The Little Mermaid

Fairytales and fables have inspired countless works of art. Perhaps none more beloved than Copenhagen's  'Little Mermaid' . The iconic  bronze sculpture,  made by Edvard Erichson  in 1913, was  a present to the city of Copenhagen from the Carlsburg brewery

The sculpture celebrates the popular  story by danish author Hans Christian Anderson of  'The Little Mermaid', which tells of a mermaid who falls in love with a human prince. She goes to the shore every day to  watch him from the ocean, ultimately givng up her underwater life  to gain human form and the love of her man. The statue represents  the moment that the mermaid , having  become human, sits on a rock  and looks longingly out to sea, reminiscing about her lost mermaid life.

My husband and I took a boat tour to visit the 'Little Mermaid' on her rock in the harbour . I would have to admit, she was a little disappointing. We could almost have missed her as we ferried by, and it was hard to get  a sense of wonder from the suprisingly small statue as she was swamped by tourists scrambling across the rocks to get the perfect shot. She certainly  is big news in Danish tourism and has succeeded in becoming the  mascot of Copenhagen with a multitude of visitors clambering to see her each day- more's the pity.

Understanding Space

Started the day by piling up a load of plinths and attaching string at angles to create a trap for unsuspecting passers-by. I then attempted to create a series of line drawings of the structures. 

Following that I explored three point perspective drawing, which basically involved nailing string to the wall, pressing graphite onto the string, then flicking the string onto paper to make marks. All sounds a bit bonkers  I know, but it 's a useful technique  help get your head around perspectives! 

De Kooning: A Retrospective (Yes Please!)

Pink Lady, 1945

Here's a review of De-Kooning's work, in response to his up-coming blockbuster show soon to open at New York's MoMA.

http://www.thedailybeast.com/newsweek/2011/08/28/willem-de-kooning-retrospective-at-moma-review.html

Ok, maybe I  won't make it to the  De-Kooning Retrospective, but, this book might be a fair compromise-

http://www.momastore.org/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10001&catalogId=10451&productId=117582&promoCode=8H104&categoryId=11486&parent_category_rn=26683&cid=cm_mmc=MoMA-_-Other-_-Exhibitions-_-NA

The Cliffs of Moher, Ireland

Artistic inspiration comes in many forms, but none so timeless  or as powerful as the natural landscape. From J.M.W Turner to  David  Hockney, from  Claude Monet to  Thomas Cole, artists from all ages have aimed to capture  the ambient light,  unique atmospheres and untempered emotions of nature's most glorious displays.

But, which of our world's  breath-taking  environments are the most bewildering? Could you decide the  most unique and  wonderful  vistas on our earth? 

This is the aim of an immense, international competition to discover the 'new seven wonders of nature.'  With only 60 days left of voting, winners are expected to be announced on 11 November 2011, decided by  billions of public  votes. 

From the 28 finalists that remain, I have visited only one, The Cliffs of Moher, in County Clare, Ireland.

Whilst checking  out  some of the photography that has been inspired by these cliffs,  you can appreciate why the incredible place got through all  previous rounds of the competition. The Cliffs of Moher are indeed a worthy nomination for this presigious award. But, competition is fierce  with such epic marvels as Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, the Galapagos in Ecuador and Australia's Great Barrier Reef, still in the running.

The cliffs, which  are 230m high and 8km long, offer the most spectacular views across Ireland,  of Connemara, the Aran islands and Galway bay. Incredibly, 300 million year old river channels are still  visible, cutting through the  layers of shale and sandstone that home an impressive  treasure trove of wildlife including some 20.000 birds.

I have been up on  those cliffs twice before and there really isn't anywhere else I can think of where I have been quite so aware of the vulnerability and irrelevance of man, against the backdrop of the beauty and majesty of nature.

So what do you think? Should the Cliffs of Moher be one of the New 7 wonders of the world? Text MOHER to 53131 to vote!

http://www.new7wonders.com/

Cyprus: The Land of Aphrodite

Homeric Hymn  to Aphrodite
Of august gold-wreathed and beautiful Aphrodite
I shall sing, to whose domain belong the battlements
of all sea-laved Cyprus where, blown by the moist breath of Zephyros,
she was carried over the waves of the resounding sea
in soft foam.

