The Saatchi Gallery- London

Earlier this year, my art class visited the Saatchi Gallery in London for inspiration for our 'reflections' project. We took special consideration for the 'Pangea' exhibition which was being shown. This allowed me to obtain a cultural value and meaning for my work. Rather than creating an A1 page for this exhibition visit, I decided to draw and cut into a small sketch book which was provided upon arrival. I also integrated bits of the exhibition guide into the book to add extra annotation on top of my own.

I have taken time on this book, sewing into it, cutting into it and drawing into it and I have picked out a few artists that really captured my attention. This included the likes of Aboudia (work shown below) who paints complex visual universes on vast canvases which bring together many fragments which each work through the trauma of the reality of children in war. This is an example of pop and abstract expressionism. However I liked this work due to the meaning that have been put behind the pictures themselves. 

Another artist which had a particular impact on the gallery was that of Rafael Gómezbarros who took up a whole room with an installation of ants which symbol human skulls to address the plight of millions of displaced immigrants who are constantly crossing the planet in search of asylum. I liked this idea a lot by using one thing to symbol another, I.e. using the ants which have a natural aptitude for hard labour and complex social organisation to resemble the immigrants. This is a similar idea which I have used for my stone carving, I.e. using my family's initials carved onto what could be interpreted as a baby's block to symbol family unity and preservation. 

This artist had a real impact on me and so i decided to research him further. I therefore created an A1 artist research page: 

On this page i have provided more indepth detail about the artist himself and i have explained why he has had such an impact upon my work. His concept of symbolism complements my stone carving of my familys initials. I have been able to obtain inspiration from this artist and now i feel as if my stone craving has become more than a block of stone. It has true meaning which i feel this artist illustrates in his work. 

Whilst at the gallery I also took drawings from some of the works of Vincent Michea who is a pop artist. I found the compositions of his work interesting and poignant, specifically the image of the man and women in a close embrace. 

Another artist which I particularly liked was Ben Quilty. He is a recent artist who has won numerous awards this year which giving him a place to show his work at the Saatchi Gallery and I found them mesmerising. His inhabit series challenges ideas of Australian colonialism and identity through oil paintings of Captain Cook evolving from a devil into portraits of the artist. 

These paintings were exceptional in that there were so many of them, two walls were filled. The idea of building something up and then taking it apart is an unusual idea. Ben had also taken the time to spray paint the back wall with black surroundings which really added to the impact of the images. A further painting Ben had painted was a self-portrait from 2009. He has squashed another piece of paper on top of the picture to create a mirror image in acrylic. This is powerful and moving and forces the onlooker to analyse the painting carefully to see what it is trying to show. The image is in fact of Ben himself 'smashed' as the painting is called. It is again a symbol of himself and self-reflection and this is what I like so much about his work. 

An artist which fitted in perfectly with the title of my project 'Reflection' was that of Richard Wilson who has used the entire bottom floor to create an installation made of recycled engine oil which has completely flooded the entire floor space. It transforms the gallery into a site of epic illusion which absorbs and mirrors the gallery architecture. It has been shown in the gallery since 1991. It is the only permanent installation and is incredibly fitting for my project. 

Finally and for possibly my favourite artist of the entire exhibition come from a modern taxidermist named 'Polly Morgan'. Whilst none of her large works were being shown in the gallery, I came across some of her smaller pieces being shown in the gift shop and they took me by breath taking surprise. I don't usually take fascination by taxidermy but these works showed a true meaning with deep thought and that is what drew me to them. Each piece was displayed in a glass bell jar which is already a symbol of preservation. The first resembled a tiny chick being pulled up by a single red balloon. It is poetic sculpture that captures the essence of the living spirit with a chick being gracefully lifted from death. This piece has been named 'still birth'. The pure nature and concept of this piece is moving. It is a way of capturing the dead in the most graceful way. I see it as a beautiful work of art and preservation. It is preserving a moment in time and I love that idea. 

Many artists have inspired me in this visit to London and I hope to take with me their cultural values and personal meaning and morph them into my own work as I continue forth on my own journey of reflection. 

Design ideas for a 'reflective' sculpture...

