Summer Work 2013

Our brief was to document our summer by looking at other artists' work or exhibitions, collect information or images relating to our experiences, and do some kind of practical work ourselves in response to what we had found.

For me, this summer involved travelling within the UK, visiting friends and family, getting engaged and visiting potential various potential wedding venues.

I went to my first stadium gig in May to see MUSE, a band with an extraordinary performer who is musically gifted. The show that was put on was incredible; special effects, lighting and props were unbelievable. The fire jets used could be felt by us at the back of the stadium! This got me thinking about the idea of spectacle. 

a trapeze artist hung down from this 'floating' lightbulb

the crowd using their phones to light up the stadium

The degree show at MSA was inspiring; there was a wide range of work and the new studio does make a good display space. This piece by Rachel Britch was eye-catching because of its bold colour and interesting texture. Made up of lots of individual pieces, it has been put together to form a greater whole; this is how I tend to work.

In Edinburgh I went to an Annie Lennox retrospective which included music, sculpture, costume, drawing and film. One word that would describe it was bold; the shapes, colours, sounds and display were strong and edgy, creating a whole environment to be immersed in. Again there was a real feeling that a show was put on.

I also looked around Winton House, where there were magnificent gardens with a wide array of colourful flowers to see. The variety of textures impressed me most, and made it visually fascinating to observe. The setting was grand and makes you instinctively quiet walking round. 

In North Berwick nearby, the sun was shining so sitting by the beach was idyllic. The colours were fresh and bold, naturally blending well with each other. The air is different and the feeling of space feels new every time you are by the sea. Natural spectacle at work. I extracted the colours in a colour stripe.

                                     

In response to this I decided to rip paper and colour with pen to show the rough edges between colours in the image and seeming blending of colour. Photographed on a dark surface to show contrast. I made further paper designs in a small book, and tried colouring them with different materials including coloured pencil, watercolour paint, watercolour pencil, and pen.

                                   

Back in Manchester I was in the Northern Quarter when a fire broke out in one of the restaurants; crowds gathered, teams of firemen were present and the billowing smoke was hypnotic to watch. Clearly an unwelcome spectacle, it still managed to catch attention and hold it. Using paper I sought to recreate the blurred, diffuse edges of the smoke.

                                                 

I visited the Chinese Arts Centre for the first time, and although I don't always enjoy media-related exhibits entered a dark space that had been set up with 4 speakers in different corners of the room, each playing music produced by one part of a classical quartet. As I moved nearer each speaker the balance would change, and having adjusted to the darkness didn't want to leave! There was also a textiles piece, made up of many small origami-like stars of different tones, which seemed to change colour as you walked past them. They are the kind of thing that I could see myself making.

                                   

We visited Yorkshire Sculpture Park, where a flock of sheep with words sprayed onto their sides greeted me. It was a really good concept, a constantly changing sentence that may or may not make sense, with words in a new context, outside in nature. Also the bright patterns of a print designer arranged on giant animals as clothes were captivating; again the idea was the attraction in the work.

In the Peak District we visited an Owl and Otter Centre which was wonderful, all the patterns of the animals, sounds and plants to see.

                                               

Back in Cheshire, Delamere Forest was also a place to unwind, where I photographed a couple of birds slowly looking for food by the shore. Both of these places draw you in simply by showing you nature. It is a more subtle form of spectacle, which contrasts to the loud brash 'show' put on by entertainers.

stunning colours, bold and complementary

bird in the rushes, with coloured pencil lines

There was a village fete on in Whaley Bridge in the Peak District, and while there there was a display of various animals. The most striking of these was a snake; its colouring and scales were attention grabbing. I analysed the colours and used paper to 'dissect' the snake into layers.

 

The charity shops in Edinburgh are so much better than the ones down south that I had to fit in some browsing time on my second visit. I came across some beautiful doilies that later inspired some drawing and printing work. They also pushed me to start doing some crochet again, and to join the knitting society this year. They are elegant, made of repeated shapes and layers built one on top of another. I started using pieces of this one to explore the negative shapes within it and exploiting the natural texture of the thread. 

                                      

using the doilie as a stencil

Inserting colour into the design worked quite well, though the second washed image would look better if the shapes were filled in.

disjointed line in drawing (above) mirrors the effect created by rubbing the cut -up lace with graphite

inverting the colour works quite well