Fine Art

I really enjoyed Mike Pratt's lecture as he is a relatable artist. He talked about subjects maybe some others tend to avoid such as financing and funding, how he overcame budgets and the struggles of over working a piece. One thing I found really interested about Pratt was that he did these amazing sculptures but he never classified himself as a sculptor just a painter which I found to be quite strange. I did question his digression of labelling himself as a sculptor but could not really give an answer other than he sees painting as his main practise.  Pratts work really inspired me especially his paintings because to they shown the frustrations of being a young artists and I loved it. I attended his q and a session and the atmosphere was great! Pratt said many great things and I will post below my notes I had taken. Pratt preached being able to push yourself and `I strongly believe in this attribution.  He talked alot about how themes and context can damage creative ...

Writing about my work What should I include in my writing? Theme and Subject matter Context of my work Referencing to Inspirational materials Materials and Processes How I used them and why? Did they work? How do I want an audience to view my work? Scale and space to take into consideration. Take #1 My overall theme of my painting process can have an umbrella term that will cover the variety of things that I take into consideration when I am producing my work. That theme would be Nature; Close up. The imagery in my painting is heavily inspired by the beauty in organic forms and materials that are often overlooked day to day. I am inspired by rural culture as it is an environment I grew up in and throughout the years explored extensively from being a kid playing in the outdoors and until now being an adult, going out and appreciating the magnificent scenes that lay on your own front door and beyond. My painting can be seen as a conservational act towards the ruining of ...

James Gardner is owner/director/gallerist of Frutta Gallery, Rome/Glasgow. Gardner is very much interested in textiles, not that into painting. From what I gathered from this lecture Gardner was very interactive and obviously being owner\director\gallerist his practise includes a lot of collaborative efforts. *image* Gardner's lecture helped me realise how much the space of an exhibition makes your work as much as a frame or the medium itself. It is important to change and or react to a space or gallery. This is something I have been doing when creating a piece of work for the Masonic Hall. It has a history that involves Masonry and I wanted this to have an element in my work. I believe I am going to incorporate some imagery, photographs I have taken myself of natural forms and slabs of stones to reflect upon the buildings history.  I have Gardner to thank for this element in my work as I really took the buildings history and the space I was exhibiting into consideration and th...

When visiting Castle Fine Art two artists work caught my attention. Robert Oxley was showing and selling his work when I was at Castle Fine Art. Oxleys affinity with nature is evident in every little detail of his paintings, from paint drip to brush stroke. Oxley claims that he likes giving natural history a 'psychedelic' twist. I liked his work because of the strong colour used, it creates a new approach to natural history painting bringing the art into a new direction. I find Oxleys work really inspiring as he takes a genre\ a style and places his own influence on it and that is what makes him a successful artist.  Dylan's work also caught my eye. Especially 'Man on a Bridge'. Again I appreciated the strong use of colour matched with the painterly technique. I like how raw the image looked with visible brush strokes where the paper was still visible underneath. This is something I have been trying to do in my own practise. Not over working areas and letting my...

 Maeve Brennan, member and co-founder of Sharna Pax ( a film collective working across the fields of anthropology, documentary and visual art) likes to look at the historical and political resonance of sites and materials. She usually brings this work together with the use of moving image and installation works. I personally did not enjoy this lecture. It is not something that caught my attention or wasn't something that I could not relate to my own practise at the time but now looking back as I write this I see a slight similarity where she incorporates materials of specific sites and I have been doing this recently. I have been taking elements of my home and agricultural environment and trying to add them into my work. Like I mentioned before Brennan examines the historical and political resonance of materials and places. Even though her work did not appeal to me I do appreciate how Maeve Brennan creates the intimacy through proximity with her subjects, gathering anecdotal evide...

Romero Britto was exhibiting in Castle Fine Art and I personally was very excited to see his work in person as I admire his pop art and cubist like approach to art. Not only does his work radiate a child like innocent, loving energy Britto himself is a very humble person and always recalls his pass as being not as fortunate and not wanting his art to be non accessible to those who are less privileged. I believe Britto has amazing values and it shows in his work. he is very inspiring as a person and an artist.  As a young artist living in the current world where there is change, alot of discrimination and hate I believe it is important to create work everyone can relate to and or enjoy. I have Britto to thank for these morals as he is the one that has made me realise this. I just want to create and the work I do create can be enjoyed by all with no judgement. Almost seen as an escape from terrible realities but also highlight the beauty in the natural world at the same time. ...