Watch this space!
- mccloskey201
- Feb 16, 2023
- 18 min read
21 April 2022
When lights of different colors shine on the same spot on a white surface, the light reflecting from that spot to your eyes is called an additive mixture because it is the sum of all the light. https://www.exploratorium.edu/snacks/colored-shadows
Following this research and Liz West's inspiration with her projected light, this week's final work for my presentation is all about projected light and colour.
With the lovely sunshine in the last few days, I have been surrounded by amazing projections.
14 April 2022
This week is is all about wire mesh and how it behaves with light and the environment. Rana Begum does this wonderfully with her colourful mesh and net work but there is another artist of great interest. Edoardo Tresoldi has recreated the walls of Simbiosi (which were damaged in a storm) with a ghostly wire-mesh sculpture on a hillside at the Arte Sella open-air museum in Italy.
Tresoldi revives the building's beauty as a form of reconstruction, rather than mourn its destruction. The work is designed to "hybridise the absent matter"and what a wonderful job it does. Blending in beautifully with the natural environment, it celebrates the former glory of the architecture and and respectfully observes the ruins. It's like a 3D computer generated wireframe that has come to life. Amazing!
7 April 2022
My companion today is this beauty by Kassia St. Clair. It's a multi- layered sandwich of colours, with exquisite little debossed dots on the hard-back cover. It is a joy without even opening it!
St. Clair's palette contains 75 pigments where she reveals their relationship to our culture. It's not a cover to cover read and more of a dip into for inspiration.
It is assisting with the colour palette for a work that is underway, but I am getting increasingly distracted by what I am discovering about other colours. Must focus!
25 March 2022
Last night I was watching Joanna Lumley's documentary Great Cities of the World on TV where she visited Rome - but not quite the Rome we are used to seeing. Joanna travelled to the outskirts to an abandoned salami factory that has become an Illegal, inhabited art gallery. In 2009 homeless Italians and migrants moved into the improvised space to build homes. MAAM (Museum of the Other and the Elsewhere of Metropolis in English) believe that its increased recognition as an innovative art space helps prevent their eviction.
In collaboration with its residents, artists develop and exhibit with artists around the world and open the space to the public on a Sunday while hosting a small cafe. they There is no money involved and all artists donate their works to MAAM.
The history as a former slaughterhouse has inspired much of the artwork and in stark contrast there are areas that have been turned into childrens play areas - alongside the hanging pigs!
There is a lot of of controversy over MAAM with public protests against immigration and the government have been criticized for evicting other squatters in areas of the city. The illegal dwellers are using the art to protect themselves while others homeless people in the city are being evicted. It looks a fascinating place and I wonder how long will it stay protected and is this fair to the other homeless in the city?
14 March 2022
A trip to V & A Dundee was my plan for today. I had read about Yinka Ilori's fun Installation Listening to Joy and was keen to see this colourful work. British-Nigerian Ilori is inspired by West African patterns and uses these with sound and colour for our delight. At first I thought it was a childrens' play area (it has sound play areas) but it is for all ages to have fun in and you can't help but smile as you climb through the zippable walls to surprise someone on the other side. It is everything I love about installations - immersive, colourful and interactive.
Being able to move through the walls really changes how you navigate the space and their is no designated route to follow which holds your interest. In the two sound play areas you can make your own sound on the xylophones, but this wasn't of much interest to me and is more for the kids. The translucency of the mesh material allows light to pass through beautifully and the colours layer to create new colours. This fits perfectly with my self-initiated brief that looks at different materials and how they are affected by light. I was confused about the revolving door which has PUSH in huge letters on each door, but a sign beside it telling the public not to push the doors? Most kids and many adults (including myself) will often do what the words say especially in a environment that encourages play and a bit of nonsense - is there something here I am failing to understand?
