Easter Break & drawing at Fairhaven

Art Circle is taking a break over Easter and will return to Lytham & St Annes Libraries on 15th & 16th April respectively.

Weather permitting, there will be an Art Circle, drawing activity 

at Fairhaven Lake, FY8 1BD on 8th & 9th April...  more info soon.

Steve Messam:  Bubbles 2012  at Fairhaven Lake

Art Circle out & about over Easter, weather permitting...

Wednesday, 8th April and Thursday, 9th April

Weather permitting, Circles of Light - Fylde's mobile studio will pop-up at Fairhaven Lake.  All welcome.  Bring your own materials or borrow mine.  Depending on uptake a chair might be good too.

Cafe nearby for sustenance...

Watch this space for more info!

Books, so many possibilities...

One of the joys of Art Circle being based in St Annes and Lytham Libraries is that we are surrounded by books.  In preparation for the two local art festivals both groups have spent this week deconstructing, analysing and subsequently creating from these fabulous packages of information.

Title, author, publisher, ISBN, library code, genre symbol, price can all be starting points for an artwork and that's before we lift a knife.  Protective sleeve, dust jacket, back, front, spine (plus colourful strengthening tape), blurb and at last, the pages.  

We took a CSI cum archaeological approach to gathering all information and kept every part of the books along the way.  Backs were identified as potential drawing boards or cutting boards, spines became straight edges for drawing, plastic sleeves became storage pockets and the pages became material or supports.  

Like a pig, all parts of a book can be used...

The terminology of books is interesting too.  Many parts relate to our bodies; spine, back, appendix, index... again all potential starting points for an artwork.

I should say at this point, the books we used had been withdrawn from the libraries.  

The days of seeing books as something sacred began to change when printing became much more accessible and today when we can print anything in our own homes the printed word, although potentially still powerful in its message can be reproduced so easily.  Using books as an art material can be mind stretching and a lot of fun.   

Below are some works I found on line (apologies for not noting the makers) followed by our "have a go pieces".  We will be extending and developing our ideas after the Easter Break.

Do join us if you fancy having a go.
Lytham Library, Wednesdays & St Annes Library, Thursdays 
11 - 12.30pm
from 15th & 16th April respectively

analysing & deconstructing...

planning...

cutting...

sticking, WI project work too...

curling...

folding, cutting and populating... notice the figure through the window

binding...

folding...

rolling... 

reconstructing...  

remaking 1... 

2...

3...

& 4

building...

experimenting...

Well done everyone!

Fylde Feel-good Festival...

Thank you to those who stopped by:  it was lovely to see you.  
The festival was quieter than expected which gave us plenty of time to chat...

...something new for Lytham

Today, tomorrow & Sunday, 20, 21 & 22 March 

I will be at the Fylde Feel-Good Festival at Lytham Cricket Club.

If you're about, do come in to say Hi and have a go at making something.

Lots of things happening from mind, body & spirit stalls and talks to arts & crafts and artisan food.  

Friday & Saturday are late nights 'til 9pm with live music plus the club's bar is open all day with micro brewery beer on tap.

Entrance is only £3; free for under 16s with an adult.

Art Circle next week - deconstructing books...

... the starting point for our contribution to Lytham Arts Festival (4th - 11th July) and St Annes Music and Art Festival (18th - 26th July).

Interested?  Come along next Wednesday to Lytham Library or next Thursday to St Annes Library, 11 - 12.30.

Suitable for beginners, improvers and experts.

2B or charcoal with chalk and a duck...

I learn too when delivering Art Circle Sessions.

  

This time it was not to get too carried away by placing the still life objects near vertical wall panelling to assist drawing but to bring the objects closer to enable folks to see them better...

Even so, we had a lovely morning. 

Also, I'm really pleased not to have to choose a "star ..." as in The Great British Bake Off and The British Sewing Bee  - this week there would be six contenders.  As always, the process and learning is more important than the results but having said that, the results are very good too - well done everyone!

even with limited movement in her hands, Mabs' gentle drawing was beautiful

charcoal, chalk and a duck but not 2b...

Brilliant - well done!

conveying ideas through appropriated objects and text

To complete experimenting with assemblage and collage, this week we explored the power of text in art and how to diminish its impact and how to enhance it.

We found; 

• by covering the object completely in text, the words merged together and become a background.  
• Text is enhanced by adding words and phrases at a different angle to the background.  
• small amounts of colour or an image will stand out from the background text.

Sourcing or photocopying pertinent text to use as a background can emphasise the meaning without detracting from the additions.

Betty:

Angie:  unfinished

  

Monica:

Music is less ambiguous and therefore less subtle than text which makes the work more illustrative and perhaps slightly more craft than art but the results can still be compelling. 

Richard:

Well done everyone!

Next week we're working with still life.  

If you would like to join us, you would be very welcome.

inside & outside: colour, composition & contrasts

Interesting results this week...

The task was to depict an inside and an outside using colour, composition & contrasts. Initial thoughts on possible locations were shared and the following images were produced.  All the pieces were unfinished but each gives a sense of where everyone was going with the idea.

As with all Art Circle sessions the process was more important than output and as with all Art Circle sessions the ideas generated and the beginnings of compelling pieces endorsed this open ended approach. 

Eil:  from a cave

Jane:  from a hide

Jonti:  from a home

Mabs:  from a home

Ray:  from a villa

This blog wouldn't be complete without an apology - this time to Sue!  
Sue I'm so sorry, I missed yours...