Derivaciones del JKPP - JKPP offshoots (1)

Derivaciones del JKPP - JKPP offshoots

1. El grupo de autorretratos / The self-portraits group

El grupo de Flickr creado por Julia Kay en 2010 ha tenido un crecimiento espectacular (más de 750 miembros y casi 33.000 imágenes en el momento de redactar este post) y ha dado lugar a varias ramificaciones: desde la página y el grupo de Facebook hasta los encuentros a pequeña o gran escala en diferentes países, los grupos de Flickr creados por miembros del JKPP o el blog donde se publica este post. Todo ello refleja el entusiasmo suscitado por la idea de Julia y la fuerza inspiradora que comporta la posibilidad de retratarse unos a otros. / The Flickr group created by Julia Kay in 2010 has had a dramatic growth (more than 750 members and almost 33.000 artworks at the time of writing this post) and has led to several offshoots: from the Facebook page and group to the small and big meetups in different countries, the Flickr groups created by JKPP members or the blog where this text is posted. All of that reflects the excitement created by Julia's idea and the inspiring strength of mutual portraying.

En uno de los debates del JKPP, Julia explicaba: "Puse en marcha el JKPP en 2010, cuando mi proyecto personal de autorretratarme diariamente durante tres años se acercaba a su fin. [...] Pensé que sería divertido dibujar a otras personas antes de pasar a temas completamente  distintos, y quería celebrar no haber abandonado ni un solo día el proyecto de los autorretratos. Las dos ideas se fundieron en la creación del Julia Kay's Portrait Party: una fiesta de celebración, y otros artistas como tema en lugar de yo misma". / In a JKPP discuss, Julia said: "I started JKPP in 2010 when a personal project to draw myself every day for three years was winding to a close. [...] I thought it might be fun to draw a few people besides myself before moving on to other subjects entirely. And I wanted to celebrate not missing a day during my self-portrait project. These two notions came together when I started Julia Kay's Portrait Party - a party to celebrate, and other artists as subjects instead of myself."

Emblema del JKPP, con autorretato de Julia Kay

En un interesante bucle, el proyecto de autorretrato de Julia dio lugar a un grupo de retratos mutuos, que a su vez ha generado un grupo deautorretratos en el que participan numerosos artistas. Esta es solo una de las derivaciones del JKPP, un grupo con tantas repercusiones que al cabo de solo tres años de vida se hace difícil describir su historia. / In an interesting loop, the auto-portrait project of Julia Kay led to the creation of a mutual portraying group, which in turn led to a well-attended auto-portrait group. This is one of the numerous spin-offs of JKPP, a group with so many implications than it's not easy to describe its three-year story.

Concretamente, el grupo de autorretratos se planteó como una continuación de la exposición de postales organizada por Jane Sherwood y MartinBeek. Al principio se trataba de que los miembros del JKPP enviaran por correo retratos y autorretratos para exhibirlos en el encuentro de Oxford de marzo de 2011, pero después la exposición ha tenido un largo periplo, ya que ha estado en Bexhill y St. Leonards (Reino Unido) en febrero de 2012 y de nuevo en Oxford en mayo de 2012, en noviembre de 2012 viajó a Pensacola (EE.UU.) y acaba de volver a cruzar el océano para exhibirse (ampliada con retratos de Norman Mallory, recientemente fallecido) en el encuentro que tendrá lugar en Oxford el 11 de mayo de 2013. / The self-portrait group was created as a continuation of the postcard exhibition organized by Jane Sherwood and Martin Beek. The initial idea was to send portraits and self-portraits of JKPP members to exhibit them at the Oxford meetup of March 2011, but the exhibition has made a long journey and has been present in Bexhill and St. Leonards (UK) in February 2012 and again in Oxford in May 2012, has travelled to Pensacola (USA) in November 2012 and has crossed the ocean again to be shown (extended with portraits of recently passed-away Norman Mallory) at the meetup that will take place in Oxford the 11th May 2013.

