Hello my dear friends. I apologise for the lack of activity on my blog, it’s been two weeks since we had seen one another. Surprisingly, a lot has happened since we conversed.
Is conversed the correct word ?
I would say so.
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Me after I do not update my blog for two weeks, despite saying I would upload my blog weekly. Just kidding, I am awfully ashamed - what a horrendous work ethic !  |
I will be posting a retrospective on a trip I went on with my family ( we went to Robin Hood’s bay how awfully English of me ) but today I bring some general art chatter. Documentaries I have enjoyed, artists I currently love and music which has helped me dearly in the last few weeks. Strangely enough, despite artistic my gimmicks being colourful paintings, subcultures, and kitsch - I don’t talk too much about colourful paintings, subcultures and kitsch.
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This was me on the way to Robin Hood’s Bay, whilst we stopped for diesel. This is not the main priority of the blog though. |
I hope to change that today !
Speaking of today, it is currently Saturday in England. The blog alerts you of this, as when you scroll down to the very bottom ( ignore all of my flowery talk for a minute and scroll to the bottom ), you will see a quaint reminder from blogger that I did indeed write this on “25th of February 2023” - which is indeed a Saturda . Why I need to re-iterate this point and waste time getting to “the real meat” of this blog is beyond me, it’s not really beyond me though is it ? I just acknowledged it in the previous block of text, whoops.
This week has been particularly special, as it was not only Shrove Tuesday yesterday, but also Pancake Day on that same Tuesday too. These two are interlinked of course, as Shrove Tuesday is the last day before Ash Wednesday ( the first day of Lent ), a lot of Christians give up their overconsumption of sweet treats for Lent - it’s like the go-to if you do not know what to give up. Accordingly, many Christians indulge in the sweet treat of a pancake - before they give up a bit of the sugar temporarily.
Of course, Pancake Day is a day for all, no matter the religion. Shrove Tuesday, a bit more of a religious thing but as a Catholic myself I invite anyone to join giving something up for Lent, I am going to not buy any jewellery for the 40 days of Lent. Anyone who knows me knows this is a very hard task for a woman such as myself. I can do it though ! Everyone in my world is welcome to share religious practises as long as we are mutually doting and respectful towards one another. I sound like one of those preachers who strive to end intolerance in these “great times of darkness” - hahaha a bit too sentimental for me on this Tuesday night.
Genuinely though, let’s all be sharing and loving !
On Tuesday, whilst I was returning to meet my mum and my brother so we could drive home after I had been volunteering at a church, it was around 7:30PM - and I saw such a beautiful sight !
The York Minster was illuminated in all of its glory so whimsical and magical and beautiful, the projection which cast light upon the monster was titled “Colour and Light”, well done Doubletake Projections who created such a spectacular show by creating the projections . It’s somewhat humbling to stand in front of such a massive, colourful spectrum of light - I was awfully aware of my insignificance and small stature upon observing the Minster in its multi-coloured, multi-faceted glory.
Here is a few videos I managed to take of the Minster :
Truly beautiful, I am so glad to have seen such an attractive sight.
Now that we are on the topic of Art, I would like to bring your attention to a few things which I have observed over the past week, which may or may not play an integral role in my artistic journey. I think these little motifs which have tickled my interest will mainly translate to my physical paintings as opposed to my textiles, digital work, or video edits. However speckles and flecks of these new-brewing interests will certainly make an appearance in all facets of my artistic interests ; your current artistic interests often bleed into every aspect of your life, at least I find that to be the case.
1. I have been utterly obsessed with the colour green as of lately, and only green. “Lately” in this regard means 24 hours. When I woke up this Wednesday I felt an insatiable hunger to look like an elegant cabbage.
I did indeed look like an elegant cabbage. Maybe even an elegant piece of rocket. Would you like to see the outfit which I wore to school today ? Hm, you do !
