Thursday 26 March 2015

LAST DAY OF TERM

The last Wednesday of the first 10 week printmaking course at the yard:ARTspace has arrived. The 3 classes have made beautiful work and for the last session experimental prints were bound into simple book forms.
I like to gather the groups together to work on this step by step activity for the last class.
There was lots of decorative paper envy, reflection on the past weeks work.
Giggling, measuring and cutting, plus the odd rude word as
the occasional plan goes wrong.
Prints were bundled together, back and front boards cut and covered, then everything was sewn together.
There was even enough time to embellish some books with stamps and embossing powder.
All in all we made a set of neat little books full of delicious collagraphs, a record of a productive term. 
Thankyou everyone for making my first term at the yard:ARTspace such a success.

Tuesday 17 March 2015

TWO STUDIO SUE

For the past couple of months it has all been about the yard:ARTspace. www.theyardartspace.com, so what has happened to the Shed?
The shed is still very much the centre of my practice.
The garden is waking up to spring and there has been a massive spring clean in the shed since the press moved to the yard.
The first thing I did was to buy this fantastic metal cupboard off ebay,
it is standing in the space left behind by the press and very neatly houses my enamel tools and materials.
I have created display and storage areas on the shelves around the shed.
And now have room to make a feature of old tools and equipment. For the moment I know where everything is...for the moment!
The shed has become enamelling central, these small labels are part of a collaboration with artists Hilary Mayo, www.hilarymayoceramics.com and Julia Jowett, www.facebook.com/juliajowett.
 We are exhibiting together with other Midland Cohort, Hothouse artists in The Gathering at New Brewery Arts, Cirencester in June, www.newbreweryarts.org.uk/making-a-visit/main-gallery-exhibitions/the-gathering 
After  several months as a dumping ground while the yard:ARTspace got all the attention, the shed has now had the love it deserves and is a wonder space to create in, I will print in the yard, but draw and enamel in the shed. 

Friday 6 March 2015

ECHOES IN ENAMEL

The first part of Echoes in Enamel is now installed at the Museum in the Park, Stroud. www.museuminthepark.org.uk
I have been fortunate enough to have been awarded an Arts Council Grant to make 4 new pieces of work over 3 years responding to the Museums First World War collection.
I am taking my inspiration from local men and women in Stroud and the part they played in the conflict, at the front both home and away.The first story I am telling is about the women who found themselves in a new environment.
 From Kitchen to Factory is inspired by a photograph album of female munitions workers at TH & J Daniels in 1918. It is a beautiful record of women working almost certainly for the first time outside of their own homes, yet the images show an interesting juxtaposition of women dressed in the same sort of clothing they may have worn for cleaning and cooking in, yet they are operating complicated industrial machinery.
I wanted to show the contrast between home and industry for these women, the similarities and the differences. My substrate is cutlery and the odd spanner.
Ceramic transfers provided me with the narrative.
These I fired together to create a collection which would hang as a group.
I want to compare and contrast the machinery the women used in the factory with domestic machines used in the home.
I have used gum arabic transfer making a series of labels of period domestic appliances to hang along side the enamel.
Can you tell what these machines are? They echo the industrial versions so well.
Monday 2nd March, the big install. With lots of help and encouragement from Alexia, Documentation & Collections Officer and Fern, the construction of many pieces to make one, began.
There was much debate.
Lots of adjustment.
Placing and replacing. But never a cross word.
The piece is now installed and ready for visitors to look and touch.
Placed in the foyer of this lovely Museum until the end of April.
Thankyou Museum in the Park for all your support and encouragement, also Stroud District Council and Arts Council England for your financial support.
If you get the opportunity to see the installation, please leave a comment on the blog as I have to gather feed back as part of the grant award, so become part of the project. 
I will be making a personal appearance to talk about the installation in the Easter holidays so keep an eye on my Facebook page for the date https://www.facebook.com/pages/Sue-Brown/1478939815714857

Sunday 1 March 2015

THE YARD:ARTSPACE IS OFFICIALLY OPEN

March 1st, St Davids day and the first day of spring.
With the sun shining the door was flung open at the yard:ARTspace for the local community and interested creatives to come and look around.
The corks were ready to pop.
There was lots to look at and be inspired by. Creative sketch books. There is 1 place left on this workshop on March 7-8, short notice I know, but contact me if you would like the place.
Christine Waygoods textiles. Christine is showing at Cheltenham Open Studios at Commercial Street this year and her first Felt Making Workshop is on May 9 at the yard.
I created a small display to explain exactly what collagraph is. There are places on the current workshops, but the 10 week courses in the summer term are filling up fast.
The artists involved with the yard:ARTspace making it a creative and inspiring place to be.
the yard is thrilled to be hosting a series of painting workshops in using water-mixable oils with artist Louise Millin Inchley. Louise is also taking part in Cheltenham Open Studios in the local area.
Dinny Pocock is exhibiting her mixed media sculptural objects at the yard for COS and will be running a Bobbin Robin needle felt workshop in November as part of Create for Christmas.
Lorna Prudden is exhibiting her glass work in this space at COS and has agreed to run a glass workshop as part of the Create for Christmas program.
And Jane Sasanow is part of the Open Studio trio at the yard and will be running an artists book making workshop October 3-4.
From 3pm to 5pm people came
to see what was happening at the yard.
It is hard to photograph an event like 
this, especially when most people are looking at things
and the rooms are so crowded, but Toby Brown did a marvelous job. The afternoon was not sunny, so thankyou to everyone who came out in the foul weather to support us.
If you missed this event and would like to see what is happening at the yard:ARTspace the door will always be open and the kettle hot between 2-5pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Come and have a look, discuss a suitable workshop or course, or just pop in for some inspiration and to see what the printmakers, artists and makers are up to in the yard.
For workshop details www.theyardartspace.com