New work, Reawaken


Reawaken
By Lily Mae Martin
56 x 76cm
Ink on paper
2018

I’m pretty pleased with this one, a merging of my two loves – the nude figure and the ( Tasmanian ) landscape.

I had these ideas a few months back, spoke to my model who ( bless her ) came over by my rather last minute request. I had frantically sketched out some poses and I am still learning how to direct people. I had been thinking about Poussin’s drawings and have always enjoyed how the figures seemed to drape.
My lecturer at VCA, Berhnard Sachs – had asked me what art I looked at during one of my tutes when I was an undergrad, I think I replied comic books. He then marched me down to the library and got me looking at the drawings of Poussin and others, he talked to me about chiaroscuro. I now look at everything; performance, the written word, the spoken word, photography, abstract, figurative, printmaking and yes, comics and zines. I think it’s importrant to observe as much as possible, outside of what you make, like to make, wish to make.

So here we are years later. I drape my model in a Poussin-type pose and have her balance on a plastic stool I had purchaed from a bargin shop some years back. I think it worked.

Little drawings ~

I have been working a lot around and during life happenings, I have quite the collection of small drawings growing that I am very proud of.
Here are a few ~


A Portrait
19 x 14cm
Ink on paper
Lily Mae Martin
2017

I’m in love with this one – the cropping of the image, the fluffiness of the hair and the texture and tones of the skin.

19 x 14cm
Ink on paper
Lily Mae Martin
2017


Fold
19 x 14cm
Ink on paper
Lily Mae Martin
2017

I’ll put together a post of all of the drawings in a couple of months. It has been very interesting cropping the images to make new images from them and working on a smaller, more intimate scale. I am really glad that someone had mentioned the idea of working smaller as I am not sure I would have come to on my own. It’s been really challenging to change things up a bit and it really didn’t work at first! But I kept going and changing things and I am pretty happy with this little series.

grasp and squish

I have been retraining by looking for different papers and focsuing in on parts. Highlighting and abstracting, rendering and rubbing back. Next year I will be having an exhibition, but I wanted to present a variety of sizes in regards to my works on paper.
There are more but I wanted to save some of them for when you get into the gallery 🙂


grasp and squish
Ink on paper
15x19cm
2017


This corner
Ink on paper
15x19cm
2017


Sideways
Ink on paper
15x19cm
2017


These Hands
Ink on paper
15x19cm
2017

These hands I have drawn before and I will again. These hands have held babies and made international skype calls.

That’s it for today!

Pieces of me, you – all of us. Small drawings.

While pulling together a new body of work I am trying to find words for them also. Which I do accept I have not always been good at – I am terrible with titles but sometimes, I get it right. I try. What are the rules anyway? I don’t think anyone will tell me.

Here are some small drawings that have come into being in these last few weeks – more to come

01, ink on paper, 15x19cm

02, ink on paper, 18x25cm

03, ink on paper, 18x25cm

04, ink on paper, 18x25cm

05, ink on paper, 18x25cm

Happy drawing times –

As yet untitled – new drawing

I had a title, but I have completely forgotten it. If I explained the month that I have had, it would make sense why. But the details are boring. Point is, I did the drawing and here it is. It’s part of a new little series that I am working on. I am pretty excited about the blending of my two loves into the work – body and land.

For now she is Fern Girl.
By Lily Mae Martin
56 x 75cm
Ink on paper
2017

I am due to have an exhibition at the beginning of next year. So I will be off working hard to produce new works. Really excited about it.