since those early days I have visited numerous other locations both in Tasmania and on the Australian mainland for inspiration, more often than not, in black and white. Some of my best work continues to come while watching TV. I admit that these drawings come from something ‘seen and known’, but they offer me a great deal of possibilities as you can see in the featured work.
This type of drawing would be seen as ‘doodling’ for some and maybe they’re right. For me it’s about creating variations on what I’ve seen but allowing me to add what I like. The whole process is truly relaxing. If you haven’t already tried it, I urge you to gab a pen and a piece of paper and start mark-making!
Art is about colour, line, shape, form, texture even sound. It can sit there, move, make noises and undertake tasks for our amusement. In this instance I’m mainly interested in colour for its visual impact, emotional response, memory recall and most importantly, its ability to heal. Remembering the details of our past can be overloaded with detail, much of which I doubt bares only part of what we’re actually trying to recall. Colour on the other hand in such cases, can be a lot easier to remember. A single particular remembered colour has the power to unleash a tsunami of memories that can flood our senses (no pun intended). Whether good, bad or indifferent, colours represent the story of lives.
Dealing with darker moments can be difficult, even painful, while happier moments can be a real joy to recall. Colour adds mood, creates atmosphere and has the power to respond in a way that we often don’t expect.
When I’m feeling ‘flat’, I spend time at my studio desk or easel with one of the templates I’ve designed that have been an integral part of my colour therapy workshops for the past decade. I select a certain number of coloured pencils or paint pens and a particular colour palette and bring my templates ‘alive’.
My first featured template was created with a palette of 15 ‘joyful’ colours and is 18 cms sq.
Limiting yourself to a set number of colours is more liberating than one may think as it challenges you to carefully consider your response (and suitability) of each colour you have at hand in order to fulfil the task at hand. With over 100 coloured pencils staring at you, it demands very careful consideration!
All my templates may appear to be abstract, but actually they are sourced from my own landscape drawings. Some are rural such as aerial studies of the Tasmanian Midlands, others feature my ongoing series of ‘floating objects’. Forest floors also appear from time to time. Each workshop has its own particular templates.
Each template is printed on quality paper to ensure the best colour response. I supply high quality coloured pencils that guarantee a top result. The templates aren’t limited to pencils as the paper allows for paint pens, paint and felt pens. It’s simple, quality art materials will always encourage quality results!
What happens if you’re challenged to produce an artwork that contains equal amounts of ‘happy and sad’ colours? You may be surprised at the result. This workshop task has been the most successful of all the colour therapy workshops I have conducted over the past decade. In this case, 9 ‘happy’ and 9 ‘sad’ colours representing particular memories in one’s life, ‘confront’ each other for mediation and it works!
I’m currently editing my second colouring book, ‘Abstracts from Nature, Colour Therapy That Works’. Once it’s printed it will be available directly from me or over the counter at the Harmony On High Street Gallery in Campbell Town, Tasmania. I will post ordered copies locally and worldwide. The A4 size book will be printed on quality recycled 190 gsm paper that will handle both dry and wet mediums.
Have you tried mark marking as art therapy? I have and I will ‘tell all’ in my next blog post.
Adult colouring books were a godsend during the Covid Pandemic. Millions were sold and although their influence has waned significantly today, there are still a number of books available featuring a wide range of designs and challenges. I fear many in the art establishment still treat these books with disdain.
“Colouring in isn’t real art, it’s craft, something to do when you’re bored.”
In general, artworks require research, planning and testing before they become a reality. Many artists spend countless hours gathering and refining their ideas. It’s all about the process of creativity. But what about the spontaneous artists? They ‘just do it’. What’s wrong with that? Haven’t you done anything on the spur of the moment not just in art but in your daily lives? Does everything we do have to be mapped out or timetabled? Is total control of our thoughts, emotions and actions really such a good thing?
I’m not a fan of ‘paint by numbers’, but I’m sure it brings a lot of joy to many. Just adding the right colours according to the numbers isn’t mind-boggling, but there is a positive side. How we react to certain colours can be very therapeutic, a key element of art therapy. Colour has the power to recall past memories both good and bad, something I have personally recognised and have used in my coloured pencil art therapy classes over the past decade. The results have been amazing. Just to think that a bright blue can immediately take me back to when I was 7, joyfully riding my tricycle, or a blue/green can transport me into the lush Tasmanian rainforests. The power of colour is awesome!