This is my finished design ideas page for the Joslins Stonemasonry visit where I created my personal sculpture. I have used the idea of stone texture and created a sandy background for my A1 page. It consists of a watercolour wash and then sand on top which has been fixed with PVA glue. I have chosen to paint the title in black which adds impact to the page.

 I decided to create a sculpture in the shape of a cube and I wanted to make this cube personal with a real meaning behind it like the one behind Alasdair Thompsons work. I have annotated my page, however I shall elaborate further on this blog. The reasons behind choosing the shape of a cube came from my wish to incorporate reflectivity into the stone. I wanted to use a shape that had both true meaning and is a symbol in its own right. I decided to allow the cube to reflect every member of my family by carving the first letter of their first name into each side. But looking closely, this cube also resembles that of a baby's building block which would normally show the letters of the alphabet or numbers. By doing this, the cube is no longer just an object but rather a symbol of unity and family connection and this I feel shows true personal reflectivity. 

To show my journey through carving this piece I feel I should state that I have done repair work on the cube. During its construction, when carving the letter 'R' I hit the mallet with two much force, causing a section of the stone to fall off. I have never repaired stone before and it was tricky. Luckily I had managed to collect some of the stone dust which had come from the sculpture and I mixed this with Aradiate to form a paste to stick the big section back on. To fill the gaps in between I mixed the rest of the dust with PVA glue to form a paste. I sanded down the rough edges and now it is hardly noticeable.

Since I have decided to tailor my project towards personal reflection I wanted my piece to reflect this. I have added the initial of my mother, father, sister, myself and nephew and I have left the bottom of the cube blank for when the family extends. The concept of preserving the family unit in stone, forever is a message that perhaps I would like my project to follow: preserving memories in a particular way.

To perhaps extend this idea further, I would like to put a face to each of the initials by drawing each family member either as a baby themselves or the age they are at present. 

Visit to Jostlins stone works- stone carving practice

Recently my art class took a trip to 'Joslins Stonemasonry' in Long-Hanborough, Oxfordshire. After visiting the On-form exhibition at Asthall Manor I was keen to practice stone carving for myself and so it was arranged for us to try it out. Before we visited the workshop we were asked to create design ideas of the object that we wished to create and carve. I will upload these after this edition. We were briefed on our safety and on the work that the organisation had done previously. This included stone carving work at Exeter College in Oxford. We were taken to see this work after the workshop.

After being briefed and having our designs checked and ready to use, we went outside to choose our stone.

We had a choice of a variety of offcuts of different types of stone and this one that you can see me handling in the picture is known as Portland stone. This is a limestone which looks very smooth and very white. However, for the design that I wanted to achieve, a sand stone would prove to be more appropriate. (You can see this sitting on top of the Portland to the left). Once I had picked my stone, I needed it cut as I seeked a cube shape. This was done using one of the industrial cutters inside of the workshop. Before we worked on our own designs, we practised using some of the tools which can be seen on my A1 page including a mallet and chisel. To practise we used an electric chisel on an off cut of Portland stone. I also practised lettering on an off cut of sand stone using a mallet and chisel to practice the technique. This involved creating a deep 'V' valley in the letters whilst carefully pointing the chisel down wards and gradually tapping away the excess stone. The trick is to not tap to hard in order to avoid breaking the stone. 

Once I had practised, I printed out the letters which I wanted to carve  and I traced them on to the stone. I have chosen to use the first letter of every member of my family's first name which I have put on to each side of the cube. I will explain this further when I upload my design ideas.
 

Once the lettering had been copied I began to chisel in the letters using a chisel and mallet. This was very hard work and I would have to rest every so often as my arm would ache. I didn't manage to finish the lettering at the workshop and I so I had to finish it off at school. Once the lettering had been completed I sanded and washed the stone using warm water to give a smooth finish. To show this on an A1 page I carved out the lettering 'Stone Carving' and used a grey watercolour wash for the background. I created a scroll in coffee wash to create a scroll of instructions. I also drew, in pencil two of the tools which could possibly be found when stone carving including a chisel and hammer. 

