EARTH FIRE ASH - Exhibition

Greyfriars Art Space in King's Lynn hosts an eclectic mix of artists throughout the year with the current show being no exception. EARTH FIRE ASH by Tom Thompson is mixed media exhibition using ceramic sculpture and photography. As I entered I was met by Tom who introduced himself and the conversation began. But, not wanting to tie him up with me I looked around for the usual Statement or Catalogue so I could put some meaning to the work. Nothing, he explained. He had made a conscious decision to not produce anything, instead he spends all day in the gallery and takes individuals or small groups around the work and explains the conceptual thinking behind his work and to the likes of me the workflow. This is a brave and somewhat admirable way to show your work. Far too many artists set up, have the PV, chat to the movers and shakers and leave. The remaining time the gallery staff sit and provide security, with the occasional smile, while you read the Artist Statement. Tom's story made me smile as he prepared me with a short biography of his life. He is in his 60's and started out as a welder, working his way into management through the long route and when his circumstances changed a few years ago he studied for a BA in Fine Art. He had also played some music and enjoys all art. So, so far almost a copy of my biography, so after I explained this we had a mutual understanding of life and we started to look at the work. Starting with three large figures looking at a sphere. Each represented the components of the title and as they looked at the sphere, which could be the world he recounted how he had felt when making them. He had spent some time in France at the town of Oradour-sur-Glane and from the photographs he explained this connect. The town was the scene of possibly the worst SS murders in WW2. The entire population were massacred or burnt to death and the town has never been rebuilt, remaining to this day a monument to those who died. Earth, Fire, Ash is the theme of the photographs and the relationship to the ceramics is tangible, especially when standing with Tom. The second area of work is photography made with a pinhole camera, constructed by himself. He was inspired to do this while on a walking holiday in Spain. One of those on the trip was the current Leica lens designer and explained to Tom how to make his lunchbox into a camera. The photographs, often of multiple images were not easy to read and I think I need to go again to understand what is happening there. The ceramics depicting thinking, cultivation and joining of people were outstanding. They would be fabulous to have and light for photographic purposes. The textures and shapes were so tactile and reflected the engineering background Tom has, which is possibly why they appealed to me. Time was not on my side so I had to leave but I would like to talk to Tom more and hear about his time as an educator with people having learning difficulties and as an assistant in the art department at the local college. Both areas post degree that I would like to explore.

 

 

 

 

Images from the exhibition

Emergence – King’s Lynn Arts Centre 10-17 January 2015

This exhibition highlights the talent of young artists working locally as well as in the rest of the UK. A few of the artists have recently graduated with BAs or MAs in Visual Arts.

The twelve artists provided twenty pieces ranging from photography to contemporary installations using steel and wood.

From the handout it isn’t possible to determine which artists have a BA or MA and perhaps that doesn’t matter but my reaction to the exhibition as a whole was the range of talent from average to extraordinary and I was curious if the MA graduates were those (in my perception) who had made the better work.

As we are well aware the onus in a fine art exhibition (or any fine art work) is on the viewer to read the work and find our own narrative or gain some insight into the work from our perspective, the author having long gone.

The works that caught my eye during a short visit are mentioned below.

The first work by Jake Francis consisted of three items. A chair with a head on it (titled Stoopid #2), a painting (titled Artist)and a table with a plate, food and cutlery (titled Gloop). The content of each piece is bizarre and set out to be controversial. The picture is of an artist palette, but no paint, instead 3 lumps of animal (could be human) excrement. The head was from some fruit and the food on the plate looks like a dolls dress with a a brown fluid oozing from inside it, resembling an afterbirth with clothes on.

Jamie Kilcoin had produced 5 landscape photographs, mostly taken around the North Norfolk coast I would guess as I recognised some of the locations. Well produced work with lovely image quality and presentation. As a group they have a connection in genre but for me three in colour and two monochrome upset the rhythm of reading them as a set.

An interesting diptych from Ivan Chambers of a female in black leather bikini. In one she is in a church, in the other outside a Soho type theater. Various labels attached beneath the two images. All I get here is irony and a Charlie Hebdo type of cartoon effect. The message is not easy to read but has something to do with the fortune of sins. Not easy but well delivered.