Listening to Joy by Yinka Ilori
04 March 2022
I was excited to use the cellophane I purchased a few weeks ago and wanted to create work that would combine well with natural bright light. The cellophane is quite easily torn so it won't survive in strong winds if it is positioned outdoors. When I finished this work I took it outside and it really benefited from the slight breeze which gently blew the strips around against the bright light of the sky. When I was making this, it reminded me of either a lampshade or a Hawaiian skirt, and it has a lovely carefree feel as it floats around - much like the tails on a kite, but I decided it suits the title Hawaiian skirt.
Hawaiian Skirt (2022)
25 Feb 2022
This afternoon I went to Perth Museum and Art Gallery to see Anthony Schrag's exhibition Kill Your Darlings. On entry you are given a token, and the idea is that you vote the item you think is considered the most valuable item. Anthony works in a participatory manner and can often be part of the work, so I was expecting him to leap out of a glass cabinet or be hanging upside down from the ceiling. Thankfully this wasn't the case. A quick scan of the square room shows a collection of random old objects on display at one side, and opposite is what looks like turnstiles at a train station. These are in fact the 9 items awaiting our vote sitting on perspex plinths. Anthony is asking us how is that value decided? Should the items be chosen for historical reasons or educational reasons, or is it financial or purely aesthetic. This was more difficult to choose than it sounds as I carefully absorbed each item description. I chose the Inuit Snow Goggles due to their cultural significance. If I hadn't had the description below, then I wouldn't have known about some of the items and wonder if I would have still picked this - or chosen something for its aesthetic appeal like the painted tile? The description clearly influenced my decision, as did the ethical questions beside the description which provided food for thought.
Museums have expert knowledge and expertise to provide items for our viewing, and it is up to the public to determine what they are interested in as we have choice. There is a need for historical items for educational reasons and I think we leave it to the experts to provide the objects as long as there is an interesting variety. All items should be visible online or via a virtual tour behind the scenes and nothing should be hidden in dusty archives as something is interesting to somebody.
17 Feb 2022
This week I started a placement project which is required for my current studies and is related to working in the public realm. The placement is with an inclusive arts group called Generating Opportunity who work with individuals who have support needs
The small organisation develop and encourage the skills, and experiences of participants using art and music. They also encourage and progress independence and opportunities for employment.
Many clients include people who live in residential care or use support in their own homes so activities need to be accessible to as many people as possible. This is where I come in, and have been appointed as Jubilee Ambassador - and I get to wear a crown! I will organise and hopefully deliver in-person short art and craft workshops to different ability groups. I will create art projects and garden decorations with a Royal theme for care home garden parties in June to celebrate the Queens platinum Jubilee.
GO website Jubilee craft ideas Jubilee Ambassador
17 Jan 2022
Back to reality this week and struggling to adjust to the rain and cold weather. To keep the holiday memories alive I wanted to share some of the wonderful public art I encountered. On the promenade of Playa Matorral in Morro Jable, Fuertaventure there is a trail of work from worldwide sculptors who are invited to a yearly International Sculpture Symposium. There are no information plaques for the work so you make your own assumptions (which I liked), but later I did a bit of research and discovered the following:
El Poeta (Figura sentada) The Poet (Sitting figure) - Amancio Gonzalez, 2017. Granite figure on a frame of corten steel.
Sueños Rotos (Broken Dreams) - Juan Miguel Cubas, 2016. Steel with wire mesh figure on a pillar.
Lucha Constante (Constant struggle) - Juan Miguel Cubas, 2015. Corten steel sculpture of a goat's heads at the end of a curved pole.
There are around eight works on the promenade, mostly dark /reddish brown steel and their uniform colour ties them all together. The work is best seen at sunset where the works become silhouettes against the sky. More detail (such as in the goat's head) can be observed in the day. The sky backdrop adds to the mood of the work evoking powerful emotions in the figures - one of contemplation in the poet and frustration perhaps in the wire frame figure.
