Cheeseburn Open Weekend July 2019 - Becky Mackenzie Ceramics

Over the past couple of Open Weekends at Cheeseburn, Northumberland-based ceramicist Becky Mackenzie has been exhibiting her work. Becky Mackenzie is a ceramic designer and maker specialising in elegant and minimal pieces in very fine porcelain, bone china and earthenware.


Such thin and delicate forms are created through the slip casting process. However, it is not possible to achieve the signs of the hands using slip casting alone. She achieves this by first throwing a vessel. The resulting form has traces of the hand; the human element that went into creating the form. Mackenzie then pours the slip into the form and, when set, the indentations and gestures made by the hands when throwing the pot are transferred to the cast.


I really enjoy the non-decorative simplicity of the forms and the signs of the making process that are evident in the vessels themselves. I'm also rather partial to the colour scheme!

http://www.lagomceramics.uk/

http://cheeseburn.com/

Cheeseburn Open Weekend July 2019 - Simon Hitchens in the gallery

I spent another excellent weekend working at Cheeseburn Open Weekend. The grounds looked stunning, with the colourful flowers in full bloom and the grass as lush as ever. The glorious sunshine added to the joy of the two days.

Based predominantly at the main reception with Tia and Ell, I had the pleasure of meeting and greeting hundreds of visitors to Cheeseburn, and the satisfaction of seeing them leave with huge smiles and many positive comments. There was plenty to keep people happy, even without the art!


This weekend saw the end of the Simon Hitchens exhibition in the gallery. His intricate drawings in the 'Thinking Beyond Rock' collection remind me of spirographs. They have been created by tracing the shadows of a rock over the course of an entire day. Every 15 minutes Hitchens traces the line of the shadow cast by the rock, and over the duration of the day as the shadow moves, the lines track the movement of the sun.

Simon explains, “The natural world is an endless source of inspiration to me, and a direct tool I use to create my work. For example, the current body of work I am pursuing requires sunlight as the source for image making, drawing shadows cast by a rock between sunrise and sunset. The resultant drawings are unique in time and space to a given location on the planet, recording the relentless rotation of the earth beneath our feet.”

http://cheeseburn.com/

http://www.simonhitchens.com/

The text is in position; may the collaging commence!

The text is in position; may the collaging commence!

Cheeseburn Open Weekend - Sustainable Ceramics

I was delighted that visitors to Cheeseburn Open Weekend were so positive about the range of bird boxes produced by Sustainable Ceramics. Looking forward to seeing them at Cheeseburn again next weekend.

Cheeseburn Open Weekend

It's been a really busy week for Sustainable Ceramics getting ready for Cheeseburn Open Weekend this weekend.

In order to give an impression of what the bird boxes look like when they are installed in trees, Sustainable Ceramics created a number of minute bird boxes that could be displayed in Bonsai trees. 

Collage Drawing (It will get easier)

https://youtu.be/lrbR-OsSLNI

Getting ready for the weekend at Cheeseburn Sculpture

In the run up to the next open weekend at Cheeseburn (this weekend - 29th and 30th June 2019),  local maker David Kirkland tests out his new kiln with his latest batch of sustainable ceramic bird boxes. The excitement (and tension) mounts as the lid door opens to reveal...

Sustainable Ceramics will have a range of bird boxes for sale at Cheeseburn over the summer. For more information about the Cheeseburn Open Weekends, please visit http://cheeseburn.com/

Rotating drawing

https://youtu.be/C05yb4OqqBY

Collage Drawings

Drawing - June 18th

Drawing - June 17th

Last day to visit Newcastle University BA Fine Art Degree Show

The work of 58 emerging artists at the culmination of four-years study on the Newcastle University BA in Fine Art can be seen today until 4pm.

Preparing for Cheeseburn Sculpture June 2019 Open Weekend

In preparation for the next Open Weekend at Cheeseburn Sculpture on 29th and 30th June 2019, local maker David Kirkland is busy working on his collection of ceramic bird boxes.

David owns some woodland about 20 miles from the Cheeseburn estate. It is here that David digs the clay from which they are made, which he then processes back at his home in Newcastle. 

All are fired to 1250C, which makes them frostproof - they will outlast the tree or wall they are attached to!  

New boxes are designed to RSPB specifications to suit a range of specific bird species. Some of the new boxes will be textured to look rock-like, achieved by making glazes from rocks David collects from Northumberland, and wood ash from his fire. Other new boxes will be unglazed, but heavily textured (like the picture example), allowing the character of the Northumbrian clay they are made from to be seen.

 

Ian Sansom Is Waiting - BBC Radio 4

Ian Sansom Is Waiting on BBC Radio 4 was an interesting examination of the familiar act of waiting. Whether that be waiting for a bus, waiting for your name being called out on the register, waiting for the weekend, waiting for that career break that you have been longing for, waiting for the right moment to propose to the love of your life, or simply waiting for a sunny day in which you can hang your washing outside; 

"We're always waiting for something. 

Sometimes, it feels like it might never arrive. But what if the secret to getting what you want lies in the space between things, rather than in the destination itself? Through terminal spaces, waiting rooms and traffic jams, Ian Sansom offers a delayed deliberation on those moments when someone or something makes us... wait. As Ian puts us on hold, forms an orderly queue and sits down to watch a slow film in the company of filmmaker Spencer Slovic, he experiences a sense of delayed gratification with philosopher Professor Harold Schweizer, tunes up in the orchestra pit with percussionist Sam Staunton, and endures the protracted delay in getting published with Northern Irish author Wendy Erskine. Maybe if he's able hang around long enough, Ian might just arrive at his conclusion."

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m00047tf

Hectographs with Mirela Bistran

Testing size and layout of text on billboard

Front of billboard

marginendeavour have been working on the structure of our billboard and have now added the frame to the front.

We’ve got a little planing and filling to do before we start making art, but it is taking shape!