Jasmine Ferrari produced an installation piece titled Madonna. Made from small section (25x25) softwood the piece is a masterful example of woodworking. It is intricate and has a balanced feeling with flat panels pained in colour. I know little about this type of work, my only thought being if it was designed for a particular site then here it maybe isn’t the right place.

The next item is also an installation. Five (maybe six) pieces of plywood laminated with glass suspended from part of the gallery structure gives us a love floating piece hanging in mid air. A light airy feel, again a work that is maybe designed for a specific location and would benefit from being against a wall of darker colour.

James Linder provided the second helping of photography by the presence of a lovely DeVere 10x8 camera as a floor installation. A gorgeous thing in its own right I assume it was the camera used to make the large portrait associated with it. Also present was a 5x4 wet plate collodion negative of the same image. There was no explanation but I assume a 5x4 back was used and what we have therefore is the narrative of the image from camera to print. The monochrome print is of a portrait of a man, front on and closely cropped and framed. Very Bailey was the first impression although the treatment of the image was high contrast with large black areas and that’s not quite Bailey. A combination piece of work that I came back to a number of times.

The next installation piece is by Amber Lawrence. Amber is the Visual Arts & Education Intern at the arts centre and I have met her a few times as she was the point of contact for last years Eastern Open. Ambers piece is constructed using square hollow section mild steel. She has made four frames, some 1500mm high that form a space for smaller white pieces of stonework. The frames act as support to hang the stone pieces and it is if the steelwork is sometimes the artwork and sometimes the support for the white pieces to be the artwork. Once again the work is being seen perhaps out of context and I was bothered by the tiled floor making another set of shapes that competed with the frames.

At the far end of the Red Barn there are 6 TV Monitors showing a continuous loop of a video work titled DRONE. Drone it would seem is a game with a voice telling us about the various levels of play. The pictures however show real life footage from aircraft on bombing raids on building in the Middle East. The combination of voice, music, graphics and footage was excellent and kept me engaged. The use of six screens gave one the feeling of being in a TV control room or the control room of the people engaged in the fighting. Well produced piece of video and installation by Henry Driver.

An experience looking at unfamiliar art and thinking about the "thinking" that the students had gone through to get the work completed and on display. It is difficult to say how any piece is likely to influence my own practice but it is good to see work at the level I aspire to.

The Arts Centre Website is here.

45th Eastern Open - 2014 - Award Winner !!!!

This time last year I was making a note to go to the 44th Eastern Open at The King's Lynn Arts Centre  and write up the visit in my journal, which I did here.

During the two visits last year I had made up my mind to enter the 2014 competition and when the Call for Entries was published I had some work to do and choices to be made. A maximum of three entries are allowed per person so this focuses the mind with the knowledge that the three independent selectors will have no background information, so no contextual references for their selection. It reminded me of the exercises a while ago in this module where the first impression was going to have a considerable part to play, while also remembering the type of work seen in 2013 and how that had an eclectic mix.

The competition is open to the residents of seven eastern counties from Lincolnshire to Essex, attracts 200+ artists who submit 400+ works, of which 80 are chosen to be hung in the three main galleries at the Arts Centre for 6 weeks during October and November. There is a Best in Show award of £2000 and 5 other awards, some specifically for painting and drawing.

The selectors names were not known to me but their CV's were obtained as a guide to who am I showing my work to.

John Frankland, teaches sculpture at the Royal College of The Arts, makes large scale public art projects and is represented by a number of international galleries. 

Judith King is a director of Arts&Heritage, an agency that is committed to developing unusual opportunities for artists. She has experience in commissioning contemporary work within an historic context and has worked for English Heritage.

Marielle Sbaihi is My Art Invest's art director working from a gallery in London that allows people to buy a share in contemporary artworks.

Knowing more about the selectors was useful but not helpful, other than they all were working in a contemporary art environment and would therefore (hopefully) not be too receptive to photography that was clichéd, poorly presented and technically flawed.

My strategy therefore was to

1. Go as big as I could, simply because I can and the works I had in mind were from MF film and my 36MP DSLR and there would be no quality issues.
2. Spend the right money on matting and framing to compliment the large prints.
3. Send 3 pieces (£12 each entry fee) that covered a number of styles and genre to maximise chances that something would catch their eye.
4. Use simple titles, some descriptive and at least one that was ambiguous, once again to spread the betting that one would work.

