Chequered History at the Edwardian Cloakroom November 2015 - A Reflection

Bristol Post Diverts

Chequered History @ Edwardian Cloakroom, Bristol

November 2015

A spontaneous suggestion of a toilet block being available free of charge for us to exhibit in, this could be treated as a practice run for our booked exhibition in March 2016. It seemed like a good idea at the time but in hindsight I think the preparation and organising distracted us from what we should have been concentrating on, which was developing our art practice. If I was offered this opportunity again I would graciously decline so I could focus on my studio work. However having put this down to experience we did have numerous positives that came out of it. Due to our marketing we had over 350 visitors over 4 days, most were walk ins, passers by who noticed our exhibition sign. The cloakroom itself was an interesting and quirky space and we agreed to make our work site specific. I chose to blackout a room - the learning I take away from this is that it was incredibly difficult and took me ages to do - if I chose to do this again I would research how best to make it look professional ( it did look rather amateurish with tape everywhere) maybe theatre blackout curtains - anyway more thought required and perhaps I will  look for a gallery that has a blacked out room already! The lighting source I used was also rather basic and almost caught on fire at one point - I believe I managed to probably 50% succeed in creating the coloured impact in the room there was a lot that could have been improved - it did look pretty amateurish!

On reflection the exhibition wasn't curated as a group even though we convinced ourselves it was. Everyone really did their own thing and we just helped each other set up. We also didn't actively seek feedback from each other or hold a critique of our work before or after the exhibition - I think we missed a trick there as we could potentially have improved the exhibition - I believe we were all rather caught up in just making it happen. The exhibition space was interesting and quirky which I did love but I didn't like the fact it was divided into 2 very separate spaces (men and women toilets) this I believe interrupted the flow for the viewers and on the women side had several spots that became bottlenecks. 

Key learnings to take to Centrespace would be to sort out the curation and make sure we appoint people to take that role and apply some rigor. Even though we did target and focus heavily on the media for marketing we could do more next time and we know where to target now. The private view we need to invite a wider audience such as gallery owners, university courses, arthouse directors, press etc just a little more thought required. We also collectively agreed that we should appoint specific people to specific roles to avoid the same few people in the group ending up doing much of the work.

In all a successful exhibition in that we had a lot of visitors and we learnt a lot - recommendation to next years 2nd years don't put on 2 shows!

Bath Society of Artists 111th Open Exhibition - Experience...

I felt it was time to stop talking about the possibility of entering exhibitions and just get on with it. Having reviewed a number of exhibitions I decided to test the water with the Bath Open. Close to home, not too expensive and I knew a couple of artists who had exhibited before there, they were contemporary artists so hopefully my work may fit. This exhibition did however have a 'feel' of traditional, having to physically take your artwork to Bath for the 1st round, as opposed to the commonplace approach of sending a PDF and the bureaucracy of applying was to me old fashioned. Blimey what a hassle, it took me half a day to work out and prepare the 1001 bits of card labelled with exacting instructions, sting and labels that had to hang exactly 15cm down from the top of your painting. No perspex, no metal frames, had to attach mirror plates.. and on it went...  This is all part of the learning I kept reminding myself! I submitted 'Floating Horizon' because it has had a lot of positive feedback from friends and I felt it was probably the least controversial of my paintings, not wanting to upset the traditionalists.  Submitted on the Saturday and notified of success, or not, 3 days later - very impressed by the turnaround. I had steeled myself for a rejection as after all it was my first open exhibition entry. I wasn't wrong.. a big cross and please come and pick up your artwork - oh well first rejection of many Im sure!

Floating Horizon
2015
150cm x 50cm
Acrylic on canvas

I collected my work and had a look around the exhibition. On reflection I can understand why Floating Horizon was unsuccessful, the works were typically quite figurative and traditional - Floating Horizon I felt would have stood out because of its strong blocks of colour, it would also have been one of the largest paintings there - too large. As a curator I would have struggled to find a suitable collection of work to place it with as the colours dominated the eye. The learning for me is to understand and research the exhibitions more thoroughly before entering, research who the judges are and look at what they typically hang - in hindsight this was not an exhibition suitable for this style of painting but a good learning and I have now officially started the world of open exhibitions ! watch this space....

