NATURAL HISTORY IN ENAMEL

For everyone who can not get to Bristol between 08 and 14 June here is my MA assessment exhibition in Multi- Disciplinary Printmaking. This is the culmination of 3 years study at UWE.

The work is about our contradictory relationship with the insect world, I am describing the fascination we have for museum exhibits and the study of these creatures, yet we do not necessarily have an easy relationship with creepy crawlies when they enter our personal environment. The element you are missing here is the sound of flying insects being played through the head phones next to the light bulb piece adding a flesh crawling atmosphere to the work. All the pieces are made from enamelled steel and copper.

I could not have made this work in isolation, thankyou to Rachel Davis for 3 years of support and ideas swapping. The fabrication department at UWE for encouraging me to work with metal and solve construction dilemmas. David Julyan who made the sound track to my show giving it an extra dimension. Lesley Crawley who has been my secret research weapon and encouraged me along the way. Jane Bromham who has helped with all my computer related problems. Caroline McCatty who has been a long distance sounding board and source of encouragement and all my other friends who have had to put up with me banging on about the MA. Holly Brown for more long distance encouragement and sorting out the odd theoretical issue and last but not least, Rob, Jack and Toby who have put up with 3 years of domestic chaos and encouraged me every step of the way.

READY-STEADY...

                                                So here is my space

and here are my shelves and as I type the contents of both are being assessed for an MA in Multi Disciplinary Printmaking at the Uuniversity of the West of England.

The private view is on Friday 8 June, 6-9pm and the exhibition continues to the 14 June, at Bower Ashton Campus. Bristol B53 2JT see www.uwe.ac.uk for opening times. I will be there for the PV, Saturday morning, Sunday and Tuesday. My fellow course mates have made a fabulous exhibition, it is well worth coming to see.

Hope to see you there?

FISH SLICE CHALLENGE

It is very interesting how we see the same things so differently and this is what the fish slice challenge is highlighting. Here are two offerings after challenging the technical staff at UWE.

 I love the way Ryan has taken on the task of altering the object with wax stalactites.

It is interesting how we apply our own skills to these objects, when I saw stainless steel, I could only think enamel, so to see wax oozing off the surface was stimulating.

Rachel who has taught me enamel over the last 3 years enamelled and sand blasted and enamelled again after plasma cutting the utensil. I think the shadow the object casts  has a gorgeous edge.

I am looking forward to more takes on this everyday object over the next month or so.

COLLAGRAPH TRAILS

I have challenged my printmaking groups to combine collagraph prints with gum arabic transfers.

 They have made a set of small plates, these are 3in x 3in,

 using tile cement, carborundum and wood glue,

 then simply intaglio printed using one or two colours, I have also used dress pattern tissue as chine collee.

When the prints are dry I have added some gum arabic transfer elements in

 gold and silver ink.

Really sparking off some ideas for me.

ENAMEL EXPERIMENTS

The end is in sight as far as my MA work is concerned and with 2 weeks left to avail myself of the Universities facilities I have been experimenting.

I have discovered these wonderful kitchen utensils a pack of 3 for a £1 in Poundland, made of steel they are just asking to be enamelled. These lovely stumpy ladles and large spoons are transformed with the addition of a spot welded moth rendering their initial purpose void (spot the MA student)

 This brings me to the 'Fish Slice Challenge', it is the end of term after all and with the spoon and ladle comes this fish slice which I don't like as much. So I handed them around the fabrication department with the challenge to do something with it before I leave. I am not going to repeat some of the ideas, but I do hope to show you one or two results. I did not like my first attempt, but I had just got the hang of the plasma cutter and I am now cutting holes into everything.

 My second attempt pleases me more. So here is the challenge, go get a cheap fish slice and alter it's function, add, subtract and embellish, leave a comment on my blog with a link so we can see, a bit of creative fun to share with each other.

A BIG STATEMENT

Just before Easter I enjoyed 4 days at West Dean College http://www.westdean.org.uk/ where I attended a course about making large scale enamels for public commissions. As part of this experience I spent a day on the Isle of White at A.J. Wells where the signs for the Underground are made. http://www.ajwells.co.uk/

I came away with this panel measuring 50cm x 70cm. Sadly we only had time to do one firing, so I had to work quickly and have a plan 'B' up my sleeve to create a completed piece on my return home.

 And here it is! Unable to fire the panel again as I have no access to such a large kiln I decided to sand blast some further detail into the surface and add further pages to the composition with smaller enamels.

 Each sheet is made from e3 ceramic steel which I have been able to obtain from a really helpful company called Polyvision in Belgium. I have then attached the pieces with small magnets to create this untidy desk feel to the composition.

 As life so often imitates art, my finished enamel does not look a million miles away from the present state of my studio as I endeavour to pull work together for my MA show in 3 weeks time.

INVITATION

After 3 years of hard work and experimentation I am coming to the end of the Multi Disciplinary Printmaking MA course at the University of the West of England. Dates have been set, spaces allocated and the work is almost completed.

If you find yourself in between street parties and in the Bristol area between 9 -14 June pop along to the Bower Ashton Campus and enjoy the work of the class of 2012.