Circles of Light

Sunday, 7 December 2014

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.)

Friday, 14 November 2014

Art Circle at St Annes Library...

Thursdays, 11 - 12.30 from 4th December

This hands-on, new initiative is for all abilities to "have a go" at making visual art.

We'll learn about how artists work and how to read artworks: we'll work in different scales: we'll work outside as well as inside: we'll make things as individuals and we'll make things together. We'll use words/text in our work and when we're more confident, we might exhibit what we have made. Most importantly, we'll develop our creativity and extend our ways of seeing.

Cost will be kept to a minimum and will cover materials. (approx. £2.50 - £4 per session) The first session is £2.50.

All welcome - if demand is high I'll organise more sessions.

with very best wishes

Christine