Into the Woods, Out of the Trees

Tags

artist, Artist in Residence, ArtSway, Gallery, Hollybank Woods, Making Space, Mary Dalton, Print Maker, private view, sculptor

Last week, with a few friends in tow, I headed off to Sway, deep in the heart of the New Forest, and in particular, to ArtSway.

ArtSway is a contemporary gallery space which offers wide-ranging creative and educational opportunities for people of all ages to discuss, engage with and exhibit contemporary modern art. Since the loss of their Arts Council core funding in 2010, they have since developed relationships with three organisations with similar goals who all have a regular presence at ArtSway. Check our their website for more info.

The reason for our visit was the lovely Mary Dalton. As you may or may not know, I work 3 days a week at the awesome craft organisation Making Space. At Making Space we have 2 big old teaching spaces and 7 studios. In one of these studios you can find Mary. Mary is an incredibly talented artist and printmaker and since joining our little creative community 5 months ago has been busy creating work for her show ‘Into the Woods, Out of the Trees’.

Mary is also an artist in residence at Hollybank Wood. Hollybank is a beautiful medieval conservation woodland in the heart of Hampshire downland. You can find out more about Mary’s residency here. 

One of the lovely things about working where I do is being able to get a behind the scenes glimpse into an artists world… Seeing amazing pieces of artwork be born into creation and the hours spent going into it is a privilege. One of the pieces Mary was working on was a massive (and I really mean massive) continuos lino print which took up a large proportion of our ceramics studio floor.

Over the weeks seeing the lino be cut away and the many layers of colour built up was incredible and yet it still wowed me when I saw it hung on the wall in the gallery.

As the Making Space crew arrived early we were given an inspirational and informative pre-PV talk from Mary about the work, the meanings behind the pieces and a more detailed description about the narrative in the work.

I’m not going to lie, sometimes when I hear artists talk about their work in a deep way I get lost, I don’t understand where they’re coming from or that a piece of art can really mean all they want it to, but with Mary I was utterly absorbed into her description and thought processes.

Whilst I knew the work was in response to her residency at Hollybank, I had no idea how personal the show was to Mary and her lovely family. Not only is the wood a part of their working life, but an integral part of their families way of living.

In every piece of art shown there was something of Mary in it. A day spent in the woods with a friends son, her love and admiration towards her husband or other family members, feelings and fears about life choices and the future of the woodland she holds so dear.

Whilst visually the work was beautiful on the eye, it also intrigued you in trying to understand the process and enlightened you when you read the accompanying artist statement.

My favourite part of the show was The ‘Spirits of the Sweet Chestnut Tree’ installation.

A room with textures of green on the wall, textures which I might add, perfectly captured the dappled light of the leaf canopy outside. But as you looked down covering the floor were hundreds of green spirits…

These little characters were inspired by a past trip to the woods where the sweet chestnut trees, plentiful in lime green nuts were dropping all around them. Mary imagines these creatures “rummaging on the floor amongst the nuts, gorging on them and meeting in annual gatherings of joyous celebration”.

What really got me were the individual personalities the spirits had. Their expressions and adornments were brilliant. Made from a bi-product of the sweet chestnut tree coppice the spirits were adorned using natural materials and woven decorations. I thought they were magical.

The other thing that sucked me in way the variety of mark making in the prints. Mary has an instinctive and simple style of ‘drawing’ which is unique and yet familiar all at the same time.

I won’t say too much more as I urge you to go visit yourself and draw your own conclusions. The show is on till the 13 August. Later on in the year (Mid October ish) the Spirits of the Sweet Chestnut Tree will be returning home to Hollybank wood where they will forage and party amongst the fallen leaves during the Hollybank Wood annual fair. I can’t wait to see them again in their natural habitat, bright green heads poking out of the undergrowth!

Well done Mary, a truly fantastic and awe-inspiring show!

You can follow Mary and her work on Facebook and via her website.

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Strong is the new pretty

Tags

being a kid, empowering girls, gender roles, girls, growing up, Kate Parker, Kate Parker Photography, let them be kids, photo series, photography blog, Strong is the new pretty, Uk Blogger

Kate Parker is a photographer based in Atlanta, Georgia. She is also mum to two daughters, Ella, 9, and Alice, 6. Combining these two roles was the beginning of something pretty special. Kate wanted to take beautiful photos of her girls but more importantly, she wanted to capture them as they truly are… In her own words ‘beautiful warriors’.