It is just as beneficial to face the negative times in our lives through colour and actually employ them in our artworks as I do in my colour therapy classes. Even when adding colours at random, there is some sense of ownership. We each choose colours for a reason, more often than not, a palette that we ‘like’, but when faced with the task of using a palette of equal numbers of ‘liked’ and ‘disliked’ colours, there is at first hesitation, followed by a steady increase in self-confidence. I have been fortunate to witness people successfully dealing with tragedy in their lives through colour.
One of my templates with a ‘feel good’ palette.
To find out how I conduct these classes (every class is different) I recommend you keep an eye out for my next colour therapy workshops. I am planning an online course and I’ll publish details in the coming months.
From time to time I will ‘colour’ one of my therapy templates. Sometimes I use a set number of coloured pencils chosen from a single set, or a ‘feel good’ group of pencils, even a ‘rural’ or a ‘rainforest’ palette. Ever tried looking away and grabbing a handful of pencils and colouring with them? Such challenges can be both fun and rewarding. Never be afraid of working spontaneously with colour!
A student’s interpretation from an art therapy class.
In 2015, I published my first Adult Colouring Book which was a reaction to the many, cheap books that were on the market at the time. The book has been very successful and is currently being sold at the Harmony On High Street Gallery in Campbell Town, Tasmania, or can be bought online through contacting me at [email protected]I have sold many copies overseas with excellent feedback. My second book, Abstracts From Nature, Art Therapy That Works! is almost completed and will be available locally and online in a few months.
Page 1 from my colouring book, coloured and framed.
Despite what some may think, applying colours at random isn’t such a bad thing after all. Using colours that one identifies with will reveal one’s true personality and open the doors to future creative journeys.
Technology is developing at an increasingly faster rate than anyone could have ever imagined. Just think about what we have today compared to 25 years ago. Go back much further (like I can) and the difference makes one feel like saying ‘how did we ever cope’? But we did and did pretty well, too! People are great at adapting to what resources they have.
Art is no different. The quality and variety of art materials available today are the best they’ve ever been. I’m amazed at the variety and quality of coloured pencils one can buy, both locally and on the Internet. I’ve recently started using acrylic paint pens. Wow, what a joy to work with! The quality of oil and acrylic artists’ paints have never been better as is the situation with soft and oil pastels. Tutorials abound on the Internet as are the range of art workshops that one can find locally. Aren’t we lucky!
Not everyone though is happy. The rise of AI is already having a significant (and worrying for some) impact on both the media and art world. There is anger and fear from many who believe it will control the world of art before too long. Will it?
Whether we like it or not, we are basically a conservative society, one that doesn’t like change in any form. When change does happen, such as in politics for example, reactions can be mixed to say the least! The world of art is no exception. Take the Impressionist painters whose art was heavily criticised by the establishment as being vulgar, shapeless rough sketches, with overly bright colours and visible brush strokes. This was not the way academic painting was done! Well, excuse the Impressionist artists for being different!
Attitudes for being different haven’t really changed. We’ve always done it that way so why should we change? What we know is safer than the unknown. Fear of failure runs deep.
The development and use of digital technology especially over the past 30 years has had a profound impact on art; for some anyway. I’m part of the latter group who continues to enjoy the possibilities of digital technology, not in a big way, just enough to ensure that I have control over what I create. Maybe I’m a conservative rebel!
AI has certainly arrived with great fanfare along with great fear. What will its impact on Art be? Time will tell. Artists will no doubt use it in various ways and I suspect the results will see a major shift in thinking, but is that a bad thing? Is there room for such methods in the art world?
Artists create in various ways and they all result in artworks of some kind or another. There are those who work plein-air or solely in their studios, at different times of the day and night. Others work from their own photos or use copy-free images from the Internet, while others are spontaneous or feed off their own imagination. Then there are artists who trace their subjects using various devices. This method is frowned upon by some as are artists who employ digital technology in part or all of their artwork.
