Tag: experiment

Cyanotypes

Posted on Posted in Art, paper, Photograph, UncategorizedTagged , , , , , , 1 Comment

During my Foundation Diploma in Art and Design, I produced a series of Cyanotype prints.

The cyanotype process was invented in 1842 by Sir John Herschel and is one of the historically oldest photographic techniques.  A solution of Potassium ferricyanide and Ferric ammonium citrate (green) are mixed with water separately and then blended together in equal parts.  Next (and this is the trickier part), the solution is painted onto paper or fabric to form an even coating.  Objects or negatives are placed on the material and the cyanotype is printed using UV light, such as the sun.  I worked using daylight and  herein lies the next tricky bit.  Each print will be different depending on the amount and intensity of the sunlight during the exposure time and the exposure time will vary according to the quality of light so it is an affair of trial and error.

The early cyanotype prints were of seaweed and most usual subject are leaves.  I wanted to experiment a little with the process by combining natural objects with man made items and by including other media on the paper before printing.  I was pleased with my results but was not sure how to present them.

A few months ago I came across a Victorian photograph album in a charity shop.  It was badly worn and some of the inside pages were torn but I felt it had a certain charm.  On further consideration, I decided it would work very well with my cyanotypes – the old technique sat well with the old album and the strong blues contrasted with the faded pages.

I also added a few of the papers which I embossed using lino and a printing press.

Do let me know what you think:

The outside of the album
The lovely clasp
An inner page
“Trees”
Paper embossed using lino cut
Leaves
The smallest cut outs
Beach huts at Wells next the Sea
Leaf and tape
Cyanotype of tracing paper

Have you ever sat down and really thrashed an idea?

Posted on Posted in Pushing your artistic boundariesTagged , , , , , , , 6 Comments

I know I haven’t.  I read an article by Sarah Ross Thompson in which  she spoke about “excitables.”  I am an “excitable” – she explained – “some people are naturally excitable and explode with ideas….  they find it hard to know which path to follow when so many things rock their boat.  That’s me!

So, I have enrolled on an online course with Sue Stone, Chair of the 62 Group of textile artists, care of www.textileartist.org.  I had done one online course before which I did not enjoy as it was very pressured with new videos arriving every day.  This one, however, I would recommend.  You are given a year to complete the course and can work at your own pace.  Participants are set a series of projects and the choice is yours as to how much time you spend on each module, creating as many or as few samples as you wish.  The first challenge is to work only using running stitch and only using horizontal lines.  Each sample contains a block of four pieces 5cm square and I have so far created five.

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Even though this course is obviously about stitch, I can already see how useful it will be in other areas in that the message is to take an idea and push the boundaries of what you can do with it.  Setting a limitation, either in terms of media, or by reducing the option for a methodology of working, is in fact helping you to think more creatively within set parameters.  Although I am a very organised person in everyday life (where would I be without my lists?!), in my Art practice I like to work intuitively responding to each moment.  So, with the exception of the rigid patterns above, I did not think.  I chose my thread, put my needle in and started without knowing what I was going to do with it.  This way will not suit everyone I know but it suits my loose style of working – I have always said that I can’t sew and I can’t create beautiful embroidery or make clothes but luckily I don’t want or need to be able to do those things.  What I do want to do is to make interesting “marks” whether that be by using a pencil, pen, inks or stitch and I am already learning loads about how I can do that.  Thank you Sue, Jo and Sam at http://www.textileartist.org!

So, why don’t you think of something you would like to do, set yourself some strong boundaries, and play.  And, carry on playing until you really feel exhausted – I can’t tell you when that will be but maybe you need to spend at least a month on that one project. I’d love to hear your thoughts and feedback if you have done this!

My first foray into ceramics

Posted on Posted in Ceramics, foundTagged , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

In anticipation of spending four days with Elaine Bolt at West Dean College, I decided it would be prudent to learn a little about the subject first.  So I contacted Elaine and arrange to spend a day with Elaine Bolt at her studio in Brighton.

