30.04.11 Play & Evaluation

 Having looked at the tea stains around my home ( see Contextual 15.04.11 Susan Collis ) , they represent comfort , nourishment, relaxation, somewhere I've stopped and have grabbed a moment to enjoy my home , I thought I would try to represent that feeling in an image.

Tea stain on the arm of the sofa

Why not turn it around and make the shape out of tea on purpose

Tea stain drawn in tea

and others images,

I scattered the loose tea onto the surface, as a mark making method it was really good for me as I couldn't play with detail and it was a bit like drawing in a quick sketchy way . I like the boldness of the line and the strong shapes it creates - it feels confident. It's very free and although simple it could be interesting worked in with other images in layers, as though they are tea-stains. Best of all it was fun and it smells great - Earl Grey - it actually made me hungry so I might have to try Earl Grey cupcakes !

I'm going to try developing this further by:

• mark making in the same free way but onto damp paper to see what image it leaves.
• making up some tea and using it to create images.
• seeing if I can find a way to stick the tea to something in order to try printing with the image.

25.04.11 Play & Evaluation

Ginger cupcakes with rabbits on ( ! ) for Easter - can't photograph them as we ate them too quickly.

Whilst washing up and thinking,  realised I spend a lot of time lost in the view through my window mulling things over or just enjoying the colours of the plants and how they change through the year.

This is an integral part of my home , the colours and space that I can grab a moment to reflect on whilst doing cleaning/cooking - it's an ever changing picture.

I thought I'd take advantage of the weather and sat outside to paint the plants and flowers that I normally look at through the window. In order to stop me getting lost in the detail and ending up frustrated rather than having fun , I put the brushes away and used my fingers instead. I then wrote over the paint whatever was going on at that moment , just like my thoughts whilst looking at the plants .

I really enjoyed the feeling of just playing with the paint whilst looking at plants, it was totally absorbing. 

I then cut the canvas out of the frame and cut it into six as I didn't want it to be a painting of the plants.

I love the fact that these now look as though  they're stand alone pieces as though they were always supposed to be individuals. It's like having 6 different views all unique and it seems to have intensified each one. Some are very calm and spacious whilst others are busy and more colourful. It reflects the variety of moods that I can have whilst gazing at the plants , some tranquil and daydreaming others times can be busy thinking of solutions, frenetic. 

I've dug out some off-cuts of fabrics left over from when I did my curtains, I'm going to try sewing them together with the 6 pieces to bring them back together and bind them. They are the textures and colours in my house , they frame my windows and give the rooms warmth and softness. This will further the personal element of my work bring together the colours and shapes that  I've created inside and out.

I've sewn them together and seem to have gone full circle back to a window, I've sewn around the edge what I feel home is ' family, friends, laughter, love, food and drink to share , colour and a window onto the world - this is my window ' .

                                             

I hung this in an apple tree to photograph it and I really like the fact it's surrounded by green, and it appears to just hang in space , are you looking in or out ?  

I love this photo , it's fun, you're not quite sure why this is here but you know that it's a window looking through onto another place.

I think my preference for working outside is due to the weather, in dry weather I definitely regard my garden as living space - I like light, space and air.

I photographed it in the kitchen but in a different position to the real window, I wondered how it would fit in with domestic items around it. It's still very much a window and would be quite interesting on a blank wall which I'll try. I still prefer the one in the tree as it hangs and is in an unusual context which makes it more interesting giving you more to think about.

I've produced something which is very much part of my home and is personal to me and my thoughts about home. I'm going to examine this idea further , where it's photographed and what impact this has on the image.  I'm going to try this idea again but this time looking in though a window into my kitchen which is the heart of my home. I'm not sure how I'll tackle this but I'll see what occurs to me when I look through - I'd like to use some of the fabrics again as they feel as though they give the image integrity just like the flowers I used on the shape that became as a tea pot.

23.04.11

From here ...