I also draw in watercolour and soft pastel, my final outcome from this workshop. This has been drawn to scale using straight lines and then worked into. 

Once I had finished with the water colour and pastel I decided to use sand to create the texture of the 'sand stone'. I thought this would be a clever idea. 

This brings out the shadow of the stone and makes it darker. 

This is the overall finished design drawn in watercolour, soft pastel and with the usage of sand to create texture. Overall this trip has gained me a new experience as well as a new medium. I thoroughly enjoyed stone carving and I appreciated the true nature of detail. I would really like to use an aspect of this in my final piece. 

Response to Alasdair Thomson

As an artist response to the stone carving artist Alasdair Thomson, I have drawn one of his works in Biro and white acrylic. When I saw this work at the On-Form exhibition at Asthall Manor, I was attracted to its personal meaning. The idea of preserving an exact replica of a garment is a poignant idea which holds much emotion. As a result, I have decided to draw my favourite garment from his 'Identity' collection in my own media to give it a new meaning.

These photographs show a progression of my work and show how I have gradually filled the gaps in with Biro. Looking closely the viewer can see where I have highlighted points with white acrylic to show the light hitting the fabric. The viewer can also see the strokes of my pen and it's direction. Although this drawing is not yet finished, I feel it is important to show progression in my work and I will upload a picture of the finished product. I also hope to draw my own garment once I have used plaster to preserve it. 

Alasdair Thomson- The identity collection

 As a follow up to the On Form stone exhibition at Asthall Manor, I have researched the stone sculptor Alasdair Thomson who lives and works in Edinburgh, Scotland. Through his current series of sculptures, Alasdair is exploring the way fabric hangs and folds, and is attempting to capture this lightness and gracefulness in stone. It has been named 'The identity collection' because his recent sculptures are carved copies of garments donated by his friends and family. He seeks to capture the characters of those he invited to donate. The results are timeless and nostalgic.

This sculptor appealed to me due to his portrayal of memories and the meaning behind his sculptures. I loved the idea of preserving a garment which will last for hundreds of years to come. I see this as a technique of true reflectivity and a way to capture personal objects. I like the idea of seeing how the fabrics hangs and folds which must be an incredibly tricky and time-consuming process. Alasdair has used Carrara marble to create these pieces. It is pure white with slight flecks which contrasts with the surroundings and gives the garments a special, weightless feel. I have decided to use this artist to link with the direction which I want to take in this project which is personal reflectivity. I have created an A1 page linking to this artist. There are other pictures of his work on here too, including a wedding dress and a pair of trainers, all made of stone. To reflect Alasdair's intention of seeing how the fabric fold and hangs, I have drawn some fabric in oil pastel on the page by observational drawing. I really enjoyed drawing this as the folds are so delicate to get right. And the shading and shadow has to be in the right place for the fabric to look 3D and this is what I feel Alasdair has done so well and a technique which I shall take foreword. 

I would firstly like to create a response from this artist, by perhaps drawing one of his works in a different media in order to get the feel of drawing fabric and then i may continue practising with drapery in different media. I would also like to develop this idea in the future by preserving my own family garments or objects. To do this I could perhaps use plaster to create a hardened surface. Although plaster is not the same as marble, I feel that this would be an interesting technique to try. 

onform sculpture- looking at a new material

In order to be confident in art and to show ability in different areas, it is important to use a range of materials. Therefore I have looked at 3D sculpture to broaden my materials used in this project but to also show cultural links. As an art class we took the opportunity to visit the 'On Form sculpture in stone' exhibition at Asthall Manor which was once home to the famous Mitford sisters. Here we had the chance to explore the grounds peppered with various sculptures carved my a vast number of sculptors. To express this trip and to show my journey throughout, instead of creating an A1 page I have worked into the exhibition book which we were provided with upon arrival:

I have filled this book with various drawings and interpretations of my own. I have annotated the pages and provided a more in-depth analysis of the exhibition. As you can see I have used the title of 'sculpture' and carved into the front page of the book. I had the chance to take my own pictures and these can be found within the book as well as drawings from these. The first double page shows a picture I have taken of one of my peers at the exhibition underneath one of the stone carvings. This not only shows the scale of these objects but also their beauty. Instead of drawing the whole picture, I have focused on one particular part of the sculpture and drawn this close up in blue Biro. I would like to draw larger pictures from these at a later date. 

