I took a lot of photos at the British Ceramic biennial, the ceramics were remarkable. This object is made up of several pieces. Coloured in what I would call ice cream colours, pastels that I would associate with the seaside. The rope makes me think of bouys or the floats on lobster pots. I didn’t get a catalogue so I’m afraid I don’t have the details of the artist involved.
Art at school. I studied many other subjects but Art had my soul from four or five. I used to hang my drawings on strings across my bedroom because I didn’t have enough wall space. My mom would show off my Art to visitors to the house. School sent one of my paintings to our twin town in Germany where it was exhibited. I was asked to do a portrait of a group of school children when a headmistress was leaving.
Art wasn’t the thing to do in many ways. I needed to support my family as we went though some bad times, but my mother supported my wish to go to college. I felt so lucky to be allowed to leave home and learn more about art.
I found out that my ability helped in other aspects of life and jobs. I notice things others miss. I can look at the world and imagine it as a painting. I am good at colour matching, composition, I love to experiment and being an artist makes me more involved in lots of ideas and thoughts.
Would I recommend studying Art to someone? Definitely, cover other bases too, but it has made me a well rounded person. Career choices could be architect, designer, print maker, painter, technical design, surface pattern, ceramicist, sculptor, editor, illustrator, graphic designer, digital media, computer game design, and many more subjects. Go for it if you can. X
An experimental painting, acrylic on canvas, using drops of paint spread with a} pallette knife. Each colour was put on one at a time, spread, then the next colour and so on. The paint was reasonably thick so I then swirled the colours with the pallette knife and pulled curved lines through the paint. I’ve called it flowers reflected.
At the British Ceramic biennial on Sunday Probably made by the same artist that made the frogs on exhibition there. I love it’s sinuous shape, you can almost imagine it’s gait, legs splayed out, first the legs on one side come together, then the spine flexes and the legs on the other side meet. Crocodillians have been about for millions, of years. Even before the dinosaurs? With it’s front legs lying alongside it’s body it looks like it’s about to slide into a river or pond….
Gorgeous window at All Saints church on Leek Road Stoke-on-Trent. The colours really are bright and spectacular. This is at the rear of the church (but on the left hand side looking from the road). It’s such a busy road, it’s surprising how clean it looks. Whether it was washed for the ceramics festival, I don’t know.
There is a word I remember from my childhood. TRANKLEMENTS. It means, thingies, bits and bobs, a collection of stuff, not necessarily useful. Just things that you have got together over the years. I haven’t looked it up in the dictionary, so it might mean something entirely different to that, but this is my understanding of the word.
The photo of horse cornucopia sort of feels like that. A thing that isn’t really useful but is interesting. And how would you display it? They clearly have a stand to sit on…. But it’s like a unicorn with the horn at the wrong end, or a seahorse with a shell for a tail? How do people come up with such strange and wonderful ideas?
Just looked it up. I was right, it’s a black country word (west Midlands in the UK) meaning bits and bobs. I remember my gran using it!
Today was the last day of the biennial exhibition. We only managed to get to the one venue at All Saints church on Leek Road Stoke-on-Trent. The pottery and ceramics on display were remarkable. From abstract to classical, but all with a modern twist. I wish I’d managed to get round the other venues, but I didn’t feel up to it. Anyway I bumped into a couple of friends. I will probably post a few more photos later.
#bandofsketchers prompt for Thursday was Cutter. I hope this is a cutter? In April I did a tall masted ship drawing on the theme Voyage. A friend saw it and wants a painting of it. This is my work in progress that I thought fits the prompt cutter…acrylic on canvas.
The second, and most difficult, painting collaboration by Orme Art Group from this summers challenge.
It’s, amazing to have so many techniques and styles pulled together in this final image. Some parts line up better than others but it really shows the tenacity of the group with all the complicated figures and colourful background we tried to copy. I hope Renoir would not have been too disappointed!
Orme art summer challenge 2023. We drew and painted from two seperate pictures. This was the version of a Degas. Each member took a square then it was put back together with each person’s contribution.