This development piece depicts a crouched figure, arms crossed over the face hiding the person’s identity. The figure could be deep in thought or praying and there is a second figure with its head on the lap of the crouching figure; this figure is in red with a white outline around it. These could represent other identities, multiple identities or simply be a second figure seeking solice. Continue reading Development work for exhibition: Emerging identity
We were invited to wander around the studio looking for inspiration and interesting areas to draw. I found Jill’s studio and spent some time trying to capture the atmosphere within the room, the interesting clutter, the depth to the building, a maze of rooms leading along dark corridors. Again we were encouraged to work with various materials and scale and change the length of time spent on a study from perhaps 1 minute to 5. These are all studies which could be further developed into other works such as a painting, collage or print. I used these works to prepare a printing plate which I will print soon.
Enjoying a family day out at Arthur’s Seat, my purpose of course to get some good photographs to draw or paint from. I love the changing colour, texture, shadows and form of the landscape; what inspiration.  The boys were just glad to get to the top without being blown over!
On 18th October, 2015 I attended a fused glass workshop with Carol Robinson in Kinghorn. I produced a small fused glass work taken from a landscape painting I completed some time ago. I then used a piece from my experimental textiles workshop and captured this between two pieces of float glass then soldered this around the edges to create either a window decoration or small hanging. I named this second piece ‘Three Little Birds’.
I attended an encaustic painting workshop at Wasps Artists’ Studio on 26th October, 2015. This was a very tactile technique with the layering and scrapping back of hot wax on the surface of the work. Pigment was added to wax to produce wonderful colour, over-lapping to increase opacity. The wax dried very quickly and was enjoyable to work with. The scrapping technique offered fantastic surface texture either adding detail or revealing other layers or colour below the surface. The smell in the studio was amazing!
The Kelpies are an amazing example of Public Sculpture by Scottish Artist Andy Scott using inspiration from the surrounding environment. What seems like an every day part of farming or rural life, the working horse, assumes a completely different aspect when scale is increased and placed in a public environment. The Kelpies have become a very popular visitor attraction in Central Scotland and stand proud against the bright blue sky on a Spring day. Scott combines both Traditional and Contemporary materials and methods of manufacture working in a scale from 3 to 30 metres.
On a short break to New Lanark it amazed me how sketches which I engaged with after the visit seemed inspired by the photographs taken on the day. The sub-conscious mind is amazing and can store images from a long time ago; as if in a dream state. The images drawn were from a tree source but were very organic in shape; line structures with the potential for future development. These free line drawing sketches took me back to the work which I had produced both in Secondary school and within my Fine Art Degree where I worked with free line and continuous line in a minimalist, naive style.
Following on from the success of last year’s HWB INSET, staff requested if I would provide a similar CPD opportunity this session. I gladly agreed, eager to share in the same experience as last year. Staff were provided with a canvas, of various sizes, water-colours and acrylic paints then left to their own devises, to freely paint whatever was in their mind, heart, imagination or from a source as the case may be. Continue reading HWB INSET 6th May, 2014
Critical Reflection and Review
In session 2013-14 I have been involved in a series of critical reflection, reviews and evaluation. These have included a whole school HMI, an Authority Thematic review with the focus on Literacy and Numeracy, two staff INSET Health and Well-being sessions, Learning Rounds and the annual PRD consultation with PTC Faculty. On a daily basis I work in an open-plan environment so adopt an ‘open-door’ policy, or is that a no door policy? Continue reading Critical Reflection and Review
Colours and Contours with Jenny Muncaster at Dynamic Earth, Edinburgh
On 26th March, 2014 I attended a fantastic Specilaist Crafts workshop called, ‘Colours and Contours’, run by Jenny Muncaster and learned for the first time about layering acrylic paint, splashing water onto the surface to change and lift the colour to reveal the colour beneath. I was advised to begin with warm, light colours as a base, dry, then cover with a darker colour, manipulate in some way then wash the paint off. A speckled, mottled effect was created. Continue reading Colours and Contours
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