This result was a pretty special photo series with a very fitting name – “Strong Is The New Pretty.”

Kate wanted to showcase her girls as they are…loud, messy, silly, fearless, independent, confident and fierce. Through her images, she wanted to combat the messages the media sends to women and girls: that beauty is a hairstyle, a certain size or an outfit. Kate’s goal was to show that true beauty is in being yourself 100%. Confident is beautiful. Messy is pretty. Loud is great. Silly is awesome. Strong is the new pretty.

The response to Kate’s images has been amazing… so much so that “Strong is the New Pretty” will become a book in 2017. The book will expand the images from just Kate’s immediate circle to young women around the country. Kate’s goal is to have someone in the book that everyone can relate to in some way. Someone that they can understand their struggle, someone they see themselves in, someone that inspires them.

“I wanted this series of images to show their boldness, their strength and the beauty in them, as they are,” Parker writes on her website. “My girls know that who they are is just perfect. Their silly, adventurous, frustrated, happy, LOUD, athletic, fierce, funny selves. They don’t need to have their hair done, clothes matching, or even be clean to be loved or accepted”

I’ve shared with you some of my favourite images but check out the Strong is the new pretty section of Kate’s website for the full set of images of all these beautiful, awesome, unique and strong young women!

 

Lady of Letters

Tags

art of the week, artist, Artwork, blogging, collage, create by LAW, creative blog, creativity, exhibition, kings Ship Tattoo, lifestyle blogger, local artist, Lorna Apps Woodland, private view, review, southsea, southsea creative scene, uk blog scene

I have some talented friends amongst my collection. I also happen to live in a city that celebrates and supports it’s creative family. Because of this there is often a friends exhibition or show to go and see…

One such creative friend is the beautiful Lorna. Lorna is one of those inspirational ladies whom I look up to both personally and professionally (and her work really is beautiful too)

Whilst we were off attending weddings around the world, Lorna debuted a brand new exhibition…. And by golly it was good!

I unfortunately missed the PV and hadn’t had a chance to see it yet, so on a day off friday I headed down there to check it out…

The exhibition took place in the awesome Kings Ship Tattoo Shop in Southsea. This is the second time I’ve checked out a show there, the first being a Megamuden show earlier in the year and the unlikely partnership of a exhibition space and tattoo studio strangely continues to work (and thrive)

Lorna’s work is a mix of typography, collage and art. The exhibition is entitled LADIES OF LETTERS and for it Lorna has created a piece of art for every letter of the alphabet. Each collage is inspired by a letter driven sentence; G is for Garden Delights, Z is for Zipper Trials, S is for Skyscraper Sirens and K is for Kitty Capers etc etc

The work has a deliciously dark and saucy side to it which I adore, double entendres and flippant comments which depending on the way your mind works you could interpret 1 of two ways…. “I’m here to trim your bush”, “right miss, let me take down your vital statistics”, “my dear you have a pair of fine nibs””…. And so forth! 

Each piece has been created on the inner page of an old book with layers of paper and images pieced together to create the final outcome! I spent a lot of time, nose pressed nearly to the glass spotting all the tiny details… They really are sensational!!

The show is on till the end of the month, so if you’ve not had a chance to visit it, you really must. Lorna is also selling the artwork. Framed originals for £145 and prints for £35. I’m definitely adding them to my Christmas list!! 

To see more of Lornas work check out her beautiful website or Facebook page. If you want directions to The Kings Ship here’s their website too! Trust me, you won’t be disappointed! 

Kas

Tags

art blog, artist, blogging, craft, exhibition, exhibition review, Kas, Kas Williams, maker, private view, review, sculpture

  My lovely (and incredibly talented) friend Kathy had a private view a few Thursdays back for an exhibition of her work and we were invited along to take a look… I drafted this post a while back, then got distracted and forgot to actually post it!

Better late then never hey?! 
Kathy, or Kas, makes the most intricate, beautiful sculptures from paper that you can’t really describe, you need to see for yourself! The tactile objects draw you in with their layer upon layer of detail and intrigue.