Just back from a gorgeous week in Cornwall and whilst driving up the M5 a sense of dread filled me - I know this is common on the M5 but this was different , the traffic was flowing freely and although I was leaving behind sun , sand, sea and beautiful galleries, I'm usually quite happy to return to my home. This time all I could think of was the routine and commitment that comes with a home and obviously on this occasion I'd really needed a break from it.
Now I'm back at home it's fine, I'm once again surrounded by all that's familiar and it feels good but it made me realise that having a home comes at a price , one that most of us are more than happy to accept - but that price is freedom. It binds us, and the majority of that is great - it gives security, comfort, happiness and warmth but it also ties us, removes our freedom and weights us with a burden of responsibility.
This is an element of home that I hadn't really thought about, I was well aware of the positive aspects but the negative didn't appear to apply to me - I'm a home bird . However when relaxed away from home with my family I had most of the positives of home with none of the negatives.
Its a bit like a recipe, the things that make my home within the walls that are a house : family/pets , friends , emotions - love, happiness, friendship, warmth , sentimental items , functional items , responsibility , commitment ,  food and drink ! Perfect.

 to here...

Now I need to play with this recipe and see what develops.
                   

Contextual 15.04.11

Susan Collis

'The oyster's our world.'

http://www.culture24.org.uk/art/craft/art56359

Laurie Britton Newell   Out of THe Ordinary: Spectacular Craft   V&A Publications London 2007

This is way off my usual images, but it is linked to the domestic environment and I find it interesting.

The artist produces these images within a wooden surface such as a table but she makes them out of inlaid metals or mother of pearl . Her work is very conceptual but I am viewing it as an image that I encounter around my home and the fact that this image tells a story about the person , time and object that brought about its being. As my work is about my personal response to my home and for me this involves the people both living and visiting within these walls , I'm exploring the marks that they leave both emotional and physical. They all invoke memories and therefore emotions and responses.

I find this an interesting way to look at my subject from a different angle and it begins to tie in with the paper I presently have attached to the kitchen table which people are marking as they sit here. The only difference is that they are purposely marking the paper but I'm going to explore both options, as they are another way to give a narrative.

Caroline Kirton

'What a beautiful day !'

http://carolinekirton.co.uk/gallery/

14.04.11

I like the simplicity of this work, it has a very clean line with is actually machine embroidered and the colour is screen-printed. The artist uses space to frame her composition making it a very strong image, which is how I like to work-in a very structured fashion. Her subject is very personal, she is studying her children through adolescence and creating snapshots of teenage life as she views it , which is a similar to the feel I'm trying to achieve with my home . 

The mediums that Caroline uses also relate to my work and I find it really interesting to see someone use the combination of print and textiles to pull together a lot of the qualities that are important to me. The strong lines, shapes, the use of space, use of soft colour, a personal view with emotion are all present in this work which again proves to me that you can produce very emotive work which looks very simple - again less is definitely more. I think producing line in stitch or print will prevent me getting lost in detail  and  so over complicating my work and losing the emotion which is so important to me.

Priscilla Jones

http://priscillajones.wordpress.com/

14.04.11

This image is  a combination of textiles, paint and found objects. I can obviously relate to the subject     as being very domestic and the soft colours but I also like the use of layering with both the materials and text . The artist may have had a very personal view when she created this but for me I'd like to make my work more reflective and personal than this, the image is very nice but it doesn't resonate with me. I need to really pull together the elements that make my images personal to me and make sure the viewer is able to understand that .

Contextual 14.04.11

Jane Ormes

'British bird unaware he'd flown to Australia'

'In his heart it was his jam tart'

'Who stole the swiss roll'

www.janeormes.co.uk/index.html

14.04.11

I really like Jane Orme's work, it has a vibrancy and just makes me smile.

Jane is a screenprinter based in Bristol, her work is naive, lively, fun, all the things that I'm hoping to achieve. She uses space within her composition to accentuate her subjects and pattern within her colour blocks to achieve texture. These are elements that interest me which I need to explore more so it's really interesting to see someone use it so simply yet so effectively. 

Her themes tend to be personal, some domestic, a lot connected to birds and animals and involve hand-written text to deliver her lines. I love the simple effectiveness of it all and think this is proof for me that less is definitely more !

13.04.11

I've cut a lino inspired by the teapot shape on the lawn and tried to develop some movement in it which represents the hustle and bustle within my home. I like my home to feel lived in and to have people coming and going, conversation, music, laughter- lots of movement. I haven't yet decided how to represent the people that are an important part of my home life but I think this is a good starting point. 

