Unit 3 & 4

Given a brief to make five, 6 by 6, pieces a day related to the news. This brief was interesting, however I didn’t enjoy it as much as I liked, i found it really difficult to put words into images but I did like making small collages, I found it easier to make the piece of paper look interesting then find a news story to go with it, which I did with the collage pieces.

‘The fat perv’

An a1 mono print of a man, or as I like to call him ‘the fat perv’. I have been looking at artists like Billy Bagilhole and other printing artists like Margo Sarkisova and became inspired, and so I created this.

Larger pieces based off the small ‘five a day’ pieces

I wanted to continue with collage so I ripped up pieces feom newspapers I found interesting. Working larger allowed me to be more creative I think, I felt I couldn’t be as creative as I wanted to be with the smaller pieces, especially when I have to base it off of something like a news article. The larger pieces gave me a little more freedom.



A1 pieces – Taking inspiration from Billy Bagilhole
Larger piece (four a1 pieces of paper)

Junko Mori talk.

Image of Junk Mori’s small metal pieces.

Junk Mori is a Japanese artist who works with metal, and creates sculptures inspired by natural forms. In her early work she mainly experimented with organisms and its shapes and patterns, from looking through a microscope after collecting dirt, pond water or any other plant in her garden. She said drawings is a “visual exercise” which helps with generating ideas.

Over Christmas

Over Christmas we were given a brief to take inspiration from an extract from a Dylan Thomas book or make a sketchbook or take pictures. I decided to take pictures. The main ´theme´ was things I saw around Bangor and its urban culture. Over Christmas I made some prints and worked in my sketchbook.

some pictures I took over Christmas for inspiration (there is many more like 50 more)
A couple pages from my sketchbook

Personal Statement

To me, an artist means simply enjoying what you are creating. Expressing myself creatively is always a joy to me. Be it through poetry, drawing, acting, painting, making, or sculpting. My imagination astounds me; it has always run away from me. From mustering up a fortress made with empty boxes to a mixed media wall painting of a celestial being.  

At the beginning of secondary school, infant and junior doodles became more refined sketches as I carried a notebook and a 6B pencil wherever I went. Although I enjoyed my GCSE art classes I felt very limited which is why I knew studying level 3 at college was best for me as I was very interested in exploring further into different mediums and processes. I wanted to do more with my skills, and studying at college level allowed me to do that. I was introduced to printmaking which is a medium I very much enjoy working with, in addition I’ve become open-minded to many subjects and mediums and am always willing to experiment with all art forms. 

Whilst working part-time in an artisan cafe, I found myself sketching its fixtures and fittings. I often draw my surroundings and the people in my life. I use a lot of text within my work which I hear in everyday conversation and song lyrics I deeply resonate with. 

I am currently attending a Foundation course on which I am a part of a project commissioned by Pontio Arts and Innovation Centre to conceive and create artworks inspired by SIGMA, a Gandini Juggling group who will be performing there. At the end of my Level 3 course I was given the opportunity to exhibit a collection of my drawings, prints and paintings, of which I sold many.  At this exhibition I was awarded Best Print and The Peter Prendegast drawing prize. 

Working through Level 3 and Foundation has improved my artistic and analytical skills. Fine art is an umbrella that covers many mediums and studying it has made me a more confident and open minded person. Studying a degree in Fine art would further my cultural and critical fields. I would like to explore more diverse subjects and be given the freedom to dive into unfamiliar topics and social and cultural issues. I feel that studying a Fine art degree will give me this opportunity plus more, enabling me to exceed my potential. I am becoming increasingly excited about the challenges that await me as a university student.   I am eager to begin a new chapter in my life. 

I applied to Gloucestershire University, Hereford College of Arts and Loughborough University. Hereford was my first choice and the university I felt was right for me as I feel I´d feel at home there and they will help me challenge myself and push myself. And, as hoped for, I got an unconditional offer from Hereford and I accepted instantly. They sent me details for an offer holder day, which I attended with a portfolio.

