'La Lillalba'

Here the see-through quality of the fabric allows the back of the work to be visible as well:

'La Lillalba', thread on fabric, 20x20cm

detail

'IF YOU WANT THE RAINBOW, YOU HAVE TO PUT UP WITH THE RAIN'

Below are some images taken from my new exhibition in Cabot Circus, Bristol. Also, included is a close up of: '(The way I see it) If you want the rainbow, you have to put up with the rain'. 

I am quite attached to this work, as it took over a month to make. It is subtle and delicate, despite the almost obsessive repetitiveness in the execution process and piercing of the canvas. 

'If you want the rainbow, you have to put up with the rain', 

Thread on canvas, 60 x 60cm

MIRROR MIRROR ON THE LOG...

This post is about the fascinating work of the talented Lee Borthwick, an installation artist who is based in London and specialises both in interior and exterior sculptures. She is currently developing a new collaborative piece for the London Design Festival 2013 and she has recently been shortlisted for a commission for a park in South London. Her work combines wood and mirrors in such a clever and poetic manner.

I had the great pleasure - and fortune - to interview Lee. Please see below .

How does it feel to be a nature inspired artist/maker in this era of digital technology?

I, like many others, cannot help but be drawn to the magnetic pull of the internet and the endless availability of information but I am grateful for having the incongruent elements appearing daily in my life and having the regular reminder that nature is quietly working away. What I have discovered is that I can make both elements work for me. The digital age has played a huge role in getting my work seen and from the way it is received it would suggest that people still have a huge appetite for engaging with nature (just through different means). Digital technologies have also enabled me to give that contemporary edge to my work (laser cutting, water jet cutting etc.). It gives the materials a new voice and allows me not to fall into the hippy new-age trap which could potentially befall someone who likes to collect twigs on their weekends.

I have continually explored the notion of nature versus the manmade, the natural environment meeting the urban; digital technologies are another extension of this. I like to play one off against the other- I think the artist always needs something to rub up against to fuel going forward. There is however just something so beautifully inherent in being able to feel something in your hands and that would always stop me from going completely digital.

Your work enhances the organic beauty of mother nature by means of artificial input; do you think that there is a sense of nostalgia that comes from wanting to portray or contemplate nature in this way? And, if this is the case, do you think that who connects with your work shares this sense of nostalgia?

Nostalgia is a very strong element to the work, I don’t try specifically to define a memory though I am fascinated with the idea of creating “a sense of place”, a feeling of landscape or a memory of somewhere you once visited. I think the mirrors are, through an artificial input, creating a new and slightly out of reach environment, particularly when used outdoors. I suppose you could liken the impressions I am trying to make to childhood memories of running around the woods, climbing tree’s and summers spent gazing at cloud formations. Often though I am simply capturing new perspectives through unusual means and asking people to reflect on the surroundings that they find themselves in at the point.

People respond to the work for a variety of reasons, sometimes it is the intensity of the work that has gone into the piece that draws them in, sometimes the tactility and desire to touch, climb and be a part of the reflection. In that way it is interactive. Sometimes the tapestries offer the feel of bringing the “outside inside” fulfilling a desire to be a little closer to nature.

Did you anticipate that your technical training in constructed textiles and Surface design would land you right in the centre of the contemporary art world or was this something that happened unexpectedly?

I am constantly surprised at how things have panned out since graduating with a degree in textiles and surface design. The problem was that technical training never sat too well with me, I would learn the basics and then try and run with that. Surrounded by extremely talented knitters, weavers, printers and embroiderers forced me to examine the skills I did have and find an alternative way through the situation. I never imagined I would be working with some of the clients I have and in fact I’m the last person to whom I would have imagined to be creating commercially viable sculptural works.

Needless to say I’m delighted how it has worked out so far and grateful that other people could understand my vision when I couldn’t. Going against the grain and finding my own way seems to have been the key way (albeit frustrating at times) to pushing my vision and business forward. I never imagined that my work could cross the genres that it does from doing exterior public installations to a range of wooden tableware but I realise now that when you take risks and say yes to everything unexpectedly wonderful things will happen.

Mirrors are often employed as poetic, philosophical and psychological metaphor, they suggest something ethereal. Is this the reason why you chose this material and where does the whole idea of using them come from?

I often use the phrase “causing a poetic stir” when writing about my work, the notion has been integral to my exploratory installations that sit in the wild. Mirrors capture and dispel thousands of fleeting moments all of the time. I see it as a living textile as it can portray such a rich variety of different perspectives in different environments, at different angles and in different lights.

The idea of fusing pieces of tree to mirror was triggered from a day spent in Richmond park where I was experimenting with a variety of materials that would become new surfaces on tree stumps. I was developing a collection of outdoor seating for my MA collection at the time and it was the sheen on a piece of black rubber that made me crave something more reflective. Suddenly the notion of reflecting the sky down to the ground and creating a bucket full of trees was born. It was actually only after I had a mirror laser cut to fit a log that I realised how much scope the concept could have and the poetic and philosophical qualities that it brought to the work .