I did not actually give you a choice technically speaking, you will have to see my outfit whether you like it or not. Bloggers like to do this “semi-parasocial” trick where they act as if you have a say in the format of their blog, the images you see and the words they use - but really, it’s either just all for humours sake or for the hope that you read on, infatuated with their content - mine is definitely the former. Really, I am not a dictator lovelies.
Very green as you can see ! I am, of course not entirely monochrome : my necklaces are all different colours, and I have inklings of blue scattered throughout my skirt. Furthermore, my lipstick is purple and one of my earrings is red ( thank you Tanjipa for giving me said earring ! )
I am a green noblewoman of the gentry, I am as green as a green beetle, as vert as a leaf , as verde as sprout, as grün as that one car in the LV advert - not to freely advertise a company nor corporation, but whenever I think of a bright green that insurance company comes to mind.
I must preface, one colour exclusively in an outfit would be too hard for me at this current point in time. I love every single colour and colours look amazing when they are all mixed and integrated in various amounts into an outfit, in my opinion I look a bit better in various colours. Also, I am indecisive when it comes to my shades, I could not simply pick one - so multi-coloured clothing is to resume very quickly. But still, I am absolutely obsessed with green !
I want to make large-scale paintings which appear as a green mirage, I want to eat all green things ( I would be very healthy a lot of vegetables ), I hope to dream about lush, mossy gardens - I hope I wake up to green grass embellished with baby water droplets !
Thinking of a large scale green mixed medium portrait painting is turning my eyes into those slapstick, cartoon-ish hearts. I love green so much !
2. I am in love with silver. I love the chromatic colours all of a sudden, heck why did I say I am just in love with silver ? I love gold and bronze, not rose gold though unfortunately totally not my thing. Recently, I came to a realisation - I have a ton of loose change ! Not only that, but a surplus of 5pm coins have invaded my turtle shaped purse and I have nothing to do with them ; I am not really spending my money as of the moment. Instead of throwing change down at any necklace that magically appears in a charity store, I have just been peering down at these silver, bronze and gold-rimmed circles, wondering to myself,
“Wouldn’t a full lid of tacky, silver eyeshadow look fantastic in a decora coord ?”
“Cyd, shouldn’t you craft something with tin foil ? Or wear that silver colander your family doesn’t use atop your head ? How about if you found that silver bangle you lost and wore that ?”
So many endless possibilities !
My inspiration for my new-found penchant for chromatic colours are these posters and movie stills created for The Cambodian Space Project’s movie “one of my favourite bands. As the name implies, they are a Cambodian band and they play ska music, although a lot of their music can simply fall under the wide branch that is the “Rock” category. The two consistent members of the band were Julien Poulson and Kakk Chanthy, his wife.
I am inspired by the use of colour ( how surprising haha ), and the 1960’s South East Asian appeal to the graphics. I would also like a silver bazooka that I could blast aliens with. Absolutely adorable ! I would not wear the Cambodian traditional dress on exclusively my own accord, it is extremely beautiful but it simply is not my place...
I am in the process of making my very own spacey costume, which is more representative of my own respective culture. It has been hard trying to do my makeshift hot glue textiles in between homework and extra-curricular activities and clubs but it is no excuse to not try and get them done, in fact I have been quite happy with how my costume is coming along !
But enough about my ranting about the woes and arduous battles of making headdresses composed of pipe cleaners and bags embellished with buttons and how that relates to supplementary areas of my life outside of art …
If you click this body of text, yes this one, you will be taken to their website !
Hopefully I will be donning a lot more silver soon ! Who knows, you may even be implored to wear silver too ! We can all look pretty together !
How hopeful of me, I tend to not be so hopeful. Or at least I do not think I sound so outwardly positive on the daily but I am rather positive now ! Yippee !
