We were asked to think of key words that link the work of the 30 practioners that we chose. These words identify elements within their work that inspire and influence me. Thinking about exactly what it is that I like about artists work should help both my practise and my research become more focused and concise. The key words are:
-Humour
-The Surreal
-Bright, vivid colours or an interesting combination of a limited pallete
-Narrative
-Schematic
-Intricate
-Patterns
-Text
-Common subjects are People/faces, Animals, Food, Everyday objects
Wednesday, 1 May 2013
The Here Gallery vs. Nelson Street
In our Professional Practise session we were asked to join into small groups in which to identify a list of locations in which Illustration might be 'consumed'. We were also asked to think about the different audiences that these locations would attract, and how the location itself would affect their view of the work.
What our group decided to do was to quickly make our own individual lists and then bring them together to the group and decide from there. This was my little list:
-Posters in the street
-Flickr
-The Here Gallery
-In our own studios in uni
-Food packaging (Waitrose)
-Paperchase
When we got back into our group we decided on The Here Gallery (an independant art book store) and the Nelson Street See No Evil graffiti. They were chosen for there easy accessibility to the public and ourselves and for how contrasting they are as both locations and in the illustration that they showcase despite both being very contemporary.
The Here Gallery
The shop is in Stokes Croft, an area surrounded by cafes, bars and artist studios. It is a small shop on the corner of a very busy road. It has large windows with a mixture of posters and books, framed by a string of fairy lights. Just from the outside we can see that the location for the shop is perfect, the audience that the store is aimed at, which is artists and students, totally surround it. Inside, the shop is very bright with no need for artificial lighting because of the large amount of natural light coming from the window. It is a very small space with a chair by the door, display shelving around the whole room, a table in the middle and the till tucked in the corner opposite the door.
I know in the name it says 'gallery' but when I went in I assumed that they called it that because it had prints and other art displayed up the walls, that were for sale. However apparently they have an actual gallery downstairs which I totally missed, so unfortunately I can't comment on that. Nevertheless, based on just the shop these are the factors that would affect the audience's experience:
Location
As alluded to above it is the perect location for it's products.
Temperature
With it being a shop it is of an average room temperature and very much protected from the rain. This is great because with all the different books and magazines it is somewhere that you might want to browse for quite a while.
Size
It is only a very small shop so as I said before that it is a place that you want to spend your time browsing, well this does make this difficult, with either people being in the way or just paranoia about being there for too long and the person working there expecting you to buy something considering the amount of time you were in the shop for. Also the chair being firstly right by the door making it slightly awkard for people coming in and just anyone else moving around the shop. So the chair is a good idea but the size of the shop doesn't really allow it to be utilized effectively.
The size of the illustration products do match the size of the store because most of them are of a very portable size it is more the large quantity on display that makes the size of the store difficult to enjoy the large range of the products.
Prices
They sell a range of books, zines, magazines, prints, cards, wrapping paper and even some novelty craft supplies. Through out all of these there is a good price range. So the large student audience they get don't feel excluded by the prices. Nevertheless it's probably more an issue of prices adding up with the large amount of products on offer, that might be difficult for customers.
Smell
I forgot to write this one down so I didn't think about it when I was there, but I definitely don't have any memories of it having in any way a strong smell or any faint one that I remember.
Sound
Well when I went to write this there was no one else in the store and there wasn't any music playing so I was actually a little worried about breathing too loudly. However I'm almost positive that in the past I've been there and they have had music on quitely in the background. Also being on the main road there is the faint noise of traffic and people chatting, but it's more of a quite hum.
Nelson Street- See No Evil
The graffiti at See No Evil covers lots of ugly, plain concrete buildings along Nelson Street which is side street off the city centre. The traffic down the street is limited due to the fact only buses, taxis and cyclists can drive down the road. The work was painted over two events where graffiti artists from around the world came to leave there piece. Using the same points of reference these are what would influence the audience's experience.
