Stellazine

Zoë Murdoch is a friend of mine. I first met her many years ago in University when we were both studying Fine and Applied Arts. Everyone else was creating huge, colourful paintings, Zoë and I were creating tiny little works in boxes and books, they weren’t made to be seen by all, they usually weren’t even created with an audience in mind. I hated my own stuff, but absolutely fell in love with Zoë’s. Her work, at that time, was created from old sepia toned photos and words were typed onto old papers with a very old type-writer.

Her work has no main influence, though little comparisons can be made to the combining of images by Man Ray and the box art of Joseph Cornell. Her work cries out to moments of the fantasical, like that from a nursery rhyme or a children’s book, though it also contains domestic subjects, traditional objects and unfamiliar things in familiar places.

Zoë’s work thrives with recurring themes, usually around loneliness or broken relationships, it also features a variety of recurring animals; foxes and wolves, ravens and song birds. She usually uses her own image in her photos, though this is mainly down to ease and control, rather than self obsession or vanity.

Originally from Belfast, she has experienced many other cultures, these help her bring a collection of different view points and cultural references within her work. Although mainly working in photography, Zoë is an extremely talented sculptor and fine mark making artist.

If you are interested in viewing more of Zoë’s work, she has kindly allowed me to let you visit her Flickr account:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/stela_zine/

Have I Got News For You

Click on the image to see the animation

I’ve been trying to find a good way of displaying 3D images that I photographed at Breadalbane High in Aberfeldy. The images need to be viewed through 3D Red & Blue Anaglyph glasses, so unless you have a pair, you don’t really get the idea.

Messing around with the images, I decided to try and make a moving animated GIF to see if it maybe gave a better idea of the artwork. It might not be as good as viewing the image through the 3D glasses but it does give you an idea of the work in three dimensions.

‘The News at Ten’ is a relief piece created by Hazel D (S3, Breadalbane). The piece focuses on our obsession with television and news and how the news media uses shock tactics and highlights things that are wrong, rather than things that may be going right. This onslaught of negative imagery makes us feel bad, frightened or threatened and therefore makes us watch more news to stay informed.

Hazel had such a tough time trying to keep the large papier mache fist stable and protruding. It’s weight and awkwardness made what should have been an easy gluing task, an absolute nightmare. All the effort was worth it though, the work is powerful and pushes itself onto the viewer, reflecting points that it’s trying to put across. A great success out of a multitude of problems. Well done Hazel.

David Shrugley

As part of the Visual Arts Festival, David Shrigley has ‘done a Banksy’ in Kelvingrove Museum (Glasgow). He has adapted a small part of the museum with his own sculpture and drawings. I usually really enjoy Shrigley’s work, it’s fast, clever, a bit stupid and often amazingly clever, though I found it hard to enjoy the Kelvingrove show.

After receiving an invite to the show opening, I was really excited about how Shrigley was going to get by the Banksy similarity and also how he would display his work within the museum, he didn’t and he displayed it badly.

My favourite work on display was the taxidermy Jack Russell holding a sign, though I can’t say that it displayed a huge amount of skill on Shrigley’s part. Thinking about the show later, I realised that Shrigley’s work is about being lazy, it’s a ‘off the top of my head’ doodle or a childish joke, Shrigley doesn’t do ‘effort’, he doesn’t do ‘skill’. I guess thinking this way makes his show a success and definitely ‘Shrigley-esque’, though I can’t bring myself to saying that it actually worked.

Shrigley’s work is on show in Kelvingrove Museum, Glasgow now. I don’t how long it’s there for, but I’m sure it’s too long…

LumineSSSSssssence

Rachel A has been finalising her Design Unit for her Art & Design (Int 2) Qualification. A piece of lighting based on a Cobra, the light is aimed to illuminate an Info. Room at Edinburgh Zoo. Correctly themed and well constructed, the ‘snake light’ has been attracting lots of attention from pupils.

Rachel, along with a few of her classmates, has had to put a great deal of time and effort in to produce an outcome of this quality. Class time is simply not long enough to produce something of this standard. Rachel has attended Thursday night extra-curricular support classes since October, building structures, experimenting with the opacity of materials, paper manipulation, wire modelling, cutting and gluing, painting and  papier-mache.

It is for this very reason that Rachel deserves ‘Artwork of the Week’, well that, and the fact that this is a beautiful piece of sculpture too.

Night Lights

So, S4 have been working themselves to the bone trying to finish their lighting unit final solutions. All work needs to be finished for next week, most are nearly there. Below you will see some of the lights in their ‘on’ state. The pupils had to think about how the light would react and look, on and off. The light is aimed to suit an Information Room in Edinburgh Zoo, so it had to be themed as such to suit the client.

Nicole‘s light is based on a parrot. She has emense focus and skill. Usually pupils need to have input to sort many problems that arise when building three dimensional objects. Nicole has been working from her own original ideas under her own incentive. She has created a stunning ornament.

