These are the pieces of work I chose to put in the hospital gallery exhibition.  Ubfortunately the one on the right was rejected because it wasn't framed although I can't remember any reference to that being a condition of entry. 

I didn't want to frame it because I wanted the material of

the piece to be seen.

it was a photograph of a drawing that I did on Paper printed

onto canvas. I will hang it in the studio gallery with two 

bulldog clips attached to the top.

well...just been to the Leeds Art Fair launch in the Light. This is a different type of venue to the "normal" bespoke gallery. the main differences are :-

• the venue.   A busy shopping, eating and dining mall
• a live band was playing their music which gave the launch a festive air.
• the work is set out in the centre of the Mall  surrounded by the viewing audience rather than as a conventional gallery in which the exhibits surround the viewers
• the audience is very diverse.  There are on this first night a fair amount of invited guest viewers.  These guests can be distinguished by their hand held glass of wine!  Their is also a diverse age range among the guests and the among the 'general public' who were mingling in with the guests.
• the work is displayed on boards that are set at 90% angles to each other set in clusters on two floors of the Mall.  The work is grouped into  types of work, colleges, guests from Germany,  and  individual artists work grouped together if in sets and multiples.

I shall visit again when the audience is smaller at the weekend and note if there is a difference of the type of audience that are browsing the work.  I expect it will be mostly persons who are well heeled and young to middle aged fashion conscious office types which are the usual people who frequent and pass through the centre.

I shall let you know....

Just a thought about my visit to the Tate Liverpool - I did notice there were more people in the part of the gallery where it was free entry than in the special exhibition galleries where a substantial entry fee was charged.  Do you agree that the poor or less well off in this world are deprived or restricted in their access to audiencing good contemporary and modernist art and have to make do with pictures in a book or suchlike- just a thought...

Hi there , long time no see!

I've been busy with a family member being hospitalised by having an accident at work , the demise of my lovely cat and my attempt at creating a business plan for handing in  at college next Monday.

Anyway, I have managed to squeeze in two trips to Liverpool to visit the Tate and The Walker Gallery.  The Tate was showing an exhibition  of Glenn Browns work.  It was quite amazing stuff.  I really connected with his painting of his interpretations of old portraits from the past centuries.  But I wasn't impressed with his sci-fi stuff.  His head paintings appear at first glance to be painted with thick oil paint brush strokes and pallet knife; but no, on closer inspection the paint is applied flat as in a photographic painting.  They are truly amazing!  Worth a visit!  The Walker Gallery was showing Maggi Hamblings, George Melly paintings.  They are amazing:  they capture him just as he was when performing or when appearing on a T.V.chat show etc.  They were very gay and colourful as was he.  The paintings showed a lot of love and emotion that the artist felt and still feels for her friend.  The two Galleries are so different as art spaces.  The Walker has all the grandeur of the Victorian age when it was built,when art was truly for the wealthy and famous to own and display, but some socially conscious people did put it on display in public spaces for all to enjoy .  The Tate was created by converting a massive derelict dock warehouse from the same age into a modern gallery for modern art.  If I had the choice to pick a venue out of the two to display my work (I wish!)I would have to consider the context of the pieces to decide which one would suit and compliment the space.  Another thought is this: If contemporary art is ideally for the masses - why do galleries like the Tate's charge so much for viewing temporary exhibitions therefor excluding audiences that can't afford the cost, thus making them elitist in a way,  when traditional municipal art galleries often the ones that have been around since the 19Th C. can be explored free.

I also, while I was there  photographed some stained glass windows that are displayed in the Walker Gallery- I haven't had time to transfer them to the computer yet. i have also been researching stained and coloured glass artists.  I would like to maybe take a course in these disciplines/skills but I wont have the time before I finish my degree.   Maybe after next year I will be able to, we'll see.

bye bye for now- supper time! 