El grupo de autorretratos de Flickr se creó poco antes de la quedada de Barcelona de julio de 2011 pensando en los casos en que podía ser complicado trasladar o exhibir físicamente las postales. Es un grupo de Flickr abierto a todos los miembros del JKPP, en el que se pueden colgar hasta 5 autorretratos no fotográficos (se ha limitado el número para evitar un desequilibrio entre los JKPPeros más y menos activos), creados de preferencia (aunque no exclusivamente) a partir de las fotos que cada cual tiene como referencia en el grupo de Julia. Hasta el momento forman parte de él más de la mitad de los miembros del JKPP (413 en el momento de escribir este post), que en total han colgado más de 500 autorretratos. / The self-portraits group was created just before the Barcelona meetup of July 2011, for the cases where the transport or physical exhibition of postcards would not be possible. It's open to any JKPP member and it admits up to 5 non-photographic self-portraits (to avoid a bias among most and less active JKPPers), made mainly (but not exclusively) from the ref pics included in Julia's group. So far, more than a half of JKPP members belong to the group (413 people at the time of writing this post), and the pool includes more than 500 self-portraits.

Autorretrato de Patricio Villarroel

Como administradora del grupo de autorretratos, el día de su creación avisé a todas las personas que en ese momento formaban parte del grupo de Julia y desde entonces he enviado regularmente invitaciones a los nuevos miembros. He intentado informar a todo el mundo, pero es posible que alguna persona se me haya pasado por alto. Si estáis en este caso y os interesa participar, podéis solicitar la inscripción desde la propia página del grupo o bien escribirme directamente. / As the group administrator, at the beginning I sent notice to all the people who belonged to Julia's group, and since then I've sent collective invitations to all the new JKPP members. I've tried to keep everyone informed, but I may have missed somebody! If you are in this case and you want to join the self-portraits group, you can ask for admission through the group page or send me a Flickrmail.

Como en el grupo de Julia Kay, cada participante es libre de escoger la técnica y el estilo de los trabajos que cuelga. El resultado es un conjunto variadísimo de autorretratos que se puede exhibir en cualquier tipo de actividad relacionada con el JKPP. Así, solo con un ordenador conectado a Internet y un proyector, todos los miembros del grupo de Julia pueden estar presentes en una actividad que quizá tiene lugar a miles de kilómetros de su casa, como si mandaran un saludo virtual a los asistentes. Es una forma más de ampliar la productiva comunicación entre todos los miembros del JKPP. / As in Julia Kay's group, each member can choose any technique or style for their artwork. The result is a rich pool of self-portraits than can be used for slideshows at any JKPP-related event. Thus, with a projector and a computer connected to the Internet, any JKPPer can be present at an event that may take place thousands of miles away, as saying a virtual hello to the participants. It's another way to extend the inspiring communication among all members of JKPP.

Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.

Interview with JKPP artist Erica Smith

Erica by Chris Dodwell

Erica Smith has already made more than 100 portraits for the party and is currently organizing a JKPP meet that will take place next February on UK South Coast. In this interview Erica talks about her artwork, her involvement in comic and zine movement of the 90's, her preferences in art and her idea of portraiture.

Zoraida de Torres: Erica, you seem a Renaissance woman to me: you are a graphic artist who also makes drawings and printworks, you've made comics and wrote about them, you make beautiful photos, you organise all kind of events... How would you describe yourself?

Erica Smith: I am a self-employed graphic designer. I live in a town on the south coast of England. I like people and if I am interested in something I will explore it. It’s nice to be called a ‘Renaissance Woman’... sometimes I feel more like a dilettante. I originally joined Flickr because I used to take photos as a ‘visual blog’, but since joining JKPP I use Flickr for my drawings. I also help organise events locally because I like to make things happen. I used to draw comics, but haven’t done that for a long time. The not-for-profit projects I work on bring me great pleasure. There is always a bit of tension between ‘money work’ and working on projects which I feel are just as valuable but are not-for-profit.

