The Blog About Blogging

In the days before the blog I used to keep notes, newspaper articles and web addresses in sketchbooks, which would often end up being forgotten about at the end of each project. The blog is a tool that has allowed me  to multi-task, gather thoughts and look back on things easily.

I will admit, at the beginning of the year I thought the idea of writing a blog regularly might begin to be a chore and another aspect of life  to disjoint my work, however I've found that it allows me to record, reflect and revise my own work and the work of others in a professional manner. I guess I should just admit that I've got the blog feeeva!

I have used the blog in a number of ways...

• To question and move forward my own practice.

• To review how other artists develop their own practice. How this affects their work. How I can move my own work forward.

• To reflect on exhibitions of others, such as the biennial, student exhibitions, other exhibitions I have attended.

• To encourage fellow students and congratulate them on their work.

• To blog about my professional progression and exhibitions.

• To gather and hold information about artists of interest  to look back on in the future.

• To present my thoughts to others.

• To articulate my opinions and act as a catalyst for ideas and brainstorming.

I have also really enjoyed the blogging community. I follow a number of other young artists' blogs and it is incredible the amount of information that this small group produces. In my view it is important for creatives to communicate, possibly even more so after university and so I plan to continue blogging next year and certainly after life at LJMU ... (but I don't want to talk about that right now because the thought upsets me.)

Wolstenholme (15th – 16th March 2011)

It has been a few weeks since the Re:Action exhibition at Wolstenholme by Anna Mulhearn, Dave Whiteley and Catherine Rockwood but I wanted to take a minute to look back on it. 


I've never been to an exhibition in a gallery space dedicated to performance pieces. Normally I just seem to come across them in the public eye. But by having three performances in the same gallery it created a really buzzing, social atmosphere. 


The first exhibit I was introduced to was Dave Whiteley's 'Relational Aesthetics'. He and another performed an endurance piece across a long dinner table, staring at one another whilst chewing gum. As the night went on, wine glasses were filled with excess saliva from this process. I found it quite a difficult piece to watch, as I not only felt that I was intruding on a private moment but also the act of spitting into the glasses made me feel uneasy. Perhaps this was to express a strained relationship and the awkwardness of the meal. I feel that this feeling of unease, and the format in which it was produced, made it a very powerful and engaging piece of work.


Next I viewed Catherine Rockwood's film and performance 'Modern Sexism'. The film was an updated version of Judy Chicago's 'Cock and Cunt' play. In Rockwood's adaptation there is a male playing the role of Cock. Both Cock and Cunt wear make up, which is said to represent the mask of the modern woman, and and tights over their heads which symbolise the new restraints and pressures placed on modern women. Along side this Rockwood repeatedly applied and removed makeup enforcing the ideas of pressures on women from the media. I really enjoyed this piece as we had been attending the same tutorials, so I had the chance to see her work develop throughout the year. Although her work had a humorous undertone, the reality of modern sexism really rang home when I was faced with the piece as a whole. 


Last, but not least was the 'Forged Histories' performance by Anna Mulhearn. Again I had been lucky enough to see Mulhearn's complex piece develop throughout the year, and was thrilled to see the final piece. The setup reminded me of a theatre performance, with angled lighting and Anna placed in an armchair, forging documents. On a plinth at the side of the room was a photo album belonging to the family Anna had been researching intensely, which Anna had cleverly edited herself into. Muhearn had also managed to forge herself into a short film of a family holiday. I think the combination of all these aspects made the piece so believable. I wonder what the reaction of the family would be? Maybe one day we will find out. 


The exhibition ended at the bar and curry stand... What more could you want from an exhibition!? It really extended the idea of social activity and art coinciding and completed the exhibition in a very pleasant and complementary way. Thumbs up!

BP portrait runners up

Something I have enjoyed using the blog for recently is as a kind of scrap book. It is a really useful compact tool which allows me to just look back on previous thoughts and inspirations.


So here we go again. As many of you will know I absolutely adoooore talking about all the news on the BP Portrait Award, and this year is no different. I feel a real change happening in the air. I'm so excited that art seems to be growing up and forgetting all this adolescent SHOCK ... (for want of a better word) crap. Just take a look at this years' shortlisted portraits.