Lino print on paper

Lino print on calico

Lino trimmed to edge of subject, then printed on calico

I like the soft colours which are familiar in my home and the very hand drawn feel of the image .
It's got a strong line and shape which I'm happy with , so I need to develop this idea further, to bring a more personal feel using colour, text, the addition of further images ?  The print on fabric has a softer, more domestic feel than paper so I will try other fabrics and see how the ink sits on them - as I could incorporate some of my home fabrics and make it very personal. I like a background to the image and it is possible to put a different image from another plate behind - this would give it more interest , could give it depth,which would give a layering effect.

The areas I'm hoping to explore this week are : 

• continue my exploration with some of the other elements within my home that I've started looking at and see whether they start to link together. 
• experiment with machine embroidery to incorporate some words and sentences related to conversation and emotions within my home. 
• look at how I might incorporate some of the fabrics from my home as they are soft, tactile and personal so feel a very appropriate surface to use for this subject. 
• experiment with monoprints to use as another method to include text , giving it a hand written feel.
• experiment with images to layer with the lino image.

Contextual 12.04.11

Helaina Sharpley

www.helainasharpley-wirework-artist.co.uk/

12.04.11

These wirework sculptures are of a domestic nature as the artist's passion is tea and everything to do with it so I can relate to both the subject and the feel of the work. I love the simplicity and the playfulness that the medium encourages , these qualities are important to me and to achieve them is not easy as I tend to get bogged down in the detail. I need to capture the essence of my subjects just as Helaina has managed to do here, she has detail but only what she needs. She shows the qualities that are important to me , the strong line and shape, the space she uses within her composition, the personal nature of her subject and the ability to connect to her viewer.

I met Helaina at a Craft Fair and she's so enthusiastic about her subject which you can really see in her work. If I'm going to achieve the same feel I need to immerse myself in my subject and work by playing with it rather than  over thinking it.

Karen Shapley

www.form-gallery.co.uk/karen_shapley/

12.04.11

I saw this artist in a local gallery and love the soft , nostalgic feel of her work. She combines ceramics and textiles  " to add layers of comfort, colour and nostalgic memories" producing playful pieces resembling domestic tea ephemera.

The softness and subject matter obviously relate to me , but I particularly love the nostalgic,quirky feel to these. The incorporation of domestic fabrics and text are something that I'm looking at in my work and if I can achieve this very personal feel I will be over the moon.

Contextual 09.04.11

Kurt Jackson

http://www.lemonstreetgallery.co.uk/kurt-jackson-cornish-crows.asp?ExhibitID=86
09.04.11

I know I'm not studying the sea at the present but I go back to this artist's work time and time again. I love the integrity within it. The fact you know as a viewer that he knows and loves that landscape /seascape and this is what I need to start bringing through in my work. When I over think I take the life out of the piece , it becomes very polished by lacks emotion. With regard to my present project the other things which I can relate to about Kurt Jackson's work are his palette which is soft, the looseness which I need to acheive by getting lost in playing with my materials, the wry humour which creeps in with some of his subjects along with a respect and affection for them and his use of text often scribbled across his work describing something he has seen or felt whilst painting. Writing and thoughts are important to me and in my sketches I often include a piece of scrawl, I think this is important and something I should enjoy and not try to tidy up - keep it as the capture of a fleeting thought.

10.04.11

Another gorgeous day, spent time making another paper mache form and tried putting photos onto the surface , unfortunately the printer has run out of ink so at best all the family are magenta at worst they're invisible ! I was trying to create a surface that contained family, friends, pets ; things that are part of my home-life.  I don't yet know what I'm going to do with it but I didn't want it to be flat as I'll treat it as a finished image.

The backing needs to be plain, lighter in colour and the photos need to be rough edged and closer so that they blend together becoming one image. 

I have pictures like this that I put together over the years and I love the fact that I don't have to go to a photo album to see people and occasions that make me feel good, they're right there on my kitchen wall.

Decided to chop up my flower covered form that I made yesterday and thinking about home I glued it together into the shape of a teapot. Then put it with the petals from yesterday , which luckily were still there.

Could relate aspects of this to Andy Goldsworthy in as much as he produces site specific land art which is often temporary.

www.goldsworthy.cc.gla.ac.uk/photography/

My materials are site specific ie. they are home materials put together and shown  in my home setting. This is also temporary and I was lucky to find the petals still there , thanks to the unusual weather. If this had been created in photoshop it would have quite a different feel and it would have lost the feel of integrity and spontaneity  which I hope I've captured

I really love this , it's fun, has loads of movement, is simple has good lines and and shape, and is utterly personal - ticks all my boxes.