Z: You work as a freelance graphic designer. Can you tell us the difference between the artwork you do for your clients and the artwork you do for your pleasure?

E: I studied Typography and Graphic Communication, and my approach to design is ‘problem-solving’. My clients are usually small businesses or local organisations with a limited budget. I help them use their budgets as effectively as possible to communicate to their target audience. I like it, and it is creative, but also can be restrictive.The artwork I do for pleasure is more challenging... there are no boundaries except my ability as an artist. But the work I do for pleasure definitely feeds back in to my commercial design work. Last year I used my illustrations in commercial projects, and that is thanks to the practice and confidence I have gained thanks to JKPP.

Z: What is for you the difference between graphic art and fine art? What gives an image a particularly "graphic" character?

E: I think all art is part of the same spectrum, but the art I am drawn to is definitely more graphic... black and white line artwork, or work that uses strong flat areas of colour. I am not very interested in tone and modelling, or photography as a fine art. I think I became a graphic designer because I love symbols, and working out the simplest way to express an idea or an image. I am not at all interested in a lot of contemporary fine art... installation art or screen-based art. I would much rather look at a nice Grayson Perry pot which combines interesting ideas with accomplished drawing and craft.

I am also really drawn to African barbers’ signs and Mexican folk art. I love the simplicity and the colour. This appeals to me much more than Indian and Asian art which is more detailed and sophisticated.

GirlFrenzy covers

Z: You've been involved in the feminist zine movement of the 90´s. What was GirlFrenzy and why did you created it? Do you think the world has changed since the time the last issue of this zine was published?

E: In the early 90s, the name ‘GirlFrenzy’ popped into my head, and I thought it was such a great name I should do something with it. I was a bit bored with my job as a junior designer, and I was a bit bored with the lack of magazines which covered things I was interested in, so I thought I’d make my own ‘zine’. GirlFrenzy was always half articles and half comic strips, and was all ‘by women for people’. I produced the first GirlFrenzy in a vacuum, but it hit the right note and was an important part of an explosion of small press publications.

I’d like to think things have moved on since GirlFrenzy was published, but sometimes I wonder! Equality between the sexes seems to be making slow progress if you look at who still retains money and power. Even within the comic art world, it is still predominantly men writing and drawing the graphic novels, and women colouring them. Generally, I think women have more confidence and opportunity than when I was growing up, but the pressures to conform to a media-determined image of beauty are just as strong, if not stronger.

Z: I know you have a great collection of comics. Who are your favourite comic artists from past and present?

E: I do have a big collection of comics from the time I was producing GirlFrenzy, but I rarely read comics now. Marjane Satrapi’s Persepolis and Embroideries, and works by Woodrow Phoenix are the exception. I did get jaded with the comics world, because it seems to attract a kind of person who doesn’t want to grow up. I think keeping a childlike joy in the world is important, but it is also important to accept adult responsibilities. Kate Evans is an excellent comic artist who was first published in GirlFrenzy, and I love her more recent work about subjects as diverse as climate change and breastfeeding. My all time favourite comic artist has to be Jaime Hernandez. It was his stories in Love and Rockets that inspired me to produce GirlFrenzy, and I still love looking at his drawings. Similarly, Dan Clowes and Adrian Tomine hit the spot for me. And I love Caroline Sury’s art brut style work for Le Dernier Cri in France.

Z: And if we talk about art in more general terms, which would be your favourite styles and authors?

E: Within the broader art world, I tend to like the art of printmakers and illustrators over painters. I have a print by a British artist called Anita Klein which makes me very happy, and small pieces by local artists such as Katherine Reekie and Hazel Brook. I also have some lovely Cuban film posters. I recently rediscovered the work of David Gentleman, a fantastic British illustrator. I admire the work of painters like Francis Bacon, but I wouldn’t want to live with a Bacon painting, give me a Matisse or a Miro any day!
 

