Ronald Bloore, "Untitled", 1963, oil on masonite. Collection of the MacKenzie Art Gallery, University of Regina Collection.
About the Artist
Ronald Bloore was an inspiring artist and artistic leader in Saskatchewan. Born in Brampton, Ontario, Bloore moved to Saskatchewan and was hired as the Director of the MacKenzie Art Gallery in 1958. His connections throughout North America put Regina on the map as an important player in the abstract expressionist movement, and his work led to the formation of “The Regina Five.”
About the Artwork
“For many, many years I didn’t use what’s known as color. I was Canada’s white painter. But I had at one time up to forty different tubes of white on my painting table, so I was seeing color all the time.” — Ronald Bloore
The Ronald Bloore painting, Untitled is a good representation of his classic white-on-white paintings. For the better part of his extensive painting career Bloore investigated the essence of the colour white. His inspiration for this work occurred early on in his career while studying in Egypt and Greece where he observed the bright, white light and the sculptural forms present in those locations.
Things to Think About
- “Painting is 90 percent boredom, five percent fun at the beginning and then it is just the procedure of trying to complete the work,” Bloore said in a 1993 interview. “The last five percent is seeing how close you can get to the initial idea that you had …” Do you consider this a good way of working? How would you describe your own process?
- Bloore never read reviews of his work. Why do you think he ignores reviews? Would you ignore reviews of your work?
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Studio Activity
Ronald Bloore, "Untitled", no date, watercolour on paper. Collection of the MacKenzie Gallery Volunteers.
Ronald Bloore, "Untitled", no date, watercolour on paper. Collection of the MacKenzie Gallery Volunteers.
EXPERIMENT WITH AUTOMATIC DRAWING
This is a highly imaginative, spontaneous expression. We’re creating a work of art that isn’t predetermined. When finished, enjoy the results.
What you Need:
Pencil, Paper, Eraser, and any materials to add colour such as paint or pencil crayons.
What You Do:
- Keeping in mind this is a spontaneous and imaginative expression, its time to let go and trust that the image will form.
- With your paper and pencil in front of you, keep your mind blank. Try not to predetermine what you will make. Some grown ups may find it helpful to take a deep breathe to relax. Children tend to be relaxed and ready to go.
- Begin drawing by playing with lines, allow the pencil to flow across the page.
- Don’t try to replicate anything or force it. Just focus on lines, shapes and forms. Let your drawing grow organically.
- Your lines can be thick, thin, jagged, smooth, straight or curved. You can fill in shapes, repeat lines or erase lines.
- You’ll know you’re on the right track when you forget about the time of day or what’s for dinner.
- Don’t judge your work. This gets easier the more automatic artworks you create.
- Now try adding colour by filling in shapes or overlaying the lines.
- For a second option–try playing some music as inspiration while drawing. Does your quality of lines change?