I need to play with more ideas like this, I really enjoyed it and it makes me smile.

I still see things like this being incorporated into a single piece giving a feel of my relationship with my home rather than stand alone pieces .With that in mind I'm not going to include Andy Goldsworthy work in my contextual page as much as I admire it,  as my project is about my home not land art.

More people passing through so more cake needed - made lemon drizzle cake which was gorgeous !

Should I be including cookery books as contextual material ? I'll need to consider that one...

09.04.11 pm

Have had lots of fun, playing within my home. As the weather was so fantastic I  experimented outdoors, starting with making a paper mache object, very pink as I wanted it thin and that was the only tissue paper I had - but it could be made from other items such as strips of fabric or handmade paper. I used a balloon to shape it as I wanted to create a shape that had no obvious function to prevent me from jumping ahead of myself.

Left it to dry whilst I went exploring, collected some petals in a basket with the idea of using them for mark making. Tried to start but found myself thinking about what to create so put the basket on it's side and rolled it down the bank. It created a lovely shape which I can explore further by taking the photographed image and using it within my home theme.

I usually use this basket for collecting fruit or veg from the garden so it has a definite place within my world as do the flowers from which these petals were taken . My garden is hugely important to me as a beautiful, productive , sanctuary, the space that I like to create within my work is also important to me as an individual and I get that in my garden.
Collected more petals as they appear as a colour coded calendar for my home life,  I've just left a very yellow March and am now in a predominately pink/purple April.
I have added these to the pink form by throwing them onto it, almost like the way the fruit blossom is being blown from the trees onto the grass . I want the randomness as it prevents me controlling the outcome at the moment.
I have no idea where this is going : it could be an egg, Spring, there could be something inside, it could be a representation of female, I could put further marks onto it, I could cut it open, hang it up, layer it further, make more to join it, light it, photograph it and use the images, use the patterns on the surface as repeat material, I could look at it spatially and make it appear a different size using props, etc, etc. Does it have a function ?. Does it matter ?
I find it very challenging and oddly freeing to not have already decided what this item is, all I know is that I'm thinking about my home and I'm enjoying myself.

I was told in the assessment to try risk taking, experimentation, playfulness and I think I'm beginning to achieve that , so I'm pleased.

Family turned up so cake made and half eaten - rhubarb cake today.

09.04.11

I like the fact that when you sleep your brain sorts through the info from your day and you wake with a fresh perspective. You have to catch that thought quickly though , as otherwise it gets bogged down with the new day's tasks and detritus.
This project started with quite a different theme and has slowly been pared down until it has become simply about my personal response to my home. Last night it gained the title 'Tea at Emma's with cake and cats' due to a tea-pot which a close friend had given me for my 40th and this morning I woke looking at a print that my Grandmother gave me when I was 21, showing a cat sleeping on a table with tea and cake.

These to me are not just sentimental items, they are indicative of who I am as seen by those close to me and show the essence of what is important to me.  My home is about friends and family, it's about making them welcome and looking after them. It's about love and warmth, conversation, laughter, comfort, colour, softness and the odd cat !
I see these as qualities in my home and I hope somewhat in me ( not the odd cat ! ) , which are going to be fundamental to my project if it's to have vibrancy and integrity.

It's all sounds fairly straightforward on paper but the great difficulty for me will be letting go and resisting the temptation to over-think my work.

Armed with one of the great essentials of life, I'm off to play ...

08.04.11

This are the images I produced in print today with collagraphs , the ink had loads of extender in to make the colours very soft. This reflects my home both visually and emotionally. The soft images remind me of childrens' books such as "Guess How Much I love You" written by Sam McBratney and illustrated by Anita Jeram , so perhaps that's an area I can explore.

Anita Jeram

Discussed the direction of my work as a result of the assessment today, I need to be far more experimental and just play with the subject. My nature is to produce pieces that I feel happy with rather than just produce pieces and then decide whether I feel happy with them.

I am going to immerse myself in my home for the weekend and see what comes out of just looking, feeling and producing in a more playful , intuitive way.

These are sketches that I have produced in this manner previously , so this is what I need to try again - keeping the spontaneity within the image.