Abstract Workshop - Peter Griffen

What a weekend!!!!  I've had an extraordinarily creative two days with PETER GRIFFEN a contemporary Australian artist.

His object was to make us get in touch with our 'inner child'.  Sounds easy right?  NOT!!!  We are all bound by our past experience.

Peter began his first day by showing us how to take 'a line for a walk', in the immortal words of artist Paul Klee.

From this seemingly simple beginning we began our journey. Someone in the group called it the journey of the DEAD.  Not as macabre  as it seems.... Decorate, Echo, Analyse, Destroy ... then do it all again.

There will be some images in this blog that, for the life of me, I can't identify as coming from a particular person in the group, so hope I'm forgiven for that.  There were works all over the floor, tables, on easels... everywhere.

We added colour to our 'lines' and it took off from there.

This is definitely one of mine

I was lucky to have a few friends in the group.  Janet was one of the first friends I made when I first moved to Caloundra, with her daughter Felicity... and Susanne, one of a group I meet with for lunch each month. 

Susanne's work is beautifully subtle

Felicity is a 'natural'

Janet is a colourist, through and through

... and I just love all this 'arty' stuff (my table)

Peter was very generous with his 'secrets' and during breaks we were treated to an analysis of some of his work.

The second day we were to incorporate what we'd learned previously into a 'still life'.  BANG! Back we were, confronted by tradition, and desperate to avoid the obvious.

We could use part of, or all these objects... a pot, a mug, a woven basket, a mortar and pestle, and a penis gourd.

I think I missed the whole point of 'abstract' as this is hardly so, but the lessons I learned will be analysed at my leisure, and definitely enhance future work.

We were a merry, and slightly tattered little group (that's me on the floor - my favourite place)

Many thanks Peter.