Some of the strategy does sound as though a broad brush is being used but I did need to cover as many options within three items with the aim of getting at least one selected.

My selection (see below) was focused but serendipity played its part, and while I like full control sometimes I believe that going with the flow can have advantages. I had been working on Assignment 3 for some while and had a large number of images that were good, a few did not fit into the set that I needed. One in particular had been causing concern and I decided this would be better used in a single image environment. It was to be titled "Day 96 - 2014". I am not sure exactly what day it was taken but in my world one day is much the same as any other and 96 seemed about right. "The Lathe" was a print I had made after an experiment with 120 film processing and while I wasn't so sure about its credentials I did like it for more "photographic" reasons than were perhaps justified. "Front Elevation" was a work I did last year with the 24mm Tilt/Shift lens on the D800 and was already framed and ready to show. Its stark graphic qualities and the lack of vertical perspective making it unusual although perhaps a nod towards clichéd and the use of manipulation.

I intended that all the work should be matted and framed with exactly the same board and moulding so that should I wish to show them together at some time there is a synergy within the presentation style. This didn't quite work out as planned. The framer had all the details of the previous work but when I went to collect the two I was astonished to see an off white matt board and the wrong moulding. The moulding was black and the correct width but had no depth and therefore my vision of the three being the same was gone. There was no time to even complain yet alone have it changed. On further inspection however all was not bad, especially Day 96 which seemed better suited to an off white matt board.

For this exhibition there were clear rules about fixings (none allowed) and how to present the work so that the selectors could see without bubble wrap etc in the way. I decided that as mine were behind glass all that was needed was bubble wrap to the frame edges and corner protectors, leaving the front and back clear. There was another rule about the organiser being able to remove the work from the frame for catalogue photography. This I ignored because the framer completely seals the back with tape and it is impossible to take apart. I included a note that should they need an image I would provide them. I am not sure what happened in the end because they never asked for an image but they did make their own for the catalogue. Award winners get their work in the catalogue and you are not advised of that until the exhibition has opened so I can see why they didn't ask for one. 

All the work in the exhibition can be for sale if the artist wishes. Pricing work is a difficult process and having read in last years visitors comments people saying they though the works were too expensive I decided on what I considered a reasonable price, bearing in mind the organisers take 35% commission. Framing was costing £75 per piece so I went for £300 each as a sale price for monochrome and £320 for colour. This will be a net revenue of £195 leaving about £100 for me after costs, which seems far too cheap but this is a regional arts show, not Mayfair.

Once delivered to the arts centre there is a 2 week wait for the results and I am amazed at how during that time I could not settle. OCA assessment is a tense time but with only three pieces, unknown selectors, mixed media etc, it was a huge relief when the result came and I had got two selected of the 84 in the show. A few days later I had to collect the unselected work and while there was asked if I would be attending the opening. They seemed smiley when I said yes and that gave me a glimmer of hope for something more.

Last Saturday was the opening and at 2:30 the awards were presented in a little reception typical of any gallery PV or opening night. "Day 96 - 2014" won the £100 Kings Lynn Signs sponsored award. This is an award by the selectors as a runner up to the main award and as it wasn't a painting or drawing the next best available award a photograph could have won.

The exhibition runs until 29th November.

 

Day 96 - 2014 (Selected - Award winner)

 

Front Elevation (Selected)

 

The Lathe (Not Selected)

 

 

Conclusion

 

In this instance everything about the exercise is positive. At the start I was doubtful that I would get any work selected. Over 400 entries, mixed media and being a newcomer were aspects that were against me. My strategy started by looking at last years show and seeing what worked for them, although this year there were different selectors I entered on the basis that if it was work that I had enjoyed making, was good quality technically the there was more than a half chance. It does take time to prepare and my assignment 3 has got way behind in the process but I believe that entering work into juried exhibitions is another way of gaining exposure and having your work assessed in a different environment. It is costly but there is no gain if no pain and I just might sell a piece which would be amazing.

 

I will visit the show at least twice during the next few weeks and look closer at the other work. The winner was a very special piece by Viki Simpson from her The burning times set.

 

 

Looking pleased at the opening (photograph by Richard Fletcher)

44th Eastern Open Exhibition - Radiation Tester

The 44th Eastern Open is the largest Open competition held in the town each year and sees an entry in excess of 700, with 70 or so being selected.

