Angie Lewin at Yorkshire Sculpture Park

I've seen Angie Lewin's prints on greetings cards, but never in their original state, so I was keen to visit her 'A Natural Line' exhibition at Yorkshire Sculpture Park.

I enjoyed seeing the sketches and studies that lead to the finished work. 

Sometimes I find her large prints to be too cluttered, but I found her smaller scale work was simpler which I prefer.

Similarly, the small studies on driftwood are not too dense, and the unusual shapes forces Lewin to adapt the composition to suit the driftwood.

Markus Linnenbrink

As I am preparing work for my solo exhibition at 1 Royal Terrace, I am thinking about how the work addresses the categories of sculpture, installation and painting, and if these categories are actually necessary and/or useful. 

I am conscious that I want the exhibition to be varied enough to avoid being predictable, but for it also to sit together as a coherent whole.

I have been looking into artists who work in similar ways to myself, and came across the wonderful work of Markus Linnenbrink

  

 

Linnenbrink creates sculpture, installation and paintings, and I have been investigating the way in which he spans the different disciplines when installing a solo exhibition.

At the moment all the work I have been making for my 'Brimming' exhibition is made from plaster, but I think that another dimension is needed in the form of another material and/or different process.

I am working on some two-dimensional drawings and prints which will, potentially be included in the exhibition.

Trip to the new Tetley art gallery in Leeds

A new contemporary art gallery opened in Leeds about 3 weeks ago so I paid it a visit while in the area. The building, the old Tetley Brewery Headquarters, is beautiful. On the ground floor there is a bar, restaurant and exhibition space. The next three floors consist of art galleries, a workshop space, offices and studios.

The Tetley's first exhibition, ‘A ‘New Reality’, invites audiences to join artists in unraveling the history and future use of the former Tetley Brewery headquarters through a series of artist projects, exhibitions, events and residencies.

Part 1 of this 9-month programme features projects and exhibitions from artists Emma Rushton & Derek Tyman, James Clarkson, Simon Lewandowksi & Sam Belinfante, and Rehana Zaman.

‘A New Reality’ launches The Tetley as a permanent contemporary art space, taking the theme of ‘labour’, the telling of overlooked or fading history, and the cyclical process of change, as starting points for the space’s transformation. An intergenerational mix of contemporary artists have been invited to create cross-disciplinary interventions that are sensitive to the site’s past.

The work in the galleries seemed to be more like a museum survey of the history of the Tetley building than art exhibitions. Unfortunately there were no artists around at the time of my visit, and , but there was evidence of activity in the form of a stage like structure constructed by Rushton & Tyman for their project titled Fear of the Surplus.

A series of public discussions and events around the topics of work, labour and welfare will take place on this stage. An impressive line-up of invited speakers – authors, activists, academics, theorists, organisers and campaigners will debate ideas of work – what it is, why and how we do it, its values and rewards and the conflicting ideas and issues which surround it. As stated on the Tetley website "With current government rhetoric surrounding work and welfare, Fear of the Surplus is timely in providing a space where conflicting ideas about labour, work systems and possible alternatives can be voiced and debated.

Fear of the Surplus refers to those groups – unemployed, the elderly, migrant workers, the recently made redundant, single mothers, under employed, public sector workers – that are either used as scapegoats by those in power, or considered extra to requirement or ‘surplus’ to requirements, or both."

I look forward to following the development of this exciting new contemporary art space.

http://thetetley.org

http://www.creativetourist.com/articles/art/yorkshire/its-art-leeds-but-not-as-we-know-it-the-tetley-launches/

@The_Tetley

All lined up after polymerisation

Today I removed the latest casts from their moulds and laid them out to dry.

I then attended to the numerous casts that have been drying, waiting to be coated in a polymer solution. I mixed the solution of water and polymer, and placed 4 rods of wood onto the floor. Gradually, I worked my way through the casts that had been drying, dipping each  cast into the polymer solution and rolling it around so that it is coated on all sides. I then placed the cast onto the wooden batons so as not to stick to the flooring.

I am developing quite a range of colours of the floor tiles, but think I need to vary the heights more.