PONTIO PROJECT

For this project we had to conceive and create artworks inspired by SIGMA, a Gandini Juggling group who will be performing at Pontio. We were put into groups based on our strengths and I was put into the 10 M truss group. We used an 8 m canvas and cut it up into three pieces where we made our simple and effective design based off the people in the juggling group. The colour we discussed with other groups so it would look very much related, and decided ro go with a primary colour scheme, with some Indian designs.

We used styrofoam balls to glue to the canvas as juggling balls. Initially we wanted to large pieces of copper or aluminium to make our piece look more interesting and less flat, however it’d be too heavy. So instead of drawing the balls we decided to use styrofoam balls. We tried spray painting them however it didn’t quite work, so we painted them black with acrylic paint.

RONAN DEVLIN TALK

Ronan Devlin is a UK based artist who plays with the idea of emotion and perception who works across print, screen and multi sensory installation and focuses on how the audience might be engaged.

LARGE SCALE BRIEF

For this brief I was pretty stuck on what to do and what theme I will follow. The first thing I did was put some A1 sheets together and draw the first thing that comes to mind, which was a teapot and teacup. However I thought that was pretty boring and repetitive of me. So I made a ´worksheet´ of two a1 sheets and draw/paint what comes to mind. I first drew a chair with very long legs, because I saw a chair outside with longer legs the usual and I thought it was interesting. And carried on from there and looked through my sketchbook for inspiration. (ACRYLIC, INK, OIL PASTEL)
The first thing I usually do help me generate ideas instead of working in a sketchbook is make some prints. And through this I found my theme which is youth culture and pub culture. I usually go to the pub every week with my friends and I actually get inspired every time I’m there. I think its very normal, especially in a young persons life. I got inspired by party and drug culture after watching HUMAN TRAFFIC, which is my favourite film. Before that film I didn’t find the appeal in drinking and partying. That film opened my mind to how the simplest and normal yet taboo things can be artistic and interesting. I don’t party often, I don’t do drugs and I usually go home early because I’m always tired. But being there, the atmosphere, the language and the togetherness is what inspires me.
The piece was supposed to be six foot by four foot. However I though that was very small so I added a few more a1 sheets. And I kept thinking it was too small every time I added new sheets to enlarge it. But I had to stop at 20 a1 sheets because there was no more space to add more, even though I wanted to make it bigger. I took some inspiration and colour scheme from my prints and work I made in the past. I still think of this as unfinished. I need to refine it and use new media and materials. As usual I used text, instead lyrics I used things I usually hear on night out at the pub.

GOT ANY SKINS?

WHERES THE LOO ROLL?

GET US A PINT. CHEERS BLUD.

DED TING.

BEVVED OUT.

Some sketchbook pages

Inspiration Video

ANNIE ATKINS TALK

Annie Atkins is a graphic designer her props and background things in films and TV shows, such as letters, newspapers, anything with lettering on, books, maps etc.
I really enjoyed the Annie Atkins talk, from a fine art point of view it really inspired me, how she takes or “steals” things from around her and puts it in her work, which, in a way, is very fine art, although she focuses on graphics. The Grand Budapest Hotel is one of my favourite films so hearing her talk about her process behind the small details ‘in the background’ was fascinating. At the Q&A I asked a few questions; what particularly are you inspired by, in the world around you? Architecture, nature, people, culture? She answered; usually by architecture and old found things, especially with lettering. I suppose I work similar to her.

PHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOP

I really enjoyed the process of photography. It’s a lot like printmaking but, the process is a lot longer. At the beginning the process was time consuming but once we had our film we could make individual prints of a photograph, this part I particularly enjoyed; controlling the exposure, watching it develop. It was therapeutic.

PARALLEL LIVES BY CLARE MARIE BAILEY – GALERI

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