Art@41: ideas and more pebbles!

Art@41: ideas and more pebbles!: as promised, some rough ideas to show I have actually been dabbling and creating over the last few weeks!  attempting with acrylic inks...

ideas and more pebbles!

as promised, some rough ideas to show I have actually been dabbling and creating over the last few weeks!

 attempting with acrylic inks to make realistic pebbles....

 ...not so quite realistic pebbles but I prefer the washed out effect, especially on acetate!

...next...

neutral colour scheme experiments....quite liking actually! 

 I've definitely had fun learning the names of the bays along my coast...places I have visited and found a pebble or two...

 ...arranging and re-arranging....considering the juxtaposition of shapes, colours and size etc...before working out pin sizes and the effects of layering and shadows...

I've ran out of sou'wester material so I've been out and about looking to see what I can find....nothing as yet....off to Sandsend and then Bridlington over the next few days...maybe some shell fishermen may take pity on me!

anyway, off to try a few more ideas, bye

Art@41: ...origins of ideas...

Art@41: ...origins of ideas...: ...where do my influences come from?... ...am I aware of being similar to other artists? I often wonder if my work is obviously similar t...

...origins of ideas...

...where do my influences come from?...

...am I aware of being similar to other artists? I often wonder if my work is obviously similar to another artist, you know when you have that "ureka" moment and then months later find someone else has done something uncannily similar and you thought you were so original?! While I was doing my degree we had to constantly justify and explain why we were doing what we were doing...and now, out in the open and vulnerable is it still as important or more so? 

Sappho by Jaume Plensa

I see my work change in some ways and in others I hold fast to my ideals of celebrating my findings and re-creating them somehow through my art. But I have as they say ....evolved, adapted and maybe started to find myself. I realise I love shadows! those ephemeral moments, like a hazy memory or echos of a bold thought ...I also find myself abstracting information rather than taking the whole picture, teasing the viewer with hints of what it might be...or is it?

Now I have weekends to visit galleries I am reminded of  how I soaked up the Frieze,  a few years ago, and realised that I might possibly be exhibiting my art in galleries one day and people would be openly discussing my art in the same vain.

Zillah Bell gallery, Thirsk

Over the last few weeks I have been out and about visiting galleries nearby. I am lucky to be exhibiting some of my work at Zillah Bell "Yorkshire Coast - From Saltburn to SpurnPoint" 29th June - 20th July  and I've been experimenting with laser cutting different materials and finishing off some assemblage boxes.

I thoroughly enjoyed wandering around the gallery. There was a wonderful wood engraving exhibition on when I was last in and I'm hoping to get over to see the Erin Ward and Jason Hicklin - painting and etchings exhibition which is on until the 4th May. The great news is they are expanding so hopefully there will be even more art to see on my next visit.

Alice Fox

I also went to see an exhibition at Gallery 49 in Bridlington. I've been following the progress of artist Alice Fox and her residency at Spurn Point, so it was great to see her work up close and have the opportunity to chat with her too. I also got to talk to Corrine Young and it was great to discuss interests and....shadows! 

Both galleries have a great schedule of exhibitions happening over the next year and are well worth a visit or two at least...

Caroline Jane Harris

I also managed to see the Aesthetica Art Prize exhibition at York St Mary's, its a fab venue for exhibitions and I love going to see the installations they have on display...I really wanted to see Caroline Jane Harris's intricate paper cut work, they are so detailed and complex and all done by hand!

As you can tell I've been making the most of my new found freedom and have been out and about! Looking at art and what influences the artist, I still marvel at how we react to "things" and then create "something" often unique and sometimes totally unexpected. I love that element of surprise when you enter a gallery and get blown away by a piece of work. It makes me smile and gives me hope to think maybe one day someone will look at my work in the same light!

So, I've been busy experimenting with new pebble marks and images and as yet haven't uploaded any photos so I'll stop rambling and sort some out soon....I have been putting a few on my Janilaine Mainprize Artist facebook page, as I go along!

Hope the feel good factor of sunshine is putting a spring in your step and a renewed approach to your creativity....

...take care, happy reading and back soon 

Art@41: Holidays!

Art@41: Holidays!: ....the sun's been out....I'm on holiday from my morning job at school and we've started to make tracks with building a new stu...

Holidays!

....the sun's been out....I'm on holiday from my morning job at school and we've started to make tracks with building a new studio....honest I have been helping...just it's me who takes the photos!...while making cups of tea and delegating jobs!!!

                  

we've had my sons friends help, the dog's been digging! the retaining walls built and the concrete comes on Friday!....I just need to get a bit more money saved then I can order my "Shed" - note the capital S?! as its eventually going to be my haven of creativity!....I do have a fear that hubby is going to change the locks and wave at me from the conservatory!...So life's ok at the moment!...

I've managed to contain everything from the gallery into our home...things are as they say "a bit snug!" but hey at least majority of it has fitted in!....my make shift studio is in the conservatory and its great to see daylight as I had no windows at my other studio...

I feel a bit guilty for taking over the space but needs must and its not forever!....I've found I go in and close the door, put the radio on and I've been able to crack on with out disturbing the family .... and what with the sunshine gracing us with its presence recently its really given my spirits a lift to get on with some ideas I have had....

North Yorkshire Open Studios - NYOS is in June & I am taking part for the first time (as you can see from the link!) so not only do I have to have some work to show but also have a studio to showcase my work....I've resigned my self to the fact that if my new studio isn't ready then at least I have my home and my Sunny temporary studio and it's my work they're coming to see so stop fretting and make use of the time!....looking at my tea chests stacked by the door...

....they got me re-thinking...I loved making "Journeys" and thought how I could work on that theme, reduce it in size maybe and get back into drawing and painting....it's so easy to get out of practice!...I want to be able to show painting, textiles and paper within my work but its finding that happy balance...

The fact that pebbles are constantly on the go...always on a journey...no matter what their size...and who knows where they might end up...made me realise that I can take this theme and build on it.

I use luggage labels to display my "Findings"....however there's no address...hints of, but never a final destination...clues to possible locations and like tea-chest labels and text...whetting the viewers appetite subtly implying but never stating!....I've even gone as far as to have some pebbles cut out in ply-wood, similar to the materials used to make tea-chests and see where they take me!...so I've been busy trying out some ideas....

...anyway....its keeping me out of mischief and I'm not making too much mess!...if your interested I've re-done my facebook page, take  a peek, like and share....I'm randomly pulling a name out the hat just to say thanks to new followers this month so it might be a book or a small luggage label picture....who knows!

 Happy reading....hopefully another blog at the end of the week letting you know about my gallery visits  I've been on....bye