Attempting to tidy up

I reached the stage where it was becoming difficult to find a patch of floor that was not covered in dust from the plaster, and there were no areas to put casts to dry without them picking up lots of plaster dust. Although I have been trying to keep mess to a minimum, and tidy as i go, the time came for a thorough clean!

I removed the latest batch of casts from their moulds and laid them out to dry.

I now have quite a large selection of casts that need to be covered in polymer - a job for tomorrow!

The gallery as studio

It is such a luxury to be able to work in the gallery for a few weeks prior to my exhibition, and I feel very fortunate. I would not have been able to produce the work I am making if I had not been based here.

Firstly, the gallery is a large space, allowing me to have several things on the go at the same time. For instance, I currently have moulds that have been filled with plaster and left to set, casts that have been removed from the moulds waiting to be and covered in polymer, moulds that are ready for cleaning, and moulds that are cleaned and are waiting to be filled with plaster.

The work I am making involves lots of casting, and this is a messy process requiring lots of space. I try to keep different areas for different tasks, separating the wet and dry areas, and the clean from the messy. One area is where I mix the coloured plaster and pour it into the moulds, another area is where I turn out the casts from the moulds and leave them to dry, another area is where I coat the casts in polymer, and another area is where I leave the casts to dry once they have been covered in polymer.

When making work on such a scale, it is efficient to follow a systematic production line, and for this to happen, space is required!

Another benefit that comes with working in the gallery is that one gets to know the space and this can help influence the work and how it is installed. New ideas are formed, and site specific works can happen. One gets a sense of how people navigate the space, and this can help when it comes to positioning the work at install.

My huge thanks go to Ruth and the 1 Royal Terrace committee for giving me the opportunity to work in the wonderful space that is 1 Royal Terrace. I will certainly miss it!

The latest batch of casts

The photo above shows the casts that I poured into the moulds yesterday, that I removed from the moulds today.

I then cleaned and reassembled the moulds, and the photo below shows the moulds filled with plaster mixed today

RGI Winter exhibition extended

The Royal Glasgow Institute of the Fine Arts (RGI) has extended the duration of its current exhibition; The Winter Postcard exhibition, in which I have a work exhibited.

The exhibition will now run until the end of January.

The exhibition features a selection of small work by RGI's and RGI artist members.

The gallery is closed 22nd Dec - 7th Jan.

ROYAL GLASGOW INSTITUTE OF THE FINE ARTS
-
KELLY GALLERY  118 DOUGLAS STREET  GLASGOW  G2 4ET 

OPEN: TUESDAY - SATURDAY 10AM - 5PM

GALLERY@ROYALGLASGOWINSTITUTE.ORG

Exhibition invite

HELEN SHADDOCK

BRIMMING

Preview: Sunday 12.01.14 from 4pm to 8pm.
Open: 18-19.01.14 and 25-26.01.14, Sat-Sun from 12pm to 5pm
Further viewings arranged by appointment.

1 Royal Terrace are proud to present our premier exhibition; a solo show by Glasgow-based artist, Helen Shaddock.

Shaddock is known for her colourful and playful installations in which she explores form, colour and texture, using processes that allow order and chaos to collide. Adopting a hands-on approach to the use of materials, Shaddock’s work moves effortlessly between painting and the three-dimensional while being mindful of the work’s context and audience.

For her exhibition at 1 Royal Terrace, Shaddock is producing sizable site-specific work. To accompany the exhibition an 'artist in conversation' event will be held on 19.01.14, at 2pm (numbers limited, please email 1royalterrace@gmail.com to book a space). 

Helen Shaddock received her BA(Hons) in Fine Art:Sculpture and Environmental Art from Glasgow School of Art in 2008. She regularly exhibits her work in both solo and group exhibitions, and earlier this year she completed a residency at Market Gallery. As an active member of the Glasgow Visual Art community, Shaddock has considerable experience of working within different art organizations in a number of capacities.

http://www.helenshaddock.co.uk

http://helenshaddock.blogspot.com/

Sunday's colours

I spent hours cleaning the moulds and reassembling them before another session of casting.

