Helen Shaddock: August 2013

Friday, 30 August 2013

Analogue Social Live Screen Printing Event and Exhibition

Tonight I took part in the AnalogueSocial Live Screen Printing event at Meadow Mill Projects in Dundee.

It was a really fun and creative evening, with six different artists printing their own 2-screen designs, and also doing a combination of prints mixing their own designs with one other design from another artist.

The work is now exhibited at Meadow Mill Projects, Dundee for a couple of weeks.

I will post more photos later, but here are a few to given an indication of the evening.

AnalogueSocial live Screen Printing event in Dundee

My thanks go to all those involved with Analogue Social (Craig, Nils, James, David, Rosie, Alex, Christina to name but a few), and to Wasps who funded the event.

Thursday, 29 August 2013

Troublesome Thursday

I've come across a few technical problems today.

When removing the most recent casts from their moulds, I noticed that a couple of batches of coloured plaster have not set properly, and so they would not be of good enough quality to exhibit.

Unfortunately, the pale beige colour is one of the dodgy mixtures, and I included this colour in most of the casts made this week.

I have opened up most of the moulds that I have been able to, and hope that they will dry out now that they are exposed to the air. If the plaster sets as it should, then it will be a huge relief!

Otherwise, I will have to carry on making more casts this weekend in order to have enough to install in the exhibition next Wednesday. I had planned to spend the weekend tidying up the edges, coating the casts in polymer and attaching the hanging fixtures to the work, ready to be packed next week. However, this may be delayed if I need to be doing more casting.

Casts drying out

These are a few of the casts that could fully be removed from the moulds. Unfortunately the dark teal front layer of the cast (far left) separated from the other layers, and so can't be included in the exhibition

These fragments came off the edges of the cast with the dark teal front layer

Wednesday, 28 August 2013

Wednesday 28th August

Today I added more layers to the ongoing casts, and took a couple of casts out of their moulds.

Tuesday, 27 August 2013

Tuesday 27th August

Today I tested out different concentrations of polymer : water to cover the casts. Although I have added polymer into the plaster, I want to add an extra layer of diluted polymer so that the works will be stronger, the surface will be protected, the colours will retain their vibrancy, and to enhance the sheen on the surface.

I tested the different dilutions on this scrap sheet of plaster

The stronger the polymer concentrations, the more it seemed like an added layer, and it also became cracked, so I will use a more diluted version.

This image shows where the polymer has cracked

I also began a new batch of casts, and these are some of the colours I used.

Colours of plaster mixed today

A happy accident...

Sometimes some of the best work comes from accidents or mistakes. Accidents and mistakes often happen at the worst of times (such as just before an exhibition), and although they are stressful at the time, they can actually help take the work in a new direction and open up more possibilities and ideas.

I came across a problem today as one of my batches of casts has completely dried out and some of the layers have separated from each other.

The top layer separated from the other layers, leaving this kind of frame.

Ongoing work arising from a happy accident!

Paintings are often displayed in frames, but in this case the frame / edge becomes the work!

This is something I want to work my with - perhaps creating large scale versions, rather like doors. At the moment I am busy getting ready for the exhibition in Motherwell which I am hanging on Wednesday, and so I will need to store the idea until an appropriate time.

Monday, 26 August 2013

Mark Devereux Projects

I've been meaning to do this for a while now, but I have finally got round to joining as an Associate Member with Mark Devereux Projects.

Mark Devereux Projects is an artist production-development organisation established to help increase the national and international profile of early-career visual artists. With each practitioner’s artistic and career development paramount, emphasis is placed upon mentoring and helping the individual to place themselves within the industry through concentrated critical engagement and promotion.

As the cost of education is rising and more and more creative people are unable to commit to long-term education, artists are turning to the DIY approach. This means there are substantial numbers of creatives with the talent, ambition and drive to succeed within the market but lack support and direction to get there. Mark Devereux Projects provides a generous and thoughtful approach to working with artists.

Initially trained as an artist, Mark Devereux founded and Directed Blank Media Collective from 2006-2012. Working with early career visual artists, performers and writers, Devereux curated and produced numerous exhibitions, events and publications, showcasing the work of these practitioners. He was pivotal in the acquisition of BLANKSPACE gallery, Manchester in 2011, in which he was Director until leaving the organisation.

For further information and details about Mark Devereux Projects visit the website:

http://markdevereuxprojects.com/site/homepage

Mark visited me during my residency at Market Gallery earlier this year, and it was then that he told me about the organisation that he was (at that time) setting up.

Mark Devereux Projects was launched in July 2013 at CUBE, Manchester with an exhibition featuring the three selected artists that Mark is working with, namely Nicola Dale, David Ogle and Nicola Ellis. More information about the artists can be found on the website

http://markdevereuxprojects.com/artists

Thursday, 22 August 2013

Great news - SAU Membership hits 1000

One thousand artists are now members of the Scottish Artists Union.

This number benchmarks the achievement by visual and applied artists in Scotland, who despite current personal economic difficulties, have recognised the need for a strong and campaigning Union.

The increase in membership, since the inception of the Union thirteen years ago, is evidence of the increasing need for a collective, consistent and reasoned critical engagement.

The ultimate aim of the Union is for fair working conditions for all artists in the cultural life of Scotland.

For more information, please visit

http://www.sau.org.uk/newsroom/readnews.php

Monday, 19 August 2013

Snug Gallery, Hebden Bridge

During my time to Hebden Bridge today, I visited Snug, a leading Contemporary Craft Gallery in the North on England.

The current showcase exhibition is work by internationally renowned ceramicist Ikuko Iwamoto.

The gallery also stocks work by many other designers, all of which have their own character.
For more information about Snug, please visit http://www.snug-gallery.com/index.html

Friday, 16 August 2013

SCP design shop, London

I have just spent a few days in London, and as I walked around the city I was constantly lured into shops with their beautiful window displays.

Needless to say that I have taken many photos as inspiration, and will periodically post some photos.

These images are from SCP, the Design Shop.

Thursday, 15 August 2013

Visual research photos from trip to London

London has a vast array of shops with beautiful window displays, design products and homeware. I spend many a happy hour admiring these sights, and draw inspiration from them.

Here are a selection of such images from my London trip.