It's been a PROPER mad month and I mean proper and I mean mad! Three projects overlapping and shouting for attention so three blog entries coming up. Excited?!
Part One
Grassington Festival 2012 (15th June to 30th June) with Leeds Art Gallery
Just to re-cap, this was an opportunity I'd seen advertised way back in Feb/March time. The call was for artists to respond to a painting they selected from Leeds Art Galleries lending collection. The artist would have 6 weeks to respond and install the work at this years Grassington Festival in Yorkshire:
http://www.grassington-festival.org.uk/
We went up to Leeds Art Gallery and I chose a painting called Near Rothwell by Tom Whiteread - it's a beautiful landscape painting that I was drawn to initially because of its size, compared to the other work in the room, it was very small. Thinking practically I didn't want a great big painting as it's difficult to carry and easier to damage! I was being quite sensible for a change...I was also determined not to go for the 'obvious' choice, wanting to go against my own taste if you like...This was one of three I was particularly drawn to, I decided on this one because it was something that I felt was quite different from my own practice and very traditional. After spending more time with the painting I saw more and more links between it and my own work!! I loved the romantic feeling I got from this painting, I liked it's initial dark overtone but then on closer inspection reveals a warmth through the pink tones used in the sky. It was moody and I liked it. I was equally drawn to the structures in the landscape, industrial and alien which draws up obvious links to my work L5-6QW, a sculpture made from steel also set in the landscape.
Near Rothwell 1960-1970
Tom Whiteread
We spent the morning at the gallery in Leeds having free breakfast, meeting other artists and discussing the project with Bryony Pritchard, the organiser and we also met Ted Wilkins the curator. It was a really nice morning and everyone was really friendly and excited about the project.
Discussions at Leeds Art Gallery with the Grassington Gang
The following day we headed up to Grassington village itself in what can only be described as gale force winds and HEAVY rain, we didn't venture that much out of the car (seeing as I didn't even have a coat with me!) but did loop after loop of the village and the surrounding area which is stunning. I think the weather actually added to the dramatic feel of the landscape, it felt wild and lonesome and made me think about Heathcliff and Cathy from Wuthering Heights! It was inspiring and seemed to work perfectly with the painting I'd picked, similar landscapes, similar weather and after finding out that there wasn't much information about the artist a similar sense of romanticism and mystery, My early thoughts and doodles in the car driving back to Liverpool were all of objects and structures in the landscape, figures, people, ghosts. I felt a sense of freedom at being able to make work that has such a unique set of circumstances to respond to.
Initial thoughts and ideas...
There's less than two weeks to go until installation day and I'd say I was just over half way done, eek! The idea is to build a man from found wood that will stand alone in the landscape, he will be life sized. The title of the work will be The Man on the Hill. Big push now to get finished. We're set to stay at the village over the weekend and take part in their festivities including a parade! Really looking forward to it...
Good stuff!
ReplyDeleteHope to come and have a look. I love Grassington.
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