3. I am a lot happier making videos consisting of 7-20 glittery portraits instead of just posting one. I made posts where I would just have one portrait either stagnant or animated and that would be the entirety of the work but nowadays I get a lot more fulfilment from making larger works which include a series of different things. Hence why I am taking a bit longer to make a new video, but I promise it will be worth it. I don quite a different style to my regular decora get-up, but the decora will return very soon with a spacey touch.
Frankly, I cannot imagine anymore making a singular portrait - I am obsessed with the idea of videos !
I think these more detailed videos look so much more polished, and they read to me as more of an artistic effort than anything I was making in the past. I did not really consider my past self-portraits art, and to some extent I still sort of do not. The “skiyodu” account was meant to be what I considered a personal account at the start, but I think it reads as more of an “art” account now… at least that is what people have told me, I will not dispute that fact - I see it as a place to put my art now.
Furthermore, I have never really seen the need ( personally ) to have a personal account and a separate one for Art - I think it is because my personal life is just encapsulated in my highlights and I have never really felt an urge to post about my personal life, but I digress.
Let me get back on to why longer videos which consist of a series of portraits would beneficial …
Hopefully, I would like my photos to be more varied, not just the same monotonous edited into a glitchy background type of deal - I hope to include photos which have a natural. non-edited background - utilising some of the walls around my house for potential photo opportunities. Not only will this create variety in my videos, but it also saves me the pain of compiling a bunch of tiny images into a backdrop, ( I promise I am not lazy - I would do the editing process a million times over if I had to it is just slightly meticulous ) I am awfully excited for the art which lies ahead.
This is why I feel that you are not obligated to care about any work I produce, I must always make this known. You do not owe me anything, so if you are reading this blog I thank you from the bottom of my heart for giving me some time in your day. I hope I do not waste it for you and make it as enjoyable as possible !
I hope to make significant progress on my video at the weekend, I will try and get my video out as soon as possible. So ideally the next Saturday which will be in March. Let us hope I can structure my time well !
Those are my three “obsessions” as of late. It is so funny how the smallest things spur you into artistic motivation. The only problem is that I have so many artistic ideas and so little time - as I need to prioritise other things ( such as my studies ) over the prospects of glittery videos and fancy dress. I can make that compromise : glittery videos and fancy dress can wait, as much as it hurts. But I shall manage, it really is not a first world issue after all. In fact, I think it is a positive that I do not have time to immediately enact on all my artistic obsessions. I am so ham-fisted and impulsive when it comes to new sources of inspiration, I immediately act upon it whether that’s through dressing up, painting, sewing etc.
I think taking time to sit with an idea and planning it out is far superior to going through on a whim when it comes to art. Hypocritically, I used to do many things on a whim …
I suppose it did not come naturally for me to plan out artwork nor photos, which is sort of sad because I think if I really took the time to visualise what I wanted a piece to look like, my work might have been that slight bit more impactful. Impactful in the aesthetic sense.
There is never a smooth segue on this blog, so let me remark about the aforementioned awkwardness in transitioning between one subject to another instead of rectifying my lack of eloquence !
Are we all here ? Brilliant.
I would like to plug a few documentaries and videos which I have been watching on-repeat, whether conscious or subconscious these videos have given me severe inspiration. I kid you not, these videos play in colourful loops in my head - urging me to do more work. Hopefully you will find merit and appeal in these videos as well. These are pretty popular videos I feel so you may have seen these beforehand !
The first video that has been fascinating me to no end is this music video by the Japanese band “AURA” with their song Smile & Smile. In all honesty, the song does not resonate with me whatsoever, it is relatively generic I feel. The band also used to be a KISS cover band, and with a relative amount of politeness - I do not like KISS at all …
What makes me come back to this video is the cheesy visuals and the costumes. I wonder how they made the music video, obviously the green screen is in full effect. But I wonder whether the overlays of the cars were hand-drawn, and where they pulled the footage of the streets from. Love the “colour grading” on the video as well, it’s EXTREMELY of its time. It makes for an extremely humorous the video all of the jarring colours, bad resolution and simple animation. I am in love with this music video it is one of my favourites, even if the music is painfully cheesy in my eyes.