We all have our own ways of ‘seeing and creating’, that’s what art should be about!
There’s nothing wrong with Art today, it’s all about our attitudes to change and innovation. Conservative thinking has no room for anything new. We can’t live in the past we must show tolerance to difference because the world we live in is changing rapidly. As long as the artist has control over their work in a least some step in its creation, new ideas and new technologies can be embraced and utilised. Don’t despair, we are in exciting times, just remember how the French Impressionists fared!
On a different note, I was very honoured to receive notice from Feedspot.com that my blog is ranked 4/20 of the top coloured pencil blogs worldwide. I haven’t been very active in the world or blogging of late, but it’s time that I was!
Keep enjoying your art, however and whichever way you create it!
An exhibition of coloured pencil drawings by Richard Klekociuk
Harmony On High Street Gallery, Campbell Town, Tasmania.
February 28 – March 26. Open every day 9.00 – 5.00.
In my latest exhibition I have interpreted landscapes from the Midlands and NW Tasmania in a minimalist way, by removing what I consider superfluous detail in favour each landscape’s basic components, without losing each subject’s integrity. I call it ‘landscape cleansing’.
On most occasions, landscapes from a distance look neat and orderly, but the same cannot be said when viewed much closer.
I have deliberately ‘pruned’ my subjects creating a neat, tidy, almost formal landscape.
The exhibition officially opens on Sunday, March 2 at 2.30pm.
All the work is for sale as well as a series of greeting cards especially printed for the exhibition.
On Friday, March 14 and Saturday, March 15, I will be conducting coloured pencil workshops that will directly relate to my exhibition. Some vacancies are still available. Enquiries via email to me at [email protected]
You can see the exhibition catalogue on my website:
Since 1986 coloured pencil has been my preferred medium. Despite my successes over the years in art awards, I still feel somewhat intimidated when entering major art prizes where oil and acrylic entries dominate. Watercolours aren’t as prevalent as they once were, nor is printmaking, but collage/mixed media is gaining in popularity. Digital art is struggling to get a foothold no doubt due to the rise of AI art which is a pity as there are a lot of non-AI digital artists about. Often, it’s the case that I cannot enter a major prize category because my medium is not included. Open medium prizes are my only chance when offered.
At least here in Tasmania I do have the opportunity to enter most major awards and that offers me both encouragement and a challenge when it comes to matching it with the established mediums. Most mainland art awards are out of my reach. Why not enter drawing prizes you say? It’s certainly possible, but the reality of costly freight is a definite barrier. Online awards are okay, but are they really worth the effort?
There’s another side to fear of coloured pencils and that is public perception. Why do some people consider coloured pencils the exclusive domain of children? Yes, children love coloured pencils and their popularity is well known, but it’s not the first medium they get to experience, paint is. Finger painting and awkward brush strokes are introduced before pencils appear. The term ‘colouring in’ is rightly applied to the younger set, but why is it a common criticism of adult coloured pencil art? Surely then, ‘paint by numbers’ has a case to answer?
A third aspect of ‘coloured pencil fear’ is no doubt that they will fade within a few months. WRONG!! There is a vast range of lightfast pencils on the market that are more than a match for other mediums when it comes to longevity. It’s a case of ‘David versus Goliath’ and I see no end to this situation as people’s attitudes are near impossible to change.
Coloured pencil workshops are a different matter and rather refreshing. After 55 years of teaching I still enjoy sharing with adults and watching their progress. I wouldn’t say that my workshops are as popular as the various painting mediums, but they are well attended by motivated, keen participants. I’ve even had some converts!
Finally, there’s the aspect of ‘elitism’, something I’ve experienced with some galleries over the years. Mention that you’re a coloured pencil artist and it’s ‘game over’. Over the past 12 months I’ve been rejected by 2 galleries and had 2 of the galleries where I sold my artwork close down. Not encouraging at all! Fortunately, I’ve signed with a new gallery in Tasmania (Harmony on Hight Street, Campbell Town) that opens on Nov 23/24 and I’m looking forward to having my art in an environment where it’s appreciated.