'Life' - final piece in situ in the gallery

Im really delighted with my final piece, suspended from a scaffolding pole by 2mm steel wire adding a simplicity and uncomplicated feel to the work. Less is more...

'Life'
Acrylic and spray paint on perspex

View from painted
side of perspex

       

View from non painted
side of perspex

 Viewers approach both sides
The dog feigned interest!

The buzz of the Private View

A very private view with my mum!

Ideas to Form VII - Let the final piece begin

Unwrapping the 
1000 x 1000mm perspex

Faced with a meter square piece of clear pristine perspex I needed to place the first mark.... bit nerve wracking but getting into the zone, music filling the studio I went for it! It was important the paint flowed freely and reflected the energy I let loose. It has been interesting building the colour working backwards as what the viewer will see will be the image from the other side of the perspex. 

I soon realised that my research and practicing were a great investment of time as I knew which colours I wanted to layer next to each other to achieve the impact I was after. What was most satisfying was my Jackson Pollock splattering - I have to own up to hitting the computer in the room and some of the walls needed a wipe down!

I wanted to make sure there was plenty of interesting areas across the image so I made marks wth the end of my paintbrush that could then be over painted with a contrasting colour. Spray paint has added a further dimension allowing me to add depth to the colour and allowing me to block light (achieved specifically with the silver spray paint). 

I loved the sessions working on this piece, fun and liberating.. thats what I adore about abstract - your instinct and mind take over and things just happen. Almost finished but you have only viewed the painting from the painted side so far.......

'Movement' - Exhibition at Centrespace, Bristol, UK.

 MOVEMENT

Title of show: Movement
Dates of show: 18th-22nd March 2016

Opening times: Sat 19th 11-8pm, Sun 20th 12-5pm, Mon 21-Tues 22nd 12-6pm

Private view date & time: Friday18th 5-9pm 

Artists exhibiting: Sally Coulden, Jiang Dai, Robyn Frances, Jonathan Hooper, Sofia Mesa Giner, Seema Schrenk, Jane Speedy, Kim Sullivan, Jo Williams. 

Description of show/press release:

'Movement' is an exhibition by the Post-Diverts Student Art Collective. We are a collaborative group of nine fine artists at Bristol School of Art that share diverse histories, cultures and senses of humour. 

'Movement' implies motion through space, the passing of time, as well as socio-political and cultural changes. The multi-media work emerged out of a shared interest in the possibilities of movement.

Ideas to Form VI - 'to be, or not to be. 'Experimentation' - painting on perspex

Red acrylic, green spray paint behind

The decision to paint on perspex has come from wanting to experiment with paint effects on different surfaces. The objective for me is playing with colour and light. By using the transparency of perspex I can play with layering the colours and also vary thickness of paint which allows light to permeate the colours in different intensities giving an amazingly spontaneous, interesting and sometimes quirky effect.







Its been huge fun experimenting and fundimentally playing with mark making. Varying sized brushes with different thickness of paint. Sgraffitto with the end of my brush, adding acyilic medium to thin the paint so I can do drips and dob paint on. Flicking white spirit onto the paint disperses the it leaving room to overpaint in a different colour making the imagery more dynamic. 

 

Im loving the spray paint and its effect on wet acrylic - crackling the surfaces  - the technique of effectively painting backwards on a surface is fab, the painted side of the perspex in theory is the back of the artwork if its to be hung on the wall - alternatively what I find interesting is being able to see the work from both sides, they are both standalone art works.


This work forms the basis of my research for the upcoming 'Movement' exhibition at Centrespace Gallery in Bristol. 
Time is running short so time to get on with the show piece!!!

Drawing approach for 'Starting with the Light'

The Drawing Journey:

A combination of sketchbooks - planning, capturing in a journal, working out the final exhibition space




Photography and drawing with light:
Imagery inspired by Thomas Edison (light bulb filaments)
Photography
Flames
Bike lights
Blow torch
Printed imagery

Spray paint and the filaments. Loose, gestural mark making.









Experimentation with paint
Moving into the medium of paint. Drawing experimentation with layering of glazes, experimenting with painting techniques with oil and acrylic paint. Multiple layers of paint to achieve a movement in the painting Im looking for. 
Many hours spent with the  preparatory drawings, who knew it would be so complex!?