Location
Lots of tourists and others have heard about the event so come to look for the graffiti so it is a convinient location as its very close to the centre, bus station and even walking distance of the train station. Also the fact that it is limited access for vehicles as the road is quiter for crossing the road to try get a better view of the large images.
Temperature
Obviously with all of the work being outside this depends on the weather/time of year when you visit. Unfortunately when I went although it was dry it was very cold, so I didn't want to stay there for a large amount of time. However there were at least two groups of people walking slowly to admire and two more taking photos. One couple even had brought a tripod.
Size
These are very large images covering buildings all along a whole street, some are even difficult to see because of the height they go up to and your own position on the narrow road. With a number of them, there size makes for a particularly powerful and sometimes intimidating sight.
Prices
As far as I know the buildings aren't up for sale but I have seen the odd bit of merchandise depicting the work for sale in local shops.
Smell
At the time when I went to visit specifically there wasn't alot of strong smells around, other than a bit of bus exhaust. However I have been down there at night when there was a strong smell of vomit and chips. I have a feeling the people down there at the time weren't down there to admire the the graffiti though so I suppose it doesn't make alot of difference, unless you consider the early morning audiences of the next day.
Conclusion
They are very different examples of illustration in public but I think both achieve there designed purpose. The Here Gallery is perfectly located for its audience and its products aren't lost in a large shop, while See No Evil is very accessible for its very broad audience and it gets to display this fantasic work to many people who might usually feel uncomfortable going into any kind of gallery.
 |
| The Here Gallery |
-Posters in the street
-Flickr
-The Here Gallery
-In our own studios in uni
-Food packaging (Waitrose)
-Paperchase
When we got back into our group we decided on The Here Gallery (an independant art book store) and the Nelson Street See No Evil graffiti. They were chosen for there easy accessibility to the public and ourselves and for how contrasting they are as both locations and in the illustration that they showcase despite both being very contemporary.
The Here Gallery
The shop is in Stokes Croft, an area surrounded by cafes, bars and artist studios. It is a small shop on the corner of a very busy road. It has large windows with a mixture of posters and books, framed by a string of fairy lights. Just from the outside we can see that the location for the shop is perfect, the audience that the store is aimed at, which is artists and students, totally surround it. Inside, the shop is very bright with no need for artificial lighting because of the large amount of natural light coming from the window. It is a very small space with a chair by the door, display shelving around the whole room, a table in the middle and the till tucked in the corner opposite the door.
I know in the name it says 'gallery' but when I went in I assumed that they called it that because it had prints and other art displayed up the walls, that were for sale. However apparently they have an actual gallery downstairs which I totally missed, so unfortunately I can't comment on that. Nevertheless, based on just the shop these are the factors that would affect the audience's experience:
Location
As alluded to above it is the perect location for it's products.
Temperature
With it being a shop it is of an average room temperature and very much protected from the rain. This is great because with all the different books and magazines it is somewhere that you might want to browse for quite a while.
Size
It is only a very small shop so as I said before that it is a place that you want to spend your time browsing, well this does make this difficult, with either people being in the way or just paranoia about being there for too long and the person working there expecting you to buy something considering the amount of time you were in the shop for. Also the chair being firstly right by the door making it slightly awkard for people coming in and just anyone else moving around the shop. So the chair is a good idea but the size of the shop doesn't really allow it to be utilized effectively.
The size of the illustration products do match the size of the store because most of them are of a very portable size it is more the large quantity on display that makes the size of the store difficult to enjoy the large range of the products.
Prices
They sell a range of books, zines, magazines, prints, cards, wrapping paper and even some novelty craft supplies. Through out all of these there is a good price range. So the large student audience they get don't feel excluded by the prices. Nevertheless it's probably more an issue of prices adding up with the large amount of products on offer, that might be difficult for customers.
Smell
I forgot to write this one down so I didn't think about it when I was there, but I definitely don't have any memories of it having in any way a strong smell or any faint one that I remember.
