Forever in a Nutshell

This year I submitted a sketchbook under the theme “Forever in a Nutshell”, to the Art House CoOp Sketchbooks 2012 World Tour project. The Sketchbook Project is a constantly evolving library of artists' sketchbooks from across the globe. Thousands of sketchbooks will be exhibited at art spaces in 14 cities and after the tour, they will join the collection of the Brooklyn Art Library and made available to the public seven days a week.

Beginning in late spring 2012, Art House will be opening a new (hopefully permanent!) space in San Francisco. Participants in the 2012 project will be part of the inaugural exhibition in the West Coast hub. To find out the dates and location of the tour check out the Art House website http://www.arthousecoop.com/projects/sketchbookproject2012

The tour will start in Brooklyn in April and reach the UK in October, being exhibited at The Canada Water Library being co-presented with The Albany and Southwark Council, 21 Surrey Quays Rd, London, SE16.

For my entry I used a range of papercraft, paper engineering, iris folding, collage, watercolor and origami techniques. In terms of my theme “Forever in a Nutshell” I explored the subtheme of Fairytales. Creating pages loosely based on Fairytale princess and linking in my own relationships and stories. To create an air of consistency throughout the book I placed a nutshell in some shape or form on every page.

If you can’t wait until then, here are some pictures of my submission – Forever in a Nutshell...

I am excited that my book will visit art spaces across the country and around the world, encountering thousands of people along the way. As an artist I am provided with a unique code that allows me to log in and see how many people have viewed my work, Art House will also text or email you every time your book is viewed, which is a great way of connecting myself and my work to visitors from around the world.

All the photographs on this blog were taken by the fabulous Matthew Gleaves of Root Red Photography. If you are interested in finding out more about Matthew’s work or commissioning him for a project contact rootredtphotography@hotmail.co.uk or check out his website www.rootredphotgraphy.co.uk

New Work - Murex

Recently I have been working on a series of paintings based on natural form that explore the use of complementary colours and different textured grounds.

In this blog I want to share my working process from sketch to finished painting. 

For this piece I started with a white outline on black paper, gradually building up the core thick white lines

 Gradually the form was built up by adding blue shades to the white tints

 Shades of pink and green were used to explore the negative space

 The completed sketch

 In my painting I wanted to explore the use of complementary colours alongside a luscious textured surface. A pink ground was laid over the canvas using random brush strokes. The outline was marked out using white paint and as in the sketch above the blue paint was added using a stippling motion to start to create the form of the object

 A thick layer of black paint was added to the canvas which was scrapped away using a palette knife to reveal the luminous pink underneath. For this part I work instinctively with the canvas, responding to the materials.

 Close up of the surface of the canvas showing the pink breaking through the top layer

 Gradually the pink and green paint is added, again using a stippling motion to blend and create a delicate textured surface. The physicality of the painting is revealed through the different processes such as the scrapping, stippling and distressing of the surface - all of these different physical acts provoke an emotional response to the painting, from the violence of cutting into the paint to the nurturing of the surface by stippling and blending the paint

The final painting . Murex 2012

SPACE by Grace Aza-Selinger

This blog is about an inspiring exhibition currently on at The Vibe Gallery, Bermondsey. It is the first solo show by  London-based artist Grace Aza-Selinger, whom I met through the Katerina Seda project at The Tate Modern, From Morning Till Night (check out my blog http://lisamart.blogspot.com/2011/09/from-morning-till-night.html)

 Grace’s work in this show has focused on nature and our need to re-evaluate our relationship with the world around us. In her artist statement Grace notes "As a young girl running through the forest of Windsor Great Park I was struck by the vastness of it and by the sense of being able to get lost in it. That sensation still sticks with me today and has been triggered by many similarly awe-inspiring moments in nature or replications of it."

The work in the exhibition has been inspired by a recent visit to Berlin and Walks through Windsor Great Park. Grace has really captured the movement of the trees, the wind rushing through them, the calmness of the open space and the fluttering glow of light and reflections across a still lake. The mixed media paintings, installations, found objects and photographs provide the viewer with a glorious woodland stroll through the artists eyes.

 

 The lovely Grace at Friday night's private view

 "Grunewald Forest Scene 2" Mixed media on canvas

 "Grunewald Forest Scene 6" Mixed Media on canvas

 Installation view of found objects and works

The Vibe Gallery is a relatively new space, and as the photo above illustrates has an amazing vast space of 1,800 square feet of floor space for site specific installations. If you want to find out more about this space and the range of events, exhibitions, performance etc have a look on the Vibe Gallery website http://www.vibeplace.com/

 "Through the Forest Glass" Mixed media on canvas

 "Bark Specimens" found objects on canvas

 As an artist I always enjoy looking through other artists sketchbooks. This provides an insight into the artists thoughts, process, what has worked and what didn't. Graces books are filled with writings, sketches, washes that capture moments and colours and collages found objects.

 Sitting figured charcoal sketch

 "Avenue of Trees" Charcoal on Paper, was one of my favourite pieces in the exhibition, love the delicate mark making - just beautiful.

 "I found You" and "Love this earth as a newborn loves its mothers heart-beat" Charcoal on Paper

 

 Grace discusses our current disconnection and alienation that can be felt living in a bustling city - "In this buzzing city it is all too easy to forget to take time apart, to find an inner balance. I feel that this is a problem of the modern-day lifestyle; we reserve these important times for that two week holiday, or that rare Sunday we find ourselves with noting to do."

In the piece above "Tree of Live" viewers were invited to share their memorable experiences in nature by cutting out a leaf from paper from the resources provided and hanging these on the tree after writing your memory on it.

 "Grunewald Forest Scene 4", mixed media on canvas

 "Grunewald Forest Scene 5" Mixed media on canvas

 "Grunewald Forest Scene 3" Mixed media on canvas

"Grunewald Forest Scene 1" Mixed Media on canvas

I am sure that you will agree with me, Grace's exhibition is stunning, but these pictures do not do any of the fantastic pieces justice. So get down to The Vibe Gallery and have a look for yourself, Grace's show will be on until the 15th February 2012.
To find out more about Grace's work have a look on her website www.graceaza-selinger.com.