There are many roundabouts in Fuerteventura with curious public art. One work that caught my eye is from a set of sculptures - Caminos (Roads) by Cuban artist Lisbet Fernandez Ramos, 2007. On the roundabout there are two groups of terracotta sculptures of children in their underwear and positioned in each section of the yin and yang symbol. It is an arresting view and glad I wasn't driving! The children are looking up to the sky with realistic faces based on children from the area. My initial thoughts were that it was a bit disturbing but on researching the artist, the message is very positive - with the children representing growth (like plants looking for the light) and conveying a message of hope. I wonder how many tourists navigating the roundabout for the first time are distracted! This is certainly work attention-grabbing but maybe the location is not the safest place for a gallery.
Images from http://www.lisbetfernandez.com
3 Jan 2022
Happy New Year from the sunny Canary Island of Fuerteventura!
Travel in December was hanging in the balance given the current and ever-changing restrictions, but after much reading and travel preparations we finally made it. The sunshine is delightful - it warms the bones, uplifts the soul and is a feast for the eyes. There is natural beauty everywhere, from the volcanic landscape to sunrises and sunsets and the huge cacti around the beautifully landscaped hotel gardens. The sea is an inviting deep blue and the golden sand stretches for miles. I plan to make some work from a collection of natural beach materials.
It's fascinating looking at all the footprints on the beach and wondering who all the people are?
15 Dec 2021
I LOVE a Christmas wreath and this year I made my own. I attended a workshop and made the wreath from scratch starting by adding moss to a wire ring to create the base. 12 bunches of mixed foliage were assembled and overlapped each other as they were tied on with florist wire. I added berries and pine cones and wanted to keep it fairly minimal. The addition of pheasant feathers and dried navy blue Lagurus (bunny tails) added richness and style to the wreath. It looks fabulous hanging on my inside hall door and really stands out against the red stain glass.
8 Dec 2021
A lino cutting workshop was on the agenda this week. Never having created a lino I wanted to keep it simple - circular shapes ares really hard i discovered!
I carried out some interesting research on lino and how it began as flooring and even wallpaper! I am not a monochrome artist and not excited by linoprinting unless the work is a pattern or an abstract work. I like the geometric shapes and the introduction of colour as shown in John Bantings's work.
Image: John Banting Explosion 1931 - https://www.tate.org.uk/art/art-terms/l/linocut
22 Nov 2021
his week there were no experiments - however, there was a lot of creativity in the air. I was lucky enough to be invited again to assist the floristry team at the luxurious Gleneagles hotel in Auchterarder with their Christmas installations. This involved dressing around 120 trees, assembling many garlands and arrangements and general festive duties. Each main room had a colour palette we followed for the tree decoration. It was very hard work (my feet are still recovering) but a wonderful opportunity and very rewarding to see the final results. At the time of writing this we are unable to reveal any images.
11 Nov 2021
The word "kaleidoscopic" has been apparent in my research recently and it reminded me of when I had one as a child. After watching a YouTube video, I made a very basic kaleidoscope The images weren't as wonderful as I remember from my childhood kaleidoscope, but It was fun twisting it in the light to create patterns but very tricky trying to capture what I could see with my phone. Having someone hold and twist the kaleidoscope was much easier and allowed me to take a video, as the moving patterns are much more effective than a still that is shown below.
5 Nov 2021
Off to volunteer today at Hospitalfield House for Kirsty McKeown's Rhythm Transmission exhibition. Based in Dundee, Kirsty created the Arbroath Correspondence School - a mail art project in response to our digital fatigue during lockdown. The aim of the exhibition was to connect through tactile means by sending art through the post. Over 100 people signed up and work was sent to each other for contribution and returned and then sent on again. Participants came from USA and Stockholm and throughout the UK and what was really great about this project was that it was open to everyone and not just artists. The exhibition had a really informal feel and this was helped with the playful use of tape to display the work. Wonderful colourful and creative collaborations were created below.
