Art@41: Degree show extras...

Art@41: Degree show extras...: ...I've been so wrapped up in getting myself through the last week, I've just realised I haven't posted the photos I took of the degree...

Degree show extras...

...I've been so wrapped up in getting myself through the last week, I've just realised I haven't posted the photos I took of the degree show....sorry!

....I've been trying to organise myself and form new routines...and to be honest I'm totally rubbish...after working for modules and getting feedback....now its all about putting it into practice...and I'm totally pooped too!...

I wonder what all other 3rd year students are doing right now?...still celebrating...in a darkened room somewhere....working....wondering what to do next...I wish them all happiness, success and wealth....seize the moment - thats what I say!...

my stuff!...

Ryan Chadwick

Lindsay Wheatley

Rachel Whitfield

Wendy Havelock

and some more...

Pauline Scott 

Jane Sullivan....also studio roomy at Laine & Co!

Annie Swift

...Here are just a few of the photos taken from the costume degree show, I always love the the costume department....the fabric, the designs and the commitment, just great...

Close up of the gems....or to be more precise...wine gums!

So....just a few photos!....

I hope I get the chance to model some of the costumes next year...I'd love to make a victorian dress to wear to the Goth weekends they have twice yearly in Whitby....you never know!

Anyway, If you didn't manage to make the open day at the gallery on Thursday....heres a taste of what you missed...literally!

...although the cakes have now all gone the compact and bijou exhibition of the degree show part II is on until the 8th July at Laine and Co, 122 Victoria Rd, Scarborough, North Yorkshire, UK YO11 1SL

...if you call in , make yourself known to me...I'm normally grafting and creating in the studio at the back...

Happy reading and catch  up again soon....bye

Art@41: ...get the flags out!...

Art@41: ...get the flags out!...: ...after trying various ways I have eventually managed to re-instate hubby's flickr account for you to see... ...along with having trou...

...get the flags out!...

...after trying various ways I have eventually managed to re-instate hubby's flickr account for you to see...

...along with having trouble with the software we have for his photos....argghhh...his flickr gadget just disappeared!

His photos are really captivating ....he's enjoying ND (I think thats what its called!) photography...slow shutter/long exposure and is always on the lookout for interesting locations...

...Anyway...feast your eyes on some of his work,...

...you may think I'm biased...but I think they're great ....and all done as a hobby in his spare time!

enjoy

Art@41: .....Ta dah! a little insight into what was behind the making of my degree show...

Art@41: .....Ta dah!: .....fanfare and drum roll please..... ......final degree show and completion of BA (Hons) Fine Art Degree....phew! I'm writing this...

.....Ta dah!

.....fanfare and drum roll please.....

......final degree show and completion of BA (Hons) Fine Art Degree....phew!

I'm writing this blog in my pj's!....its actually late at the moment 11.30pm and my brain is on a roll, but its a good feeling!....it's Sunday night and I have had the weekend to reflect on our preview night and come to terms with the fact I now have to make and sell art for a living if the bills are to be paid!

....this blog may take a while to write so bare with me!

....gutted that the photos that I took on the preview night are....rubbish!...the good thing was there were a lot of people... the problem was I simply got a mass of bodies and majority of them were out of focus...I blame it on the Pinot Grigio!....and even more upsetting was I never managed to get a photo of us all together either, double rubbish!

...So the space I was given to exhibit in changed at the last minute....I was a bit concerned about blocking the view of other students work as I had two installation pieces....the lecturers thought my work would look better on a long wall....I put my work out that I thought best represented me as an artist ....and they (the lecturers) only took two pieces away, one of which went in the hallway!...so I was more than happy with my exhibition pieces....in fact the whole experience was really good, we had   help with various aspects - Graham and Michael the technicians are just wonderful...and very patient! and advice was always appreciated when the lecturers popped in to see how progress was being made...