These are today's colours

Come back tomorrow to see the forms made from these colours.

Coloured floor tiles

Yesterday I cast a couple of forms that are the exact shape of a floor tile from the gallery. Whereas the other casts that I have been making for the bookshelves are multicoloured, I made the floor tile casts as single colours. 

Today I removed these from the moulds, and tested out the idea to put the floor tile on the top of the cast so as to extend the floor vertically. I aim to create lots of coloured floor tiles at different heights, and install them on the parquet flooring in the gallery.

Yesterday I also cast from a mould I had not used yet. This pillar-like mould is for the bookcase. When pouring the plaster into the mould, I noticed that, due to the tall and thin shape of the mould, the plaster was splashing high up the edges. This can be seen in the resulting form.

Horizontal cast

Up until now all the casts to go in the installation have had layers going in the same direction- vertically when placed in the bookshelves. I recognise that this may be a little predictable, and seek to disturb this slightly by introducing a few casts with horizontal layers onto the shelves. I hope this will encourage the viewer to look more carefully at the work as the pattern is not quite as easy to read.

This is the first cast with horizontal layers, and I tried to keep it relatively simple so as to add more variation in the rhythm of the work.

I want for there to be areas of concentrated activity and less intense areas within the composition, again, making for more interesting viewing.

I experimented with the positioning of a horizontal cast next to a couple of vertical casts:

As well as producing casts for the bookshelves, today I began casting some bricks that are the same dimensions of the tiles in the parquet flooring.

Casts are polymered

I'm pleased with how the casts are turning out, and am liking the colour combinations and the mixture of hard lines separating the different layers and blurrings of the boundaries. It is always exciting when removing the casts from the moulds as I do not know what to expect. When I am working on numerous casts at the same time it is hard to keep a track of which colours I have added to each mould, and so it really is a surprise when the casts are revealed.

I am conscious that the casts are rather delicate and, when positioned next to each other, they easily mark and pick up bits of plaster from the other cast. The nature of the installation means that I will be testing out placing different casts next to each other and moving them around. In order to make the casts more durable and reduce the chances of them marking when butted next to each other, I am going to coat each cast in a diluted polymer solution. This will seal the surface of the cast, making it less crumbly. It also helps the colours retain their vibrancy and tone, preventing them from becoming 'chalky' and pale. The polymer gives the surface a slight sheen, but as I will be using a diluted polymer mix, it shouln't be too obvious.

I will mix the polymer dilution in a bucket and then dip each cast into the solution. I will then submerge the other end of the cast in the polymer, ensuring that the whole cast has been coated in polymer. By dipping the casts into the polymer, I do not add any brush marks or texture on the surface.

I set up my production line with buckets of polymer and tracklines to rest the casts on once polymered, and one by one, covered each cast.

Another cast removed from its mould

Another cast removed from its mould...

Exhibition title decided

This afternoon I met with Petter and Ruth from the 1 Royal Terrace committee to work on the marketing material for my exhibition.

A few weeks ago a basic template for the exhibition posters was decided upon. The design will be consistent throughout all of the 1 Royal Terrace programme, but it also allows for each poster to have its own identity and be reflective of the exhibiting artist and their practice.

We looked at the range of images that I had selected, and after doing a few mock ups of the poster, agreed on the type of image to be used. I have taken some beautiful surface photographs of the casts, but I want the poster to indicate the three-dimensional nature of the work, and therefore decided that the poster image will be a corner of one of the casts. I need to take some more photographs of the casts in the daylight, and then select one to be used for the poster.

We then had a great brainstorming session around possible exhibition titles. Anyone who knows me well will be able to vouch for the fact that titling work is not my forte. Usually, titles come from conversations I have had, and this one was no exception. After much discussion we decided on the title...

Batch 2 of casts released from moulds

Removing the casts from their moulds is exciting as I do not know what lies within each mould. The moulds are made of pieces of contiboard held together by screws. To release the cast one has to unscrew the contiboard pieces.

I will clean the moulds, screw the contiboard pieces together again, and they can be used to make more casts.