Studio pebble experiments

OK....the life of a pebble....how complex can it actually be?! well a lot really!

I have been looking at the life of a pebble, from a small cluster of pebbles caught in a crevice to one particular pebble, its possible journey, history, location, shape, colour and patterns....etc

Over the last few months I have been experimenting with a selection of ideas using various materials to see what does and doesn't work....from these I hope to try and establish in which direction my studio practice will go next semester....and start planning for our final exhibition....

To be honest I've really enjoyed the freedom of trying out different ideas and not really feeling any pressure to produce a completed product. ...just sample and see!  
I've really enjoyed seeing what evolves and thankfully been able to laugh at some of the disasters!...any way I thought you might like to see some of them....

selection of plastic, cardboard pipe-tube offcuts

One of my many recycling projects...old drainpipes, selotape innards, paper and cardboard inner-tubes.
I wanted to create a cluster of pebbles highlighting our coast. Each one resembling and representing a pebble bearing  marks and colours just like we see everyday!

I was influenced by Susan Benarcik, her work is also reminiscent of objects found in nature. 
Her work is made with the environment in mind, her compositions provoking the viewer to observe and reflect on human experiences. Her soft natural pallet and clever use of recycled objects articulately manipulated to create not only delicate sculptural installations that are highly tactile and evocative but clearly  highlight her fondness and respect for the natural world...
I highly recommend a look at her website for more of her work...
http://www.susanbenarcik.com

...this is just a sample of what I would like to produce on a larger scale...
I used OS, geographical and a variety of old maps  for the lining, but only the section containing our coast - from approx Whitby to Bridlington

masking tape  card centre re-used
coastal map inside, chiffon and nylon net
 painted with ink then shrank with heat gun

Some of these tubes work really well, I've tried to make them have different interesting elements rather than them all being painted with acrylic...no pebble is ever the same, so non of these are ever the same!

thinking about their composition and
how best to arrange them...

 I've used moulding paste, netting, sheer fabrics, tyvek, inks, tissue... often using the heatgun to seal or manipulate to create grooves or  crevices.

I'm not really sure if the Tyvek works....it looks a bit too    much like skin, not the desired effect I'm looking for at all - see image above!...
I'm not sure yet how to install this idea, wall mounted, suspended or I'm liking the idea of them being on the floor - like pebbles - found in corners of the room akin to how you find drifts of pebbles on the beach....

I do like how the overall effect works, the randomness of the tubes, some of which will be left in their raw state....to highlight what they actually are...I have loads more tubes to use, this is just a small sample of what it might look like, anyway, one of many.....

...next...

I'll post another another working progress soon...

happy reading, bye 

short break!

After a few weeks of trying to write .....something meaningful and mindful highlighting my interests within art....I've decided  to have a day - or two - off!

So Hepworth Gallery and Yorkshire sculpture park was on the agenda!....cannot believe how foggy the weather was this morning and it really gave the sculptures a really ephemeral and surreal look.

I was really inspired by two artists on my visit....

At The Hepworth, Wakefield  I really admired British Artist Clare Wood's "The Unquiet Head"
 


Her large-scale paintings (approximately 10 metres in length) use layers of enamel paint on aluminium. The paintings are often visually ambiguous and claustrophobic in their detail, combining abstraction and controlled figuration, held together by webs of paint and luscious reflective surfaces.
The colour combinations incorporated through clever use of collage - photography etc. the mixture of blended oils and block enamel on such a scale really works well.
Plus they were all applied to aluminium.


I was also keen to see Barbara Hepworth's "Hepworth at work" exhibition, her prototypes, tools and samples was really interesting, inspiring to me as I am really keen to try sculpture, but sadly we don't really have the facilities at my University or the space in my home studio!


for further information take a look at their website 
http://www.hepworthwakefield.org


Next I went to Yorkshire Sculpture Park, wow, I really need to go back when the weathers nicer to really explore properly...


Jaume Plensa from Barcelona has a really fantastic exhibition on at the moment at The Yorkshire Sculpture Park http://www.ysp.co.uk...

when I took these photos I was intrigued as to how they seemed to blend with the stone, manmade v natural, yet it works so well, a combination of languages and signs all ingeniously brought together. The choice of materials, sure and strong and shaped seamlessly.

you can almost see a face and the mouth in an O shape!

I found this arrangement very calming and contemplative, almost serene....

  

  
..through the fog you can
just  make out these huge
wire heads, again, seamless and minimalist and solid looking in their structure yet
actually empty and void of much detail...

this not only looked amazing, but sounded great too!

this area of the exhibition was viewed in silence,
tranquil and relaxed...

amongst all these pebbles, that all look the same
you can still stand out...

This is my favourite, it works so well in so many levels 

I think I'll look further into this artist as I like the idea of the reflections and the way images are suspended, mobile like and keep slowly moving to form new compositions....the use and association of heavy materials such as metal, steel etc albiet thin are used to create structures that give a solid illusion even though they are not. And the heavy solid figures in bronze and marble look peaceful and gentle... for further information about the artist try  http://jaumeplensa.com 

There were other exhibitions to look at to ....both inside and out, here are a few of the many photos I took ....

Jonathan Borofsky
"Molecule man"

Barbara Hepworth
"The family man"

Donna Wilson
"Endangered Species"

To do this attraction justice I am going to go back in the Spring, take a picnic and explore the whole grounds it is soooooo worth it and I would highly recommend visiting if you get the chance. 

I'm off to the Baltic on Thursday to enjoy the Turner prize exhibition, 

Hopefully squeeze the Biscuit factory in too!

(excuse the huge gaps in the blog....

I'm a bit tired and the computer and I aren't exactly seeing eye to eye!!!)

...enjoy reading, bye