Paphos, with it's  mediterranean climate, medieval fort, lively tavernas,  banana plantations,  extensive water sports and charming fishing harbour  is  well  loved by the plethera of tourist that descend upon its welcome shores each summer. However, Paphos' unrivalled pulling power  is  its's universally acknowledged claim to being  the   birthplace of the Greek Goddess of Love and Beauty, Aphrodite.

This summer, I swam along the  shoreline where she was born out of the foam of the sea. Looking across the harbour of Paphos, the beauty associated with the Goddess remains ever present.

'The Birth of Venus'  Botticelli

Aphrodite is a timeless, divine beauty that has captured the imagination of artists throughout history, from classical times to the present day.  Most famously in the marble sculpture 'Aphrodite of Melos' or the 'Venus de Milo', as it is better known. The sculpture was found in 1820 on the Greek island of Melo and is thought to have been created between 130 and 100 bc. It remains the most famous work of ancient Greek sculpture and now stands in the Louvre, in Paris....And it is most definitely on my 'One day' list!

Venus de Milo

Liam Spencer: Manchester Artist

From no where a memory can flood into you mind and transport you back to a moment long since forgotton. Suddenly, you can remember things so important and relevant  to the now, that  you question how you ever forgot them in the first place.

I was working as an assistant at The Blyth Gallery in Manchester in 2004. We had set up a  painting commision for one of our clients with a local manchester artist. The client would call in enthusiastically from time to time for updates on the progression of his piece. The artist however, was in no hurry. Rome after all, was not built in a day. 

This artist was a laid back, unassuming kind of bloke. I remember him coming into the gallery and, rather than some of the other arty-types who tended to swoosh into the building  in the manner of the big 'I am', this guy could easily float under the radar. I didn't know much about his work then, and I recall a distinct nervousness on the day that our client arrived in the gallery, excited to finally be collecting his goods! I hoped to god  he wouldn't be disappointed! The picture was revealed to our client at the same moment it was first revealed to me, and I literally felt my jaw drop.

Before me was a truly magnificent panoramic painting of an urban manchester scene, of a standard I hadn't ever seen before in our gallery. The client was obviously delighted . I remember he commented that although Liam had been commsioned to work from a photograph, the piece had a characteristic  eerie yet beautiful  quality  to it, emphasised by the inclusion of a small  but vivid rainbow, that  lit the sky above the wet and dreary city  below.

The artist was Liam Spencer, who since rose to become one of the Uk's brightest stars and a big name on the international art scene. He has had work commissioned by the arts council, worked in New York , Venice and Hong Kong, has his paintings permanently hung in Manchester Art Gallery and  been featured on a BBC documentary .

 I recalled all of this today , when in college we discussed our future pathways...What will we become? - Illustrators, Architects, Furniture Designers? Liam Spencer 's story was  the  example chosen to discuss the possiblilites open to those that would follow the Fine Art route. Through talent, hard work, business acumen  and  a little good luck, Spencer's name  has become  synonymous with success.

Liam continues to paint the enviroment around him, the buildings, the motorways and the canals of Manchester and Rossendale, with  his own distinctive approach that has appealed to collectors across the world.

'Odeon and Oxford Street' 2004

'25 trees and other pictures by David Hockney'

When I was young and not quite grown, I  looked to Hockney for inspiration for my A-level work. In particulcar, at his landscapes which were current at the time and captured rich tapestries of texture and colour. I produced a painting, incorporating some of Hockneys techniques ( or, I should say attempting to) of my home town , Stockport. It's still knocking about even today , in a a shed, on the back of a sheet of mdf. 

That was a long time ago- and my interest in Hockney, much like my Stockport painting , has faded and grown old. 

However , my Mum sent me a link to this-
http://www.saltsmill.org.uk/whats_on.php and I felt a flicker of curiosity spark in my belly....A brave new direction for my once upon a time hero- a living legend  still working, still pushing the boundries of painting and bold enough to showcase his latest work first of all here in the North! Yes, the new show incorporates three  27 foot pictures of landcapes, and if that isnt enough to get me salivating , then the fact that we get to witness them even before London should just about do it!

'25 Trees and other pictures by David Hockney' opens At Salts Mill, West Yorkshire on September 14, then moves to the Royal Academy on January 29, 2012 until April.