1 Nov 2021
This week's work is inspired by nature, time of the day and seasons (autumn). A few weeks ago I visited Pitlochry and Aviemore and walked in the woods and along river banks, admiring the autumn colours of the leaves - so vibrant and sad to see them start to fall off the branches.
This got me thinking about ideas for a new work and what if the leaves could stay on the trees all year round?
28 Oct 2021
It's been a busy day making work. This morning we had a colleague deliver a workshop where we were asked to create a place, thing or simply whatever makes us happy. I chose an outdoor space (countryside, garden on a summer day). I used acrylics thickly applied on a canvas panel and smeared the paint horizontally with a lolly stick then used the side of of the stick to create some vertical structure. It ended up a bit Bob Ross meets Gerhard Richter but great to get paint on the canvas and not overthink the work.
In the afternoon we attended a clay workshop in Perth at Jardine Gallery and Workshop and could make whatever we wanted. Following a demonstration of basic techniques, I chose to make some mushrooms inspired by a recent Funghi Foray (mushroom walk and talk). To add the mushroom to the base securely, I scored both surfaces and added water to create a slip (grip). It became quite addictive and I made a little collection. Great fun and will use these in another project very soon.
In between these two workshops I visited Kate Bell's Little Malaise exhibition at WASPS artist studios in Perth. Kate works mainly with film, stop-motion animation and puppetry and her exhibition consisted of paintings, sculptural puppets and an 8 min film. The work expresses malaise and inadequacy, and how we might transform these feelings and accept ourselves.
Entering the space the headless dangly-limbed slumped creatures are central but I decided to look away and start with the paintings then come back to "the creatures" as they were intriguing but a little weird. The fleshy, blush colour palette is feminine and comforting and cleverly co-ordinated in the featured furniture. The addition of the spider detracts from the lovely mark making and texture on the paintings, but spiders symbolise both predator and protector so perhaps the artist is tormented by fear and seeks protection? The sculpture puppets look incredibly forlorn and malnourished and I found them quite disturbing but very emotive. Such sadness and weariness. Is this the exhausted representation of trying be accepted by others (or ourselves)? The film was just too weird and couldn't watch it all as I thought I may not sleep at night! Works below - Our Little Malaises, Long Pause and Her Work Begins
25 Oct 2021
This week I'm Inspired by the artist Liz West who mixes luminous colour and radiant light and planning to work with layering coloured acetate sheets.
This led to other artists such as Nobuhiro Nakanishi who creates work that attempts to preserve a singular moment in the natural world. He photographs an environment over a period of time then mounts on panels of acrylic in chronological order, showing slight variations..
He is interested in the passing of time and how time has no physical shape or boundary. Looking at the images allows our eyes to join up the images and recall the experience of the sounds and smells of being back in that moment on our journey. The lighting is key in the work and the position of the viewer. Do the panels move or does the viewer stand at the front panel?
18 Oct 2021
At the weekend I headed off on the train to check out North Fife Open studios in Ladybank.
First stop was Kirsty Lorenz at her premises on the railway platform at Ladybank station in Fife.
As a detailed watercolour artist myself, I can appreciate the skill and details in her intricate floral work and I like the way she has used shadow and a coloured background. However, this work doesn't excite me the way abstract, sculpture and installation does.
Next artist was Gilli B (illustrator) Her portraits were wonderful and captured likeness but was nothing new...until I went through her sketch book from her masters and found wonderful earthy toned circles with coloured overstitching (see middle image) Now I am interested and impressed!
The final work that stood out was Claire Heminsley's Things on Springs (pictured on the white table cloth). The work was inspired by an old antique whisk and headdresses used in celebrations in Papau New Guinea. The theme is celebration and she uses ordinary little objects to adorn these quirky little sculptures to depict joy and celebration. An added detail I loved was the way the base is slightly raised with a neon pink underside that creates a glow on the white table cloth and really brings them to life. Claire's location was in the Off the Rails Arthouse next to the station and when trains went past all these funny little creations bounced around and played together.
