Is It A Bird?

At one of the open studios we visited in Scarborough last week, we came across some unusual pictures of birds. They were painted in mainly blue and green hues with the bird placed centrally with the surrounding area being a gentle blend of similar colours around the subject. But looking more closely our curiosity was aroused when we realised that the pictures had been painted on pieces of textured surface wallpaper.

Susan Slann, the artist who produces these intriguing pieces of art, takes sections of textured wallpaper and finds images hidden in the swirling, floral patterns in the paper. She then paints the image that emerges and colours the surrounding area. These works and other, more abstract ones, are part of Susan's exploration of how the mind works, especially how memories are uncovered.

Susan told us that she allows the images in the wallpaper to reveal themselves to her, she doesn't try to force a picture on the paper. At the studio we saw several pictures in this style with pigeons, blue tits, a swift, a hare and a brain.

The brain is, in fact, one of Susan's favourite pictures. It isn't depicted as anatomical text books would show it but more in the way that a person might feel about their brain. The result is a bold, striking picture in strong red hues that certainly stops you in your tracks.

We'll look out for Susan's works again, they represent a fascinating concept - how to understand memory - and we won't forget them in a hurry.

Why not visit Susan Slann's web site?

Vicky and Vince,

Love Your Art.

Time For A Break

Saturday found us driving across the normally beautiful North Yorkshire Moors through mist and pouring rain to visit some of the Open Studios in Scarborough. By the time we arrived we were ready for a cup of tea and fortunately found one at our first port of call: Woodend Art and Craft Gallery.

"Designed To A Tea" was a small exhibition of works inspired by tea drinking. We liked the delicate, if impractical, wire cups by Helaina Sharpley. Vicky also loved the teabag necklace and sugar cube earrings by Angela Knipe.

In the adjoining room was an exhibition featuring a huge variety of teacups, made or decorated by members of the community. Artist Jane Poulton had been commissioned to work with local groups to create these decorative and often amusing cups. Some had been made from cardboard or paper, some were decorated with paint or with pictures stuck on them. One was even covered in used postage stamps! This was a delightful show with so many different styles, shapes and colours to see.

After a refreshing cuppa, we had a look round some of the other studios that were open in the Woodend building. In Sally Jubb's studio we especially liked the colourful pastel land/seascapes. Lindsey Tyson's textile art along with her delicate, flowing wraps appealed more to Vicky than Vince! And Vince instantly recognised Sally Gatie's paintings of people lying on pretty, decorative bedding, having seen her work last year at the Great North Art Show.

We also found time to call in to a couple of other studios in the area and hope to report on these in our next posts. Sadly we didn't see much of Scarborough itself, only catching a glimpse of the sea through the arches of the Spa Bridge. Perhaps next year we'll have to make it a full weekend.

Although the Open Studios event is over for this year, you can keep a look out for information about next year's event at the NYOS web site.

You can read more about Woodend Creative Workspace.

Vicky And Vince,

Love Your Art.

Vorticism Mania

In the past week or two, I've been reading a lot about the Vorticists. With articles in the newspapers and on the Internet, it's difficult to avoid at the moment. Fortunately, having an interest in abstract art, I have found them all interesting. When I mentioned this to Vicky, she said she had heard the term but didn't really know what Vorticism was. So we spent an evening last week, reading up and talking about it.

Founded in the run up to the First World War by Percy Wyndham Lewis, Vorticism is a style of abstract art influenced by Futurism and Cubism. Works are inspired by the geometry of the industrial machinery of the time and include sculpture and writing as well as painting.

It is a British development in art but had both supporters and detractors. Apart from Wyndham Lewis, other painters and sculptors within the movement were Jacob Epstein, David Bomberg, Henri Gaudier-Brzeska and Dorothy Shakespear.

The War made things difficult for the artists to continue their work although exhibitions were held in London (1915) and New York (1917). Sadly, after the war, Wyndham Lewis was unable to revive the movement as attention moved to new developments in Europe and America.

Vicky enjoyed finding out more about Vorticism and although it's not her favourite type of art, she was fascinated by the stories we read.

Of course, the reason for all the interest in Vorticism now is the opening of the Vorticist exhibition at Tate Britain today. On display will be works by the leading Vorticist artists and sculptors of the time.

The Vorticists: Manifesto for a Modern World runs until 4th September 2011.

Picture:
Wyndham Lewis
Workshop circa. 1914-5
© Wyndham Lewis and the estate of Mrs G A Wyndham Lewis. Photo: By kind permission of the Wyndham Lewis Memorial Trust

Vince,

Love Your Art.

Happy Birthday!

What do Paul Gauguin, Charles Rennie Mackintosh and Damien Hirst all have in common? Well, of course, they are all well known artists. But they were also all born on this day, 7th June.

Despite sharing this birthday, the three artists have entirely different styles in their art.

Gauguin was born in Paris in 1848 but spent his early childhood in Peru. He was always interested in art but after returning to France and serving in the navy, he became a stockbroker. It wasn't until 1885 that he began to paint full time.

Tiring of expressionist painting, he developed his own style influenced by Cloisonnism as well as African and Asian art. His works show bold images and colours. Many of his later paintings are of people in the Polynesian Islands, where he died in 1903. Read more about Paul Gauguin.

Charles Rennie Mackintosh was born in Glasgow in 1868. He may be best known for his architectural work but he was also an accomplished artist. He produced many drawings and watercolours and had a particular interest in landscape and floral and themes (see picture).

He was one of "The Four", a group including his wife, Margaret Macdonald, her sister, Frances and his friend and work colleague, James Herbert McNair, who together influenced the Glasgow Style of Art Nouveau graphic and decorative design. A couple of years ago we enjoyed a visit to the Mackintosh House at the Hunterian Museum in Glasgow to see furniture and interior designs that he had produced. Read more about Charles Rennie Mackintosh.

Damien Hurst was born in Bristol in 1965. He may not be everybody's favourite artist but he certainly makes an impact on the art world. His controversial works include dead animals in tanks of formaldehyde. More conventional work includes print making. We visited an exhibition by Damien Hirst at Bowes Museum earlier this year. You can also read more about Damien Hirst on Wikipedia (his official site is under construction at the time of writing).

Interestingly, two other artists that we hadn't heard of were also born on 7th June.

Malcolm Morley, born in London, was the first Turner Prize winner. He is known for his photo-realistic paintings. Read more about Malcolm Morley.

And Red Grooms, whose works include sculpture, pop-art, printmaking and multimedia, was born in Nashville. Read more about Red Grooms.

Vicky And Vince,

Love Your Art.