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The obstacles is the way, stuart bush studio notes, book review

The Obstacles is the Way – review

The Obstacles is the Way – book review Have you ever considered that there are no statues of critics?   If someone said to you “Really! You’re going to make a living out of your art! Ha, ha! You’re going to starve!”  How would that make you feel? Would that be enough to break the hypnotic rhythm of everyday life? Would a statement like that make you stand up an inch taller and say I’ll show you!  Does it make you want to prove it to them, that you can do it?  Does it become the power of you? In ‘The Obstacles is the Way,’ it is Ryan Holiday’s contention,… Read More »The Obstacles is the Way – review

Stuart Bush Studio Notes, death and art

Everything is abstract

“Everything is abstract, in my language of paint” I love going for walks, and I often take my camera with me. I sometimes feel like a child discovering nature. As I walk, I react to the spaces. I have come to realise that if I look at what I want to express long enough, I can see everything in shapes, forms, lines and edges. These forces leave marks in my mind and l discover aspects that I have never seen or described before. Everything becomes abstract in my language of paint.   I take lots of photographs, they function like preparation sketches or reference material taking me back to that… Read More »Everything is abstract

Stuart Bush Studio Notes, Andy Warhol

Andy Warhol art review

Andy Warhol – Tate Modern exhibition review As I write this review of the Andy Warhol exhibition at the Tate Modern, in April 2020, the UK like most countries is in lockdown, and all the galleries are closed. The terrible numbers of deaths continue to rise in the Covid-19 outbreak and the world turns its attention to protect the elderly and vulnerable and finding a way forward.   I luckily managed to look round Andy Warhol’s exhibition before it closed and since I have found time to sit at home during a brief pause to contemplate Andy Warhol’s graphic punch and power.   Andy Warhol, an artist born in the… Read More »Andy Warhol art review

Stuart Bush, Francis Bacon

The influential work of Francis Bacon

How the influential work of Francis Bacon inspired me to become a painter As a young adult, I had lots of feelings that confused me and I often didn’t know how to deal with them, words just didn’t seem to fit. My thoughts and experiences felt on the far side of normal. Often I thought l was the only one who felt this unease.  When I saw Francis Bacon’s work in a London gallery, it was a remarkable moment for me. It was the first time I had seen someone challenge the intense feelings I felt. Bacon depicted the complexity and chaos that was going on around me and inside… Read More »The influential work of Francis Bacon

How To See, David Salle, Stuart Bush Studio notes

How To See by David Salle review

‘How To See’ by David Salle book review Have you ever wondered what you are supposed to think when you look at a painting? In the book ‘How To See,’ David Salle is dissatisfied that art critics focus on: content, artist’s intention, the audience, and the market.  Salle believes artist intention and content might help to explain a small aspect of the work.  The content might have helped to get the work started and quite often the intention is an afterthought.  Considering the audience and the market while focusing on the little plagues takes your attention away from where it should be.  When Salle stands in front of a painting,… Read More »How To See by David Salle review

Stuart Bush Studio Notes, Great souled way

Making a better painting than I did yesterday

Making a better painting than I did yesterday I stand in front of a blank canvas. All the thinking and preparation is done.   Inspiration from direct experience and reference material is in my head. New ideas are no good to me now, my overthinking mind needs to stop.  I have a conviction; to make a painting.  I want to make a better painting than I did yesterday. However, as I stand there, I realise the act of painting is a mystery.   Without hesitation, all I can do is pick up a brush and focus on the first mark.  After that, I am painting.  I like to add a coloured… Read More »Making a better painting than I did yesterday

Stuart Bush Studio Notes, France-Lise McGurn

France-Lise McGurn review

Possessing the beauty of nature – France-Lise McGurn review When I look at a person, like most artists, I look deep. I look beyond the surface to enable me to distil something much more than just a transcript of what I see. Dynamic lines and complex space carefully introduced produce a pleasurable form for all eyes to enjoy. However, in order to take those strokes and lines into a rhythmical ecstasy, out of the frame and across the walls of a gallery space, I would have to learn more than just being able to look.  l would also have to learn more than a rudimentary understanding of the subject matter.… Read More »France-Lise McGurn review

Julian Opie’s art encourages another look

Julian Opie’s art encourages another look It is understandable that as we move through the world it is easy to overload some of the sounds, sights and stimulus.  We learn to filter out aspects of the thousands of images we see that do not relate to our current task.  This means that we can travel and arrive at our destination without realising and remembering how we got there.  During the journey, there may have been people, rolling hills or city blocks.  However, all we see is the vital information that we need to help us when we reach our destination.  Julian Opie takes pleasure from seeing what is being ignored… Read More »Julian Opie’s art encourages another look

Stuart bush Studio, Outliers book review, 10,000 hours, malcolm gladwell

Outliers – Book review

‘Outliers, The Story of Success’ by Malcolm Gladwell – book review   As an artist, the idea of wanting to make an impressive declaration through your work, and reaching for the top is understandable; this happens in almost any field, not just in art.  Quite often I look at other artists and the people who have gone before me and think, what can I learn from them and also what am I looking for?  In his book ‘Outliers, The Story of Success,’ Malcolm Gladwell believes that we often focus on people’s personalities and intelligence. “Our hero was born in modest circumstances,” Gladwell writes, “and by virtue of his own grit and… Read More »Outliers – Book review

Stuart Bush Studio Notes, the painting process comes alive

Getting started in the studio

Getting started in the studio If you talk to people who procrastinate when in the studio they will often say… “First I have to open the door and tidy up the mess from last time.  All the equipment needs tidying or putting in some sort of order, to make my space workable. In the winter I need to turn on the heater to warm the room up.  Then I have to change my clothes, so I don’t get paint on them.  Next, I have to think about my mood and the music that goes with it.  I often feel the need for a tea or a coffee before I get… Read More »Getting started in the studio