The grounding of the pieces by the delicate thread really brought the piece together for me

This installation "Out look" has 19 elements and originally I wanted a light to shine on the elements to reflect a shadow on the wall....Jaume Plensa influenced...but the lecturers didn't think it needed it...I would still like to see what it would look like if I possible. It reflects and is influenced by pebbles.... ...time, location, elements, etc effect the life of a pebble. The port hole casings, the clock Bessel's, embroidery rings, even the mirror give us another outlook on what we see, the delicate map like, thread like marks we take for granted on pebbles, give the character and beauty that make them so individual...I love incorporating mirrors into my installations as the viewer becomes part of the art, and the 360' view allows the audience  to choose how they want to view the piece.

it took a while to be able to finish of my installation piece "Out look" as I had to wait for the floor to be cleaned.....apparently it had already been done...oups!

...I must admit I was pleasantly surprised when some of my assemblage boxes were incorporated into my space....and I totally agree that less is more!...

...."Contained" these sewing boxes are a symbol of me....my love for sewing and how I am always collecting things...where I am now both literally and mentally and how I have focused and spent time on certain aspects over the last year... 

After hand cutting various maps, I wanted something smaller and more delicate....I love the book made of old maps with laser cut details all taken from one pebble...a journey through the pebble...

focus on the pebble I used the most

paper cairn of pebbles

a small cairn, uprooted from
its natural environment

It's Tuesday now and I keep adding to this  post...I am still in my Pj's but its 8am!

My "Cairn" (AKA - Tower of strength) brought a lot of interest, especially when I explained about how it came about. Although maybe not to obvious it is influenced by Louise Bourgeois, her fabric totems really resonated something within me, I find them so powerful...so my representation of me, my family, humans....but represented as pebbles...the order of influences and importance are judged by size. All the pebbles are made up of items of clothing belonging to members of my family. That in itself was so much harder than I thought. The weight of each pebble was also of importance, if a pebble was light in weight it represented that the person was sadly no longer with us. Hand sewn elements represented that persons struggle with skin cancer. All the clothes are poignant as my family love the outdoors and they all reflected something they loved doing. I keep harping on about cloth and its memorable qualities....and I wanted it to be the same height as me...

...My Dad:  the largest, at the bottom, made up of some of his clothes, his love for shooting and the countryside always makes me smile...sadly he died 6 years ago. My step mum brought me some other golfing clothes - his other passion - but when she handed them to me, lovingly folded and holding them to her heart before she handed them to me....blimey, it broke my heart and I just couldn't bring myself to cut them up or use them, the gesture showed how much he is missed....I have to confess I cried for an entire day...sat with all these clothes around me of family members not here....I know I wanted to use cloth as it holds so many memories but...I had not expected the reaction I had towards cutting them up or incorporating them into my work...

My brother brought various items, he loves hockey, cycling, shooting and so I was spoilt  for choice. He has struggled with skin cancer for 19 years. He has had some serious operations but always stays positive and never lets on, well to me if it fazes him....I love him to pieces and we are very close.... his pebble is covered in scars!....next is a joint pebble...me, my brother and my mum!...my mum died when I was 8 of skin cancer, the only piece of clothing I have of hers is her college scarf...I carefully sewed it to one of my old university hoodies...my brother also went to University of Hull...so its our common bond, we all studied to better ourselves...its all hand sewn and half filled with small polystyrene balls and very fluid and soft.
....the next one is my step mum and dad....brought together with their old gardening clothes...something else they enjoyed and shared together...Hubby's pebble is made of his old jumper...soft and forgiving!...and with the sleeves incorporated it means that it can give you a hug and it'll hug back!....I found my daughter sat with it watching TV!
I had a discussion with my kids as to how they wanted to be represented....individual, two that fit together, size etc....it lead to interesting discussions and Paige spent ages choosing something that represented her....summer dresses, shorts, lace things she wore all last summer on the beach with her friends, happy memories!...my son Connor does Parkour and he gave me the t-shirt we made together for his GCSE artwork all about him and his outdoor love....however it was a white t-shirt and in reality it would have been only white for a second if he was really wearing it!  my step sister's pebble is small like her and covered with one of her running t-shirts and a bit of wedding fabric I had left from her wedding.
There are a total of 5 pebbles that represent me....5 small operations I have had to remove melanomas, two malignant. The top one is the gloves I have worn at uni for the last 3 years, hand sewn and joined together, resting protectively over my crazy, wonderful and loving family....so the cairn explained!