The Road to York through Sledmere (1997)

The Rothko Room, Tate Modern

Rothko Room

Rothko was, is and always will be my favorite painter. It goes without saying that the Rothko Room at Tate Modern was therefore an overwhelmingly emotional experience for me- as for most who enter it. I researched Rothko for my degree work both as a touch stone for my own practice and to provide a deeper understanding of the theories and ambitions of the great Abstract Expressionists.

Here is a link to a fab article documenting the personal response of John Banville at Tate Online,  to the Rothko Room and  'one of the strangest, most compelling and entirely alarming experiences to be had in any gallery anywhere.'

http://www.tate.org.uk/tateetc/issue7/rothko.htm 

Vernon Mill Artist's Studios, Stockport (mighty, mighty stockport!)

Stockport has it all! We're close to both the city and the countryside, we have great schools, award winning parks and fantastic transport links! We have the  river, thriving village shops, a farm,  a football club, cafe culture, big tesco's, allotments, museums, the trans-penine trail, top-ranking restaurants,  the blue pyramid, galleries, the  air-raid shelters, theatres,  the  viaduct , conservation areas , nature walks, old fashioned family values, a community spirit and  now even our very own Primark!

But how many of us know about the hidden gem that is Vernon Mill Artist Studios, in the heart of our town centre? 

It's a thriving hub of keen local artists who open their studio doors to the public most weekends, offering demonstrations, classes, original art for sale and exhibitions and you can even guarantee that they'll be plenty of artist's on hand to discuss their work  with you too.

I have worked with some of the artist's in residence here previously, when I worked for The Blyth Gallery in Manchester- including bitumen artist John Booth who rapidly aplplies bitumen to the canvas creating colourful unique pieces of work, full of joyous expression.

A few other artists of note include Alan Knight and Jan Cartain. Cartainworks in acrylic, oils, watercolour and pastels to create both landscape and figurative work. Alan Knight employs a technique of thickly applying his paint to the canvas using a pallette knife. He recently exhibited work at Stockport Art gallery and currently offers knife-painting clases on Tuesday afternoons.

'Little Underbank' Alan Knight

'Winter Sun'  Judith Donaghy

Also, check out Joan Bradley's charming watercolours, Richard Brown's sculpture and 3D design, the lively designs of Malcom Croft and the beautful paintings by Judith Ann Donaghy, whose work I particulary enjoy.

I had some really interesting chats with some of the artists there recently, they were very generous with their time and more than happy to share their ideas and processes with their visitors.

 Yep, Stockport , much like Gerard Depardieu, has got it all!

http://www.vernonmillartists.com/

Sagrada Família and Barcelona

When I visited Gaudi's Sagrada Familia, (or Sacred Family church) in Barcelona I'm afraid I was a little underwhelmed. Maybe it was because I had built it up so much in my mind before I got there, or maybe it was because -of course - the building work is not yet finished , so I didnt feel the full force of its splendour, or,  maybe it was the cranes....

The trip to Bracelona was still a very rewarding one however, including visits to the Picasso Museum and the Guggenheim in Bilbau- where the highlight for me was the Rauchenberg retrospective.
And I'm still glad I saw the Sagrada Familia, and maybe, just maybe, it might even be completed within my life-time and then Nick and I will go and enjoy it in its full glory. However, construction on the church is set to continue for at least several more decades to come , so only time will tell....

http://www.sagradafamilia.cat/sf-eng/docs_serveis/informacio.php

Pompeii

A street in Pompeii

Before  I visited Pompeii  I imagined it to be merely a collection of ruined buildings. And of course in a way , it was. Initially, whilst picking up my tourist staples of  the  terracotta vase for Mum and the  cast of the Three Graces for my sister ,  it was a strain to imagine that in AD 79 the streets and houses there were full of people, and of life.  

What I didn't expect is the lasting impact this visit would have upon me . Soaking up the unique atmosphere of the place I sensed   a real connection between my own existence and that of the ancient Roman world - it is for this reason that the  place engrained me  with such a powerful and  unforgettable memory .

This is a lovely video I found on youtube of Pompeii- showing some of the famous highlights such as the  monuments Macellum, the Temple of Apollo, the Forum Baths and the House of the Faun.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rP5hpagWDzs

The Acropolis at Lindos

The Acropolis

My favorite place -besides Paris-  that I have visited so far in my merry little life is Lindos, a precious village in the Greek island of Rhodes . It is the place my husband proposed to me and  will  forever be embedded in my heart.