Portrait of Bill Rogers by Erica Smith

Z: You've been a Flickr member since 2006, first with the nickname "Erica Hastings" and now as "EricaStLeonards". How has been your experience with Flickr community?

E: When I joined Flickr it was just to find a place to put my photos, and turn them into html for MySpace. Now I never use MySpace and hardly ever upload a photo. I have always loved the Flickr community and have friends that I met through Flickr. Some I have met, like the fabulous photographer DJ Bass in Margate, and some I may never meet, like Bill Rogers in Tampa, Florida. It was the drawings in Bill’s Flickr stream that introduced me to JKPP. I love Flickr because it is a fabulous portal into different worlds. I have contacts who are photographers, craftspeople and artists. I love seeing the images pop up onto my home page. These days most of my uploads are drawings and most of my favourites are other people’s drawings. I find Flickr an inspirational visual resource, and the Flickr community has always been very supportive.

Z: You are also a very active member of JKPP group, with more than 100 portraits made. What is portraiting for you?

E: I’ve been a member of JKPP for about 18 months. It was curiosity about Bill’s drawings that drew me into the group. Sometimes I wonder why on earth I am drawing portraits, because it is a very hard thing to do! I think it is because I love people, and I’m very curious about them (my boyfriend would say I am nosey). There is something remarkable about drawing a portrait, because you have to really pay attention to that person. It is a very ‘loving’ thing to do. When I’ve been to the JKPP meetups and met people that I’ve drawn, I nearly always know who they are when they walk in the room, and it is always lovely to meet them. It is an extraordinary group to be involved with. I don’t actually like having my photo taken, or even looking in the mirror that much, so it’s been very interesting to have that ‘exchange’ and be both artist and model.

Portrait of Jane Sherwood by Erica Smith

Z: In a recent JKPP meetup, somebody said you were difficult to draw because there was a happy halo around you, a certain "lack of drama". Do you also think that happy people are more difficult to portrait?

E: I haven’t noticed that happy people are harder to draw, but my drawing style is quite simplistic. I have a very round face. I always think I look like a cartoon, so I think I should be easy to draw! The JKPP meetups are very special, and I can’t help but be happy at the ones I’ve attended. I don’t think I’m always so happy, but maybe the stresses of life so far have turned my hair grey rather than put lines into my face! I do think people get much more interesting to look at as they get older.

Z: You seem to be a very popular and active woman, involved in many cultural, social and political events. You've also attended all the JKPP meetups organised in Europe and are organising the next one, that will take place in the UK. How are the preparations going? Would you like to encourage our fellow JKPP members to make that meet in February?

E: I think it’s important to engage with the community you live in, and I know lots of amazing people. The more you put in to life, the more you get out! When I attended the first JKPP meetup in December 2010 in London, I didn’t know what to expect. It was a bit weird to sit and draw whilst people were drawing you. I felt quite self-conscious, but it was also a lovely event to be part of. I feel very privileged to have attended all the other events too, and that’s why I thought it would be good to host one near me.

I don't expect it to be as busy as a JKPP in a major European capital, but I would LOVE JKPP members to attend, so please spread the word! I know some of the artists from the UK, like Maureen Nathan and Martin Beek are coming, and it looks like a few artists are coming over from mainland Europe which is very exciting. It would be great to get some new members to attend too – it would be lovely to meet you – and to have some ‘new blood’ to draw!

If anyone wants to attend, please look at the thread on the JKPP discussion and contact me. If we have 14 or fewer artists, we can use my studio building, but if there is more interest then I will book a larger space, so it is important I know how many artists to expect.

The plan is to have a drawing day in St Leonards on Saturday 11 February, but we will also go to the De La Warr Pavilion in nearby Bexhill on Sunday 12 February. This is a 1930s modernist building with an exhibition of Andy Warhol’s work. I thought it would be fun to visit and we can either draw in the galleries, or use a special room next door for a private drawing session.