En route home there was still more to see.. In Dundee on the waterfront (next to V & A) was the installation (underway) of a huge humback whale - The Tay Whale A 22-tonne sculpture (made from stainless steel tubes) by Lee Simmons. The whale has many references - the last part of the the city’s regeneration, reflects the city’s past as a major whaling port and is a stark reminder about our polluted oceans. I didn't see this fully finished but the sheer size and shape is so elegant with all its curves and amazing set against the backdrop of the Tay. I will visit when complete.
Final destination was the 201 Phone box gallery in Strathkinness, Fife. The telephone box was due to be removed by BT, but was saved by local artist, curator and lecturer Lada Wilson who converted it into a busy little art gallery in 2018. The telephone box’s function was communication, so it was a fitting location for American artist Erin Woodbrey to display her work entitled Beacon. The simplicity of the installation was beautiful with the warm yellow glow on each window section playing with the monochrome forest image at the back as the light gently swung around like a pendulum. The definition of a beacon is a person or thing that warns, guides or offers support and this beacon is a comforting sight and I would love to have seen it at night.
13 Oct 2021
It's reading week and plenty to choose from here...off to put the kettle on!
7 Oct 2021
Today I discovered Zines. A zine is a self-published, non-commercial print-work that is typically produced in small, limited batches. Zines are created and bound in many DIY ways, but traditionally editions are easily reproduced—often by crafting an original “master flat,” and then photocopying, folding, and stapling the pages into simple pamphlets. The main rule is that there are no rules! Making a zine is all about self-expression and creativity!
Creating our Zine today in class today we were given the theme of 'Journey' by our editor Stuart, since we all have to travel in some way to get to Perth UHI. As mentioned above there are no limitions only that it needed to be confined to an A6 portrait rectangle.
This is my contribution of a muddy footprint on paper awaiting the other contributions to combine into the final work.
The result is shown below with all the class contributions beautifully contained in the hand-made paper envelope by editor Stuart. He added gold wax and embossed a coin he found in the street on one of his "journeys".
I like the individuality of each work and how the arrangement can continiously change, and how it collectively comes together by the use of the envelope. The seal really brings the theme together and I look forward to my turn when I can create the theme and determine how I will combine the input.
Journey Zine (A6) mixed media
4 Oct 2021
Yesterday I visited the inspirational Jupiter Artland sculpture park near Edinburgh. I've been before several times and unfortunately the Gateway pool has been closed..but today I was in luck.
Gateway by Joana Vasconcelos
Like an excited child I walked down the narrow yew hedge path before the work revealed itself. This lead-up adds to the excitement and helps create the wow factor – as if it needs one!
It was a dull day and at first sight, the pool just burst into colour and was everything I had hoped for. The “splash” shape is beautifully enclosed by the wave-like sculpted hedges and framed on a contrasting black walking area. I instantly felt completely immersed in the Mediterranean colours, surrounded by the flamboyant swirls and the way the water alters the colours and patterns in the pool area is fascinating. There is a strong sense of personality in the work as the artist uses research from her own astrological chart and hand painted traditional Portuguese tiles. I wonder how these will cope with Scottish climate?
The site-specific location of the work uses the ley lines which intersect in the park and is said to connect energy across other spiritual sites in the world. I definitely had feelings of quiet contemplation as I wandered around. When I left, I knew that I had experienced something very special that would inspire and feed into my work, either now or in the future. Now I want to experience what it would feel like to swim in the pool and truly immerse myself inside the work!
27 Sept 2021
In a week filled with connections and coincidences this seemed an obvious theme to experiment with this week. This theme came to mind after a visit to Montrose beach where I was admiring the beach railings and took some pictures.