View of the castle

Above the beautiful village of Lindos, with its white-washed  walls and rooftop tavernas, rises the acropolis.

From that vantage point at  the 'high city' we have enjoyed spectacular views of the surrounding harbours and coastline. But it is the buildings that remain up there -at the top, that will capture your imagination and bring joy to your soul! The long, hot climb up the mountain slopes to the acropolis is rewarded by such archealogical treasures as  'The Castle of the Knights of St John', built  before 1317, 'The Temple of Athena' built about 300bc and  'The  Greek Orthadox Church of St John', dating from the 13th or 14th century amongst many, many others. I will go back again one day and  it will not be soon enough.

Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris

  

I love the crazy inside-out, post-modern architecture of the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris, designed by artchitects Renzo Piano and Richard Rodgers. This  high-tech building  houses the largest museum of modern art in Europe. We climbed to top of the building for the fabulous panoramic views over Paris- well worth the effort!

The views from the top!

http://www.centrepompidou.fr/

Ice Bear Project

http://www.icebearproject.org/copenhagen.html

Back in 2009 my husband, Nick and I met the Copenhagen Ice bear. He was carved out of a solid block of ice  It was a cool experince meeting the poor fellow, and a great demonstation of how   public art can  convey a 'powerful enviromental message'.

Afternoon Tea and Crafts Party!

The Pitmen Painters

I met Richard at my life drawing classes in Cheadle- he is an amateur artist and a thoroughly nice bloke. It was through him that I discovered the 'Pitmen Painters'. Richard kindly lent me his copy of the book by William Feaver about the group of  miners from Northumberland who became known for their art.

Keen to learn about art, the group of miners  set up an evening class in the early 1930's. They were a prolific group producing a huge collection of paintings that amounted to a complete record of life in the mining community.

Their's is a fascinating  story  which has even been made into a play.http://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/66843/productions/the-pitmen-painters.html

I 'd highly recommend the William Feaver book 'Pitman Painters' to anyone who might be interested in the story as its fairly in depth  and covers all the main artists of the group including a good selection of images of their works

.http://www.amazon.co.uk/Pitmen-Painters-Ashington-Group-1934-84/dp/1857540360

'Miner's meeting' by a Pitmen Painter

Painting by Oliver Kilbourne

Anthony Gormley: Another World

Being on Crosby beach is a surreal experience. It would be hard not to feel touched somehow by Gormleys statues that adorn this beach.  They appear to have lives of their own, standing solid against the ocean, withstanding, but not unaffected by the unforgiving waves. My children may have found these resilliant and yet ageing guys pretty hysterical, but I felt them to be beautiful and strange creatures, whose energy changed as they were revealed and hidden again by the fast changing tide.

Iron man 44

Anish Kapoor: Flashback

'Turning the world inside out'

'When I'm Pregnant'

How lucky were we?! This year Manchester Art Galley hosted a major new exhibition by one of the UK's leading artists, Anish Kapoor- right on our doorstep! And  it was so good wasn't it. I loved 'When I was pregnant'.  Ohhh the way the wall gently sloped into a curve like a pregnant belly. Standing in front of the bulging wall all you see is an apparently flat surface staring back at you and a fuzzy vibrating circle where the light and shadow gently affect the shape of the curve.

I sketched 'Turning the world inside out', and, because the sculpture takes on its surroundings, reflecting and distorting views, there I am , included in my sketch in the reflection of the room upon the sculpture.

I liked 'Adam' too. A debate existed in the gallery between fellow onlookers as to whether the void was hollow or in fact stuck or painted on. It did appear flat because the void was painted in a navy pigment that absorbed light, to play with our perception and create an  illusion. However, a rather too smug gallery assistant ensured us lowley gallery-goers  that it was -in fact - a void.

It was an awe-inspiring exhibition which later this year goes to the Yorkshire Sculture Park.I     can't wait to visit all the pieces there and experience them again a totally new enviroment. 

'Adam'

Matchbox Art

Using the humble cardboard matchbox as a starting point, we pesky students were asked to produce a single object which demonstrated something about ourselves. Encouraged to  think creatively about colour, pattern, surface, materials, techniques and construction methods, text and image and format -off we went.
A toatally new concept to me - the 'matchbox art'- and yet not new to the art world  in general at all it would seem- it is, in fact, a curiously  popular vehicle for creation of a diverse and fascinating nature.