Z: Erica, which are your wishes for 2012?

E: My wishes for 2012 are:

1 - For the JKPP south coast meet up to be a success!

2 - To run the Hastings Half Marathon

3 - To draw more

4 - To continue to combine my artwork into my design practice

5 - For the recession to end and world peace to begin!

The JKPP meetup in Barcelona

Some JKPP members and friends had a great time in Barcelona on the first weekend of July. It was at the third European meet of Julia Kay's Portrait Party group, after the one that took place in London in November 2010 and the second one in Oxford, in March 2011.

This time the gathering was at La Central, a bookshop located in the center of the city, with a beautiful café and a peaceful terrace.


The group at the bookshop terrace, photo by Joan Ramon Farré Barzuri

The portrait party was held on Saturday the 2nd July, but as some of the visitors were already in Barcelona, on Friday evening there was a dinner by the sea.

On the big day, we were a nice bunch. From Barcelona: Magí Batet, Arturo Espinosa, Joan Ramon Farré Burzuri, Arsaytoma (Zoraida de Torres), Swasky (Víctor Martínez Escámez), and some of Swasky's students at a local art school: Míriam, Pedro, Trini (Tinitru), Isaac and Daniel. From other Spanish cities: Miguel RGL and Félix Tamayo, and from other countries: Kai, who came from Germany, Barbara Luel from Belgium, Erica Smith and Susanne du Toit from UK, and Judy Repke who arrived from the US after having attended a watercolor workshop in Costa Brava. At the party we had a few visitors who had learnt about it on USk-Spain blog, and they did some portraits too. At least one of them has recently became a new member of JKPP (Javier Luengo).

It was a happy and busy day. We spent all the morning making portraits from life, some of us discovering that it is much more difficult than from photos. Swasky, who was there as a teacher, knew how to organize the posing sessions in a way that everyone could be portraited and attempt fast and less fast portraits. It was really interesting to see that some people preferred to draw from 5 minute poses, others felt more confortable with 10 minute poses, and others asked for more time to finish their work. Each one was using their preferred media: watercolors, pastels, pen and ink, graphite, digital painting... and the results make an amazingly diverse and lively collection. We were inside a classroom, a slideshow of JKPP portraits and photos was projected on a wall, and everybody was focused and silent, so there was a special atmosphere that surprised the people who came to see us.


The painted wall, photo by Arsaytoma

Also, one of the bookshop owners offered us to paint whatever we wanted on one of the classroom walls. As Judy had big brushes and plenty of watercolor, a few began to paint and now there is a nice mural inside La Central, with the portraits of some of the attendees, plus Julia Kay who was there in spirit and image (with the balloon hat), and Franz Kafka who was there in image (among the posters decorating the classroom) and maybe in spirit too.

Most of us didn't leave the bookshop on the entire day. We had lunch there, and on the afternoon we had coffee at the terrace and made more portraits of each other.

It was planned to add an urban sketching session on Sunday. There was an USk Spain event in Teruel the same weekend, so not much people could come, but we managed to have a good morning anyway with Swasky, Kai, Erica, Barbara, Arsaytoma, Joan Ramon, his brother and his nephew. We went to the port, and once more it was shown that just a few people watching the same thing can produce interestingly diverse works - and have the same fun!

Some of the foreign visitors left Barcelona on Sunday, others stayed a couple of days more... for all of them, and for the people from Barcelona too, the JKPP gathering was a nice short vacation and a good opportunity to practice portraiting from life and make lots of drawings, and of course, to meet each other and talk in a real way, not only through the Internet.

Hope there can be more JKPP meets soon. Maybe in Brussels, as Barbara suggested?


There is a Flickr group about the Barcelona JKPP meetup. You can find here photos, videos, the portraits and sketches made during the wekend, and also the artworks made by other JKPP members who did not attend the meetup.