Recent drawings

 

I use drawing for many different purposes, and regard it as an immediate and accessible means to express ideas.

I find drawing to be an excellent way to problem solve and work things out.

In this instance I used drawing to document my current 'Groovings' installation at Motherwell Concert Hall.

The exhibition is on until the end of October, so you have a bit of time still to go and see the work up front and for real!

Grooving exhibition at Motherwell Theatre and Concert Hall

Grooving exhibition at Motherwell Theatre and Concert Hall

 

Grooving exhibition at Motherwell Theatre and Concert Hall

Grooving exhibition at Motherwell Theatre and Concert Hall

Install at Motherwell Theatre and Concert Hall

With the work safely packed in the back of the van, Anne-Louise and I made our way to Motherwell Concert Hall and Theatre to install my exhibition, Grooving.

On arrival, we met Isabel who assisted in the hanging of the exhibition.

Once the works were unwrapped, we tested how they would attach to the rods that are the hanging device at the venue. As usual, there were a couple of technical issues, but we found solutions (lets just say that cardboard came in useful...again!)

 Working out the arrangement of the pieces

The arrangement of the works was determined, in part, to the nature of the hanging system and how many rods the gallery has. Although I had made 15 works, only 14 could be exhibited, and so the work that was proving to be most difficult to attach to the rods was left out.

Anne-Louise and Isabel helping with install

I am pleased with how the work looks in the context, and hope to find another venue to exhibit the series.

Colour Studies

The works are wrapped and ready to be installed tomorrow at Motherwell Concert Hall and Theatre where they will be exhibited from 4 September 2013 until 30 October 2013.

I am going to take 15 casts with me, but I may not use them all depending on how they work in the space.

I began some colour studies of the different casts:

 Colour study of object painting

  Colour study of object painting

  Colour study of object painting

  Colour study of object painting

  Colour study of object painting

 Colour study of object painting

Monday 2nd September - Batons attached!

As the start of my exhibition at Motherwell Concert Hall and Theatre and draws closer, I am now doing the final preparations to the work ready for the install on Wednesday.

I drilled holes in the batons to be inserted into the back of the casts. The screws on the rods that the work will hang from will then go into the batons.

Some of the casts needed a bit of sanding on the back, so I made good use of my rasp.

Batons have been glued into the backs of the works

 

I glued the batons into the majority of the casts, and coated the backs of the remaining four casts in diluted polymer.

I tried to match the front colour of each of the casts with a paint sample card and experimented with different orders of colour. As much as it is useful to do such an exercise without the work (the more I move the casts, the more likely they are to get damaged), the final order will ultimately be decided upon on Wednesday when I have them in the space and decide how many to include and see how they interact with the gallery surroundings.

 

Experimenting with the order of colours

Colours revealed - 10th August

Today I unwrapped all the pieces that were ready to be removed from their moulds. This is always an exciting, but nervewracking process.

I am going to be away from, and will miss, my studio for a couple of weeks while I visit my family, but I am please at the progress I have made this week in readiness for my exhibition in Motherwell at the beginning of September.

casting - 9th August

Today I added more layers to the casts already in progress, and also begun a new set of casts. 

The above casts will by ready to be removed from their moulds tomorrow.

Using the 25cm x 25cm squares for my forthcoming exhibition in Motherwell will allow me to present a range of diiferent colours, and they will be light enough to hang on the wire hanging system used by the gallery.

However, I would also like to try to make some larger scale works using the same process, and so today made a bigger mould and poured the first layer of plaster into it. Increasing the size introduces a number of issues that do not arise when working with the smaller squares. For example, the pieces will need to be reinforced with a fibreglass material in order to give strength and prevent cracking (hopefully). I also find it more challenging to make large batches of plaster that are smooth and lump free. Pouring large amounts is also more difficult, and ideally another set of hands is required to ensure that the plaster is evenly distributed.

Below are some test casts that I have been producing to record the colours made and test out how different colours complement each other.

Coloured squares 04/08/2013

Today I've been making lots of new moulds, adding layers to the existing casts and then casting some new squares. This is the range of colours used today.

Plaster squares 01/08/2013

Unfortunately the plaster casts that I made yesterday have cracked and broken.