The exhibition can be seen in Apex Gallery, Portsmouth until 7 June (so you still have a week!!) and it really is worth a look! There are more details, as well as loads of Kas’ amazing work on her website. (Take a look of that too!!)

Kas says of her work and inspiration…

“I love books. Reading one is both a visual and tactile experience that can take you somewhere amazing or teach you something extraordinary. 
My work is an exploration into their potential as sculptural objects and the tactile transformation that brings. It is a life after reading.

The technique I use is a combination of multiple folding and cutting of the pages which alters the shape, gradually changing its structure so that it becomes an entirely different object without losing its essence as a book. By cutting into the pages, the print and images are disseminated producing a fragmented pattern and changing its tactile properties. I often use applied images from my paper designs to give added depth, shape and colour to the finished sculpture.”

In addition to her sculptures Kas also creates these amazing layered and colourful images using paint, collage and latex! More colour and pattern then you can shake a stick at!! Here’s a few more snaps I took from the PV…

   

               

   

  

Women

Tags

art, art of the week, art with a message, artist inspiration, blogging, body confidence, Carol Rossetti, Carol Rossetti Women, change the way you think, confidence, equality, humanity, LGBT, rights, Rossetti, Women

Carol Rossetti is a Brazilian artist who is responsible for a series of illustrations which have been doing the rounds recently on the internet, I saw them a little while ago, really liked them, but never got round to sharing them. As they seem to be ‘hot topic’ again recently I grabbed the opportunity to share with you this wonderful artist who is behind this series of illustrations, titled ‘Women’.

Each instalment depicts a different woman and contains a powerful message that all who share her struggle can relate to.

From celebrating the right to wear a hijab to encouraging body confidence, the illustrations tackle the insecurities and problems women face every day. I personally can relate to many of these stories and guess that most people, male, female, whatever, can relate to too.

Rossetti says of her work: “It’s mostly about our freedom to express our identities and to make our own life choices.”

“It should be something very simple, but we judge and are judged for all our personal choices – it happens the whole time.”

“Ever since I was little I saw this kind of situation, and I find it really damaging to our self-acceptance, so I decided to draw about it, always trying to keep a positive message.”

I sincerely encourage you to check her out, you can follow her on Facebook, via Tumblr or on her Website (where you can also buy directly from her shop)

The ‘Women’ Project began in a very spontaneous and unpretentious way. Carol’s goal was just to practice her technique with coloured pencils while saying something nice to her friends.

Describing how she comes up with the content, Carol explains: “When looking for a theme, I opted for intersectionality for being something that I acknowledge as a personal issue. It always bothered me the world’s constant attempts to control women’s bodies, behaviours and identities. This control is such a deep part of our culture that we hardly ever realise how cruel it is and how it restricts our personal choices. However, I don’t believe it’s enough to discuss exclusively the issues that affect a specific group of women. We also need to talk about racism, homophobia, transphobia, classicism, xenophobia and ableism. The fight for equality and respect is very wide and should be inclusive.

 Not all the situations that I portray are lived exclusively by women. Several of them can be experienced by any human being, and I invite all men to identify as well. This is not a project exclusively for women, nor only about women, neither about all women at the same time. The decision to draw only women was partly motivated by a personal identification. But on the other hand, I find it interesting to awaken in men the chance to identify with female characters. I remember that when I was a kid it was common that the  movies / books / animations starring female characters were seen as “for girls”, while stories with male characters were “for everyone”. The fact that my protagonists are women does not make this is project just “for girls”.

I tried to pick out just a few of my faves…. but I think I’m sharing with you nearly all of them, I felt like I didn’t want to leave anyone out or not share their story so I’ve had to create a gallery, just click on a image to view it larger! Whilst the ones I am sharing are the English versions she also translates into many languages from her Portuguese mother tongue.

I hope you enjoy, that they give you something to smile about, make you think and give you a little boost of confidence that we all need from time to time!

