I'm currently taking part in a group show with other members of Sheffield Printmakers at the Cooper Gallery in Barnsley. The title for the exhibition is Love and Devotion and our work will be exhibited alongside pieces of the same theme from the Gallery's permanent collection plus ceramics from the Red Ceramic Group.
The Cooper Gallery is a great little Gallery in the centre of Barnsley
and helps promote the work of local artists through their creative connections programme, offering exhibition space to local practicing artists groups such as Sheffield Printmakers and Red Ceramics. The exhibition runs until the 28th of February and once you've had a look around you can enjoy something delicious from the Impressions coffee lounge on site.
As well as the prints and images we are also exhibiting print plates and sketchbooks giving an insight into how the images are created and a suggestion of the processes involved. I developed some of the original artists proofs created during the process of developing I will wear my Brown Gown and Little Cock Robin into an artists book which I have also included in my Gallery submission.
The covers are made as Collagraph plates using textured pastes and found materials but I have then coloured and drawn into them with ink and mixed media before sealing with French Polish.
They are hand bound with a wrap around leather closure fitting and the book of proofs itself is constructed from a concertina group of cut and manipulated proof images.
The nursery rhymes and
fables my mother shared with me as a young girl when teaching me to read, and the
beautiful and magical fairy tale books of my childhood recently re-discovered
are the prime source of inspiration for this group of works; tales of castles,
knights, princesses, demons ,wizards, tall stories of love, devotion and often
tragedy. The final fatal blow dealt to little Cock Robin by the Sparrows arrow-
a misdirected shot at the Cuckoo who was causing ‘a rout’ at the wedding, is a
tragic ending to an otherwise happy tale
of love and devotion. Many parables
may be made with the brides blushing demeanour and the grooms wish to provide
her with every element of every finery possible and even, although thankfully not to
the same end, with the behaviour of some of the wedding guests at the Marriage
of Little Cock Robin and Jenny Wren.
Links for The Cooper Gallery:
http://www.cooper-gallery.com/
https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Cooper-Gallery/331408703599637
