leanora

Journys 2

2010-04-24T10:03:00.000-07:00

Journys

2010-04-24T09:56:00.001-07:00

installation, inside/out

2010-03-01T12:07:00.000-08:00

2010-02-27T11:13:00.000-08:00

Still a work in progress hopefully this piece will stay in place until Monday when I can finish it's installation. Works well when the light shines behind, but so cold the wax becomes very brittle and fragile. I particularly like the plant growing outside to the right of the wax piece somehow it works in harmony with the organic nature of the wax cast.

Deadline is looming

2010-02-24T11:55:00.000-08:00

Latest cushions with light.

leaf

2010-02-12T09:41:00.000-08:00

leaf

I am a great admirer of Christine Borland's work.

graphite leaf print

stairs to no where

2010-02-09T09:25:00.001-08:00

wax pewter and material

casting

2010-02-05T09:27:00.001-08:00

my new favourite thing to do immediate gratification I love casting.

field of thorns

2010-01-27T09:05:00.001-08:00

15 done many more to go.

Those stairs

2010-01-26T08:46:00.000-08:00

I hadn't visited the stairs recently when I did this morning this is what I found the asbestos plague has struck again!!!!

I'm still continuing the spiky cushion theme, here is prototype number two, may be too literal for my liking.

material things

2010-01-20T09:02:00.000-08:00

So, made some silica moulds - results still pending as the plaster got well and truly stuck in the mould due to them being tall and pointy. Back to wax.

stare stairs

2010-01-18T13:22:00.000-08:00

Today I played with light

installaion possibly

2010-01-18T08:52:00.000-08:00

messing about with finding a place for the wax piece I cast, was great fun till I dropped it oops!

And I am doing this why?

2010-01-14T09:58:00.000-08:00

opps the cushion was too small and I am really wondering why I am doing this at all.

stairs to now where

2010-01-13T05:06:00.000-08:00

Spent this morning making paper templates for the stairs. Now thinking I should get the sowing machine out as this will be a big job, also thinking an afternoon nap would be a good idea decisions decisions! Now I'm thinking cushions for stairs why not.

the tree was lighter

2010-01-12T06:18:00.001-08:00

I even added a tree, of sorts, thinking I'll go with the organic, no surprised there.

installation, possibly

2010-01-12T06:10:00.000-08:00

Spent the morning moving, deceptively heavy, concrete blocks onto some stairs to try and generate some ideas for the installation project. Seemed a good idea at the time, now my back thinks otherwise! And just in case you think I was being a wimp, there were more.

Eternal Scream A Droste Effect

2009-07-23T06:29:00.000-07:00

Came across this image it amused me, dosen't take much I know. Mathematics and art who knew this would be the restult.

Peter Randell-Page

2009-07-23T05:57:00.000-07:00

Went to the Yorkshire Sculpture Park where there is currently an exhibition by Peter Randell-Page.

2009-05-13T06:27:00.000-07:00

Past Presence: Contemporary reflections on the main line. for more info on artists involved go to www.brynmawr.edu/visualculture/Dion.htm

below work by artist Sheila Pepe

old wounds never heal

2009-05-12T02:02:00.000-07:00

wounds of love I (Death) by Jan Florence Garven (Jangarven.com)Trying to display the work for this self initated project has proved problematic, as the intent of the work is not fully realised, so I am left with displaying a work in progress.

With the previous project, art as a site of cultural representation, I started form a place of fact i.e. human remains preserved to show the fate of those who where unfortunate enough to become ill and die - an uncomfortable reality. The initial premise was death and decay, as a biological process and myself finding the beauty in the decay. I also feel it was about a simple form of metamorphosis. The specimens in jars that I looked at in the Huntarian did not undergo a complete change. Their original shape still being recognisable, but that have become almost sanitised by the 'bleaching process' of preservation.

The intention was to continue and develop ideas generated in the previous project, with lots of experimentation using a variety of media. I wanted to incorporate natural and man made objects into the work with a veiw to 'mimicking ' the shape or texture of the original specimen.

I also started to look into wabi-Sabi, "the art of finding beauty in imperfection and profundity in nature, of accepting the natural cycle of growth, decay and death." I started to reaslise that objects that I had collected over a period of time, for me, fell into this catagory. The fragments of trees, shells, plant life had once had a purpose, had been alive or contained life, but were now dried out, shrivelled up or shards of their previous forms.

Then we come onto wounds, where the skin has been broken. "From the Classical period to the Medieval period, the body and the soul were believed to be intimately connected, based on several theories put forth by the philospher Plato. Wounds on the body were believed to correlate with wounds to the soul an vice versa; wounds were seen as an outward sign of an inward illness. Thus, a man who was wounded physically in a serious way was said to be hindered not only physically but spiritually as well. If the soul was wounded, that wound may also eventually become physically maifest revealing the true state of the soul."

"Wounds were seen as writing ont the 'tablet' of the body"

The skin has been broken, some wounds cut too deeply in flesh or the soul and never heal, skin grows over open sores, words tear flesh 'wounds may become so deep that they resemble craters'

Torn edges stiched and made whole- inserting something precious that has a memory a moment in time in it's own right. That was once alive and growing or protecting growth inside and combing the two to create something new.

wood and cloth

2009-05-06T04:28:00.000-07:00

a day at the beach

wood work begins incorporating objects found at the beachwith chair legs found in wood workshop. carving and sanding of chair legs to change their form

drawings of found objects and medical operations

combining carved chair legs and beach finds

beach finds

pouring wax on the wood

combining stitched 'wounds' or openings within metal frames

Wabi Sabi

2009-04-09T04:25:00.000-07:00

Wabi Sabi, finding beauty in imperfection.

fastenings

2009-03-23T05:51:00.000-07:00

I am thinking now of ways to physically connect the pieces of work I am making. Hence the images above and below.

