Bet of the Degree Shows 2012, Six Foot Gallery, Glasgow

This show opened of the 19th July and runs until 16th August. The show includes various recent graduates from the different art schools across Scotland. The gallery is located in the Pentagon Business Centre on the ground floor, 36 Washington Street, Glasgow. It's not far from Central Station so it's nice and easy to get to as well! The photos below are from earlier in the week when I was setting my space up, felt like Degree Show set up all over again! 

        

        

       

       

www.sixfootgallery.com

Crail Festival Art Exhibition 2012

I was very fortunate to be invited to be part of this great annual exhibition! I have made new smaller work for this show, there are three framed and five unframed available. There are also scarves handkerchiefs and some photographs available also. The show looks amazing and is full to the brim with lovely works from lots of of different artists and crafters, it's definitely worth a visit. 

Crail Festival Art Exhibition 2012

   The towns festival runs from 18th - 28th July and has lots of things to do and see!

Updates

I feel I've not posted on here for ages, so much has been going on with finishing the degree show, moving out of my student flat and graduation I have not been giving this blog enough of my time!

Although the Degree Show is over I'm still going to continue putting up different works in progress, finished works, exhibitions, friends exhibitions up on here for you all to see. 

Lots of exciting things are going to happen in the next few months including a couple possible exhibitions in July! I'll be sure to post the details on here!

Bye Bye Degree Show

That's the Degree Show over now, it was a brilliant week and met lots of really interesting people. A big thankyou to everyone who came along to the show! I hope you had a great time seeing it as we had a such great time putting it on! Some of the work has now sold, but if anyone has any questions about the work commissions or whether a piece is still available please send me an email and i'll get back to you as soon as I can. Delivering a few of the sold pieces this week! Great excuse for a day out or two!

(Painting in the bottom photo painted by fellow Duncan of Jordanstone fine artist, Kay Macphail, www.kemacphail.blogspot.co.uk/)

Silk Scarves

One of my unique silk scarves bought by the beautiful Sarah Millar! If you are interested in one of the designs featured in the show feel free to email me and i'll let you know whether or not they are still available. If anyone is interested in commissioning a scarf with a specific colour range just email me with your wishes and your contact details and i'll get back to you, I have a huge catalogue of images and will be able to fit all sorts of specifications!

Radiology Art Prize , 2012

I was delighted when I was informed on opening night that I had won the Radiology Art Prize, 2012 at this years Degree Show!

The two selected pieces will be in the permanent collection of the Radiology Department at Ninewells Hospital, Dundee. The Radiology Department has held regular exhibitions for students of Fine Art and the Radiology Art Prize is now awarded annually at the Degree Show.

I am so grateful for this award and this opportunity!

One Day Left

Only one day left of the Degree Show 2012! If you haven't made it down already it's really worth seeing, there is such a brilliant range of work this year there is definitely something there for everyone. Come find my work in room 510 on floor five and help yourself to one of my lovely postcards! Not many left now. Opening hours: Sunday 27th May, 10 - 4.

(Photographs of Silks in Situ, on display at Degree Show 2012)

Elastic Creative

I was very fortunate to have been featured on Elastic Creatives blog review of the Duncan of Jordanstone Degree Show. Elastic Creative are a creative agency specialising in brand development and application to web, print, advertising, exhibitions and packaging. They have a brilliant website and the blog is really interesting. Definitely worth having a wee read!

http://www.elasticcreative.co.uk/news-blog/elastic-news/djcad-degree-show-2012-part-1

Silk Scarves and Handkerchiefs

These one off silk scarves (£50) and silk handkerchiefs (£10) are available to buy at the show, there are four different designs of scarves available and all the handkerchiefs are one offs. If you have seen one at the show you are interested in feel free to send me an email with your inquiry. I am also happy to accept commissions if you have something particular in mind, I have a massive catalogue of images to work from and make you something perfect to your needs.

Website Issues

The website should be up and running any moment now,  their have been a few technical problems but my designer is trying to work them out and get the website up and running. Sorry for any inconvenience! If there is anything anyone wants to know about the work, prices, and availability of work please feel free to contact me via here just now or on my email, laurenpeebles@hotmail.co.uk.

Bonkers, Edinburgh and St Andrews

My lovely sponsors from Bonkers, St Andrews, came to the opening night of the show. Again a massive thankyou for their contribution to my show! 

www.bonkers.uk.com

Degree Show Opening Night

Degree Show opening night was such a success! Lots of people and some brilliant feedback! The show this year is great! Anyone who hasn't made it along yet should definitely try to get here this week, lot's of different types of work to suit everyone.

Website is coming!

Website is nearly up and running! It's looking brilliant so I'm very looking forward to seeing it all finished.

Duncan of Jordanstone Degree Show 2012 Catalogue

Work for the assessment is now finished! All a waiting game now and some well deserved lazy days! 

