Crazy Patchwork Update

I've more or less finished the Crazy Patchwork project.  I'm going to cut up the big panel and frame the smaller pieces.  I just need to do a bit more embellishing, I plan to add flower buttons and ribbon embroidery.

Sculpture In The Garden

I went to the Botanic Gardens this afternoon.  It was beautiful and sunny; the gardens are a lovely place to just go and sit or look at the plants and wildlife.  This years Sculpture  Exhibition is called Heart Head and Hands.  Although there are far more sculptures than in previous years, there was very little I actually liked.  I found it all a bit too literal, the majority of the works portrayed Heads, Hearts or Hands in a very obvious way.  There were some pieces I liked including this one. 

It's made of plastic bags and reminds me of a large, exotic plant.  And it makes a lovely rustling noise in the wind.  I thought the Spider one was interesting, but it's very Louise Bourgeois.  Other ones that appealed to me included a structure made from bamboo canes with luggage labels tied on; the labels had hand written, personal messages on them,  fascinating to read.  A spiky glass one and one with metal poles woven through the branches of trees were also good.  I wandered around for a while, sat on a bench , took some photos and enjoyed the sun.  What they really need there is a tea room!

Interesting image

Saw this road marking vehicle whilst driving.  I really like the piles of paint...

Ferrers Gallery @ Staunton Harold

Quick visit to Staunton Harold this afternoon.  They have a British Contemporary Craft Exhibition on in the Ferrers Gallery at the moment.  It was pretty work, I particularly liked the large scale mixed media pieces by Lesley Whelan.  I've seen here work before and thought it was lovely, the colours are so vibrant.  I'd like to know more about how the work is made.  While I was there I had a little look around the tiny shops that are based in the courtyard.  I bought a really cute little bag for my daughter; she may be 18 but I think she'll love it!

Didn't have a cup of tea in the cafe, it was packed because of the nice weather.  Instead I went for a walk around the grounds and sat outside near the lake for a while watching the ducklings splashing around.  It was a lovely peaceful afternoon.

New Walk Museum & Gallery

On Saturday I nipped into town to visit the Museum, there were a couple of exhibitions I wanted to see and a couple I thought I ought to see while they were in Leicester.  The Leicestershire Photographic Society have their 125th Exhibition on at the moment.  Call me old fashioned but shouldn't good photography be just that, good photography?  There were some lovely compositions but the images were so digitally edited they were awful.  I'm not averse to the odd touch up here and there, heaven knows I need it, but to completely change the atmosphere of a beautiful image defeats the point for me.

The Meri Rail Portraits are still on so I thought I'd better have a look at them.  I got bored.  There are only so many photos of Char Wallahs I can look at in one day and there were two rooms full of them.  I skipped the second room.

I really did enjoy The Contemporary Art Society - Gifts of Art.  There are some really interesting pieces in the exhibition including a beautiful John Piper as well as works by Victor Passmore and Bridget Riley.  We usually have to go to London to see work like this, there should be more of it exhibited in Leicester instead of it being stored away.  The works in the Permanent Gallery are rarely changed - lets have a bit of variety please.

Jenny Grevatte has a bit of a retrospective going on at the moment, some of her work is in the Museum and some at the Attenborough Centre.  I loved the pieces in the Museum, particularly the Tree paintings.  I thought they were really inspiring.  I wish I could paint like that - but she has been doing it a lot longer than me... I haven't been to the Attenborough Centre yet, will probably go this week.  Jenny teaches at the Centre and has included student sketchbook pages in the exhibition which I think will be interesting to see.
I quite fancy starting a sketchbook that has nothing to do with Uni work, but don't think I have the motivation.  The trouble is I'm only truly interested in creating work based on memory, which is what I do at Uni, but sometimes I'd like to make something pretty, although I don't like it when I'm doing it as we saw from the earlier printing episode!  Maybe I will start a memory sketchbook instead.

London trip

This week I went to London for the day.  I wanted to see the Horace Walpole exhibition at the V&A before it ends on the 4th July.  I was disappointed.  There were some pretty bits in the collection but it was very dry and wordy, I thought it would be a more eclectic mix of bits and bobs. A video of the restoration of Strawberry Hill was playing near the exit, the house looks more interesting than the art works on show.  I shall definitely visit when it opens.  I did see some of the Architects Build Small Spaces exhibition too which was more interesting than I thought it would be, although the exhibits were a bit hard to find.  I would have preferred them to be in one space - but that defeats the object of designing for a particular area.

