Throughout July, much spare time has been devoted to experimentation and construction of items to aid the physical process of painting etc. I built some corner devices in order to stack pieces in the working position and be able to work on several at once. Previously, I had used unreliable lengths of wood to similar effect.
Shown above left is the continuing development of 163. I have been enjoying the creation of home-made paint, though have no idea of its longevity. Theoretically it will have the same properties as corporate paint, but with a greater colour strength and depth.
Yesterday, I purchased items in order to facilitate the birth of 143, a work inspired by a Jet Engine. The very early stages of an armature can be seen above right. Meanwhile, 162 continues at a regular pace, having been subjected to a number of coats of varnish.
Sunday, July 29, 2007
July Studio Work
Friday, July 20, 2007
A Friday in London
Alison and I spend a day in London after deciding to stay at a Travelodge in Ilford. Our first stop is the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition, which excitingly contained a paperwork by my former University colleague Iavor Lubomirov. The show is often too crowded to appreciate individual works properly, and very much more like a shop than an exhibition. I'd just like to list what I felt were particular highlights, rather than elaborate, as the aforementioned shopping aspect really detracts from comprehending complex associations.
Ian McKeever (red Assembly Painting)
The names I jotted down were just glimpses of works that I found visually appealing. Ian McKeever seems to be the only one who, on further research, has an inspiring body of work and fascinating publication, In Praise Of Painting. The first part appears to be on the topic of light, a subject which always seems to be in my thoughts somewhere, if not altogether articulated to the point of complete understanding.
Mimmo Paladino
Sandra Blow
John Keane
In a superb Gallery VII:
Giuliano Cardella
Nicholas Carrick
Amanda Welch
Joanna Phelps
Karoly Keseru
Natasha Zavialov
Martin Honert
Wilhelm Mundt
Bill Woodrow
Gary Martin
Tatsuo Miyajima
Later, after being rained on and having lunch, we journeyed to Tate Modern. There's an informative exhibition on the comparisons between some of the world's largest cities, in which it is revealed that London is particularly small in most ways other than making money.
Also at Tate Modern, in the Level 2 Gallery, was Learn to Read, an exhibition surrounding the use of text as a visual device and its subversion - or 'miscommunication and erasure'. The use of text is beginning to seem slightly juvenile to me - a little angsty. It's not as terrible as "I am angry. I am trapped in a box and can not get out", but it leans in that general direction in places. Some of the more mature works floated my fancy, such as Graham Gillmore's 'Vull and Noid' and some by Frances Stark. Shrigley, as always, was another highlight. Photographs annotated by his characteristic felt tip pen.
Ian McKeever (red Assembly Painting)
The names I jotted down were just glimpses of works that I found visually appealing. Ian McKeever seems to be the only one who, on further research, has an inspiring body of work and fascinating publication, In Praise Of Painting. The first part appears to be on the topic of light, a subject which always seems to be in my thoughts somewhere, if not altogether articulated to the point of complete understanding.
Mimmo Paladino
Sandra Blow
John Keane
In a superb Gallery VII:
Giuliano Cardella
Nicholas Carrick
Amanda Welch
Joanna Phelps
Karoly Keseru
Natasha Zavialov
Martin Honert
Wilhelm Mundt
Bill Woodrow
Gary Martin
Tatsuo Miyajima
Later, after being rained on and having lunch, we journeyed to Tate Modern. There's an informative exhibition on the comparisons between some of the world's largest cities, in which it is revealed that London is particularly small in most ways other than making money.
Also at Tate Modern, in the Level 2 Gallery, was Learn to Read, an exhibition surrounding the use of text as a visual device and its subversion - or 'miscommunication and erasure'. The use of text is beginning to seem slightly juvenile to me - a little angsty. It's not as terrible as "I am angry. I am trapped in a box and can not get out", but it leans in that general direction in places. Some of the more mature works floated my fancy, such as Graham Gillmore's 'Vull and Noid' and some by Frances Stark. Shrigley, as always, was another highlight. Photographs annotated by his characteristic felt tip pen.
Thursday, July 12, 2007
Private View: Goldsmiths MA Fine Art
As a series of workshops we're running at the Galleries take a day off, our new Nikon D40 is delivered. Ian, Rule and myself take a lunchtime journey to the life drawing room to test it out whilst also having a jolly good time with Ian's tiny remote control helicopter. Results are delightful.
Rule and I return to Goldsmiths for the MA Fine Art Private View. I write now, some few weeks in the future with only very vague memories and a small pile of postcards that don't offer any particular reminders. We may or may not have discussed whether expectations rise when coming to Goldsmiths, which explains the general sense of disappointment. Alternatively, it could've been that bad. Not one to dwell on the downsides, I shall jump in with praise for the few works that tickled my boat.
Harriet Hill's giant felt trumpet tubes and Louise Brierley's oddly abstract paintings of interiors offer the only real ambition. There's a sense that Hill's tubes could either suck you into them, or excrete some awful substance. Brierley's paintings seem to describe space in a way that makes it impossible to imagine, and therefore the paintings are forced to be seen as paintings, instead of representations. Or representations of spaces that can't be imagined. This gives them a sense of power and control over the viewer, more benevolent than anything.
Robb Jamieson dresses up as Rebecca Ann Harris to tell the amusing side of September 11th in video. I'm not usually a big fan of video or performance work, but this was humorous, entertaining and well produced. I think I'd need to see it again before making any in depth comments, though the highlight was the sequence involving Jamieson, as Rebecca, (and another) dressed as the twin towers, flying a remote control plane into himself. Quite possibly a poignant metaphor as well as hilariously memorable. Jamieson seems to have a series of alter-egos committed to video, though I'm yet to see all of them.
Rule and I return to Goldsmiths for the MA Fine Art Private View. I write now, some few weeks in the future with only very vague memories and a small pile of postcards that don't offer any particular reminders. We may or may not have discussed whether expectations rise when coming to Goldsmiths, which explains the general sense of disappointment. Alternatively, it could've been that bad. Not one to dwell on the downsides, I shall jump in with praise for the few works that tickled my boat.
Harriet Hill's giant felt trumpet tubes and Louise Brierley's oddly abstract paintings of interiors offer the only real ambition. There's a sense that Hill's tubes could either suck you into them, or excrete some awful substance. Brierley's paintings seem to describe space in a way that makes it impossible to imagine, and therefore the paintings are forced to be seen as paintings, instead of representations. Or representations of spaces that can't be imagined. This gives them a sense of power and control over the viewer, more benevolent than anything.
Robb Jamieson dresses up as Rebecca Ann Harris to tell the amusing side of September 11th in video. I'm not usually a big fan of video or performance work, but this was humorous, entertaining and well produced. I think I'd need to see it again before making any in depth comments, though the highlight was the sequence involving Jamieson, as Rebecca, (and another) dressed as the twin towers, flying a remote control plane into himself. Quite possibly a poignant metaphor as well as hilariously memorable. Jamieson seems to have a series of alter-egos committed to video, though I'm yet to see all of them.
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