<![CDATA[a.lau.c Illustrations

Anne Magill is known for her highly atmospheric paintings and drawings that are able to capture moments in time, being said to be like photographs from an old camera. There is a beauty to her work and the way she is able to provoke feelings of an old memory, maybe one lost to time, or sitting in someone's attic. There is both a distance and a connection made with her work. As a viewer you have this feeling as though you have seen something similar before, maybe your own memories, or those from a photo album. The out of focus figures with their heads turned away from you, also give a feeling of distance, as though you are merely looking in on someone else. This allows you to come up with you own ideas of what might be taking place or what the person depicted is thinking. I feel like as an illustrator, having an ability to create a feeling just through an image is an important skill, and Magill could be a great reference. The way she creates atmosphere is also something note worthy, and I believe it is the key to how she is able generate such emotions. She is able to do this while working on up to ten or more pieces at a time, re-visiting each one until she has decided that they have the spark needed to bring them to life. I think a lot of young artists also feel as though they must work on one piece tirelessly, just like Magill, however she has had the time to know when to leave a painting be. Magill is also said to have a preference for oil paints at night and charcoal and acrylic in the daytime.

Both of these paintings have atmosphere however, Magill is able to capture two different feelings. the first one comes across as very intimate as the figures are holding each other, possibly dancing. This closeness is is also felt by the way the image is composed, as the doorway gives you a feeling like the figures have stepped away to have a moment together. The closeness can also be felt by the darker room the figures are in, that is almost pushing them together, in contrast to the bright light of the doorway. The second one however feels more open as we get more of a view of the background, but is still focused on the two figures, especially the one sitting down, due to the highlights around the face and arms. these highlights specifically in the water give an idea of a sunny, pleasant day, and the orange could be a hint to a setting sun. when I look at this painting I can imagine temperate day being warmed up by the sun. Looking at these two paintings along with the others, you can get an idea of the range of feelings that Anne Magill is capable of conveying, and the benefit of using her work as an influence.

Personal Influence

Currently Anne Magill has become one of the artists that I frequently have been going back to for reference when creating my own work. This was definitely the case with the previous project on M.R James' collection of ghost stories. With that previous project I really wanted to create an atmosphere of uncertainty, to allow the viewer to use their imagination, just like the author does, and allow their feelings to create the horror. Anne Magill is very much known for atmosphere, and although her work is more to capture the feeling of a memory, her work can also come across in a foreboding manner. The Darkness of the figures in her work compared to the background, maintain an essence anonymity. This allows the viewer to ponder on the person captured in her work, and along with the dark, gloominess of the environment, gives way to an ominous feeling.

Over the past two years I have gained an appreciation for artists such as Anne Magill, due to the beauty that comes with the lack of perfectionism. Don't get me wrong I'm not saying care isn't taken, but there's more of an emphasis on making the viewer feel something. At the moment with my own work, I'm trying to move away from this idea that things have to be perfect with outlines, and to try and be more expressive. Anne Magill is able to this, creating beautiful pieces of work with blurry figures, like a photo taken out of focus. The painting I did to the right, although for more colourful than the work done by Magill, has indeed been influenced by her. In this piece I tried to put less focus into the background, and be more expressive with my brush strokes, similar to the way Magill paints. The figure is also kept anonymous, as I didn't add much in the way of facial features, however in some areas of the figure I went into more detail, as a way to bring the focus into the figure, while allowing a distance to be maintained.

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