The 5Day Art Challenge: Artistic Development



Me, getting an early start Photo- Stephanie Tihanyi
(all copyright held by the artist)

It was begun online, on Facebook by my fellow artists of the Visionary Art community, (this is where we all connect and come together from our far flung and many times obscure places across the globe). The 5 Day Art Challenge. The one (artist) nominated, had to post 3 pictures of their work each day for 5 days. Each day they had to nominate another artist friend to do the same. We had to include work we did years ago, up until where we are now. It was a great exercise for me to frame my development by creating a simple brief timeline. Here it is from my Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/stephy.tihanyi





1) The Owl and the Badger-by S. Tihanyi (all copyrights held by the artist)





2) The Broken- Hearted Machine- by S. Tihanyi (all copyrights held by the artist)





3) My Grandmothers Yard- by S. Tihanyi (all copyrights held by the artist)

Feb 19 Day One 5Day Art Challenge: Thank you fellow artist, Dakini for nominating me for the 5 Day are Challenge, where I get to post 3 works, old or new, for 5 days and nominate another artist to do the same. Here are some very early works back when I lived in Luton in the UK. I worked on the assembly line as a welder at Vauxhalls car factory. I welded wheel arches in the day and painted at night. 1988- 1990. 'The Owl & the Badger'- oil on wood, 'The Broken-Hearted Machine'- gouache and dry pastels on paper, 'My Grandmothers Yard, Pecs, Hungary, (with the old walnut tree)- acrylic on board'
Today I nominate Brian Lovebug Joseph to take up the challenge.





1) The Angel & the FireCat- by S.Tihanyi (all copyrights are held by the artist)





2) Crown of 12 Suns- by S.Tihanyi (all copyrights are held by the artist)

3) The Corn Goddess-by S. Tihanyi 9all copyrights are held by the artist)

20 Feb Day Two: 5Day Art Challenge: Early sketch for a later painting (Angel and the FireCat) -Dry pastels on paper.  'Crown of 12 Suns' -egg tempera on wood panel. 'The Corn Goddess' -black & white sketch on board. These I did before leaving the UK, before 1993. After that, I did not paint for sometime.
Today I nominated : Artist, Quadri Di Gio Curioni




1) The Frigate Birds of Coralitia- by S. Tihanyi (all copyrights are held by the artist)






2) The Reef Diver- by S. Tihanyi (all copyrights are held by the artist)





3) Kestrel in the Meadow- by S. Tihanyi (all copyrights are held by the artist)

21 Feb Day Three: 5Day Art Challenge: When I came to live in the Caribbean in 1993, I lost my connection to my home and found myself an outsider in an emerging country that was forging a nationalistic identity through a shared Caribbean heritage. I struggled with the feeling of being irrelevant and a non-belonger, but I found a place in producing works that studied the outer world of my tropical environment and nature's stunning beauty. 'Frigate birds by Coralitia'-acrylic on canvas, 'The Reed Diver'- oil on canvas, 'The Kestrel in the Meadow'- limited edition linocut print on paper.
For todays challenge, I nominate: Ross Trebilcock





1) Old House in Marigot- by S.Tihanyi (all copyrights are held by the artist)





2) Flamboyant Flux- by S.Tihanyi (all copyrights are held by the artist)





3) The Rainbow Tree of Life DNA- by S. Tihanyi
(all copyrights are held by the artist)

 

Feb 22 Day Four: 5Day Art Challenge: Up until 2008-2012, I produced artwork to fit to the conservative, commercial art tastes around me, being told so constantly, that to be successful, I had to do what people want. So I did. Then the 2008 crash happened. Since then and till the present day, art buying dried up more every year, along with the art galleries. Cruise ship tourists grew, but spent rarely on art. It was a blessing in a way, because it made me face the fact I had lost an important part of myself as an artist. I had blocked my artistic development. Through a period of depression, I finally decided to listen to my own voice again and gradually introduced the surreal-ness back into my work, risking the chance of attaining general appeal or local marketability. I decided, I would rather be true to myself even if I never sell another painting again. ' The Old House in Marigot - limited edition linocut print on watercolor paper'. 'Flamboyant Flux' acrylic on canvas, 'The Rainbow Tree of Life'- oil on board.