Sound
Well when I went to write this there was no one else in the store and there wasn't any music playing so I was actually a little worried about breathing too loudly. However I'm almost positive that in the past I've been there and they have had music on quitely in the background. Also being on the main road there is the faint noise of traffic and people chatting, but it's more of a quite hum.
The graffiti at See No Evil covers lots of ugly, plain concrete buildings along Nelson Street which is side street off the city centre. The traffic down the street is limited due to the fact only buses, taxis and cyclists can drive down the road. The work was painted over two events where graffiti artists from around the world came to leave there piece. Using the same points of reference these are what would influence the audience's experience.
Location
Lots of tourists and others have heard about the event so come to look for the graffiti so it is a convinient location as its very close to the centre, bus station and even walking distance of the train station. Also the fact that it is limited access for vehicles as the road is quiter for crossing the road to try get a better view of the large images.
Temperature
Obviously with all of the work being outside this depends on the weather/time of year when you visit. Unfortunately when I went although it was dry it was very cold, so I didn't want to stay there for a large amount of time. However there were at least two groups of people walking slowly to admire and two more taking photos. One couple even had brought a tripod. Size
These are very large images covering buildings all along a whole street, some are even difficult to see because of the height they go up to and your own position on the narrow road. With a number of them, there size makes for a particularly powerful and sometimes intimidating sight.
Prices
As far as I know the buildings aren't up for sale but I have seen the odd bit of merchandise depicting the work for sale in local shops.
Smell
At the time when I went to visit specifically there wasn't alot of strong smells around, other than a bit of bus exhaust. However I have been down there at night when there was a strong smell of vomit and chips. I have a feeling the people down there at the time weren't down there to admire the the graffiti though so I suppose it doesn't make alot of difference, unless you consider the early morning audiences of the next day. Conclusion
They are very different examples of illustration in public but I think both achieve there designed purpose. The Here Gallery is perfectly located for its audience and its products aren't lost in a large shop, while See No Evil is very accessible for its very broad audience and it gets to display this fantasic work to many people who might usually feel uncomfortable going into any kind of gallery.
Friday, 22 March 2013
30 Contemporary Artists part 2
14. Kerry Lemon
15. Nigel Peake
Probably the most absract work on my list, I find Nigel Peakes images totally absorbing. I saw his book, Maps first and love it. However he has recently brought out an illustrated bike journal so Maps might have some competition for my love. Sorry the image above isn't very clear, you'll just have to trust me and look him up to understand the beauty.
http://www.nigelpeake.com/maps.html
16. Emily Winfield Martin
http://www.emilywinfieldmartin.com/portfolio.html - accessed 1/10/12
17. Lisa Milroy
Milroy's work is very varied but it is her paintings of collections from the 80's that I find particularly interesting. I love how methodical they are.
http://www.lisamilroy.net/
18. Bjorn Rune Lie
I love Bjorn's strange and lovely images. Each image tends to have a limited colour palette of warm colours that reflects the warmth of the characters and other miscellaneous objects and places. I first saw his work at the Jamaica Street Studios open weekend show, where I bought a great little card of a bearded mermaid, which still makes me smile now.
http://www.bjornlie.com/
19. Mellissa Castrillion
An Illustrator that uses a lot of heavy pencil marks and simple shapes. I was drawn in by the pretty and yet quite haunting images for the true story of Sarah Henley; a woman in the 19th century who after being left by her fiance tried to commit suicide by jumping off the Clifton Suspension bridge but was saved by her crinoline dress which made her float down to the water safely. http://www.melissacastrillon.co.uk/illustration/ accessed 1/10/12
20. Kate Pugsley
She uses oil paint and watercolours to create these unusal illustrations.
http://katepugsley.com/category/painting/ - accessed 1/10/12
21. Katie Scott
She created the beautiful illustrations for the album by Bombay Bicycle Club. I especially love the image above and how it captures the song title perfectly. Her other work is just as intricate and with a colour palette just as enticing.