My favourite moments in the music video are when various different countries are represented as footballers wearing their respective country’s flag, kicking the Earth around between themselves. I love the animation in that small snippet. The lead guitarist dressed in ALL yellow dramatically playing their solo in front of a generic spacey background REALLY solidified the work as well. All in all, good Asian cheese.
I love how they all dress monochromatically as well, it heightens the cartoonish aspect of their whole schtick.
I checked out the account which uploaded this video “MII-CHAN1996” and there is actually a full VHS tape of this band’s music videos and oh my, I have never had an original idea about editing in my life. Look at this quality Japanese cheese-fest, I cannot even comment on the beyond-formulaic J-Rock they were playing, their videos are so amazing …
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Subtle … |
I binge watched this entire docuseries in a night, whilst I was up late drawing - it was beyond comforting to watch whilst I was working on art my own, I felt as if I were not alone.
Genuinely, I heavily implore everyone to watch this docuseries ! You will not regret it and you will learn so much. As someone aspiring aspiring to make effective art, you can never watch too many documentaries. They are an extremely useful form of media for an artist.
Currently, I am referencing a lot of videos and pieces of media which I have recently watched and consumed. But I would like to reference a video which has touched me since 2021. A piece of media which has taken its place in the top seats of my heart and has resided there until this day in all of its colourful glory.
This would be these two Gorky’s Zygotic Mynci music videos, the first is for one their most popular songs - “Patio Song”.
Here is where you can watch that video, uploaded by “James McHardy” this is the official video for Patio Song.
My favourite Welsh band and my favourite to gain popularity in the Cool Cymru period. Sadly, I have somehow grown desensitised to the music video as I have watched it so many times however the visuals still remain so innocent, bright, hopeful and sweet to me. The gigantic paper cupcake which appears in the beginning of the video is something I am yearning to create as a prop in a photoshoot or as something which can attach to a costume ( only the Lord knows the logistics of how something like that would work ) …
I would do so much with that massive paper cupcake, I wonder what happened to it after they finished this music video ?
Also not to be weird but …
This may be a reach or a misguided rumination, but what is this default green-screen green that is in every low-budget 90’s music video ? It is the exact colour of a green screen. It is in the Patio Song music video and you saw and the music video by AURA. Whatever the reason for that ultra-specific green colour being ever so prominent ; I really enjoy it. It is vibrant and tacky and dated - just like myself, and no one can fault it.
Vibrancy is a main characteristic which I look for in music videos, I am like a magpie but instead of an instant attraction to shiny things, ( I mean I like shiny things too ) I look towards colour. Colour genuinely means the world to me. I could not live in a world without colour. I am sure many of you share such a sentiment - perhaps you have a favourite colour !
Mine is green at the moment, as I had described previously. But I simply could not live without the other colours, it is imperative I have them all ! Usually I am not adamant on having everything, I am very happy with what I have now. Really, I need no more material possessions. However, if there is an undiscovered colour out there I would be adamant to find it, no colour can go out of my sight !
What was I meant to be blabbering on about again ? Ah, yes the next Gorky’s Zygotic Mynci video which changed my life profoundly. I wish I was being hyperbolic but aesthetically this video hit me like a brick and made me reevaluate what I was doing as a 14 year old.
This video is titled, “Gorky’s Zygotic Mynci - 12. 12 Impressionistic Soundscapes” and was uploaded by the YouTuber “Dean Birkett”, they have actually uploaded a mass of Gorky’s content so I frequent their channel a lot. I try to watch as much Gorky’s material as I can from their music videos to their interviews to short films.
This is the aforementioned video I will give a preemptive warning that there is an intense strobing effect at the start of the music video with text so anyone sensitive to flashing lights should maybe not watch this video. I think if you are sensitive to bright colours you would probably not be on this blog, so if you are okay with bright colours and flashing images you will be okay with the music video. Happy Gorky’s watching !