Light Installation planning - drawing with light - fibre optics
Drawings and plans developed in the sketchbook - measurements of how the exhibition space needs to be set up to work with the lighting. Playing and developing the coloured gels to be used to create the right feel in the space as well and compliment and work with the final painting.

The plan is to bring together 2 mediums - a final painting and light installation.

Objective:
2 parts = > than the sum of 2

Chequered History Exhibition

What a build up to our exhibition, marketing has been full on in the last few days.  Its actually happening, as the Bristol Post Diverts Art Collective the 9 of us have developed artwork to reflect the quirky space in the Edwardian Cloakroom.

1 Exhibition, in 

2 Edwardian cloakrooms/ featuring artists from

3 continents /using  

4 Edwardian washbasins and 

5 mahogany toilets as traces and layers of the

6 languages we speak/We are engaging with

7 different media in 

8 interlinked installations by 

9 fine artists

The Bristol post diverts are a collective of second year FdA (fine art) students at Bristol School of Art. The first of their three exhibitions this year is a site-specific show (November28th- 1st December 2015) in the Edwardian cloakroom, a Bristol City Council Art Space. This exhibition includes work by 9 artists in ceramics, photography, paint, film, sculpture and installation in response to a particular Bristolean cloakroom.

Some of the work is a dialogue with the colours, styles and textures of the environment and its former uses, whilst other pieces focus on the Edwardian era (1901-1910) and the new ideas of popular celebrity; scientific invention and intellectual development that influenced everyday lives at the turn of the twentieth century. Yet other pieces celebrate the lives of the gay men who have used this space as a place to meet and have sexual encounters over the last couple of centuries. 

The Final Piece

'Starting with the Light'
Oil and acrylic
100cm x 75cm

My theme is light, inspired by Edwardian inventor Thomas Edison. Im in pursuit of 'Framing Infinity' by creating an ethereal feel to the exhibition space with imagery and lighting.




'My invitation to you (the viewer) is to open the door into the darkness, make sure the door is closed behind you. This is now your space... take a few minutes for yourself. What feeling does this evoke for you?'

I didn't want to just hang the painting in natural light, this piece was more than just the painting. I wanted to add a second dimension of light. 





Inspired by James Turrell, I worked on developing back lighting fixed in place behind the false wall I built. With the same violet gel I 'single spot lit' the painting. This brought out the reds and movement in the oils to create imagery of the cosmos and infinity. As the viewers eyes adjusted to the light the painting moved and expanded.Im happy!

'Chequered History' - Preparations for the Opening

What an intense time preparing for 'D' Day and the Private view! As part of the marketing campaign we managed to secure Made in Bristol TV to come and interview us prior to opening  (link to interview to follow!) Reaches about 140,000 local Bristolians a week so hopefully someone will see it!

Jo on camera

Kims 'toilet rolls' on him

Blacking out the windows

The space I am using is self contained and needed to be blacked out as I have plans to create an 'Experience' subtly lit with violet lighting and a spotlight on the painting. Easier said than done blacking out the light ! I seem to have picked the room which resembles more of a fish bowl! 300 m of black tape and blackout material later job done!

Here comes the Private View......

A 'Wallace' smile - could it be panic?

Frank Auerbach

Autumn in London, a buzzing Tate Britain, the works of Frank Auerbach await! This is an artist who works oil on canvas primarily, his renowned for having sitters that come to his studio every week, on the same day to sit for years !! The final picture looks like it was done at the first attempt but he has actually taken 50 - 200 separate versions that he deemed not good enough, typically taking months to complete a painting. His canvases are often unbelievably heavy mere due to the quantity of paint he applies.This exhibition has been arranged by the decades of his work starting in the 1950's to the present.

A fascinating exhibition which takes you on a journey through his development as an artist, portraits and landscapes that are familiar to him. I specifically loved the fact that he poured so much of himself into the works, he made no apology for the fact he repeatedly reworked the piece until it was right for him even though often the portraits were a mass of paint and looked somewhat abstract to the onlooker. 

His paintings had an energetic feel to them, you could almost feel the intensity which he would have felt when painting it, quite exhausting! Inspiring for any aspiring artist to follow what feels right for them when creating a piece of artwork, don't follow the norms follow your instinct!