They have cracked along the line where the batons lie. I think this may have happened because the water in the plaster gets absorbed by the wood and so I think I should let the plaster dry properly before adding the wooden batons.

Ive set up some more squares of plaster overnight, and will try tomorrow to add the batons then.

Putting batons onto the back of works

I am developing work for my forthcoming exhibition at Motherwell Concert Hall, and am testing different options for hanging the work. The work has to be attached to wires which hang vertically in front of the wall. I am informed that the fasteners on the wires can be screwed into the back of the work, and so am planning on using wooden batons on the back of the work for the screw to go into.

I have tried a number of methods of putting batons on the work:

- making a sheet of plaster and once dry, glue the wooden batons to the back

- making a sheet of plaster and once dry, glue the wooden batons to the back, then pour plaster around the wooden batons so as to hide them when viewed from the side

- making a sheet of plaster and while still wet, place the batons on the plaster. Once dry, fill the gap around the edge of the batons

- making a sheet of plaster and while still wet, place the batons on the plaster and then pour plaster in the gap around the edge of the batons

- making a sheet of plaster and while still wet, place another piece of cardboard on top of the plaster in order to create a flat surface

Thinking about new work for Motherwell exhibition

I'm thinking about the work I am going to make for my forthcoming exhibition in Motherwell, and would like to develop some of the work that I made during my residency at Market Gallery. The nature of the gallery space means that the work I produce will have to be wall-based.

I am keen to do some more screenprinting onto birch plywood, and also want to experiment with displaying a number of smaller works in a grid so as to make one work.

Motherwell Concert Hall and Theatre

This afternoon I had a trip to Motherwell to meet with Anne-Louise Kieran, the Visual Arts Development Officer for North Lanarkshire Council. Anne-Louise has invited me to exhibit my work at Motherwell Concert Hall and Theatre later this year, and asked if I would be interested in running a couple of day workshops with children to coincide with my exhibition.

Our meeting today was to discuss the practical issues relating to the exhibition such as install and destall details, insurance, framing the work, and also discuss the workshops.

The current exhibition is work by artist and printmaker Bronwen Sleigh. Her work is "an exploration  of tangible spaces."

"She undertakes this investigation through a process of photography, model making and etching which in its final presentation creates an abstract notion of the original space."

My exhibition will run from 4 September 2013 until 30 October 2013.

Motherwell Exhibition

In light of the recent debate about artists getting an exhibition fee, I was delighted to receive my Exhibition Contract from North Lanarkshire Council relating to an exhibition I have at Motherwell Concert Hall and Theatre in September and October this year.

The contract consists of a single page of A4 with:

• basic information about the exhibition - date of exhibition, venue etc
• artist details - name, contact details, 
• exhibition fee details - amount, how it will be paid, what the artist is responsible for in order to get the exhibition fee
• signature from artist and council

Receiving this document fills me with confidence, especially as the exhibition is 8 months away!

The contract is extremely basic, but has all the information required at this stage. I fail to understand why other galleries cannot operate in such a respectful and professional manner, but look forward to having the exhibition in Motherwell.

Studio visit

This afternoon I had a studio visit from Anne-Louise Kieran, the Visual Arts Development Officer for North Lanarkshire Council. Anne-Louise had visited my studio at the recent Open Studio weekend, and got in touch shortly after to offer me an exhibition at one of the spaces that she programmes. 

It was really good to talk to her about her background, her role, my work and my forthcoming exhibition. The exhibition will take place at Motherwell Concert Hall and Theatre from Sept 4th 2013 - October 30th 2013. It seems like I have a lot of time, but I know how quickly time flies, and I am already thinking about making work for the space.

Given the nature of the building, the exhibition will consist of wall based work. I am conscious that  the work will predominantly be seen by a non-art audience and I will be mindful of this when producing the work. By this I do not mean to "dumb down" the work, but I need to ensure that the work can be appreciated on a number of levels and is not dependent on having an art background in order to get something from it.

 In light of the WAGE RAGE discussion that I attended yesterday, it was pleasing to hear that a small fee will be offered and that they are willing to help with things such as hiring a van to collect the work, assistance with hanging the work, and offering to loan some frames for the duration of the exhibition. Anne-Louise was supportive of the need for some guidelines or legislation around the payments given to artists for exhibiting their work.