Recent Paintings

Untitled - Acrylic Paint and Collaged Papers on Canvas - 14x18 inch

Still Life with a Yukka and an Alpacka - Acrylic Paint on Canvas - 12x16 Inch

I want to create a body of work that is centred on shape, colour and abstraction by looking at the contrast between organic forms in nature and man-made objects of everyday life. Here are two of my recent paintings based on this concept. I have been trying to figure out a style of painting that works for me so you could say these are experiments and so far I have learned a lot. I now know I really enjoy collaging with painted papers, using masking tape to stencil off areas and painting with thick brushes to form gestural marks. This is really useful as I now have a clearer understanding of how I want to work, it means I can get down to business and create more work without worrying how I'm going to do it.

Artists That Currently Inspire Me

Over the summer I have been collecting names of artists that currently inspire me in terms of the direction I want my art practice to take. I have been thinking a lot about what I want my art to become in my second year of university so that when I start again this month I have a path I want to go down. Doing this has really helped as I feel I have a focus and can get on and make some art rather than wasting time just thinking about it. I have done a couple of paintings and experimented with some ideas (which I will post about in the near future) but for now I thought I'd show you three of the main artists that I am currently interested in.

Paul Wackers

I love the colour, shapes and textures Paul Wackers creates in his paintings of plants and objects that he associates with personal internal anecdotes.  I admire how he combines both nature and object within a single composition that gels well together aesthetically creating an abstracted still life. I think his colour and shape is excellent and is something I really want to try and capture in my own work.

Kirra Jamison

Kirra Jamison's large abstract, gouache paintings really caught my eye because of their beautiful pastel colours and crisp, flat shapes. Jamison works with tape to produce those careful, sharp edges which is a way of working I really enjoy using.  

Tatiana Urban

Tatiana Urban explores modern landscape painting and I really love the colours and gestures in her work. The like how she combines abstract organic shapes with geometric shapes to produce a contrast in the paintings. 

Tate St. Ives

Rivane Neuenschwander - I Wish Your Wish

I Wish Your Wish is an exhibition by Rivane Neuenschwander that is part of the Images Moving Out Onto Space collection currently showing at the Tate St. Ives until 27th September. Neuenschwander is 'interested in the permanent state of change the works are in' often inviting the public to interact with the pieces. This piece stems from traditional pilgrims to the Church of Nosso Senhor do Bonfim, Brazil, where it is believed your wish would come true when a ribbon that was bound to your wrist with three knots falls off. The exhibition consists of sixty wishes from local residents written on a piece of ribbon. As part of the interaction we are invited to take one of these wishes to tie around our wrists but also replace it with your own wish.

I loved the exhibition and the concept behind it. I really enjoyed reading what people had wished for, it almost gave you an insight into how the individual feels about themselves and their life. Here is a selection of what people had wished for:

'I wish for financial security'
'I wish for an easy death'
'I wish for a wonderful apartment and amazing friends to share with'
'I wish people could live where they like regardless of where they come from'
'I wish my desire'
'I wish I could be a man for a day (I am a woman)'

It was super fun to walk around and read what people had wished for and it was great that you could take one and replace it with your own. I loved that interaction and the idea that the exhibition is taken outside the gallery space into the streets, villages and towns surrounding the Tate St. Ives.

The Eden Project

This summer has been the best I've had in a long, long time but it has gone way too fast! It has been a personal journey with a huge list of enriching experiences and memories; I've moved into my first house, created my blog and online shop, taken part in a couple of art markets, made some canvas tote bags, worked on multiple paintings and drawings, been on holiday to Cornwall, worked in The Tiled Hall Cafe, visited plenty of art exhibitions and had my house burgled. All but one of those is positive but all experience is good experience, right? It's what builds you as a person and helps you grow wiser, thats what I'm taking from it anyway!

So on my holiday to Cornwall Amy and I went to The Eden Project which is a HUGE visitor attraction that houses thousands of Tropical and Mediterranean plants from around the world in two inflated biodomes. The current aim with my art is to produce something that focuses on shape, colour and abstraction looking at the contrast between the organic and the man-made. The Eden Project was really, really good for first hand research so I spent a lot of time drawing and taking photos on my film camera. We both spent about four hours walking around the boiling domes drawing plants every five steps we took, it was great! 

These are a selection the drawings and photos I got from the day. I love all the shades of green, the shapes of the plants and the negative space they create. I also love the juxtaposition of the hexagonal and pentagonal geometric shapes of the steel frames and the natural shapes of the plants and foliage they emerge from. I will definitely be using these drawings and photos as references and inspiration in my artwork so you may see them pop up again at some point! 

Daily Drawing Update - Week Ten

This is a 'better late than never' kind of post that will conclude my daily drawing series... for now anyway. I have been struggling to find the time to draw due to life getting in the way but I managed to do some drawing when I was on holiday in Cornwall so I thought I'd share them with you.

#64 - Late night drawing off the harbour.

#65 - I thought this boat looked all lonely out there in the middle of the harbour.

#66 - 'Fun Day' at Gorran Haven beach. I am now defending champion of the quoits competition of 2015, woo!

#67 - This little cove was perfect for skimming stones!

#68 - A lone yacht late at night. The blue of the sea and sky matched perfectly there was no horizon line to be seen.

#69 - Little fishing trawler from Fowey.

#70 - A view of St. Ives beach where a seagull stole my Ice cream!

My Own Shop!

Creating an online shop where I can sell my work and designs has been on my list of things to do for a while and now I have finally scratched it off my my chalk board. You can visit my shop here through my blog or head straight over to www.jakemullins.bigcartel.com/ to give it a browse.

So far all I have for sale are these hand screen printed tote bags and they are in limited stock so if you are interested you better head over to the shop quick! (Thank you Amy for taking the photos for me!)

Art Journal Review - Juxtapoz

Juxtapoz has always been a favourite of mine over the abundance of art magazines that are heavy with fashion and lifestyle because of its focus on art, design and photography. As well as trying to pick up the latest copy of Juxtapoz I also follow the magazine on Instagram and I am always pleasantly surprised by the amazing work of current artists around the world. I have just come back from a holiday in Cornwall and the long car journeys and relaxing days on the beach meant I had plenty of time to have a read through the August issue.

In the issue I came across an article called Mystery Within Boundaries in which artist Tom Killian is featured with his Japanese-style woodblock prints of Northern California. These beautiful landscape prints caught my eye because of their incredible detail and amazing colour. Killian loves the Japanese-style woodblock carving technique because he can be the designer, carver and printer and so can immerse himself in the whole process. I really liked the article because as well as mentioning possible activism within his work it also touched on the process itself, which is something I am interested in. In my second year at university I would really like to get into the print room and take advantage of what there is to offer and woodblock printing sounds like something I would love to try. (I am in the painting and printmaking strand after all...) If you would like to read the full interview or want to view more of his work you can check it out here on the Juxtapoz website.

Greenwood Cove, Mendocino Coast

Muir Beach

Point Reyes from Chimney Rock