Degree Show images

16th/17th June 2015

I`ve been invigilating at the Degree Show for the past few days and it`s been great talking to and hearing all the positive responses from the folk coming in to view it!

It`s also given me a chance to view the installations properly and take some (half) decent images?

 (the ones from the opening night all had feet and heads in them!!)

Susan Boyd

Through film and photography she works to explore, challenge and question
established attitudes to the human body.

Anna Clark

Works with paper, her focus is on the tactile qualities of the materials and

lets the pieces develop organically through the repetitive action of cutting.

Anna is also the RSA New contemporaries selected artist and will be showing her

 pieces at the Royal Scottish Academy, Edinburgh in March 2016! Fantastic news!

Emma Fraser

The theme of her work was illness, the isolation it can bring and

 the subsequent feelings of joy that comes with recovery.

Danielle Moar

In her practice she investigates the struggle between the urban and the natural, 

how it clashes and relates in the environment.

Russell Gilmour

Through his art he explores the nature of what we are as humans

 and uses it to communicate his sense of a vitalness at the centre of our being.

It really is a great show with such a diverse selection of artworks.

 I hope they all go on to have long,successful careers and I wish them best of luck!

2015 Degree Show

The preview evening is tomorrow night and I`m really looking forward

 to seeing all the finished installations.

Well done to all of the 4th year!

May update No:4 Flipbook Challenge

Animation workshop with Lizzie Hobbs!

Me and Thorfinn had a great afternoon at the flip book challenge workshop.

This is a simple but effective technique and one that I would consider using for college.

As an introduction to animation we used a 'zoetrope' a device that gives the illusion of movement.

 It consists of a slitted drum, inside there is a strip of images and when the drum 

is spinning the images appear to move!! Very cool!!

Next was the flip books, we had to draw a sequence of images across 24 pages,

 this gave us a 'one' second time frame that took an hour to create! Pheww!

Lizzie and Mark then took photos of each frame and using computer technology

 turned them into (very) short films!

To view images of workshop and film go to

https://vimeo.com/128305834

P.S Thorfinn`s is in pencil and is of a man blowing up a wall with dynamite and mine is a very comical looking 'fingerprint' insect crawling around but if you blink you`ll miss them!!

Sunflower pot

6th June 2015

Every year the primary school holds a summer fayre to help raise funds for school activities and equipment.

 This year they also held a 'sun flower' competition this had 2 category's - one for biggest sunflower and one for best decorated pot!

Check out Thorfinn`s entry......................................

May update No:5 Public art commision by Anne Bevan

23rd May 2015

Today saw the start of the new art installation for Stromness Primary School.

Its a six feet high, copper orbital sculpture that sits in a piece of local stone 

and was created by local artist Anne Bevan. 

The sculpture was inspired by the sea and incorporates ideas from 

wave forms, the tide, buoys and marine renewables.

I think it looks great and I love the shadows created by the sun!

Anne asked if I could help document the 'proceedings' during the day by taking photos. For me, this was good experience to watch (learn) how these larger artworks are installed, the people/machinery involved and how important it is to document these!!

May update No:3 Colin Johnstone Exhibition

                         

The Romance of Iron and Cortisone

Custom House Gallery, Kirkwall

9th-30th May 2015

This exhibition had an intriguing title and I was puzzled as to what it could mean, after going to view it I was even more baffled about the artworks themselves?

It was only after my visit that I read the information leaflets and it all became a little clearer!

It was a combination of text and prints, that was inspired by the lives of his mother and father. In particular his mothers psoriasis and the treatment of it (cortisone), and his fathers occupation as a railwayman (iron).

Follow the link for an interview with Colin explaining the concept of the exhibition!

https://vimeo.com/120101202

May update No:2 (Creative Practise)

Also completed this semester(May) was the Creative Practise 2 module and was further development from CP1.
This year I had the idea to create artefact's`s for the future, with mixed concepts taken from archaeology, maths and time, all with personal relevance. They were inspired by my family circle and a representation of 'us' in 2015.

Family sculpture, 

made from steel and perspex

 

Each piece corresponds to a member of my family, the materials used relate to gender. 

The perspex is engraved with my fingerprint, a link to my identity.

Families portraits,

made using MDF, pins, steel and monofilament yarn.

These represent the different portions we make up within the family circle, 

together and as individuals. 

Made like 'string' pictures the lines and pins symbolizes time and space, the more of these the older and more experienced in life with the shadows acting as memories.

Images of the lines and shadow (from installation)

Installation at Orkney college.

 I was really happy with the final installation of this project. I felt the pieces communicated well and there was a relationship between them, each connecting and informing the other.

May update No:1 (Professional Practise)

A heavy work load at college has led to my blog being 'seriously' neglected but my modules are handed in and now I`m just waiting for the results!! So in the mean time here`s a wee re-cap on what I`ve been up too.....................................

This semester I completed (May) the Professional Practise module, part of this was to give a presentation on a brief given. My brief was for a public art commission at the Stromness Primary School. This was to design a free standing artwork to be sited outside the front entrance but also (as part of the brief) to develop workshops with the pupils!

Small maquette showing 'visual' idea for my design

It incorporates the history, heritage, culture and regeneration of Stromness as specified in the brief. This is symbolised by the sail and compass; the 9 stays of the sail represent the educational yrs in primary (growth&development) and built from steel to reflect the modern construction of the new school. The compass serves as a reminder to guide our children on the correct path in life, it is made from flagstone and granite, the unique geology in which Stromness is built on.

As for the workshops I had many ideas but one I was really inspired by was the 'koinobori' a Japanese windsock that is flown to celebrate Children's Day in Japan (5th may).

My thoughts were that all of the pupils could create a Stromness version of these to coincide with Japan as a culture link and could even be held as an annul event!

Although this was only a 'mock' presentation it was a great experience and I`m quite excited as it`s been suggested that for next years PP(2),  I get a placement within the primary school and actually take workshops to develop this idea!! So watch this space!!