When I say this video means everything to me, I genuinely mean it. I had stills of this music video on my bedroom walls which have now gracefully transferred to my cupboard. The animation, the stylised figures, and the montage of fruit. All of it is so aspirational, it is beyond me why I have not tried to make a three minute video myself but it is something I will work towards.
We have one more video to get through, one that I think is a lovely recommendation which I hope you will enjoy too, this videos is once again saturated and vibrant. What a surprise …
Remember James McHardy ? The person who uploaded the “Patio Song” onto YouTube ? Well he did not just upload one good video to the platform, but two ! The video down below is a music video by Derrero for their song “Radar Intruder”.
This video has a lot of stylistic similarities to “Impressionistic Soundscapes” but it also has a lot of stylistic similarities to another Gorky’s Zygotic Mynci music video ( can you tell I love Gorky’s ? ) titled “Sweet Johnny” which is also on YouTube : I certainly recommend you search it up.
I am utterly convinced I have ripped off every aesthetic device Derrero uses in this piece. The thickly-outlined animals have appeared in a few of my paintings, the “straight out of the tube” colour palette is ever present in most of my work, the black and white figures amidst a rainbow background is appearing in my next video, etc.
Personally, I do not fuss over art being particularly “timeless”, all power to a piece of work if it is but personally, I see no problem with a body of work representing the climate in which it was made in or the times which informed the context of the art. I think it is so important to take inspiration from the “now” and not only the “then”, for young artists especially I do not think creating “timeless work” should be a priority.
This is why I am in sheer adoration towards this music video. The animation once again has this blooming innocence which breeds sheer infatuation and joy within me, if I could encapsulate every piece of this music video in the conscience and fabric of my body - I would !
Also, just to contribute the “cherry on the top” to the reasons as to why I love this music video - I would love a long raincoat which resembles tin foil … you can see a person donning a tin foil coat at the very end of the piece.
AGAIN it’s the silver obsession ! Maybe that is why I have a particular affinity for Derrero’s work because they included silver !
Now I shall take a deep breath …
That was a lengthy blog post was it not ?
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Me after editing this entire blog, actually that is a lie - I am not too tired. I feel happy when making content ! |
I am glad that I am able to write more each week, I am prouder of my blog - now that I have real substance behind each post and my motivation to blog has now been reinvigorated.
And for once, I actually have an articulate conclusion which I have been able to come to at the end of this blog post.
I always quirk up my eyebrow deep down when someone says to me,
“Cyd, your work is extremely original !”
By no means do I judge people who say this, in fact quite the opposite - I appreciate it greatly. It means the world to me that people can reach their opinions about my art ( whether negative or positive ), outside of my personal beliefs about the art itself - art is a collaborative effort which disregards any laws nor boundaries, although of course art does have a theory.
But I am skeptical of my art being “original” in fact I know it certainly is not. Art is singlehandedly the most collaborative experience I have ever had the privilege to honour and celebrate while it’s still in my life. All of the inspiration which I have listed off has affected my work in unimaginable ways, so much so that I do not feel comfortable taking credit for my work as simply of my own merit. I am not original and I am elated about that notion. It would be a lonely existence as an artist if my visions did not coincide with other artists of the past and the present. If my ideas only existed in this small bubble which I myself could only see into.
Thank you to the world for giving us all the opportunity to observe and create. I largely thank the accessibility of social media but above all, I thank the courage of fellow artists who share their vision with the world. Your work does not go unseen and I want to implore myself to see everyone’s dreams in their totality. Please share your dreams with the people around you !
I will be writing and posting soon about a quaint journey I had near Whitby, at Robin Hood’s Bay - I have a lot of photos compiled from that trip which will come in very handy, but until then I will see you soon !
Have a brilliant weekend. I hope loving days are ahead of you !
Lots of love and warmth !