I had a wonderful time!  Elaine was a lovely lady and a great teacher who allowed me to run with the ideas that I had.  I wanted to use some of my found materials and incorporate them with ceramic.  First of all, I had the idea of using a piece of boot leather that I had found at Eastbourne.  I like the way it was twisted, I liked the holes and I liked the patina of the sea-salted leather.  I decided to form a vase and wrap the leather around it.  I chose porcelain here so that the white would contrast with the dark tones of the leather.  Here it is ready to be fired with the leather alongside:

holes were formed in the body of the upright.jpg

Another idea was to display a series of chip forks that I had found.  Oddly, these were found all bound together in a ridged plastic sleeve.  The fact that they had been squashed together meant that the action of the sea had made marks on the wood where the ridges had been.  I made a plaque from stoneware and covered it with slip to darken it.  Here it is with the forks (and an additional found piece) being auditioned to check the placement of the fixing holes.  Once fired, the pieces can be added to the plaque with wire.

carefully audioning the forks on the clay to determine where the holes are to go.jpg

Finally, I had a lovely piece of rubber shoe sole!  It’s lovely to me anyway!!  I wanted to try and replicate the colour, pattern and texture of this piece in different ways – firstly with ceramic.  This time I used a mixture of porcelain and stoneware to get the light and dark.  Here is the original and the clay piece – the second is larger at this stage to allow for shrinkage in firing:

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These are all interesting experiments. Elaine warned me that you can never be sure of the outcome and for a first timer, I guess I am particularly at risk but I look forward to being reunited with the fired pieces next week! Armed with a very small bit of knowledge (I realise that there is a huge amount to learn if I am to pursue this new area of interest) I can now plan what I would like to achieve during my next course. I think this idea has legs!  Thank you Elaine!

It’s not easy stitching through rubber!

Posted on Posted in Art, Collage, found, UncategorizedTagged , , , , , , , , 2 Comments

One day last year I found an intriguing piece of rubber on the beach at Seatown, Dorset.  I can’t be sure what it started out as but it had obviously been patched numerous times and the sea had distressed the surface beautifully.

Seatown - rubber 1.jpg

My initial thought was to keep it intact as I loved it so much, but, on reflection I felt that there was so much going, it would be better to view it in bite sized chunks. So I tore it into five pieces.  This was a brave decision because, unlike with art that you have made, you will never be able to replicate a found object – once you’ve alterered it, it stays altered!

Next, I considered how I could add to the surface without distracting from the wonderful texture that the sea had created.  I chose some found pieces of paper and a little more rubber from another find and added them with stitch.  The original piece of found rubber was quite contorted and I considered laying the pieces under a heavy weight to flatten them before mounting – I have rejected that option because I think the twists and turns add interest to the piece but I will see what my framer has to say about it!

It is always a case of being careful to add just the right amount of stitch – too little or too much makes a deal of difference.  The aspect is also important and I will play with some variations in due course.

Here they are before I visit him:

 

RUBBER 1RUBBER 2RUBBER 4RUBBER 3RUBBER 5

Once they are framed, I will update you with how they look!

Going Abstract

Posted on Posted in Art, Mixed Media, textureTagged , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

There is no doubt that my taste is changing – I am drawn to more abstract and semi abstract work than I was when I was younger.  I wonder why?  I see marks and patterns that attract me in the strangest of places, even in rubbish.  As you know, one of my hobbies is beach combing.  I like to collect objects that are weathered and distressed by the sea – these are nearly always man made items – whilst I appreciate the beauty of stones and shells I do not feel the need to collect them.

It is unusual to find paper on the beach as it is easily broken up by the waves – not so, sadly, the plastic.  These are some bits collected recently:

 

A crisp bag, a sandwich wrapper and other plastic.  I like the way the colours and text have been eroded and altered by the action of the sea.

But, the big question of course, is how can these be used in “Art”.  Well, as a start, I played around with composition, decided I needed a bit more texture and added some found duct tape.  So the next stage could be to reinterpret these shapes and colours in mixed media …. a project for the New Year.

Abstract from rubbish