rockpool candy

Dubh opening

The 7th October was a beautiful day in NYC. And I couldn't believe how lucky I was to be walking across Central Park to the American Irish Historical Society on 5th Avenue to see my piece in a show. That building opposite is The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Now it's fair to say that we got a few strange looks.

Me in my lime green Doris Day dress.

And Andy in his clan tartan, fully kilted, especially in the hot sunshine (27C, in October, go figure).

But it was a wonderful night. Filled with talented craftspeople and many a compliment. Followed of course by tipsy giggles with friends being far too kind.

But truly, it was an honour. A privilige to be part of the show, to work with someone like Brian Kennedy again.

To have access to such an incredible building.

And to be given the opportunity to try and reflect the icon that is a Steinway Piano.

All photo credits, photographer, Ari Espay, 2011.

 

A weekend of witchery

 
There was a time that I would have been burned at the stake for my dalliances with burning and boiling stuff. Thank goodness for the 21st Century laws.

My porcelain birds for Elementals awaited their colours patiently.

Their firey pit burned in the autumn evening air.

They huddled warmly in the embers.

Helped by onlookers, I fanned their flames

'til they emerged

toasty warm. Everyone cossetted the hot little birds in their hands to keep off the chill.

And here they are.

A flock of little sparrows and dunnocks.

Fawn and cream,

brown and grey. I love them all.

Meanwhile, pots blasted - heating us against the falling rain.

Smoking us til we couldn't see.

The next day, Marilyn Carddell taught me to mushrooms dye.

Silk scarves fluttered into summery life.

Ethereal whisperings from woodland fungi.

Two seasons in one weekend.

 

Elementals Birds

A while back, MyTarpit and I had an idea that has since been gently brewing. 

I am often struck by how much grief and turmoil is poured into artwork by artists. I understand that this is all part of life - I've had my fair share of suffering. But I'm beginning to get worn down, when walking into a gallery, by being confronted by 'tortured souls, relationship breakdowns and grief heaped upon grief'. If I want to see this, I can watch the news or read the press. I'm not saying it shouldn't exist, just that all to often in life, we seem to forget to harness the deep joy and happiness that can pour forth from us so easily if we just let it. We are not sure if this is the first show of its kind, but already, it's beginning to expand into a big ball of hope and joy for everyone involved.

The Elementals Birds show launches on 23rd October.I'd like to share the idea with you in advance.

 

ELEMENTALS’: Is a very special experiment to see if artists, printmakers and craftspeople can physically embody feelings of peace, harmony and goodwill in their artwork and tangibly affect the environment in which it’s shown.

Definition: ‘Elementals’ - thoughts that once created, become attached to their creator and are fed by further thoughts and actions. Often referred to as an air of positivity or negativity; confidence or its lack; peace or disharmony.

Only professional artists with artistic integrity known and trusted by the creators of the project have been invited to participate, sending artwork from all over the world.

THE EXPERIMENT

Before they begin working on each piece, each and every time, our artists are asked sit quietly for 5 minutes, contemplating the peace, harmony and goodwill that they want to be embodied. Then they imagine those feelings coming down their arms and out of their fingers into the piece as they design and make it, releasing it to reside in the finished article.

DATES AND VENUES

PYRAMID ATLANTIC, Silver Spring, MD. USA. 26th September - 3rd October 2011

‘Elementals’ will kick off with a pre-show printmaking week. Andy (MyTarPit) and Inga (Rockpool Candy) will be artists in residence to work alongside some of the US printmakers taking part in the experiment. 

RICHARD F. BRUSH GALLERY, Canton, NY. USA 23rd October – 9th December 2011

Over 200 constructed Elemental birds will be installed in the gallery for the show. Andy and Inga will also each build a giant, scaled-up version of their own ‘Elementals’ sculptures in situ. Students in all areas of study will be invited to create ‘Elementals’ with paper, salt etch, ceramics, and textiles to be left around campus and the local towns. The aim is to creating a sculptural virus of well being around St Lawrence University.

R-SPACE GALLERY, Lisburn, Northern Ireland. UK dates tbc 2012

Currently, restoration work is taking place on this very exciting building. And we are proud to say that ‘Elementals’ will travel to this newly-refurbished, state of the art, 4-storey centre for excellence in crafts and art in 2012. 

WHAREPUKE PRINT STUDIO, New Zealand End 2012/Early 2013

Excitedly, it can also be announced that the show will go to NZ. This centre for excellence in nontoxic printing, owned by printmaker Mark Graver has a lovely gallery surrounded by extensive sub-tropical gardens for any pieces that might like to sit outside. 

   Visit our facebook page  to see the wealth of artists taking part.

Adventures in ceramics

Shh. Don't tell fibre, but I have a new beau.... ceramics.  We meet often, spend time being creative and surprising each other. 

It's led me to meet with other ceramics nuts in scrapyards.

The kind that know how to bodge a kiln together out of a shopping trolley and a steel drum.

And fire it to a temperature of 800 degrees C!

And then raku smoked in an old ammunitions box filled with woodchips donated from our woodturner mate's workshop floor.

Mmmmm cherrywood smoke.

It's like Christmas opening the box after half an hour to see what comes out.

The smoke deepens the crackle glaze cracks' colour beautifully.

