Sax And All That Jazz

Behind the scenes I have been developing my appreciation for some of the jazz greats. Dexter Gordon is one of my absolute favourites! His tone and expression give me inspiration for my own tenor saxophone aspirations. Dexter plays 'Round Midnight live on the following video.

Another one of my all time great sax players is Sonny Rollins. His tone is impeccable. I guess practising 12 hours a day really contributed to that! Now at the age of 84 he has cut down is hours to 3 per day. Rollins is recognised historically as one of the leading and most influential jazz musicians. Here is his rendition of 'Round Midnight. 

Although my roots have been in popular music, rock & roll and blues, I feel that unless I delve deeply into the history of jazz saxophone, I will be only scratching the surface with my playing. Now with the help of the renowned jazz performer and teacher, Tim Price, I have started to study the scales, techniques and approaches necessary to develop my playing. Tim is an incredibly generous coach and has a warm, supportive and patient manner. He is also a fantastic sax player. I feel so privileged to be taken under his wing and I highly recommend him as a teacher. 

You can check out Tim's website here: www.timpricejazz.com He also has a great community on his Facebook page: www.facebook.com/tim.price.9275439 All I can say is thank God for Skype!!!! Visit info on the Skype lessons here: Tim's Skype Lessons

Enough blogging for now. I am just starting my three hour practice session for the day!

Short Article In artHIVES Newsletter

I am so pleased that a short article will be running in the next artHIVES newsletter in early May. My painting 'Reef' will be featured in the write-up. 

Aria Stone, Reef, 2013, oil and dry pigments on canvas, 91.5 x 155.5 

artHives hosts artist run websites, prints artists books and publishes a digital monthly newsletter. You can visit artHIVES here: www.arthives.com

Shop Now Up And Running With Cart!

I figured out how to add a shop and a cart to my art website. Now people can buy my drawings and paintings with Paypal and in most cases will get free shipping to locations in Australia. Check out the shop under 'current artworks for sale' here: www.ariastone.com.au

Silence 1, oil, acrylic, wax and pigment on board

Silence 2, oil, acrylic, wax and pigment on board

Screen Printing Tests And Samples

Today was my initiation into screen printing. I created some black and white photocopies from simple patterns that I had previously drawn on bleed-free paper with a marker. This afternoon I learnt the process of all the steps to screen printing on fabric. 

• First the application of photo emulsion on the screen. 
• Next let the screen dry and apply vegetable oil to the photocopies.
• Then lay the oiled photocopies onto glass and exposing the images on the screen. 
• After that the screen is hosed until the emulsion washes off leaving the clean screen ready to print with.
• Stapled material to fabric table.
• Placed the screen over the fabric and pull the ink over the screen with a squeegee.

Here are my first tests on cotton and linen giving me insight as to what my next steps might be. 

Aria Stone, First Tests, 2015

I think I have started to peel a very big onion! It could take a while to get some great patterns on fabric...another sideline project that will keep me off the streets!

Someone did give me a great tip. They told me about Spoonflower...a website that will digitally print your designs on to fabric for those bespoke projects. Check out the website www.spoonflower.com It looks fabulous with lots of tuition videos to support their customers. 

And now for me...more experimentation...

Aria Stone, Pattern No. 5, ink marker on paper, 2015

How To Start A New Project

I am just about to embark on a new project using some different materials. The plan is to come up with some designs to print on fabric for my new brand. I joined the local printmaking studio, Megalo, to learn some screen printing techniques and to run a few tests. 

Table With Art Materials, 2015, photo by Aria Stone

I have often been asked how to begin a new project...

When you have no concrete ideas and you would like to start a new body of work or project, one suggestion is to go to the art shop and look at all the materials on display. Pick a medium that you have never worked with before. Pastels, acrylic paint pens, oil sticks, art markers, aqua pencils, wax crayons, charcoal and watercolour paints are but a small selection of materials that may be of interest. 

Take the items home and start running some experiments. Don't have any fixed idea in mind. Just start playing and see what happens. Create numerous studies with freedom and surrender to the process. Don't be precious about wasting the materials or making a mess. Have fun!

If you are used to being fastidious in copying the visual world precisely, try drawing with your eyes closed. Taping some charcoal to a long stick will also free up your mark-making. If you are always loose in your drawings, you could have a go at doing some fine detailed work within your drawing. 