I haven’t delved too deeply into what it means psychologically when I repeatedly use mirror (I’ll leave that open to interpretation). Fundamentally I am a material led artist and aesthetics do matter greatly to my work. I just love how the two materials complement each other so well and how much room for development there appears to be.

Many thanks to Lee Borthwick for her participation and for such an insightful and honest response. 

PRESENCE

I intend to take my work further by adding more structure to it. This will be accomplished by introducing one or more outer circles to the cluster that normally occupies the centre (see below) or side corner of my paintings. This will allow a much stronger compositional arrangement and also could be adapted into a series of works.

The photographs here illustrate the first part of this process, which is the stage that I would usually get to, however, where the thread dots become thinner, I am now going to be introducing an outer circle/cluster. 

This idea came about while I was designing some greeting cards. I would use some cut out shapes and position them next to each other to then form a sequence of concentric circles. The overall image would appear somewhat symmetrical, but it is not exactly symmetry I'm after, I need a structure that contains my work and gives it a certain order. 

I want to achieve an effect that would be rather impossible to achieve by using paint splashes, yet I hope that the viewer will question such possibility...and for a moment even see it materialised before their eyes.

'Presence', work in progress, thread on canvas, 20x20cm

COLOUR IN PLACE

I was involved in the translation of two art essays written by David Ryan and Stuart Bradshaw for Sharon Hall's latest exhibition catalogue. Her work is now on show at Pescia's local museum: il Palazzo del Podestà (Tuscany). The paintings and photographs in the exhibition describe the relationship between colour, form and space - thus the influence of the immediate surroundings and therefore the cultural baggage that this entails. 

With philosophical and historical references the texts become quite complex, nonetheless, they are very interesting, insightful and vibrant in tone. 

It's been such a great learning experience and I do hope for more translation work in the nearest future, I find it curious how different parts of the brain, which normally stay dormant, suddenly activate...

  Exhibition:

Colour in Place

Il Colore nei Luoghi

Sharon Hall

Paintings and Photographs

18 Maggio - 16 Giugno 2013

Palazzo del Podestà

Piazza del Palagio

Pescia (PT)

Italia

FOR GOD'S SAKE, JUST CHOOSE A SELF AND STAND BY IT!

I think that the above title goes perfectly well with this particular stitching work. Although it describes a sense of frustration and it underlines a kind of indecisiveness, at the same time, it also calls out for hope, a need for change and action, a sense of possibility and belonging.

This painting (see the pictures below) is part of a small series and is actually called 'For God's sake, just choose a self - or a side - and stand by it' Part 2 (of 3). The other two paintings (Part 1 and Part 3), not shown here, are quite similar in concept: they are compositions made by pristine areas and thread 'drops' of the same colour, which interchange with each other, to make a mark, assert their presence, be noticed and acknowledged.

I like the thought of empowering such a minute, insignificant, unpredictable component, which is a dot, by allowing it to subdue the pristine (linen) surface, but also bringing out its qualities.

My emphasis, perhaps, is on our own indecisiveness as human beings, who are often afraid of showing the world our differences, or, rather, who we really are, no matter if what makes us so special is something as vulnerable and delicate as a drop of colour.

The background of this painting is made up by sewing together a dark, green cotton fabric with a piece of linen. By using the same colour thread as the fabric, the stitched drops create a contrast to the smooth defined vertical section on the left of the painting. 

Here, intentional and accidental elements juxtapose and for a second, or even longer, this mimicking of pictorial gestures will deceive the spectator's eye. It may be dismissed or overlooked, but what's beyond is purely craft.

                                

Pic 1. 'For God's sake, just choose a self and stand by it!' Part 2 

thread on linen and fabric, 20x20 cm

Pic 2. linen detail

ETHEREAL BEAUTY

If there is anything that sets the mind alive with thoughts of wondrous imagery and tales, it is feathers. They immediately take you to another dimension, transforming your sense of perception. Their presence seems like a portal to another world and, perhaps, in this way, art becomes the tool, which can immortalise such beauty and experience. 

I am so thrilled to have discovered the wonderful, ethereal and magical installations and cabinet works of Kate MccGwire! Her sculptural creations are made by using collected birds feathers. I find them so captivating and moving, despite a certain element of darkness and pain, which is portrayed by the contorted and unhuman nature of the structures.

If I found myself gazing at these eyeless, disfigured, nonetheless, ethereal and gentle creatures for long, I feel I could witness their awakening, listen to their breathing, and see into their soul.

     

                 

"NEW HORIZONS"

11-16 February 2013

It has been another successful show at Room 212!

To everyone who supported me throughout the week: thank you for showing so much interest in my art and ideas, and kindly buying my paintings and smaller works! Please keep following me!

"New Horizons", thread and acrylic on primed canvas, 60x80cm, SOLD

"New Horizon", detail