I also went to Lauren Shanley's shop in the OXO Tower.  Lovely, skilfully made items of vintage colourfulness.  Lauren was in the shop making things on her sewing machine.  Really inspiring - if only I could sew!  The OXO Tower itself is really nice.  I had never been before, it's a really nice area of individual designer shops and galleries that hasn't been too modernised or over restored.

The highlight of the day was Yinka Shonibare's ship in a bottle on the fourth plinth in Trafalgar Square.  It's so beautiful.  It has to be the best piece of art that has been on the plinth so far.  I loved it.

After school print class is OVER!!!

That's it, finished.  The show is coming down tomorrow and I don't have to look at these prints again - although I might try a large screen print over a couple of them!

DMU Art and Design Degree Show

Yesterday I went to have a look at the Degree Shows at DMU.  It was laid out differently this year, which made it feel very messy.  Student work seemed a bit sparse too.  Fine Art was the biggest by far and had some very strong paintings.  I wasn't keen on the sculpture, I've seen better.  Design Crafts was ok - I'm so glad I didn't do that now, it all seems a bit superficial.  Oh how quickly we are converted to the Fine Art view point.  It's a little like the work I'm doing during the holidays; pretty, mindless stuff.  It's just not me, and it shows in the work. But it fills the time without having to think too much!
Anyway, back to the show.  Textiles was poor - it always is.  Contour was sparse.  Footwear was same as ever. And I just don't get Fashion....
I have taken pics of some of my favourite Fine Art pieces - I noticed that lots of the paintings had sold, always a bonus.

Crazy Patchwork

The current Yr 12 students are starting a new project in preparation for their last year of 'A' Level study.  I've decided to join in.  We are doing Crazy Patchwork, which is fairly self explanatory; random fabrics, colours and shapes patchworked together.  I'm no seamstress so prepare for the next failure - but at least I'm keeping busy!

Print Revelations

I've been printing after work again this week and I've had a revelation, an epiphany moment, a dawning of realisation. I CAN'T WORK WITH PATTERN.  There I said it, it's out in the open and I haven't fallen off  planet art.

It's been a struggle these past few weeks, trying to produce something that looks abstract, pretty and meaningful all at the same time.  Success has evaded me.  There is only one more workshop left (can you feel the sense of relief?) so I will soldier on to the bitter end and complete the two pieces I'm working on - but I'm not happy...

The photographs show the prints in their current state, clearly there is more to be done, but I have no idea what.  It doesn't bode well for a beautiful finished piece does it?

I prefer the green one, but if I'm honest, I don't like either.  Can't wait for the class to end...sorry Amy!

LUSAD

Today I went on my annual trip to LUSAD to have a look at their Final Show.  I have to say that this year I was thoroughly disappointed.   There were one or two interesting pieces of work but most of it lacked originality - or is it that I have higher expectations and a wider knowledge base now?
I did find a quote that I liked though...
'By definition memories are from the past, they refer to what is absent from the present, but yet they simultaneously bring this 'absent' into the present.' Helen C. Chapman 1997.
It relates really well to the theme that runs constantly through my own work, memory, memorials and recalling the past. Fascinating.
The Textile work was as lovely as ever but seemed a bit thin on the ground.

http://www.lboro.ac.uk/service/publicity/degreeshows/index.html

Dilema

I have to choose a module to study at Uni in September - okay, no rush but I do like to be organised.  I'm a Sculpture girl at heart and completed that module this year.  So, do I choose Print or Paint?  My Sculpture Tutor says Print.  My Drawing Tutor says Paint.  That doesn't help.  I like both.  My main concern is time.  As I work, I can only attend Uni when I have a timetabled class or in the evenings, unfortunately the workshops shut at 5pm.  This would seriously limit the time I could spend in print and limit the amount of work produced.  I could paint in the studios after work or in my studio at home, so Paint would be the obvious path to take.  But Print sounds really interesting.  Decisions, decisions.  The life of an Art Student can be very fraught....

Leaf memory

I noticed this 'watermark' on my patio this afternoon.  It's the outline of a leaf that had fallen off the tree and left a stain when it had rained.  I really like it; it's like the memory of a leaf, not real anymore, dead but still remembered.

Printing again

This time I have tried print, collage and a paint brush layered to create a mixed media piece loosely based on Cottage Gardens.  This work continues on from a class I am attending at work.  Run by an Embroidery graduate, the focus is on the use of organic, intuitive patterns and texture to create  images.

I've used cartridge paper for this print; I don't think it has picked the ink up particularly well, another time I will try something thinner like newsprint.

The garden is blooming

I don't have green fingers, in fact every plant I touch dies.  But there are some signs of summer in the wilderness that is my garden.