I’ve had the pleasure to work and exhibit art in oils, acrylics, pastel, oil pastel, graphite pencil and digital, but when it comes down to it, coloured pencil is my favourite medium.
Art is first and foremost about the process, not the product. How can you produce worthwhile art without enjoying its creation?
In a fragile economy, art is one of the first casualties and our economy is not only fragile, it’s staggering between market forces and political inaction. Despite this, artists need to keep creating albeit for their own sanity if not a financial return.
30 x 40cms, Luminance, Supracolor, Pablo & Polychromos pencils on Canson pastel board.
For the past 10 years I have been very interested in refining my landscape drawings (when the right subject comes along) to its bare minimum (no fences, roads, power poles or buildings) without losing each landscape’s integrity. This ‘cleansing’ process has now infiltrated my mind to the extent that I now image most landscapes that I see in ‘cleansed’ form. It’s even found itself into our gardens at home! I like neat, cleanly defined, uncluttered landscapes. A minimum of detail and a minimal palette. This doesn’t apply to all of the landscapes I draw. For example, my series on forest floors and Tasmanian rainforests is anything but minimal! I do like variety in my art in both technique and subject. I don’t understand why some artists paint similar subjects over and over again. Art should be exciting, not predictable! Art also shouldn’t be about money. The joy of creating one’s OWN art is of far greater importance.
There’s an area south of Cressy in Northern Tasmania that I have returned to many times over the past decade to photograph and see the changes that have occurred.(I practice this method with most of my Tasmanian subjects) This has resulted in a number of drawings including the one featured in this post.In order to understand the processes I go through I will take you through the creation of my latest coloured pencil drawing ‘step-by-step’.
PREPARATION: Select a suitable photo, colour palette (this will require testing various colours and pencil types) and surface (in my case, Canson pastel board) to draw on. I have my chosen photo, a palette of what I consider the appropriate colours using 6 different brands of pencils, plus a Derwent Blender.
STEP 1: I block in the outlines of the main shapes using a Verithin White pencil. I now divide the composition into 3 areas: Background, Middle Distance and Foreground, also known as FAR, NEAR & CLOSE. I then block in the clouds, a base layer of the sky (a blend of light blue and a slightly deeper blue) followed by the mountain in a single blue.
STEP 2: Add the foreground and small hill to the middle right. Now nearly all the detail has been added. It looks simple enough but it’s the preparation, especially the required decision making that makes the whole process run smoothly. But the drawing is not finished!
STEP 3: There are times when I leave out objects such as trees, but on this occasion, they are the ‘focal point’ of the composition but also need to be included to ‘balance’ the composition.
STEP 4: Time to add more colour where necessary and to use the Derwent Blender to ensure as even and graded range of colours as possible. It’s done!
The finished drawing looks simple enough, but its success depends on thorough planning. I’m presently working on my third series of ‘cleansed landscapes’ with the aim of having an exhibition next year.
There’s nothing worse for creatives than artist’s block. It’s frustrating, confusing, annoying and makes one question their own ability and purpose. The immediate thing to do is step away from the studio. Take a break and pursue something that’s not directly related to your studio practice. A spot of gardening or a bush walk perhaps? Coffee helps but avoid alcohol! A few days away from art can in most cases, be beneficial. There is however, another solution, one that I now employ when necessary.
Each month on my laptop I create a folder to which I upload photos and comments on things I have seen and ideas that I’ve had. At the end of each month I transfer the monthly folder to an IDEAS FOLDER. I also have a daily diary, well, a nearly-every-day diary that contains mostly comments, ideas and research on possible future artworks, along with a BLOG folder and a TRIP folder for photos from the places I visit to gather ideas for my art. It works! Admittedly, it takes self-discipline and organisation, not to mention time but it’s now my go-to source for ideas. I’ve had this approach for over a decade and I like nothing better than scrolling through my IDEAS folder to find inspiration. It’s also valuable to see what one was thinking and creating many years back. Old ideas often ‘re-surface’ and become new artworks. Ideas that were once discarded, suddenly become ‘viable’. Over time you will create a ‘treasure chest’ of ideas, signposts that have followed you on your creative journey.
Try it and see. It won’t happen overnight but with consistent entries your ideas folder will soon be ready to access!
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