22. Rebecca Hendin
A mixture of painted, drawn and digital images, Rebecca's work is funny and aestically pleasing.
www.illustrationrally.blogspot.co.uk -valentine's day rally: no.42
accessed 1/10/12
http://www.rebeccahendin.com/ -her website
23. Sidsel Sorensen
An Illustrator using a mixture of drawing materials and digital media. Her work comprises a lot of portraiture and is often narrative. I particularly like her use of pattern and colour. I found her work on flickr - http://www.flickr.com/photos/sidsel_sorensen/ accessesd (26/10/12)
-And this is her website - http://www.sidseldraws.com/
24. Alessandro Gottardo aka Shout
An Illustrator he creates wonderfully clever and surreal digital images in a vivid but limited colour palette.
http://www.alessandrogottardo.com/index.php Accessed 01/10/12
25. Jillian Tamaki
26. Deanna Staffo
27. Devon Smith
28. Jorge Roa
29. Andrea Joseph
30. Dilka Bear
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Tuesday, 23 October 2012
30 Contemporary Artists part 1
This task was to identify 30 conteporary atists that we particularly liked or felt related to our own work. (The list is in the order in which I found or thought of them.)
1. Wayne White
A Fine artist, he uses many mediums but I looked at his oil paintings. It was the humour and visual challenge of his work that really appealled to me. Elephant Journal. Spring 2012 pg 15.http://waynewhiteart.com/
2. Olivier Kugler
An Illustrator, I like how in his pen drawings how certain parts of the image aren't filled in with colour so your attention is focused on those that are filled in, while still keeping the detail of the other objects. I also really enjoy all the writing. I like the way it looks in the composition and I find it interesting to know more about the the people and things in the image. http://www.olivierkugler.com/ (accessed 28/9/2012)
3. Brian Cronin
An Illustrator, I love his use of colour and simple shapes. American Illustrator 29, 2010, pgs 62-69 http://www.briancronin.com/
4. Jeffery Decoster
Another Illustrator, I like the mixture of styles and materials in his work. For me it creates a sort of manic energy. American Illustration 29, 2010, pgs 76-78.
http://www.jeffreydecoster.com/portfolio.php?directory=placeholder_images
5. Gemma Anderson
An Illustrator using pen, pencil and etching. I love the fine detail that subtly blends the surreal into the real. Drawing Projects, 2011, pgs 120-127 http://www.gemma-anderson.co.uk/
6. Martin Wilner
Using pen, I love the composition of his images especially how he uses text within them. Drawing Projects 2011 pgs 100-105 http://martinwilner.com/
7. Andrew Joyce
An Illustrator, I love how they are very detailed yet simple at the same time.
http://www.handsomefrank.com/ (accessed 30/9/2012)
8. Kate Sutton
http://www.handsomefrank.com/ (accessed 30/9/12)
9. Emily Robertson
I love her use of colour and the loose marks made using watercolour and ink.
http://www.handsomefrank.com/ (accessed 30/9/12)
10. Jess Wilson
Jess's work is very varied however its her use of colour and text that make so much of her work so interesting. Amelia's anthology of Illustration, 2009
11. Lizzy Stewart
Her delicate use of colour and mark making is just beautiful. She has a lot of work on sale at The Here Gallery its definitely worth seeing in person as well as online. I love her work, it's just bloody great. http://www.abouttoday.co.uk/ http://lizzystewartdiary.tumblr.com/ -Solo her sketched diary is hilarious and absolutely worth just a liitle peak.
12. Dave Bain
Again another artist that uses many mediums and all of them appealling so it's hard to define exactly what I like, but in general I love the colour and line work. http://www.davebain.com/
13. Emma Dibben
Her vibrant illustrations of different vegtables are quite familiar as her work has been used by waitrose for practically all of their packaging. http://www.jamaicastreetartists.co.uk/emma.html
13 is my lucky number so I'll leave it there and post the other 17 when I can.
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