While in the town centre yesterday Rachel and I visited St Johns Church. Although I have lived in Leeds all my life it was the first time I have ever been inside. The experience was amazing. The church has painted white walls, lovely stained glass windows and handsome dark oak carved pews, pulpit and an amazing rood screen.  The floor is marble, tiled in a chequered pattern of light oatmeal/reddish brown mottled/off white colours...
ART VENUE- there is at the moment an exhibition of site specific work which is placed at various points within the space.  I have added a few images of some of the work that was on display.  The church was built in the 17th century by John Harrison a Leeds benefactor.  It would be a wonderful opportunity for the future to make some site specific work and its history as well as its physical presence gives opportunity for many combinations of idea and concept.  The church was used for public church services and other functions i.e. christenings, marriages and funerals until the mid 1970s. 

I would recommend this place as a well worthwhile port of call when in the city centre.  The audiences this site would attract are tourists, local history and informed art enthusiasts.  If it does become a regular venue in the Leeds art scene it will begin to attract other audiences and become another alternative type of gallery space which is bound to benefit and encourage local artists.

Taking a break - back soon.

I have woken up thinking about what I absorbed yesterday on my visit to LAG. I will comment on these thoughts before they disappear out of my head into the yonder.
Firstly... I heard some music which introduced me to the exhibition that is now on display in the ground floor exhibition gallery. It was a fitting opening - A brass band at the vanguard of an exhibition space in the heart of Yorkshire and fitted in with the theme of the displayed exhibits that made up the exhibition. Below is a copy of the gallery's present exhibition info.

Rank: Picturing The Social Order 1615-2009

14 February – 26 April 2009

This fascinating and unusual exhibition, which looks at how artists have pictured the shape of society from Renaissance times to the present, opens its UK tour at Leeds Art Gallery. A society without stratification is barely imaginable, but how do we picture our own system of hierarchies, of difference? British writers, political theorists and artists have used numerous images to picture ‘who we are’: describing us through ‘orders’, ‘estates’, ‘classes’, ‘stations’, ‘degrees’, or ‘ranks’. But only this latter term has kept the same meaning over six centuries. With over 100 exhibits, new work from leading contemporary artists and the presentation of new social research from academics and government agencies.

This leads my thoughts towards 'rank' as in art audiences. Are there 'art snobs'? if there are do we acknowledge it? Should we cater for this in our works sitings? Is it a duty as an artist to try and communicate with all viewing audiences? I will take the annual ARTISTS OPEN SHOW for instance, each year the Y.E.P. offers a prize to the piece of work the visiting public votes as the best in the exhibition. This is never a piece of work that could be called cutting edge, the winner is usually a well crafted piece that is 'recognisable' in a conventional way by the majority. The exhibition is very well attended each year and attract an eclectic audience of all ages and backgrounds.
Details of the show are shown below. I am certainly going to put a piece forward for selection this year. It does give an opportunity for publicity and maybe a patron or buyer opportunity as well!

ARTISTS OPEN SHOW - 18 July – 1 September 2009

The annual Open Show at Leeds Art Gallery is firmly established as an important event in the local visual arts calendar. In recent years, the diversity of the works on show has helped to attract a large and varied audience and a significant number of the exhibits have been sold. The Open Show Leaflet with this year's submission dates will be available from April 2009.

ANOTHER THOUGHT THIS MORNING!
This is to do with the presentation of my work in 'final cut' I have an idea of using transparent materials to achieve a mirror image by the work being viewed from both sides this could be displayed in the open air if it was made waterproof- maybe laminated between layers of perspex or glass. i would like to think about site specific sites maybe somewhere like Y.S.P.? OR in front of the art gallery? OR maybe The Light? Anyway I'll think about this over the next couple of days and get It down into my sketch book, and then come back to my blog to discuss it further.
Off to meet Rachel now... to discuss 'business' ..(pending module conclusion!)
back on line tonight.. see you then.. bye.

Well...not been on line for a while 

-been taking stock of my work for the module as a whole.... thinking about what work I can put forward to the Hospital site.  The audience there will be mixed .. mostly visitors to the unit that will be made up of patients and their family members and friends and also hospital staff.  A lot of my work is rather dark in its nature and not suitable.  I have picked out three pieces of work that I think will be alright.  I will have to now to  decide on the size of the images and how to present them.... framed?  mounted on mdf?... translucent photographic paper photograph placed over back- lit sheets of acetate ?

gosh is that the time!, better retire for the night.... let you know my thoughts on my visit to L.A.Gallery that I enjoyed this afternoon when I log on tomorrow - see ya tomorrow evening!