After a few weeks of working with your new materials, you may find some interesting ideas emerging from your studies. From there, pick a favourite image and create a body of work on canvas or board based on your preference. 

All artists have different ways of working and entering into a new project. It helps us grow to try different techniques and experiment with mediums and materials. 

Below are a couple of examples of my playful experiments. 

Aria Stone, Study No. 2, ink, acrylic and pencil on canvas,
52 x 41 cm

Aria Stone, Study No. 3, ink, acrylic and pencil on canvas,
52 x 41 cm

Stretching The Comfort Zone

It is so easy to stay where we are...nice and comfortable...liking what we like and quickly discarding anything outside of our aural and visual familiarity. Today's challenge is to listen to something different to what is in my music collection. 

Join me and get your ears around Stanley Turrentine on tenor saxophone with The Three Sounds. 

For visual stretching, my recommendation is Cy Twombly. When I first saw his work I didn't get it and I couldn't understand why my teacher recommended that I look at his artworks. After studying visual art and delving deeper into abstract drawing and painting, I have come to absolutely adore Cy Twombly's work. It touches me on a very deep level. Check out his drawings and paintings on this link: http://www.cytwombly.info

WILDER SHORES OF LOVE 1985
OIL-BASED HOUSE PAINT, OIL PAINT (PAINT STICK),
COLOURED PENCIL AND LEAD PENCIL ON WOODEN PANEL,
55 1/8 X 47 1/4 INCHES (140 X 120 CM).

PAN 1975. / WAX CRAYON, COLLAGE, 148 X 100 CM.

It Might Get Ugly!

Starting off on a new project can be intimidating and also very exciting. One must be prepared to make a mess of things and get lost in the beginning in order to find a way through the confusion. I like to think of it as making new pathways in the brain or as Bob Proctor puts it "creating new brain cells".

With understanding and repetition comes order, knowledge and muscle memory. From this process confidence eventually emerges and pure expression can take over. So...whether it be in visual art or music...be prepared for imperfection and chaos! Step out of your comfort zone and put in the time. You will get there eventually.

Here is an example of order arising from chaos in one of my improvised drawings. I started to make marks to the rhythm of some African music I had on hand. I had no idea what the artwork would end up being. I just allowed myself to go into a trance to the music. After several hours of repeatedly making marks and erasing them, I stood back and could see an image taking shape. The subject matter was staring me in the face. From that point on, I refined the drawing until it felt finished. It was a hard day's work and I was tired and grubby at the end of it...but very satisfied.

Rhythm of Life, 2012, charcoal on paper, 101.5 x 77cm

The creation of my painting Enceladus also emerged out of pretty ugly and confusing beginnings. Eventually it started to come together after watching an inspiring documentary on the moons of Saturn. Cassini's photos of Saturn's sixth largest moon, Enceladus, were captivating and the images kept replaying in my mind. 

It took much time and a lot of patience to navigate the process of adding and scraping back the paint and pigments but eventually the painting began resonating to me with evocative simplicity. I was pleased that it came in as a finalist and was hung in the 2014 Heysen Prize at the Hahndorf Academy in South Australia.

Enceladus, 2014, oil, dry pigments, wax and acrylic on canvas, 76 x 76cm

So tell your friends, family and neighbours IT MIGHT GET LOUD (by the way - it is the name of a great documentary on three rock legends and a good watch) and IT MIGHT GET UGLY!

No More Guilty Pleasures

"I'm an artist, and if you give me a tuba, I'll bring you something out of it." - John Lennon

No more feeling guilty about being interested in and pursuing a diverse range of creative endeavours!

It makes no difference whether I am am expressing myself through photography, painting, drawing, saxophone, flute, harmonica, guitar and songwriting, or decorating my home...the artistic brain is at work. The material or instrument is but a medium to express an emotion, thought or concept using improvisation and layering as vehicles to fulfilment. 

This blog starts with an intention to bring fragmented interests and separation into alignment with an holistic approach to life and art. It is a celebration of being in the moment and improvising with as much consciousness as I can muster in that given moment. Moving forward will be an adventure into unknown territory and a journey of development and exciting discovery. 

Overture, 2012, oil and collage on board, 101 x 91 cm