Alao

INTRODUCTION

So my name's Alan, I'm now a ripe 36 years-old, and I work at a local College in my hometown of Morecambe – and not in the Art Department either, as is often assumed! 😅

I always had a pretty unbreakable reputation with drawing, since about 4 years old, but I've barely lifted a pencil since finishing my Art Degree in 2012 (which finished on a low, having broken my wrist in the final few months, therefore killing my ambitions for a show-stopping final exhibition!). It's as part of this degree that made me set up a profile here, for a 'Professional Practice' module.

Anyway, since finishing that degree, I slipped into the regular 9-to-5 routine and – although I never stopped thinking about ideas for drawing; literally every day – I've found it really difficult to find the time or opportunity to break the cycle of my day-to-day life, to finally give my Art a go.

Aside from my busy day job, I also run my own community football club, and have now even found myself on the Board of Governors at my old Primary School, despite not even having any kids of my own (..-a very long story in itself!) 😂

So, in all honesty (and after a couple of well-intentioned false starts), I'd fully settled on the idea that I'd just never draw again.

However...

..-Fuelled (mainly) by the relentless nagging from my other half(!), I've decided to formally rearrange my priorities, and start to put my Art ahead of my job (..-something which the College have been great in supporting me with too tbf). So I'm officially picking up the pencils again & literally getting back to that proverbial drawing board...

Having been allowed to use the College site in my spare time over the past year or so, and drawing from close colleagues (and even an ex!), I've been able to test out my skills again, and some new ideas – and it turns out that I'm (mercifully!) not as rusty as I'd feared! Plus the newer, more-illustrative, style that I'd been imagining for so long, has been something quite exciting to work-on in practice too (see my most recent post as a good guide for that).

The private rooms I'd used at College are now due for significant refurbishment, and with no other suitable rooms available for 6 months or more, I've finally found somewhere else to work from in central Morecambe (just a stone's throw from the promenade). Flooded with natural light, and surrounded by nothing but peaceful quiet, it seems like an ideal base to work from, as I start to build a portfolio of work for really the first time since High School..!

And so then, a bit more about...

MY ART

I started as a graphite (pencil) artist in my earlier school days, before discovering charcoal late-on at High School (most of my portfolio is actually work from my school days!). Now I use those materials, and my taste for realism, as a base - before then adding my newer, bold illustrative lines. This is a combination that I've seldom seen, and frankly one that I'm starting to adore! It is also a fundamental new tool in helping me to continue my passion for adding steganography to my works.

Steganography: the art of hiding secret messages within imagery – is what I use to hide all sorts of things in my drawings, from secret messages and symbols, to hidden puzzles and games (see the hidden 'NHS' in my 'Sally' drawing, as a simple example). It's a trick that's been used for centuries by 'Old Masters' like Leonardo Da Vinci, but is much lesser seen in Modern Art these days. I like to use it in my work, to add another layer, and provide an excuse for people to look deeper, and perhaps appreciate a little more of what they're really seeing - especially in a World that's now saturated with imagery.

But ultimately, tricks aside, I just want to create artworks that are full of style, joy, and ambition.

However, the Artist is of course only 50% of the equation...

So I'm looking for more & more people to draw, as I re-explore the wonders that Art can bring, and (finally!) the potential of my contribution towards it. I'm definitely a fan of drawing 'normal people', like my friends, but I know I'd be a complete fool to limit myself in any way – and life's too short anyway, right! – so here goes...

If this speaks to you, then hopefully we'll speak soon..?! 😊

Alan/Alão Xx