Today, I nominate artist: Lukifer Aurelius

 

1) Dweller Between the Worlds- by S. Tihanyi
(all copyrights are held by the artist)





2) Cup of Abundance- by S.Tihanyi
 (all copyrights are held by the artist)





3) I shall Fear No Evil-by  S. Tihanyi
(all copyrights are held by the artist)

Feb 23 Day Five: 5Day Art Challenge: In 2012, I made a bold step of opening a small art gallery, because all the galleries were disappearing and I had nowhere to show or sell my work, Unfortunately it closed two years later, proving unfeasible. I felt very isolated and alone, partly because of the actual physical reality of working as an artist, but also because of the difference in the aims, objectives and nature of that art. If Visionary art is seen as 'Outstream or off the main by the Mainstream art world, here, its never seen at all. I know most people thought, 'why does she paint that strange stuff, don't she know she has no hope of anyone going to buy it'. Actually, I thought this a lot myself. This loneliness made me begin looking for others like me, others that would accept me. It was such a wonderful thing that through Facebook, I discovered the Visionary Art Tribe. At last, my people! A collective of people stretched out across the globe, a supportive fellowship of artists who have in common, a genuine love of appreciating and making visionary, surreal and spiritual art. These dedicated people are the real counter-current to that which is touted as 'modern art' by the present art establishment. At last, people who understand, what it is I do. Seeing the very high skill level of these artists, I knew I needed to go and study more. That spring of 2014 I went to Austria, Payerbach to learn painting techniques, Old Masters New Visions: http://www.mischtechnikseminars.com/ from the 'masters of mische', Philip Rubinov Jacobson and Mantra Cora. I think its true to say this has had a big effect on my painting and the strengthening of my confidence and vision. 'Dweller between the Worlds'- acrylic on canvas.
'Cup of Abundance'- Mische oil/egg, I shall Fear No Evil'- Mische oil/egg.

 

My painting: Cup of Abundance is finished

 Its my first one that is in the new technique of oil/egg tempera of the Old Masters. A technique I learnt from Prof. Philip Rubinov Jacobson at the workshop in Vienna this year. Its on canvas and the size is 24X30 inches:






Cup of Abundance -by Stephanie Tihanyi
 

This is my painting, The Cup of Abundance is finished  In the  painting, the Peacock Colored Angel hold the Holy Grail to all who can sees spiritual light, traversing from afar into the realm of the Kingdom of Nature, where the laws of life and death are set in place, Souls, like moths flock around, drawn by the light and heat, desiring to be consumed by the flame of eternal love and carried to realm of softer, higher vibrations.

After reading The Conference of the Birds or Speech of the Birds, Written in 1177, in Persian by the poet Farid ud-Din Attar, who is commonly known as Attar of Nishapur.  It is a poem about the king of the birds (souls) leading them to enlightenment. I became interested with the symbol and tradition of the Pheonix.
 In Persian its known as Simurgh (/ˌsɪˈmərɡ/; Persian: سیمرغ sɪmorγ), also spelled simorgh, simurg, simoorg or simourv, is a benevolent, mythical flying creature. It is sometimes equated with other mythological birds such as Arabic Anqā (عنقا) or Persian Homā (Persian: هما‎). The figure can be found in all periods of Greater Iranian art and literature and is also evident in the iconography of medieval Armenia .  The mythical bird is also found in the mythology of the Turkic peoples of Central Asia and is called Kerkés, Semrug, Semurg, Samran, and Samruk.^[3][4] The word was also borrowed into Armenian as siramarg ‘peacock’.

Old Masters New Visions Painting Seminar Payerbach, Austria 2014


 In March this year I decided to go to Austria, to take part in the Old Visions New Masters painting workshop, run by the visionary artist, writer, philosopher and teacher, Professor Philip Rubinov Jacobson. Prof. Phil, as he is known affectionately by his students, teaches the traditional painting techniques of the Old Flemish Masters and early Renaissance painters of the 14th and 15th century. These were artists such as, Botticelli, Jan Van Eyck, Messina, Hugo van der Goes, Andre Mantegna, Leonardo da Vinci, Albrecht Altdorfer, Hans Holbein, Pieter Bruegel and many others. These Renaissance techniques are still considered to be the finest in the history of painting.

Jan van Eyck-
 Giovanni Arnolfini and his bride

Leonardo da Vinci-
Madonna of the Rocks

 I had long achieved a measure of mastery with modeling paint and a high degree to realism in my work but had for some time, struggled to find a way to achieve a greater depth, luminosity and light. I had got the bright colors, yes, but my shadows seemed flat and without depth, I needed to progress my painting technique. I read about the mische technique after I joined the visionary art collective, called The Society of Art of the Imagination, (AOI). The founder is the British fantastic realist, artist Brigid Marlin. Like Brigid, Prof. Phil, studied in Vienna under the world renowned Austrian visionary artist, Ernst Fuchs .