The online catalogue is now available to look so go have a sneaky look at the talented students exhibiting this year. The catalogue features lots of different courses that will be exhibiting their work at the Degree Show this year. Looks like the show is going to be very good, very excited for opening night now! 

www.dundee.ac.uk/djcad/degreeshow/studentsexhibiting/fineart/laurenpeebles

Postcards and Business Cards

It is preparation time now in the run up to the Degree Show. This is the image that is going to feature on my business cards and postcards that will be available to pick up at the show. 

Frames

This week has been all about making nine 3x4ft frames which my silk pieces will be displayed in. I have put a lot of thought into how it would be best to display the work, I want to maintain the fluidity of the fabric but still want to display the work in a way fitting for something precious and luxurious. The idea with the frames is that the silk will be attached at the top securely but then be left to hang down in the frame so that the quality of the fabric will still be noticeable. The glass frames add a protective and formal quality to the work. The frames and backing board however will be painted the same colour so don't detract from the silk hangings.

Ullapool 2012

Can't believe this trip has come so soon! I have planned for months to take the finished pieces back to the highlands where I collected the initial imagery for the works. The aim of this was to take a collection of photographs that will be presented alongside my finished works at the Degree Show in May. These photographs will add some context to the collection of work. Here are a few images of locations from the trip and also preparing the work around the rocks for the photographs.

Symbols and Symbolism Exhibition

Symbols and Symbolism, Lower Foyer Gallery, March 2012, was a very successful exhibition curated by Sofia Khan and Kerry Lindsell, two final year Fine Art students at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design. The exhibition included many artists from different disciplines throughout the art school. One of my pieces was included in this show. 

I received a lot of positive feedback from showing my work at this event so I am very pleased to have been able to exhibit. It has also forwarded my planning for display and framing for the upcoming degree show. The print was pinned straight onto the wall, and I enjoyed how close people were getting to the work to explore the huge amount of detail included in it. What I was interested in as well was that people were not only looking closely at it from an aesthetic view but also to understand the fluidity of the piece through the use of the silk fabric. This is something I am considering for the degree show, how to maintain the loose flowing quality of the fabric with it still having a certain amount of formality and protection and luxury.

Stitch and Stitch and Stitch

The long process of stitching into areas of each of the pieces has started. It is very detailed work so is very time consuming but can't be rushed. Distractions are proving to be easy to find, but must concentrate, not long to go now!

 

Progress

I now have seven silks ready for stitch, since getting the silks back from the printers they have been worked on with a huge range of media including inks, watercolours, pencil, graphite and charcoal. 

Very happy with how they are working out. Here are a few that will now be stitched into in preparation for assessments and degree show!

Sponsorship!

I am very fortunate to have received sponsorship towards my degree show from Bonkers Original Gifts. This a a fabulous shop and I am so thankful for their help. 

Bonkers has two shops in Scotland, one in St Andrews and the other in Edinburgh. Check out their website for brilliant gift ideas!

http://www.bonkers.uk.com/

New Silks

I am very excited to get my new silks back from the printer to start working on!

Images for Silk Printing

These images were collected in the Highlands in the Knocken Crag area in Assynt. This area has some of the oldest rocks in the UK which made it a perfect area to research my subject matter. The mountainous environment also meant the lichens I was photographing were very different in colour and shape from the coastal location photographs I had been taking previously.

   

   

These are some of the images I have recently got printed onto silk. The problem is when taking the photographs you lose a certain amount of that vibrancy and colour this is what I tried to add back to the photographs through photoshop while keeping the images as accurate to the original sources as possible.

These silks are now ready to be worked into. Each print is very different so the way I react and work on each piece is different as well. I will be working on top of these with a range of media, including inks, screen-prints, stitching, charcoal and graphite. 

Fourth Year Statement/Brief

The focus of my work is the unnoticed. It concentrates on the natural world, the beauty of pattern and colours that are found in rocks and lichens and that often go unnoticed. The hues and vibrancy are a constant in the world around us and although they filter into our everyday lives we often fail to appreciate them.

I am intrigued by the surfaces I am looking at due to their vibrant colours and striking natural patterns.  The work concentrates on converting hard lichen covered rock surfaces on to a soft, fluid surface by printing onto silk. The intention when printing onto silk is to add a level of luxury to the pieces.  This is something that is not associated with the initial harsh subject matter.  This juxtaposition leaves the viewer fascinated as to the relationship between the harsh natural object and the soft silk fabric.

Once completing the silks I intend to take them back to their original environment and to photograph them in this landscape. The contrast of these exaggerated natural soft images against the harsh landscape will demonstrate what the silks represent.

Sources of Inspiration

Continuing on with this initial interest I gathered other images that I found helpful to my practice, looking in many different sources including magazines, blogs and other artists. I was looking for something that was colourful and interesting and that had more to it than just being aesthetically pleasing. 

The images I was interested in most were the ones that featured natural imagery in an interesting way. Patterns colours and vibrancy are really strong in these pieces. The Christopher Kane Galaxy prints were some of my favourite images I found, I then started looking at photographs of the Northern Lights and other natural occurrences for more inspiration. My subject matter is obviously very different to these images but I felt it was definitely transferable to bring across the aspects I found interesting in these to my own work.