"19 + 1"

This piece is part of a range of art I am going to put in Scarborough Hospital...

....through a commission with HAFNEY I have been mentored on how to produce public art. Using my art I have included a silent narrative, it reflects my struggle with skin cancer, how my marks on my skin can be damaged by the environment, just like a pebble. This piece "19 + 1" is my 19 years visiting the skin specialist, it all becomes a blur - hence looking at pebbles through water!....the last one, the pebble is now, reality.

....so a journey into how and why I have created this body of work....

...I feel relief that I have managed to finish my degree and sadness too as it has flown by and I will miss seeing my fellow students regularly....As a person and an artist I have grown in knowledge and confidence....now all I have to do is put it into practice....I also have the gallery now...Laine & Co... to concentrate on and  I also have 3 exhibitions lined up...so already keeping busy and keen to develop my work further....if you want to see some of the degree show work "Mixed Palette - part II"is coming to the gallery ....

....and then ....

hope you have managed to read to the end!

more photos of everyone else's work from the Degree show over the next week, plus snippets from visits to artists taking part in NYOS 2012 - North Yorkshire Open studios...its on next weekend too so if you can, take a peek at some very talented artists who may well be on your doorstep!

Art@41: .....time to reflect...

Art@41: .....time to reflect...: ...so everything's been completed, delivered, handed in and exhibited...I keep thinking I should have done this or I should maybe I have ...

.....time to reflect...

...so everything's been completed, delivered, handed in and exhibited...I keep thinking I should have done this or I should maybe I have done that...Did I remember to put such and such in my sketchbook?...but it's all to late for that now....ah well....I had butterflies in my stomach as I went to Uni on Friday morning....but left thinking which piece should I start to make first tomorrow!...

I seem to have time on my hands... just to reflect on not only how quick the last 3 years have gone but what I have gained in terms of skills, confidence and friends....with such a small group....all nine of us... it's been a close nit group and thankfully we mainly got on...so just in case you've forgotten the University Degree show is on from Saturday 9th June at Westwood Campus, Scarborough, North Yorkshire and finished the following Saturday!....I'll take some great friendships away with me....and look forward to working collaboratively with them in the future, seeing us grow as artists...

... my business card display...
Will you be calling in to choose your favourite one?!

...The good news is that most of us are putting a couple of pieces up in my gallery "Laine & Co from the 21st June for 3 weeks, I think it will have to spread into our working studios as there is quite a lot to show!....

...So I have no excuse now...I can concentrate on my work and developing Laine & Co...the following Exhibitions that will be taking place at my gallery are....Me!...Janilaine Mainprize....my first solo exhibition in a gallery which will run from 12th July until 27th July - there may be a few days where the gallery is closed.....the family really need a well deserved break so I promised that we could have a small holiday....this would have to be taken when I am exhibiting as I can't exactly shut up shop for other artists...that would be rude!.....after that there an exhibition by artist Jane Sullivan....running from 2nd August - 19th August....then theres Ryan Chadwick's exhibition from 23 August until the 9th September....so things are booking up nicely...

....Workshops will be starting up and running from Laine & Co from September....bookmaking/journal....general art & design....maybe even a trial of steam punk and of course....an assemblage workshop or two...so I'll post details nearer the time....well August!...

Just thought I'd show you what was left next to my degree show work last week....

After asking everyone...no one knew where they had come from...I decided they must have been a lovely, thoughtful gift....& guess what...they were....I eventually found out they were from the maintenance man from Uni....the wonderful Graham....with the classic statement...."Found these and thought of you"...ahh how lovely...

.....I just thought I'd let you know a few of my plans.....just to whet your appetite!

Happy reading and hope you're having a lovely weekend