The techniques of the old Masters were considered lost to history by the 20th century and it was Ernst Fuchs, along with Arik Brauer, Rudolf Hausner, Wolfgang Hutter, Anton Lehmden and Fritz Janschka, who began to research the Old Master’s painting methods. All were students of Albert Paris von Gutersloh. It was Gutersloh’s emphasis on the techniques of the old masters, that influenced their painting technique and a small revival was born among the visionary artists. 1946, they founded the Vienna School of Fantastic Realism. In addition to his own research, Ernst studied the manuscripts of Max Doerner(1870–1939) a German artist and art theorist, who wrote The Materials of the Artist and Their Use in Painting published in 1921. Doerner Institute

Ernst Fuchs

After 1954, with Fuchs's fame spreading in Europe and the UK , many artists came from America to Vienna, including Professor Phil, and others, such as, Bob Venosa, Mati Klarwein, Joseph Askew, Brigid Marlin, Bob Venosa, Herbert Ossberger, Linda Gardner, Clayton Campbell, Hanna Kay, Sandra Reamer and Olga Speigel, and many others. They were joined later by artists from around the world and a new World-wide Art Movement was formed.
About the Mische technique. Is a method of painting with egg tempera, used in combination with oil based paints and resins to render a luminous, resonant realism. The egg yolk of the egg tempera is a naturally occurring emulsion of water and oil. As such, the old masters found ways of extending the natural advantages of its emulsion to create lean, siccative, smoothly transitional and semi-transparent layers of paint. The visual effects created by working in the mixed technique essentially rely upon the phenomenon of light refracting through many subsequent layers of paint that are luminous and jewel-like


On Wednesday, June 11th, I flew first to Miami from St. Maarten in the afternoon and then in the evening, took the night flight to London. I am not a fan of travel though I do like seeing new places, but airports, train and bus terminals are hectic, busy, noisy stressful places, with delays, unexpected changes etc, and who the heck sleeps on overnight flights? I was glad to arrived in London on Thursday morning where I was met by my stepdad who drove me to my late mother’s house in Luton.  I had just enough time the next day to get some art materials I needed for the course in the town center. These were things I couldn't get on my little island St.Maarten, such as a varied selection of brushes, oil colors, permanent inks and other stuff. At 2am on Saturday morning, I took a bus to Stanstead and flew to Vienna very early.



The walk on the road to Payerbach
 from Gloggnitz

With instructions emailed to me from the Professor, from the airport, I managed to locate the train to Payer-Reichenau. Apparently there are two trains, an inexpensive slow one (snail ban) and a fast one expensive one. Conserving cash, I took the slow one. I arrived in Payerbach around midday.




 
Payerbach is a little Austria town nestled in a valley below the Rax mountain range of the alps, about an hour or half drive from Vienna. Its famous for the Semmering Railway, and the town had been long been a vacation spot for the Austrian imperial family and other celebrities of Viennese high society, such as the famed Austrian psychoanalyst, Sigmund Freud.

 I had a reservation at the Hotel Payerbacherhof and once I got off the train it was just a little walk to the hotel. It was extremely quiet I walked into reception and found no one except a huge yellow Labrador laying across the hallway, he came to greet me in a friendly fashion. Eventually some one came out of a doorway. It was the son of the owner. He helped me take my luggage up to where I would stay for the duration of the workshop. I had booked the shared female dormitory. This turned out to be a very large room in the attic, with a number of beds in it.

I was the very first one of the students to arrive, even the Prof and his partner artist Mantra Cora, were not arriving till the next day. It was nice weather to walk and explore but I was exhausted. I just wanted to lay down and sleep. The attic had beautiful old wooden floors and wooden beams, the roof was full of many skylights, that gave great views of the mountains and surrounding area and plenty of light, too much light, actually it was blinding with sunshine. A housekeeper came up the stairs pulling a ladder, with black trash bags and tape to cover the windows for me. After seeing her small frame, nervously wobbling around on the ladder; I ended up doing them by myself, rather than see her injure herself. With a darkened room, alone, it was utter bliss to take a nap knowing I didn’t have to take a plane somewhere soon. Sometime in the evening, I went down to the restaurant and got a nice thick bowl of Hungarian goulash with a glass of local red wine. It did the trick and I slept well. 

The next day I meet the Prof. and Mantra Cora in the lobby. We only had time to exchange short greetings before they had to return to Vienna, to take back the rental car they had used to transporting here, all the materials for the course. They would then come back on the train. During the day I took a pleasant walk along the Schwarza river, admiring the mountains, meadows and forested hills. I walked in one direction towards the next town Gloggnitz, following the little road along the railway track and then I took a walk later in the other direction into another town, Reichenau.  The weather was beautifully warm and sunny. In time I met another student Romanie who came from Ibiza and Dakini from Amsterdam. We all ended up in the attic together, which we eventually dubbed the the ‘creaky attic’ on account of the ancient floorboards.

 

 

to be continued