I have drawn the whole sculpture from some of the diagrams as can be shown here: This was drawn using soft drawing pastels and worked into using a black Biro. I liked the effect of the pastels as they created a kind of grain which truly reflects the characteristic of the stone which has been used. 

I have recently taken an interest in the human form and consequently life drawing (I am yet to attend a class) and so I was keen to find sculptures of the human form. These were a perfect example and I was intrigued by the colour of the stone and the form of the lady. I found drawing this sculpture interesting as it was difficult to draw all of the folds in the skin and to create the correct proportions. 

In the future I would like to draw these on a larger scale and perhaps of my family to show personal reflectivity as I feel this is the direction which I would like to take my project in at the moment.

At the exhibition I didn't solely concentrate on the drawing, I also used my photography skills to take pictures of my own and not just of the sculptures but also of the surroundings and my peers. These can be shown within the book: 

I have also started to draw from these however with this particular one shown above with my friend sitting on the seat, I would like to take this up to a much larger scale in watercolour as shown in the smaller drawing below: 

I have cut sculptures out of the book and created my own also: This is quite and interesting technique as you have to look quite closely to realise. I think that it is only the white background that gives this one away. 

Overall this was a thoroughly enjoyable exhibition and I really appreciated the sculptures on show. To take this further I would like to draw larger from my photographs and perhaps even try some sculpting of my own. I have taken into account the cultural aspects of the stone and evaluated where each type of stone comes from as well as the people who have carved them. I will look closely at these people and choose a sculptor that I like the most to take forward with me through my journey in this project. 

Reflecting on the values of life.

As a miniature project within the reflection title, my art class was tasked with coming up with a drawing to suit one of the 6 values which are considered important within the Marlborough C of E School. These values included: Friendship, Justice, Forgiveness, Peace, Trust and Respect. Each of us was designated a value which we had to interpret and produce a response for. I was given the value of Friendship.

As a starting point I thought that it would be a good opportunity to do some observational life drawing and so I drew two of my peers embracing a hug. This can be shown in the image below and as you can see I have drawn this in pencil (2B) and worked in to it using a fine liner to add depth and tone. I have tried to bring in light and dark and concentrate on where the shadow can be seen which is mainly under the arms and where the two girls join at the sides. the light mainly hits the back of the girls, however I have faded this image towards the bottom to add the effect of weightlessness.

As you can see I have mounted these images on a purple background as this is the colour which has been given to express my value. 

Once all of the values had been drawn, I devised an A1 page to lay them out. Using the idea of a 'values wheel', I created my own using tissue paper to create a stained-glass window effect. 

The tissue paper creates a kind of film which covers the image. As a result I feel that this idea brings out the beauty and meaning of the drawings as can be seen when the whole wheel is shown. 

The quote: 'faith the size of a mustard seed can move mountains' was used to bring together all of the values and to suggest that anything is possible if you have faith and put your mind to it. I created a wet-on-wet water colour background for the colour wheel using all of the colours which have been used to express the values. It is a subtle background, yet it adds emotion to the page and contrasts with the white of the wheel before reaching the colour in the middle. Using the outline of the wheel I have added annotation to reflect my thoughts and feelings on each individual value and I have suggested why each of these is important in a school environment. 

I particularly liked the effect of tissue paper on this page which creates a transparent and stained-glass window effect. Therefore to take this project one step further I decided to hang this page on my washing line to see the effect the sun had on this ordinary sheet of paper. 

And as you can see if you take a closer look at each of the drawings, they suddenly come to life and you can really get a feel of what they are trying to express and how they relate to their individual values. I feel the doves particularly work well when the light hits them as it almost seems as if real birds are suspended in the air, creating the feel of peace and weightlessness. 

To link this miniature project to the idea of reflection, i feel that it is important to reflect on the values which are needed to carry a person through life. Without these people would not make mistakes, learn from them and they would not make memories. Therefore i feel that these values are the fundamentals and the base for reflection to occur.