Here's just a few of the research opportunities I consulted before I began tackling my own piece.

Joseph Cornell 'Hotel Eden'

Michael Rothenstein 'Sun Box 2'

Susan Hiller 'From the Freud Museum'

Below are images of my two outcomes for this project- in the context of a display of the group's work in a glass cabinet.

'Wrap It Up' Project

This work would explore the process of wrapping objects. The objects might be  wrapped carefully or quickly, experimenting and taking risks with the decision making involved. My plan was to create a transient process, involving wrapping, recording digitally and with drawings, then unwrapping and constructing with the fragments, considering the presentation of these pieces of materials then recording digitally and through drawings again.

So here are some reference points I considered before embarking upon my own work-

Bandaging

Examples of bandaging can represent concealment of the body parts. They can be wrapped quickly and roughly or in a more traditional marrer creating repetition and elements of pattern. A wrapped tree with a drip demonstates a sense of humour, as does a performance piece involving a man clumsily bandaging rocks to his body which eventually became so heavy they were thrown into a river.

Christo and Jeanne Claude

Drawing of The Pont Neuf Wrapped, Paris, 1975-1985

These guys are the original wrappers! 'Awesome' is not even the word...They have wrapped central park, the Pont Neuf bridge in Paris and an entire coastline in Australia among a zillion other things. Totally draw-dropping work. I love thier visulaitaion drawings of the wrappings made  before the installation is complete. They're so definite and precise and yet have a 'not of this world' sense about them- its incredile they could pull this stuff off- and their wrapped Coastline remains the largest, most ambitious piece of art-work ever created to this day.
http://www.christojeanneclaude.net/ 

Wrapped Coast 1969

Joseph Beuys 

Joseph Beuys 'I like America and America likes me' 1974

Beuys' wrapped piano piece suggests a seemingly obvious content within the package, therefore contrasting with this piece of his that plays upon the the ambiguous assumption that  a human being might possibly be in the bag .

Claues Oldenberg

Oldenberg's objects were not wrapped so much as draped in materials. Still counts though.

Man Ray

Inspired by the poem 'Sewing machine on a table' this piece is engimatic and the contents remain uncertain. We as the viewer can only make assumptions about the contents of the packaging.

Man Ray 'Sewing machine on a table'

Furoshiki

Rebecca Horn

Horn's performance work involves body wrappings and body extentions, such as in her pieces 'Unicorn' and 'White body fan'.

Furoshiki

Furoshiki is a form of japanese panel wrapping. Objects are wrapped constricted only by folding and tying cloth, no other attatchment mechanism is involved.

Mummification

Wrapping people in a concentric crude manner. Not my scene.

Antonio Tapies

Spanish artist who has worked with found objects attached in relief to his canvas or boards.I like his play on the  use of canvas within  art and his  unique approach to the accepted traditions of painting.

Robert Rauschenberg

Rauschenberg's cardboard box pieces are sellotaped. Once the tape is removed, the pieces are left with a visible mark or stain. These impressions give the work a sense of it's own history , of it's making. This is a concept I have explored in my paintings before, particulary in reference to Callum Innes.

Here are a few images of the work I produced during this project-

Below are more  pages of my sketchbook work, responding to the brief and  the research above.

Open publication - Free publishing - More fsf

Sonic Cartography

My intention here was to make some images inspired by music and to explore the intersection of drawing and sound. I began by collaging large shapes of coloured paper on which to later work over with gestural mark-making, symbols and colour. These shapes were initially inspired by  a drum beat, but as I worked into the piece  the layers began to merge together and the meaning was getting  lost.

So I chopped up the work into twenty-four little rectangles, which proved a shrewd move as suddenly I had some really interesting  and unexpected compostions. I played around with them, cutting them and working over them to create sound maps and landscapes in my sketchbook. I also created futher close-up focus points in the compostions by using cut out sections of my sketchbook pages to creat miniature view-points of tiny worlds.

I was quite pleased with some of the results. I then selected a image to be tranformed into a poster- the colours of my image were inverted in photoshop and a text title placed over it.

Below are some more pages of the work from my sketchbook-  I haven't quite mastered the technique of formatting these online books yet though!-

Open publication - Free publishing - More efdkushf