Art Circle: Tate Britain & Consequences Christmas Trees...

We looked at some of Tate Britain's Christmas Trees made by contemporary artists and we had a go at making our own "consequences" versions.

Random results...

St Thomas's School Choir sang to us too.

"Peace on Earth" Fiona Banner 2007
tree and handmade, kit models of all the world's fighter aircraft

Later, in 2011 Fiona Banner brought two life-sized sculptures made from a decommissioned Sea Harrier and a Jaguar into the Tate making the terrifying into beautiful thought provoking pieces.

film to add context / comment by artist

"Harrier & Jaguar" Fiona Banner 2011
BAe Sea Harrier, paint, rigging

untitled, Lisa Milroy 1990
tree & painted baubles on canvases

Lisa Milroy's work around 1990 was about grouping beautifully painted, mostly everyday objects either on one large canvas or on individual smaller canvases.  This tree is unmistakable by Milroy.

Mark Wallinger 2003
aspen tree & rosaries

In Mark Wallinger's piece we're reminded of the birth and death of Jesus. 

The Rosary Beads are a guide to assist in prayer and meditation centring on the Virgin Mary, Mother of God; the tree is a reminder of the wood of the cross; and its sparseness, the loss to the world at the crucifixion. 

Christian or not it's a powerful reminder that life and death walk hand in hand.  

Art Circle: abstraction / composition

Henri Matisse was the starting point for today's session although we glanced at 

Jim Lambie, Jasper John and Mark Rothko too.

All art is an abstraction in some way:  our approach this morning was to find an accessible way - no right or wrong - just having a go.  

The excellent results are below.  Well done everyone!  

Matisse:  The Yellow Curtain, 1915 

Matisse:  The Sheaf 1953

Matisse:  The Snail 1953

Jim Lambie:  Fruit Market Edinburgh 1999       

Jasper John:  0 through 9 1960

Cutting and pasting using wallpaper, coloured paper and free magazines.

Cutting again if necessary, reorganising and finding the image by cropping.

Graham:  untitled

 

Richard:  festival

Angie:  untitled

                

Monica:  untitled

 

Monica:  untitled

Our last session this year is next week, 18th December.  

Art Circle returns 8th January 2015.

Want to have a go too?  

Come and join us.  Beginners, improvers and experts welcome...

Art Circle: Mr Turner & Back to Basics

To quote an artist who taught me a great deal especially how to draw, "It's a good start."  Hear this with a beautiful, broad Lancashire accent.

Indeed it was a good start.  The prospect of the circle is very exciting.  We've already shared ideas for the future including outings, sand sculpture, photography of found objects and a hands on approach to abstract art which we will touch on next week, 11th December.  We'll also look more closely at the work of James Turrell and more traditional abstract artists along with a contemporary one. 

The first session was about getting to know each other a little and sharing what Art Circle is and can be.  (An outline of this is on a separate page within this blog.)  We also tried different drawing media and different papers in a back to basics approach.  

The Turner Prize was discussed alongside "Mr Turner", the film which depicts the last 25 years of Turner's life.  This eccentric landscape painter shocked the art world with his work and his behaviour...  fab!

Your not too late to join us.  There are two more sessions before Christmas, 11th & 18th December then we return on 8th January.  

Art Circle:  Back to Basics

St Annes Library and its link to Carnegie Hall, New York

Andrew Carnegie was born in Dunfermline, Scotland, and emigrated to the United States with his very poor parents in 1848.  Carnegie started as a telegrapher and by the 1860s had investments in railroads, railroad sleeping cars, bridges and oil derricks.  He accumulated further wealth as a bond salesman raising money for American enterprise in Europe.  He built Pittsburgh's Carnegie Steel Company, which he sold in 1901 for $480 million (in 2014, $13.6 billion) creating the U.S. Steel Corporation.  Carnegie devoted the remainder of his life to large-scale philanthropy with special emphasis on local libraries, world peace, education and scientific research.  With the fortune he made from business, he built Carnegie Hall and founded the Carnegie Corporation of New York, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Carnegie Institution for Science, Carnegie Trust for the Universities of Scotland, Carnegie Hero Fund, Carnegie Mellon University and the Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh among others.  His life has often been referred to as a true "rags to riches" story.

A total of 2,509 Carnegie libraries were built between 1883 and 1929, St Annes Library was one of the public libraries built others included university library systems.  1,689 libraries were built in the United States, 660 in Britain and Ireland, 125 in Canada, and others in Australia, New Zealand, Serbia, the Caribbean, Mauritius, Malaysia and Fiji.

The foundation stone of St. Anne's Library was laid in August 1904 and the building was officially opened on 10 January 1906. The land was given by the St. Annes on the Sea Land and Building Company and Andrew Carnegie paid for the building.

(Information mostly gathered from Wikipedia.)