Colour & Compositon

It took me quite a while to get into my summer project. When it comes to drawing from view I wouldn't say its really my fortay, i tend to look at things more for the lines and shapes rather than the overall look. So when it came to concentration on colour, i found it really hard at first to grasp how i was going to tackle it.  Regrettably i didn't have the most exciting of summers, due to a lack of money i found myself spending most of my time at home but luckily for me i live in Yorkshire so most days, dependent on the unpredictable weather, i would be out and about in the dales with my best mate (my dog!). At first i tried being quite realistic with my drawings but soon got extremely bored and realised its just not my style, so eventually started doing a bit of research to hopefully spark some new ideas and inspo. Thats when i thought back to the work of Lydia Cotterell, a recent textiles graduate of MMU who's work i came across at the degree show. I'd originally connected with her loose and playful drawing style, a slightly more abstract style that focused mainly of shape and pattern in appose to a solid representation.

So my summer project soon developed around the idea of connecting the realistic to the exaggerated. Using  repetitive pattern and bright colour to create illustrative and abstract representations of my activities.  

Manchester School of Art Degree Show 2015.

After unfortunately missing the chance to visit the degree show last year, I was really excited to attend. It was so inspiring to see the wide variety of work produced by this years graduates, as it gave me a chance to invision how my work could progress over the next two years. In my first year of study the importance of context was made very clear and it was easy to see how this was a major influence on the development and end product of the 3rd year students. Everyone had a clear vision and understanding of their practice and where it fit in the art world, something which I am really excited to discover and expand upon next year.

Below i have picked out two students whose work I found particularly inspiring...

Grace Davies:

Grace is a printed textiles designer for fashion, whose work specialises in trend forecasting and art direction. What I found most inspiring about Graces work is her unique styling and innovative use of material, her work for me was set apart from the rest, by having such a strong individual flare. She had  a variety of components to her work that played a part within a number of different pieces or photoshoots, allowing her work to achieve a unique 'handwriting'. This is something I hope to work upon in the upcoming years of my degree, something I feel will develop once I begin to understand the individuality in my practice and context. Grace works across a number of specialisms including print, fashion and mixed media. This is something i can relate to within my own practice and has inspired me to push this interest even more and to continually take advantage of the opportunities and facilities i have available within university.

Hannah Reynolds:
Hannah'c collection of work was one with which i felt i shared the most common interest with. Working predominantly with mixed media techniques, hannahs work derives from a strong body of illustration and mixed media samples.  Her development process accompanies many similarities with my own, strong linear work that draws from abstract form and unusual surface. What i have taken most inspiration from is how hannah then takes these illustrations and pushes there potential within the mixed media world, through sampling and thinking outside the bo with her choices of materials and processes

Leeds College of Art Degree Show 2015

Going, going, gone...

The textiles sector of Leeds College of Art focuses primarily on printed textiles and surface pattern design. I have visited the graduate exhibiton for the past few years and the show itself was where I originally found an interest and connection with pattern and print, so i was excited to go back this year and see how my views and interests had changed since starting university. The LCOA show never fails to deliver an abundance of colour and pattern, I loved seeing the confidence and unique styles of the students work and I constantly found my self reeling off ideas as I worked my way around.

Bellow i have selected two LCOA students who's work I found the most inspiring and relatable to my own practice;

Benjamin Craven;
What immediately attracted me to Benjamin's work was his bold colour palette and playful patterns, he achieves such a strong and confident aesthetic continually throughout his work and by working with a variety of different media there was a simple yet professional depth to his working style.
I particular enjoyed Benjamin's mixed media approach, where he used a variety of different wooden blocks printed with his designs, by adding this 3D element to his display it allowed the singular printed designs to come together to crate a larger scale piece. The importance of line and shape within Benjamin's work is a characteristic I can overlap with my own practice and since viewing his work at the LCOA i have come away with many new ideas and inspirations and a real willingness to push my use of colour and composition.

Katie Giles;
Katie's work was by far my favourite of the entire show, her innovative way of exploring materials and surface texture allows her overall designs to derive from an extensive development process, which really shines through in her final pieces. I connected with Katie's work due to her exploration of mixed media techniques and by viewing her collection as a whole it allowed me to understand how i could push my interest in 3D techniques even further. I have seen a variety of artists use resin within their work recently and by seeing Katie's work in person it allowed me to see how effective this technique can be, so is something i am eager to try out for myself in the near future.