Montrose Beach Railings
After a bit of research I discovered the artist was David F Wilson who is a waller, maker, artist, sculptor and responsible for many artworks in Perth town centre, the surrounding area and further afield. What was even more connected, was that he live a few streets away from in Perth! I plan to make contact with him for further information and investigate any opportunities.
With this theme of connections, my thinking for this week's work was based on the current four projects that I am studying and how they all run simultaneously. As each project progresses I am seeing more and more connections and this could work nicely with layering four different colours of tissue paper.
20 Sept 2021
Playing with my new toy and experimenting with how the colours and shapes are created with the sunlight angles. I'm not normally a fan of gadgets and gizmos, but It is the most curious and utterly fascinating little cube. Each opposing face is coated in electromagnetically subtractive materials which at first, appear as cyan, magenta, or yellow.
Capturing the colours as the sun changes angles
The science - This process is called "subtractive colour mixing". The internal geometry of the solid shape has an intermediate level of reflectance over the visible light spectrum. This means that when white light reaches a face of the cube, a portion of that light passes through the face, while the remaining light is either reflected or absorbed. Light reflecting off of the outside faces of the cube is what gives us the cyan, magenta, and yellow colours of the spectrum while the material coating each face absorbs the other frequencies. Starting with pure white light, the CMY cube can create dozens of unique colours. I need to investigate this further...
13 Sept 2021
It's been a busy week looking at art and I rounded off this week by taking a trip to Hospitalfield House (Arts centre and historic house in Arbroath, Angus). It has been on my list for a very long time and I picked the perfect sunny summer day to visit. The first artwork I saw on approach was the cartoon kids playing on what was a statue on closer inspection (cleverly depicted in a grey colour). This is the work of Mick Peter and there are three sculptures in the grounds collectively titled Gerroff!! (or User Feedback). The work is playful and mischievous and surprisingly robust and not at all flimsy as I first thought. People pose with them, take selfies and interact with them and I love the expressions of normal people doing normal things and not taking the iconic statues seriously by climbing, pointing or peeing by them. 2D Cartoon world meets real life, and with their monochrome colour against the sunny background, they create great photos. Need to see more of his work.
Gerroff [User Feedback] by Mick Peter
Next stop a visit to Perthshire Open Studios at Perth Creative Exchange. I had limited time and only got to see the ground floor exhibition Momentum by Susie Johnston whose practice is mainly in painting, sculpture, and installation. Susie researches the economies of waste, biodiversity and energy and repurposes objects which have been discarded and have become redundant from their original function such as the old horse shoes shown below. What a story this work could tell by the brilliant title A million miles. I was drawn to her bold abstract thickly applied paint (and loved how it randomly ran off the sides of the canvas) and her colour palette of vibrant orange and reds combined with calming Mediterranean blues. The abundance of carefully arranged porcelain clay acorns arranged in a thin strip perhaps suggests a commitment to create the perfect result? I researched Susie further and I particularly like her repurposed work with metal and use of repetition to create patterns. Below L - R A Million Miles, Commitment and No Island.
I took a trip to Aberdeen for British Art Show 9, which is a touring exhibition every five years organised by Hayward Gallery Touring. The exhibition tours to four cities across the UK and celebrates the vitality of recent art made in Britain.
I was excited by the many artists exhibiting, but left a little bit flat. Why was this? The work was interspersed with the usual gallery exhibits and I found it hard to make sure I didn't miss anything. I was more inspired with the promotional poster which sadly didn't reflect anything I saw inside. Anyway, enough negatives and below are some of my highlights. I giggled at the unintentional crack in the floor which reminded me of Doris Salcedo's Shibboleth at the Tate. The stairs signage made an interesting picture when cropped, and I loved the Shrooms nightlights that were in every socket - must be spooky at night when these come on. Great to be able to get out to the galleries again and I didn't come away completely uninspired. Below - Shrooms by Ghislaine Yeung, Signage and Stair Instructions.
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