Some studio experiments with Melinda McGarry

Artist Melinda McGarry and I spent a productive afternoon in my studio drawing and experimenting with some found materials.

We had been discussing our approaches to making work, identifying the similarities and differences and strengths and weaknesses. We agreed that it would be useful to spend some time in the studio together, responding to each other, working with each other and supporting each other in the creation of some new work.



Melinda's background is in painting, and it is only recently that she has begun incorporating sculptural elements in her work. I really admire her drawings, her use of colour and line.



After the month of paperwork that I have just had, it was particularly good to get drawing and playing with materials again.

Different methods of display

I've been experimenting with different ways that I could install the same piece of work.

On the wall

 On the floor

 Emerging from a mound of shredded paper

Silicone base

After waiting 24 hours for the silicone coated forms to dry, I found that some silicone that had poured down the one of the forms had gathered in the plastic cup that the form was resting in. It appeared to be stuck, but with a little easing, the silicone popped out of the cup cleanly, taking on the shape of the bottom of the container to create a base so the form is now freestanding.

Coloured straws

I was visually attracted to a packet of coloured straws and had an urge to do something with them.

In this instance I made a pyramid of clay, cut the straws to different lengths and stuck them into the clay in no particular pattern.

Geometric structures from Hi-Fructose

More Hi-Fructose images from flickr

After a friend suggested that I look at Hi-Fructose imagery on flickr, I have found numerous other images as visual research. Here are a selection:

Romanesco

There are certain shapes and forms that I instinctively find pleasing to the eye, romanesco being a good example of one of these. The following article gives an explanation of why this may be so.

I would like to work with this kind of form, or create forms that fit into each other. These would not necessarily be the identical, but could be of different sizes and proportions.

Wooden blocks

Yein, one of the other MFA students on my course has made herself a desk tidy. 

I am attracted to the shapes, colours and forms. 

Simple things!

Daniel Buren - Catch as catch can : works in situ at BALTIC

Approaching the BALTIC from the front, one can see the coloured diamonds on the windows of the facade, but when inside the building one experiences the wonderful effect that the coloured light has on the interior. 

Walls become bathed in various tones of different intensities depending on the weather and time of the day. It really changes with each encounter, prompting the visitor to return multiple times.

Likewise, the artwork on level 4 is very much determined by the time of day and weather conditions. 

At the time I visited, there was a warm, pinkish glow to the space, and with few people, there was a calm and peaceful atmosphere which made me think of being in a cathedral. The lights in the ceiling even made me feel that I was in a church due to their cross shape.

However, it may be completely different if the space was crowded with people and there was a lot of noise. This may be likened more to a busy city centre with the bright lights from advertising boards.

There is a noise, a rhythm, and an energy to the work, created by the patterned lights.

The wooden structures that are positioned around the gallery blend in well with the  wooden floor and  the mirrors make these structures part of their surroundings.

I enjoyed finding surprising areas where rainbows are found and subtle light patterns are created, such as in the image above.

I admire how the large gallery space has been used. Although there are a number of free standing structures around the floorspace, and there is a lot going on with the bright coloured reflections from the windows, it does not feel cluttered, nor bare. 

Downstairs, Buren exhibits a number of works exploring form, space, light and colour. 

I found the simplest three-dimensional paintings most interesting as they were not appearing to be fancy or overworked. There is an element of surprise when viewing the work as ones eyes try to make sense of what they are seeing when walking around the work.

Having never seen luminous fibre optic works before, this way of working and the material itself interested me, but I found myself trying to work out how the material works more than appreciating the actual work itself.