'Just to Feel Normal'
by Ian Cumberland

'Holly'
by Louis Smith with help from Carmel Said

'Mrs Cerna'
by Sertan Saltan

'Distracted'
by Wim Heldens

The shortlisted paintings this year are so different from last years winner 'Last portrait of Mother' by Daphne Todd, which definitely had the shock factor. The portrait was of Todd's mother at the undertakers. Although it was meant to be unsettling, I found it was disrespectful and contrary to the notions of traditional portraiture. I am much more fond of the likes of 'Holly' by Louis Smith for its powerful lighting and exquisite painting. When I compare it to the work of other current contemporary artists such as Sebastian Schrader and Neo Rauch, I notice they all have similar roots within traditional, religious paintings.

In saying that I do feel that 'Holly' is moving away from the genre of portraiture and wonder, even although it is my personal favourite, whether it is the deserved winner of this award. The other shortlisted artists have produced much more simple compositions. I really couldn't predict who will win, but I am looking forward to finding out. I will certainly be making time to visit the National Portrait Gallery when I visit London in July.

Printing Exhibition

I have been meaning to talk to Neil about the 'Global Echo' exhibition for a quite some time now, so today I gathered together a few of my prints and plates to show him, in the hope that I might be able to join in too. 

I was so pleased when Neil said I could take part! I will be making ten prints which will be exhibited in several places in England, Edinburgh, Canada and Perth in Austraillia! HOW EXCITING IS THAT!?!?!?!?! I have the paper made to the right size and the jig made so that each print will be the same. So tomorrow I will begin printing! :D

A previous etching of the liverpool skyline.

The etching for the exhibition

Turps Banana

A few months ago I began my subscription to Turps Banana, a magazine dedicated solely to contemporary painting. It is full of images and interviews with artists and up and coming artists.

The work of Andy Harper stood out to me because of his use of illuminated acrylic spheres. He is pushing the boundaries of painting by making use of unusual materials to paint onto. There is a very organic quality to his work.

'An Orrey For Other Worlds'
Andy Harper

I was considering experimenting with back-lighting over the summer. Painting on windows might be interesting...

Andrew Lloyd Webber

I have been watching the Perspectives documentaries on Sundays for a few weeks now. I was especially interested to watch the 'Andrew Lloyd Webber: A Passion for the Pre-Raphaelites' programme. Not only for the fact that I adore the Pre-Raphaelites, but also because I was intrigued to find out why of all people Andrew Lloyd Webber would be presenting it. (I know, I know ... I'm supposed to talk about art on here. I'll get to that in a moment.)


I didn't realise that he had such a passion for this period of art. He owns several pieces, one of them being 'Persephone'. It was so interesting to hear what he had to say about the piece. This painting by Dante Gabriel Rossetti, 1874 depicts the daughter of Demeter and Zeus, who was abducted by Hades. She could only escape the underworld if she refused to eat all the fruit surrounding her. Unfortunately she had already been tricked by Hades to eat six seeds of a pomegranate and so had to return to the underworld for six months of every year. When she returned to her mother Demeter (goddess of the earth) the land flourished, however when she returned to the underworld Demeter's grief caused the earth to become cold and die.


The painting itself is, in my opinion exquisite. And the story of Rossetti's obsession with this particular model was just as fascinating to me as the myth of Persephone. Jane Morris was the wife of another of the Pre-Raphaelites William Morris. Rossetti painted her obsessively. Like Persephone Jane Morris split her time with William Morris and Rossetti. Rossetti has idealized Jane Morris a great deal; her neck has been elongated, as have her fingers to make her appear even more elegant. 

'Persephone' - Rossetti

And what would a programme about the Pre-Raphaelites be with out mentioning my favorite (and almost everyone else's) 'The Lady of Shallot' by William Waterhouse. I can't wait to see this in the summer!

'The Lady Of Shallot' William Waterhouse

The programme was really informative about the lives of the Pre-Raphaelites and their work. One thing I never knew was that William Holman Hunt produced 'The Awakening Conscience' and 'The Light of The World' with the intention that they would be exhibited side by side. When you really think about it, it makes sense. The compositions flow from one to the other when seen in this format. They both have a strong morality. Although these morals differ they have a religious theme. It is a shame that they are no longer exhibited together. 'The Awakening Conscience' is in the Tate collection, so I will definately be visiting when I go to London this summer. 

