Characteristics, potentials and limitations of Lino

Characteristics of lino:

Smooth

Durable

Bendy

Tough

Hard

Flat

Thin

Reinforced

You can cut it/carve it

Potentials/Advantages:

Carve it

Print it

Emboss

Rubbings

Reduction printing

Tough/Sturdy 

Print onto different surfaces

Easy for simple designs or big size pieces

Limitations/disadvantages:

Mistakes are irreversible

It's not 3D

You have to work hard to get texture

Hard to cut

Limited colour application, rollers etc.

Hard to clean/hard to get off hands

Barrier cream for hands

White spirit -> fumes

Long time to dry

Time consuming

Difficult to carve in detail

Final paper installation

This is my group's final paper installation, it took us roughly three hours to create.  I think that this is a very interesting technique that can be interpreted in many different ways. A broad range of techniques have been used to create this paper installation, some parts of this piece have been created in 2D and some in 3D, some are brightly coloured, some are not so bright in colour, some details have been drawn on, some details have been cut out and stuck on. This mixture of techniques used makes the piece more interesting to look at which makes it very memorable. I particularly like the trees/bushes in the piece as they have been created by scrunching up tissue paper which gives a somewhat realistic effect. The only downside to this piece is that there is a lot of empty space which I believe needs to be filled to make the piece a lot more interesting, however there are a number of unusual and inventive techniques used which I think could be developed further.

Trip work

A quick observational sketch created using a black biro, of a building sitting upon the river Thames. I filled the background with patterns and distorted the building slightly in an attempt of trying out a simplified version of Lizzie Mary Cullen's work.

Yet another observational sketch in biro, this time using blue instead of black. This was a quick basic drawing of a clock that sits atop a building by the river Thames.

A collection of observational sketches of things in and around London's Southbank.

We were given guide books as we entered the exhibition and there was a point where  we had the opportunity  to emboss a page of the book with phrases that were related to the exhibition.

These are a selection of phrases from around the exhibition, I  took the phrases and wrote them out in fonts that I feel represent each phrase.

This is a phrase made up by myself, I left this piece of typography on a notice board at college.

This is a map of the United Kingdom, it is filled with images and words that represent my relationship with different areas of the UK.

There was a tiny, metal stick man outside a set of glass doors at the exhibition, this is my drawing of that stick man.

These are observational sketches of stuff around London's southbank. One is typography made out of lighting tubes and the other is of a ceramic egg.

A sketch of ceramic flip-flops from the exhibition.

A quick sketch of a piece of work from the exhibition, I found this piece very humorous,

Another quick sketch of a piece of work from the exhibition, this piece was amusing and memorable as well as being created in a very simplistic style.

Primary research visit

The exhibition was at the Hayward gallery at the Southbank centre, the artists exhibiting were David Shrigley and Jeremy Deller. Deller had the bottom floor gallery spaces and so his exhibition was the first we saw and Shrigley had the top floor galley spaces which meant that his exhibition was the second one we saw.

David Shrigley was trained as a fine artist in the department of Environmental Art at the Glasgow School of Art. He uses a very sketchy, basic style on purpose in his artwork. His work showcases witty and wry observations on everyday life. He uses a mixture of techniques including basic illustrations, paintings, animations, sculptures and mixed media pieces. I find Shrigley's work both humerous and witty.
Jeremy Deller studied Art History at the Courtauld Institute and at Sussex University where he did an MA. Deller uses a wide range of techniques in his work. In the exhibition, Deller explores humanity and his work is presented in interesting and sometimes very unusual ways including a 3D of bats flying in groups titled Exodus. Deller creates works with a wide range of collaborative groups.

My favourite piece of Shrigley's work is this piece:

I particularly like this piece because it is so simple yet it makes a point and in it's own way is rather humorous. It shows that a piece of artwork does not have to be complex in order to make a statement and have an effect on the audience of the piece. As Shrigley describes his work, this piece  "communicates as simply and directly as possible"
My favourite piece of Deller's work is this piece:

I particularly like the 3D film, "Exodus" as it was interesting, memorable and captivating for the audience of the piece. This was an unusual take on what is usually presented in an art and I think that Deller's approach to it was an effective one, the piece left people wondering what the meaning behind it was and many visiters to the gallery were interacting with one another and talking about what the film could represent.

My least favourite piece of work by Shrigley is this piece: 

I didn't particularly care for the dead, taxidermy animals around the gallery. The "I'm dead" comment was humorous, however I didn't like the use of the dead animals in the piece. The piece itself is a perfect example of Shrigley's unique style of work but I personally didn't care for the use of taxidermy, but that is just my personal opinion.
My least favourite piece of Deller's work is this piece:

I didn't overly care for this piece of work as I couldn't see the point in it really, although the free tea was enjoyable, I didn't fully understand how this piece fitted with the rest of Deller's gallery, I have researched and still don't completely get it. I would probably prefer this piece more if I could see a point in it.

Overall, I really enjoyed the exhibition. I was inspired by much of the work and I found the tasks we had to complete particularly interesting as they allowed me to involve myself with the artwork surrounding me and gave me the chance to immerse myself in the artist's exhibitions and gain a deeper understanding, interest and inspiration of the pieces than I would have done simply walking around and looking at them. 
This exhibition was relevant to the exam theme of "Combinations and alliances" as the two artist's work complemented each other in their quirky yet meaningful style however they also had an interesting contrast of techniques. 

Ana Serrano analysis

This is a piece by the artist Ana Serrano, it is a Doughnut shop front made out of card and paper as well as having a photographic element to it as well. I really like how the artist has tried to capture an object from life and recreate it in a smaller scale. The photographs on the windows give the illusion that there is actually an inside to this shop  and makes it look more realistic and like an actual scene from life. This piece has a very handmade feel to it, you can tell that each piece has been cut out and stuck together by hand and the sign upon the roof which says "fresh donuts open all night" is written by hand. It's obvious that a lot of care and effort has been put into this piece of work as each small section of this piece has been made separately and arranged/stuck together to form the finished product. I am not certain whether this doughnut shop really exists or whether the artist created the design of the shop herself for the sole purpose of creating this piece. This piece could inspire me to create something similar during my exam, I am particularly inspired by the mixture of paper construction elements and photographic elements.

Analysis of Staples Sydney opera house installation

This piece has been created by Staples and is of the Sydney opera house, it is made up entirely of stationary. I really like this piece as it is very bright and eye-catching which makes it memorable, what also makes it a memorable piece is that it is created using such interesting and unusual materials. I particularly like the use of the blue post-it notes for the ocean and the sky as although they are very flat two-dimensional objects, they are layered in a way that gives the illusion of three-dimensions and depth to the piece. The use of colour is very good, I like how bright and bold the colours are, it gives this piece a happy, lively feel. The brightness of the colours and use of warm tones within this piece symbolise the warm, sunny weather of Australia and brings the piece to life as by looking at it you can almost feel the hotness of the scene radiating from the installation. A variety of techniques have been used in order to create this final effect, the broad range of materials and techniques really work well together and complement each other in an interesting way. This piece of work shows the creative side of stationary and proves that even mundane, every-day objects can be manipulated and put together to form something beautiful, complex and artistic. This piece is definitely an inspiration, I particularly like the way the bridge has been constructed from bull dog clips and other small solid objects that wouldn't normally be used in this way. I would love to have a go at creating a similar piece using other every-day objects or even experiment with stationary just like the artist has here.