I still want to continue the theme of human remains and build on the techniques I have used so far. I want to incorporate other found materials into the work, one of the way I was thinking of doing this, having looked at the work of Cathy de Monchaux, is to use metal fastenings.

I would like however to make moulds of them so I could then cast them in other material, plaster or stone for example. In doing so it would change the nature of the object, and how I use it to develop my work. I could age them paint them make them softer and less visable.

Next I want to cast some of my found objects, stones for example. into metal. Jake has suggested I negotiate with jewellery for this so I hope this will be a viable option.

2009-03-18T04:47:00.000-07:00

Cathy De Monchaux's work all new to me but like it! I feel a trip to the book section coming on, see you

Studio 31

2009-03-18T04:22:00.001-07:00

Some photographs for the Exhibition on Thurdsay. Can't believe it took a whole day to put six pieces of work on the wall, but it did!. This is the Floor piece, don't mention the state of the floor, it's not my doing. I like the harshness of this piece in contrast to the ones on the wall that look much more organic.

See what I mean about the floor, however this is how it will look on the day

This is when I realise I will need to get a camera with a macro lense because mine can't do the close ups, however money etc means I know not when.

And that's All Folks !

archelogy

2009-03-13T03:11:00.000-07:00

work in progress

It's amazing how often I came across the term archaeological whilst doing the research for this project. Here are some quotes from some of the artist I looked at The first if from Christine Borland, "it is difficult to retrace accurately the outer look of the living. Let alone a detailed personal history that makes up a life." She was looking at the work of forensic science in trying to rebuild facial imagery of those victims of crimes that have still to be identified.

Here are three quotes from Aileen Kieth talking about some aspects of her sculptures ' The way specific memories are put together like jigsaw pieces' and 'filing away fragments of events or conversations in the creation of a kind of personal archeology', 'like a collection of fragemts snapped off from a once whole entity'.

The last one has particular relevence to me as I see those organs in jars of fragment of the whole. All that is left of the human being they once belonged to. The only personal history you know of the person if the illness they had, thier propable cause of death. And they have changed due to the way they have been preserved.

The forms I am creating form these initial images are tranforming other found objects are beging added and this seems a natural direction in which to take the work.

2009-03-13T02:55:00.000-07:00

Above is one of the images I took while I was at the Hunterian Museum, below is the soft sculpture I created inspired by looking at the human remains. I chose to keep the colours of material similar initially because didn't want to detract from the form. Though as it grew materials of other colour were added. It is on my desk at the moment as I still don't think it is fully resolved, I am considering painting on white wax to the more decorative areas, but still have more experiments to complete first.

An of organs in jars from the Hunterian

more Bill and Others

2009-03-11T03:20:00.000-07:00

Above susan Hiller's work. Her work is described by herself as a kind of "archaelogical investigation, uncovering something to make a different king of sense of it". Below is another Bill Woodrow.

just a few more images

Bill Woodrow and others

2009-03-11T02:50:00.000-07:00

So I have been busy with needle and thread and have had fun experimenting with creating a 'soft sculpture', there will be images at some stage. In the last few days left of making week I have decided to concentrate on my wall of curiosity. Inspired by the Hunterian's collection of human remain preserved in jars. Originally used as medical research they are now more like the curiosity cabinets of the 18th Century. I wanted to make a series of small sculptural pieces of mixed media and have them displayed on the way, using plastic, the kind you would use on an over head projector, bent round them. Hopefully this will imitate their being in jars, even though they will not be and restrict the view with the intention of changing the context in which they are seen. Still haven't decided about how I am going to label them, if at all yet. In the mean time here are some of the artists I have been looking at this morning.

Above is Bill Woodrow's
Clamp Made in 1986
Interestingly enough it was made in the 1980's 'when found or discarded objects were ingeniously reused and en chanced.' They were seen as a positive symbol of recycling and regeneration, in an era of consumerism. So what goes around comes around, this time it's not consumerism but recession that makes invention the mother of necessity.

monday reflections

2009-02-16T06:40:00.000-08:00

Bonjour, just finished trawling my way through the list of artists for the body project, probably not best to do all in one go as now have artist's overload. Some I already knew and liked, Kiki Smith for instance, others like Joel Peter Witkin, will take some absorbing. (see image)
That's about as reflective as it gets in reading week, bye.

2009-01-30T04:58:00.000-08:00

Happy to report enjoyed the Friday event, even though I forgot glasses and now my eyes hurt and the world is a little blurry, maybe it is better that way.

Thought I would include some metal work since it's the closest we will get to experiencing it. This is by Jim sullivan, who founded the 'living metal' workshop, don't get too excited it's in America.

Fridays

2009-01-30T02:00:00.000-08:00

Ron Mueck, Australian hyper-realist sculptor.

'Wind' sculpture

10 meter long sculpture inspired by the Scottish artist George wylie. Robert Slingsby

Friday morning in between working, getting son to school and waiting with trepidation for the friday event here I am blogging away in the Library, and I haven't even had coffee yet! But look I have found a big green dog.

And thats all there is time for, until my next trip to the library bye

Since I am looking at contemporary scottish sculpture on internet thought I'd include a few images since I now have the technology, though to be fair it's still a bit hit or miss.

Works by Mackintosh

2009-01-25T06:47:00.000-08:00

Below is the link to some work
http://www.scotcities.com/mackintosh/index.htm

Mack the tash

2009-01-21T05:29:00.000-08:00

Thought I'd put up an image of Charles Rennie Mackintosh, love the tash!