'The Awakening Conscience'-
 William Holman Hunt 

'The Light Of The World' -
 William Holman Hunt

Sebastian Schrader

On the trip to Berlin I came across the work of an incredible artist Sebastian Schrader. And then again in the book 'The Upset'. So I have dedicated an entire post just to him.

...Beacause I love him...

The subjects of his paintings appear to be portrayed as icons similar to historical, mythical art. However the subjects are made more contemporary by the showing of their flaws and worship of artefacts such as alcohol. The unsusual contexts in which we see the figures show up to date issues in a humorous yet classical manner. UTTER GENIUS!

Final Assessment

Its hard to believe that over a week has passed since my assessment!

I spent the week after the exhibition at Curve preparing for it. I gathered all the paper work, documentation and communication, along with relevant blog posts into an A4 file. I also ordered a hard back book documenting the development of my work and the exhibitions, however even although it was ordered a week in advance for next day delivery it took two weeks to arrive, so I have only just got it now. I must admit, I was most disappointed with this, as the book looked so professional and I felt that I would have presented the work and exhibitions better. Instead I made a copy of the book onto A4 paper. It didn't look anywhere near as professional, and it was pixelated (I assume the company does this to discourage people for making books and not paying).

Buuut you can see this book at...
http://www.photobox.co.uk/creation/746824547


To illustrate the development of my paintings I made a short animation, with a short film of my studio/ garage at the beginning.

(still to be uploaded)

I was initially quite nervous about having to talk for 20 mins about my work, but when it actually came to it I actually really enjoyed it. And I probably would have stayed a bit longer if I could. I think this year has really pushed me personally and artistically, and that I have learnt alot about working with galleries.
I feel so happy working in this kind of environment now, and I hope that after LJMU I will continue to keep this up.

Artists from 'The Upset'

Here are a few artists I came across whilst flicking through 'The Upset', a book documenting the work of contemporary painters and illustrators which I would thoroughly recommend.

There are many more artists in the book, but here are a few of my favourites that I wanted to share with you.

Mark Ryden 'The Apology'

Ray Caesar

Neo Rauch 'Jagdzimmer' / 'Hunters room'

MartinEder 'Nacht'

David Kassan

Brendan Monroe ' When Things Get Out Of Hand'

Ayo Kayto

Anne Faith Nicholls 'Three Sides To The Story' 1997

John Currin 'The Cripple' 1997

I really feel so happy after seeing the work of these contemporary painters. For so long I have feared that realism has gone out of date and that the path I wish to follow one day was not leading anywhere. The connection between films, books and art seems so strong at the moment. There seems to be a lot of fantasy and darkness in the arts. A few also have quite a religious quality to them. If anything seeing these works just makes me want to paint more for myself. I've got two possible commissions over the summer and several ideas for things I want to research and paint.

I also wanted to include this sculpture by Ron Mueck for its incredible realistic qualities. I saw it a few months ago at the DLA Piper series exhibition at Tate Liverpool. It is much more powerful to see it first hand for the sheer scale of the figure.

Ron Mueck 'Ghost' 1998

Happy Cinco De Mayo

What better day to mention the work of Frida Kahlo's than Cinco de Mayo? As an art student pursuing portraiture it would be a sin not to acknowledge such a prolific contemporary portrait artist. 

I think what drew me to her work originally was the strength she shows within her paintings both as a female and a female artist, combined with the underlying story of her fascinating, yet tragic life. A painting which shows this tragedy in a particular poignant way is 'Broken Column'. It shows her constant struggle with pain and invasive operations. Her nakedness could indicate her vulnerability and inability to change her situation. The metal banding round her body works as a surreal brace to stabilise her disjointed body in reality but also her life metaphorically. Even the background is symbolic to her life as she stands alone. As this painting is about her physical and emotional pain it could allude to her struggle to deal with these issues alone. The dark patches in the barren landscape could allude to the dark aspects of her life. 

Frida Kahlo 'Broken Column' 1944

The other day I watched the film 'Frida' by Julie Taymor. It is a fascinating film documenting Kahlo's life and works. For someone who wants to understand the connections between the two, it really helps put her paintings into context as well as giving a good insight into the Mexican culture.