New paintings and regular art updates.
They might not look like much yet, but I’ve just blocked in three small painting that I sketched out over the weekend. The middle one is of a cat curled up on an armchair. The chair will be covered in a holly pattern.the cat on the window ledge will have a blue and white vase next to it, and the pottery is an imagined view in the snow,
I’ve got a busy week so I might not be able to get online much. Also I’ve got toothache!
Sketching designs for winter paintings that can still be good to have on the walls all year round. I’ve seen a painting with a pottery in the snow, so I’m going to do something similar with Holly and Ivy. The second idea is a cat on a windowledge with a blue and white vase next to it.
Will try and get them painted this week.
On the gable end of the Falcon Works. Visible from Sturgess Street in Stoke.
I see you, Falcon,
Goss Hawk, swooping.
Air sifting between stone feathers.
Built as a plaque of identity,
Goss ware, pottery, strong and sturdy.
History, trade mark, art, bird.
Bird of prey,
Snatching art from thin air,
Your claws knead the clay….
After the intricacies of the previous painting I decuded late last night to start this, based on photo that I’d worked on to turn it negative. It’s also got an interesting effect of light and dark on things like the chain link fence and round the edges of the bottle ovens.
I don’t paint bottle ovens very often, they are iconic round here, but there are an overwhelming number of ainting of them. Everyone has their own style and thoughts about them, this is me trying to put on a different spin if you see what I mean. The finished work will be called Winter kilns.
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I have a project for the weekend. Which of these should I paint? I wasn’t necessarily going to paint a bottle oven (these are at the Falcon works, with the Goss hawk at the end of the building). They are situated around the back of Portmeirion pottery. And I quite like the architecture. I might paint a negative image….
I have seen these buildings for years but didn’t investigate them much. I learned more about them and the owner today from a friend. Apparently the owner treated his work force very well and he even introduced a fire extinguishing system in the pottery to prevent fires.
These are my pottery pieces from the BCB, British Ceramic Biennial that is on at the China Halls at Spode until this weekend.
The two pieces are an ironic and unique take on staffordshire pottery flatware (with flat backs).
The first is a boat with Trumps head in it, feet in boots or socks heading in the other direction. There is a happy lion on the prow and the crucifixion at the top with people weeping on either side. Barrels and boxes are piled up at the stern where a white sale flaps in the wind. A monkey sits above the prow watching the scene. I named it Trump mania.
The second piece is called OMG, a couple stand caught in horror as something catches their eyes. Their hands over their mouthed in shock. I enjoyed adding details to the figures. I realise these are not the run of the mill figures, that is why it was even more fun.
The British Ceramic Biennial has some hands on workshops that are free and open to the public. Last week I made a flat back pot using a mold of a boat with Donald Trumps head in profile and a pair of boots walking in the other direction. There is also a lion with a union jack, a monkey, and other figures and plants. There are other pots shown above. Each of them has been designed by an artist, so they are possibly controversial, maybe a bit tongue in cheek.
Today I painted glaze on my pot that had been fired. I didn’t remember to take a photo of it, but I have taken photos of some of the larger pieces now they have finally been fired.
I’m glad I had a go, it’s definitely worth a visit.
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Dust rising (or Dust 19) is a group show by artists being held at Spode alongside the British ceramic biennial which is currently on till mid October.
This is me with one of the plates that have been created out of transfer prints. (if you look over my left shoulder the green patterns on the window are where the image comes from).
It’s amazing what’s going on here. We might be a bit down in the dumps but Stoke-on-Trent is so full of creativity. There is still a full time Fine Art course at Staffordshire University which is quite unusual in the current economic climate.
Stoke-on-Trent is situated in the middle of beautiful countryside. You can’t complain if you want places to visit.
So I guess what I’m saying is come visit!
Too much to see! There were many interesting and beautiful pieces at the BCB (British Ceramic Biennial) being held in Spode over the next four weeks, ending I think on 14 October. The BCB sees the China Halls at Kingsway Stoke taken over and turned into a massive gallery to showcase ceramics, with hands on experiences making solid flat back figures and more abstract work.
There is also access from the Eleanora Street entrance of Spode. Useful to know if the car park in front of the building is full.
It’s great to see this asset being used and bringing much needed visitors into Stoke Town centre.
No doubt I will post more photos later…
I hope I’ve got his name correct. He’s a really unique artist who uses found pottery and hand made pieces together in large mosaics on various objects. In this case a grand piano. I wonder how much more it weighs with all the tiles and broken pots. It’s on display at the hotel on Spode site.
Hopefully I will be going round the BCB (British Ceramic Biannual event). There is lots going on there. Will see what’s on display.
Mallaband-Brown