The Arts Centre (Formerly The Guildhall) has three large exhibition spaces and they are all used to show the work in what is a bright airy environment complete with pop up cafe.

I went along twice. The first time I was taken aback by the diversity of the selection. Oils, acrylics, photography etc and the contrasting styles, shapes and sizes. The variation was reflected in the prices ranging from £110 to £10,000. Not being an artist in the generally accepted sense I  know little of how major items in oils or pen and ink are made but one thing was certain: this was all good quality.On this first visit I had not taken a notebook so didnt get any thoughts written down but I had noticed the work of photographer Mike Harding. As you can only enter three pieces he had done very well in getting three hung and had also won best in show and the £2000 prize.

The second visit was to take a closer look at "Radiation Tester", Mike Hardings winning photograph and another called "Mr and Mrs Williams". I have since been in contact with Mike and he has kindly allowed me to include a copy of Radiation Tester" below.

"Radiation Tester" is a 30" x 40" colour print with a simple cream matte mount and a natural wood coloured frame. The catalog doesn't say but I guess its a C type print. The image shows a simple T shaped pole with cross head in a large wilderness of unkempt grassland. Hanging from the two extremities of the cross head are two "fly catcher" like papers dangling in space.
The landscape format image is conventional in many ways. The horizon is one third up from the bottom and the T shape is almost in the centre. There is uniformity and the space around the T is perfectly sized to give the correct sense of space and scale. Even if the viewer had no knowledge of the title there is enough here to bring upon a sense of unease. There is a bleakness that is directed by the reduced gamut. The grass is a pale green, the other vegetation is dead, there is no soil only stone and the sky is an ominous grey. The use of shallow depth of field renders the distance out of focus but there is nothing to see, no buildings or fences and certainly no people or signs of where they have been. The light is flat with the overcast sky and once we read that the simple looking device is for testing radiation a coldness is felt of hidden danger.

Radiation Tester

 Copyright - Mike Harding - Salhouse - Norfolk

Conclusion

At a mixed media exhibition it was encouraging that photography had made it to the top and that is encouraging. It is without doubt that my work is currently no right for showing to selectors at such a show. Again I come back to my lack of conceptual imaging and my constant involvement with technique over content. Further reading and research will hopefully overcome this trait and allow my work to have more narrative and be conceptually braver. 

Art Photography Now - Exhibition

The Greyfriars Art Space is a small gallery in King's Lynn that offers space to artists and photographers to stage exhibitions, run workshops etc. I am on their mailing list and it is my intention one day (at L6) to hold an exhibition there of my work. A recent email from them spoke of an exhibition of work by a small group of photographers aged 13 -19 that would be different so on Friday evening (6th) I went along to have a look. I was met at the door by Phil Barrington who kindly provided me with a glass of wine and a quick resume of what had gone on to get the work onto the walls. Norfolk County Council had asked Phil to run a summer workshops on photography and after initially saying no he ran with the idea providing there was no teaching of a "technical" nature. With limited time together the group needed to work more on concepts and editing than knowing anything about shutter speed, DOF etc. Also they were all using different devices for capture from iphones, tablets and a few cameras of various specifications.

With the studio space having three areas he asked them to work on three themes. Firstly "Fear", secondly an "Emotion" and lastly to provide an image that represents their world, their private space.This would be difficult enough at any level but here we have an age group from 13 to 19 years old with previous experience not known. Phil was only acting as a mentor and not a tutor so the thinking, shooting and final edit was their decision, with help in framing and getting prints made the only technical help of any significance.

As with any exhibition it lifts the work when hung in a gallery and the quality of the execution was stunning. People at this age have none of the preconceived ideas I have and were making images of maturity well above their age group. I have no way at the moment of showing any examples although if I can I will go back and take a few photographs. Edit: Photo added "Left Alone" by Maddy Wicks, her interpretation of "Fear"

The issue here though is how a professional photographer did the right thing by ignoring technical jargon, F stops and the like and just let them make photographs and how they interpreted the single word briefs in such a diverse way and produced narrative in the work that needed no further explanation. 

I came away with two distinct thoughts. Firstly how proud we can be with teenagers who take time to be interesting and secondly how I ought to be so much better at photography than them but I am not.
With age you become secure and know your place in society, their youth gives them the ability to not be constrained by society and gives them the gift of freedom in thought. Good luck to them.