Art of the Week

Tags

Anna Lubińska, art, artist, illustration, merman

Look at this beautiful illustration I discovered on Pinterest today…

Isn’t it simply stunning? I’m definitely a fan! This is the work of the talented Anna Lubińska from Poland. You can see more of her stunning work here

Art of the Week

Tags

Arts of the Week, Katerina Plotnikova, photography

Wow…..

You may or may not have seen these images doing the rounds recently….

I am in awe of them, they are incredibly beautiful.

Taken by Russian photographer Katerina Plotnikova, this series of surreal and mystical portraits with real animals is so amazing. There is no Photoshop involved – just a group of elite animal trainers, some beautiful models and Plotnikova and her camera.

You can see more of Katerina’s work here or here.

And below is some of my favourite images… What do you think?

Art of the Week

Tags

Floral art, Lourdes Sanchez, Sears Peyton Gallery, water colour

Isn’t this just beautiful… It’s the handy work of Lourdes Sanchez, a Cuban-born artist whose primary medium is watercolor. Her beautiful pieces are both geometric and organic.   “Her watercolors flirt with pattern and over the years her paintings have attracted the attention of the fashion and design industries, and her art has been translated into fabrics for leading designers”.

Currently living and working in Brooklyn, NY and Merida, Yucatan Lourdes’ delicate and beautiful floral studies really spoke to me! I insist you check out some more of her stuff… You can do so by clicking here!! Enjoy.

 

Art of the Week

Tags

artist, Bird illustration, Kate Wilson, Kate Wilson Art

Back with some more cute art for you….

This time it’s the work of london based artist Kate Wilson.

You can find out all about her on her blog here and she creates the sweetest (pun intended) doodles you’ve ever laid your eyes on…

this was the first image that caught my eye and on further browsing through her portfolio I fell more in love with her sweet sketches… Here’s a few of my other favourites…

 as you can tell I like the wee birds! cute huh!! Happy Wednesday x

 

Art of the week

Tags

art, art of the week, blogging, Collaborating with a 4 year old, collaboration, illustration, Mica and daughter prints, Mica Angela Hendricks

You know how sometimes, something grabs you and makes you wake up and pay attention, well yes indeedy..

This morning as i was snoozily scrolling through facebook a friend posted a link to this site and i fell in love and needed to share… so I sit here, still in bed writing this post before I’ve even had a shower!

This weeks Art of the Week is a mumma/daughter collaboration, and the results are just charming…

The story goes, Mummy artist aka Mica Angela Hendricks was indulging in a little special one on one time with a brand new sketchbook, when her 4 year old daughter, lets call her mini artist, senses something special is going down and wants in on the action…. whilst mummy artist tries her best to insist grown up art supplies are different from little people’s art supplies, it doesn’t work and her argument is shot down when mini artist simply states “If you can’t share, we might have to take it away if you can’t share”… and that’s where the magic journey begins…. you can read all about it in Mica’s own words on her blog ‘a busy mockingbird’ ( i really suggest you do this, her way of describing the process is beautiful)

Now, are you ready….

Dinosaur Girl was their first collaboration and is just brilliant, don’t you think?

Mica would start by sketching the face and then her daughter would take over on the body…. this partnership seemed to take Mica’s art to a level she would have never have thought of…

In my opinion, they have a whimsical, dream like feel to them… and in some cases almost creepy (in a good way)

I love how the body suits the face expressions, I would say by coincidence, but who knows, maybe mini artist senses these expressions and creates accordingly… or maybe, she just draws what ever she fancies and it just works…

Once mini artist has drawn the body, mummy artist takes back the drawing then adds colour and details to complete the creation.

If you want a piece of their artwork, and why wouldn’t you…. they are selling a selection of their prints here.

I would love to hear your thoughts??! I think they are brilliant…. it remind me of an exercise we did at uni, where after a lengthy amount of time working on a sketch, you had to pass it on to the next person (noooooo) exercises like these teach patience and to not be so precious…. in some cases, and certainly in this one… so much more has been gained from Mica (originally begrudgingly) sharing her sketch book with her daughter. What fun!! Have a great day!

Oh Oh Oh…. So after posting this, I went and liked the busy mockingbird on facebook I’ve just seen Mica’s running a competition….. I think you should all get involved… basically… Mica draws the head, you and a friend draw the body!!! Deadline 14 Oct…. Go Go Go!!