Rachel A has put a lot of work into the above piece, and it shows. Based on a snake, Rachel had to build a wire frame to form a snake body, that didn’t quite work out, so she then had to build another sturdier shell from card. She had to actually make two final pieces. The tongue is a great touch, it’s a little creepy, but the red glow adds warmth and contrast to the shell.

Michael‘s theme is easily identifiable. He has worked paper fringing into the shark’s gills. It makes them look realistic and also has a nice effect on the light that has to fight its way through the hairs. The fin gives the body an un-even keel, it helps the form look more interesting.

It’s hard to get a nice mix of primitive and modern, though I feel Hannah S has done so, but it’s not without a lot of effort, attending after school classes and giving her all. The stripes are beautifully stitched on to tissue windows. The tiger fire pattern, painstakingly hand painted. I could really see this piece in an african themed livingroom, it does have obvious themes, but it is so subtely done that it looks very classy.

Using the wolf, Konor had tried his best to make his light frightening and unapproachable. By lighting up the deep red of the mouth, the light no longer attracts people in, it repels them away. The neoprene teeth help add to the suspense of the light being dangerous. A weird and threatening shade, though it strangely works, tempting the viewer’s interest with every scared glance.

Preparing For Africa Week – The Lunchtime Event

All of the S2s have been working really hard with me this past week to prepare for tomorrow. At lunch time our efforts will go on sale and hopefully make some money for Africa. On sale will be ‘N’Debele Dolls’ for 50p, they have sweeties in their bellies (one of them even has a fiver in!!) There is also ‘Mojo Bags’ on sale (30p), they are little african versions of ‘lucky bags’, everything inside is handmade. They also have a cone of jelly beans inside.

Holocaust Sculpture Open To The Public

Available until the end of March, ‘Hatred Destroys All’ – a scuplture by 2A from Gleniffer High School, is on show in Paisley Museum & Art Gallerys. It’s there as part of the ‘Testimony’ exhibition. Entered into the Holocaust competition, the piece did not win, but it is getting some attention from museum goers who are playing with and re-arranging the stones.

Marvellous Making Skills

I didn’t think there would be an Artwork of the Week this week. The week is a short one and there had been nothing that was completely wowing me. Then just at the last minute Rachel (S2) had finished off her Saddle-Back Caterpillar maquette and proceeded to work on her Insect Chair seat section. Rachel’s making skills are extremely strong, she is currently achieving results that I would be proud of coming from S4. The reason why she achieves such results is due to her strive for perfection. Things can always be better and by pushing further and focusing all her passion on the task at hand, she is making fantastic 3D forms. I also like the fact that Rachel does not like taking the easy path, she’s always trying to challenge herself and go for the tougher but better finished option.

Days Of The Dead – Best Of The Rest

Below you will find a selection of the Days of the Dead artworks. Papier mache skeletons in cardboard and papier mache coffins, each pupil tried to make their work unique by creating individual themes. This is not all of the skeletons made, there were around one hundred actually made, though it’s a few that I thought stood out from the rest.

Days Of The Dead – Top 6 Skeletons

Below is a selection of my very favourite skeletons made for Days of the Dead. I know I shouldn’t do the whole ‘favourite’ thing, but the following few sculptures are the ones that I wish that I had made, or really want to keep. Unfortunately, they’ll be all going back to their rightful owners tomorrow.

Black Magic by Sarah is fantastically smooth. Sarah’s application of papier mache and paint was controlled and well thought out. The colour works really well and her skeleton has an air of sadness around him. It’s a really beautiful piece.

Gaara by Shannon is a mixture of cultures. It merges Japanese culture with Mexican tradition. I didn’t know the character that Shannon had based it on, though when I saw the image of him, I was amazed at Shannon’s attention to detail. The skeleton’s outfit and hair are cleverly crafted, along with his ‘gourd’ at his feet. Though I feel that it’s maybe his huge hands that make the piece for me.

Mr & Mrs by Rachel and Beth is a great joint effort. Both the girls decided that they would combine their works to make a dead married couple. The dead bride and groom is a often used image in Mexican tradition. Skeletons are usually just doing what normal people do. Beth brought in the lace for her gown, and the flower details are scrunched tissues. The boxes are finished with gold wire and bell decals.

Jake The Funeral Director by Louise. I’ve just recently written about him as he featured as Artwork of the Week. Here’s another lovely photo of him though, for you to savour.

Alfie (El Mariachi) by Jessica was featured as Artwork of the Week many weeks ago when this blog was just started. At that time the box had been painted and the body made, though he didn’t have the character he has now. Dressed as a traditional Mariachi with fiddle in hand, he just looks so frustrated at his own playing ability. His huge eyes helps add great depth to his face. An amazing finish to his hat and instrument make this little sculpture look like something that should be treasured. I’m sure it will be.

The Artist by Chelciann was the first skeleton finished. Chelciann basically lead the way for the pupils adapting the skeletons to their own ideas. Her themed boxed and skeleton was her own choosing. The skeleton’s apron is made from a paper towel and his little pallette and brush are made from cardboard and papier mache. He has a great face and his head is finished off with a little tilted beret. A well executed and detailed piece of work.