The Kick-About No.122 invited us to explore the modular, playful spirit of Joaquín Torres-García. This week, we draw inspiration from Wu Guanzhong, who fuses Chinese ink traditions with Western abstraction. Enjoy this latest selection of ‘new works made in a short time’ and check out all previous editions of The Kick-About here.
Lewis Punton
“I wasn’t familiar with Guanzhong’s work pre Kick-About (another benefit of taking part in these fortnightly prompts!), but what struck me immediately was the large amounts of white pretty consistently found in each piece; leaving only pockets of colour littered purposely throughout. In an act of real serendipity, the stars seemed to align this weekend as the fields behind our house began to mirror this intention of colour. Leaving little hues of green and red in amongst a sea of chilled white. Camera in hand, and scarf wrapped beyond a level of comfortable snugness, I took to finding miniature Guanzhong pieces in amongst the frozen cities of an early morning Kentish field…”
Phil Gomm
“I went to the windswept wilds of the North Norfolk coast for the New Year, and on our way to the dunes, we passed these extraordinary fields of reeds. We watched, as the wind set this landscape undulating magically. We’d been expecting bleak, sunless weather, but on this day, we got pale golden light, and while I have desaturated these resulting photographs to better emulate the ink and paper of Guanzhong’s sinuous paintings, the truth of this natural spectacle is captured here.”
Vanessa Clegg
“Thinking of watercolour I decided to divide the elements ie: water and colour and had great hopes in getting exciting results by submerging flowers in coloured and clear water… but..not having a large enough vessel it didn’t quite come out as hoped. Ah well, it was worth the time and it was the last—which was the first—image that I found the most successful; a kind of bottom of the pond look!”
vanessaclegg.co.uk / vanillaclegg
Kerfe Roig
“I felt this prompt called for brush and ink work, and I was really drawn to the trees. So I photographed lots of trees while walking through Central Park; I love the way the branches are exposed in winter–and then chose some of them to paint. After I did them in black and white, I hesitated about adding color—you can’t go back and fix what you don’t like in watercolor—but I took photos of the original versions and then plunged in. Some came out better than others–and I did leave two of them alone–but I enjoyed trying to emulate Guanzhong’s intricate layering.”
kblog.blog / methodtwomadness.wordpress.com
Gary Thorne
“Wu Guanzhong’s cityscapes arrived at a good time, as I promised myself to sketch during a fair weather holiday. Perhaps sketchy observations could lead to impressions in paint, yet it’s never an easy leap from pencil to paint. Guanzhong’s drawings show such freedom and sleight of hand—a lot of inspiration for the start of 2025.”
Itta Howie
“My husband and I spend the first days of 2025 in Teignmouth, and I found the garden of Cliffden Hotel where we were staying a great site to try out some Guanzhong-style sketching. It was freezing cold so I needed to keep mobile and walk around, stopping here and there to quickly record shapes, lines and textures. With Guanzhong’s works in the back of my mind, I was looking at the site very differently and searching for forms. Things I would usually refuse to draw, for example the lamps along the path, the fences and railings, were now asking to be drawn.
I enjoyed my final sketching-in-the-cold session the most. I managed to let go of the idea of capturing a scene and completely immersed myself in the environment. I recorded everything that visually spoke to me, made frottages of the bark I touched, and translated the sound of birds and the sensation of wind brushing my skin into pencil marks. The last two sketches are very much about being in a site and layering sensory experiences, and I like the big leaf which looks like a tongue tasting nature. I feel I’m discovering a new way of working and can’t wait to explore some more.”
James Randall
“I had no idea where this KA was going – I just jumped onboard for the ride! Initially I was playing with shapes that went black and white and oddly figurative. Then I thought I should do a landscape after his ‘Two Swallows’ painting so I tackled a Brisbane city subject. I thought I should add two swallows (they are one of our invasive species so quite relevant—they often nest around the Brisbane river walkways and bridges) and maybe some Chinese text. When I think of China from an Australian perspective, the media and politics are constantly weighing up if China is a threat or partner; I added peace and war as the two Chinese words, feeling they were appropriate swallows swooping about. And then I thought they should be added to the figurative piece.“
Charly Skilling
“Hydrangea – sharpies and alcohol on ceramic tile.”
Graeme Daly
“I loved the simple silhouettes of Guanzhong’s paintings, I decided to focus on trees but injected more colour!”
@graemedalyart / vimeo.com/graemedaly / linkedin.com/in/graeme-daly / twitter.com/Graeme_Daly / gentlegiant.blog
January can be a self-reflective month…
Red's Kingdom 
Leave a comment