Atsuko Ishida II

Atsuko Ishida makes people from cardboard scraps and paint and I love them. 

Toon Joosen

 

Let's take the stairs', by Toon Joosen

Shane Drinkwater IV

One of Shane Drinkwater's rarer series of works are these paintings in the bottom of boxes, which I love for their recycled, cobbled quality and the preciousness of something that is normally rubbish.

”Painting is something I’ve always needed to do and I’m enjoying it more and more. I’m interested in the historical, scientific and artistic observation of the “heavens and earth"." Shane Drinkwater

Cardboard Drawing, Cardboard Printing.

My colleague Douglas Kelso did a project with the students, where they made drawings in cardboard by scraping away the top layer of paper to reveal the corrugation beneath.

These are really effective, while they were on the wall I began to think of their potential for printmaking. Douglas agreed I could sacrifice his demonstration piece to experiment with and it worked.
Make your cardboard drawing as above, cutting with a scalpel and scraping away the paper surface.
You can then roll it with relief printing ink or even acrylic paint and print.
You get different effects with different densities of cardboard, the direction of the grain and how thorough you are at scraping away the paper layer.

Above: are student prints, from the top: Lee Hutchison, Andy Crichton and below Douglas Kelso's Che

Megumi Yamaguchi II

A tiny painting on cardboard can be the most precious piece of art, this piece is by Japanese illustrator Megumi Yamaguchi.

Asahi Mushi Azumi III

Asahi Azumi Mushi's work in cardboard utilises such primitive techniques and yet produces such poetic beauty.

Freya's Cardboard Elephant

This was Freya's elephant made from a nice bright yellow box that we had brought the shopping home in. In France everything seems like an opportunity. 

Resourcefulness, travel and birthdays

When I am away from home, it always makes me more creative and resourceful away from resources and supplies that I take for granted. 
It was my sons birthday when we were away, he was missing his cat, so a cardboard box later and here he has a cat, the eyes were made from packaging as well.

Holiday, Shadows and Reflections

We have been away for two weeks now. Much of the first week we spent at a friends stunningly stylish house in Aubais. 
It is the first time I have been this far south in France and this time the light has really struck me. 
The shadows and also a little reflection can be miraculous. 
Before we moved to the second part of our holiday, I made some shadow puppets and a wall piece using cardboard packaging and taking advantage of the reflective metallic finish on some of the packaging. A little surprise and thank you to Deb's children who were so lovely as to let us use their rooms.

Isabel Hojas II

Continuing in my cardboard illustration theme, this is the beautiful collage work of Chilean illustrator Isabel Hojas for 'El Ciervo De Las Cuernas De Oro' ('The Deer Antlers of Gold'), written by Enriqueta Flores, it has wonderful texture and detail. 

Tracy McGuinness-Kelly III

A rainy day collage on cardboard by Tracy McGuinness-Kelly. Cardboard is such a warm lived in material great for using as a base for work. 
The windy, rainy, blossom destroying days of spring are upon us here in Scotland, I hope they soon stop and let the fruit set and the insects get on with their work.

Daniel Bruton

I still have some things to hare from DJCAD the Dundee degree show. This is the work of Daniel Bruton who made this wild looking costume, that reminded me of the Burry man, except that this is made from cardboard scales. Daniel was then filmed propelling himself at a ramp in a decorated shopping trolley (the ramp was at the wrong angle and you do not get to see what I can only think would be a painful result). 

Anna Holló (Ollokanna) II

So, so happy I found Anna Holló (Ollokanna), such a relief, I really do not like having unattributed work on theartroomplant and in finding her, I have found lots more of her work.

Martín La Roche Contreras II

 Amazing figures constructed from cardboard and paint charts by Chilean artist Martin La Roche Contreras.

Adam Neate II

 

 

Some more examples of Adam Neate's works on cardboard this time in a more graphic style.

Adam Neate

Of all the images I have viewed lately the top picture here by Adam Neate has stayed with me.

"  I spent a decade leaving paintings on the streets "Those years were my art school. I learnt about colour and composition simply though practise. The critics were there every day.." Adam Neate

These works by Adam Neate are on cardboard, they are not easy images, they are quite distressed especially added to the distress of the medium. I also think his style here is very reminiscent of the work of Francis Bacon.

"I couldn't afford canvases but where I lived there was a lot of cardboard in the street, I would collect it and reuse it. I have used it for so many years and developed different techniques, using different sizes and shapes. I am tentative to use canvas, because with cardboard it doesn't cost anything so you are free to do what ever you want."  Adam Neate

James Castle

 

 

 

Scraps of magic made from cardboard and string by James Castle (1899 – 1977). James Castle made art almost exclusively with found materials such as paper,  packaging and mail. James Castle also made ink using soot from the woodstove and saliva, appyling it with tools like sticks and other found objects. A reminder that the materials are not important in making art, it is the imagination and creativity that is the vital ingredient.

Boredom

I am often referring to play on the art room, this is not because I do not value hard work and study in drawing and painting, or skill, but because I worry about imagination and creativity in this digital multi -media age of zero tolerance to boredom.
 Boredom to me is an amazing thing in this fast world and it is a state to be nurtured, as when one is truly bored the mind dreams up great plans and inventions, ideas that sparkle and generate more ideas, dreams and plans.
This is some of my work from a project using ripped up cardboard boxes to draw and paint on. Cheap/free materials are also really important. Too often people worry about having the correct tool box. There is no tool box in art apart from your imagination and thoughts. These are the materials to sharpen and nurture.