Not a bad couple of hours' fun. (In case you're wondering what we do whilst we wait, we bbq at the same time - but not in the kiln.) None of the pots are mine. They belong to the throwers - a skill I'm trying to acquire.

But I am working on some porcelain birds for raku firing.

A whole flock in fact. They are for my Elementals Birds project - which I'll tell you all about next week.

Dubh - dialogues in black

I've been lucky enough to be invited to NYC!

The wonderful curator, Brian Kennedy working alongside STUDIOpractice, has gathered together artists and craftspeople from all over the US and Ireland for Dubh, a show at the American Irish Historical Society from 7th October - 14th November. You can read about the amazing Dubh line up. 

I've been asked to create a piece to sit, rug-like around The Society's stunning Steinway piano for the event. Now you know me, I'm Mrs Colour, so working just in black was a real challenge. But the more I looked, the more shades of black I came across.

I've embroidered black linen with wool and crocheted cabling into urchins. Dyed yarns and created porcelain scales.

Irish-crocheted ribbon and dyed silk cocoons to encrust astrakan.

Press moulded porcelain bones, grogged them with graffiti ink, and built one of my bone nests.

Crocheted video tape onto leatherette and used vintage haberdashery.

And finally added decadent ostrich feathers, satin and (mock) snake skin. I'm hoping this will reflect the piano's ultra-shiny surface.

Here's the final piece. I hope that it fits under the piano - working to the Steinway plans to create a piece on a different continent, then flying out and hoping it fits two nights before the opening is really rather nerve-wracking!

When livepaints go bad

Also titled - always step back and look at stuff from a distance.

Whitewash III took place recently. It seemed to be going so well.

The rubbed-back textured surface, the spray-painted lace, the handmade paper roses, the ribbon-tied branches, the paper bird. I was happy with the minute details.

but why-oh-why, did I not step back at the first stage?

My spray painting at the start was as ropey as an 80's espadrille. I let myself down badly. And in front of the public too. But I learnt a massive lesson. Don't get caught up in the tiny details without stepping back to take a look the bigger picture.

Luckily MyTarpit and Lee Boyd weren't making the same mistake beside me.

They were both on fire. Everyone was blown away.

To the other side was the amazing Chris Cunningham.

Organising the event was the ultra-talented Dermy. The man has magic art fingers.

For more Whitewash pics check out their facebook page.

And come to their next event!

 


 
 

QR - 3D project: Make, share and exhibit textile QR codes - as featured in Molly Makes Magazine

You know me - can't resist a chance to mix different craft techniques with a bit of science, so when my mate Sally asked me to make a piece for her QR-3D project, I jumped at the chance. 

QR codes are traditionally a two-dimensional device used by barcode readers and camera phones consisting of smaller black squares on a larger square white background. The information contained within usually directs code readers to a website, but can also be used to hide text messages or other information.

I chose to take the QR code for my blog, and that of MyTarPit, and just as we are joined in matrimony, joined them. Then used them in one layer of a four-colour separation screenprint on velvet. 

padded it.

And embellished it with vintage beads, stamens and buttons from the 40s and 50s.

The result was an edition of two headboards.

Each slightly different, entitled. Marital code: 1 and 2.

The project is open to public involvement.
Sally explains, “I hope people will be inspired to find out what QR codes are and what they do. I want to see how people experiment with different sorts of textiles to try and create QR codes that function and will direct people to a website. I’d love to see all sorts of people involved, those who love the internet and digital technology, or craft and making, people who just love pattern or secret codes, there are so many appealing things about it. It would be great to think that through this, more people will become familiar with how QR codes can magnify the power of the internet. For example, to help promote their small business, find other like minded makers, or be inspired to try something new.”

The project is open to everyone, people who make for fun or professionally. To get involved visit
www.qr-3d.weebly.com  Simply choose your website, turn it into a QR code (instructions are provided on the website) and recreate it with textiles. Then add it to the online gallery by July 31st. Full details of how to do this are on the website. A guest panel of craft and digital professionals will choose pieces from the online gallery to go into the exhibition held at Cornerhouse, Manchester, UK, in autumn 2011.

Expansion of My Soul - in pictures

An exploration of shadow, light and tension at the Turnpike Gallery, Leigh.

photos ©Mark Howard Photography/rockpoolcandy2011

 

 

The only way I could make this piece work was if I became the mannequin.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Film and Print

I opened my inbox to publicity galore this morning.

An interview I did a while ago has been featured in Knit Today. (I'll post a pic when I get hold of a copy.)

 

And a video of my talking about my work for Crafted Creatures has been posted on youtube. Can't watch for squirm factor, but you might like to.

Thankfully there's no pictorial evidence of my appearance on RTE's Elev8. Shaking like a leaf on children's TV anyone?

Crafted Creatures, The Ark, Dublin

 

opened last Monday.

For which, I'm lucky enough to have been invited to install my giant jellyfish smack over a cathedral-like drop of four floors.

Climb the spiral staircase past my fan corals.

Run your fingers through the tentacles of my pulsating Queen jellyfish

Stare down into wall anemones 

and shell forms,

clinging above plastic sea creatures nestled into the 1st and 3rd floor window spaces.

Dare you put your arm into the Wall Cave's ever-decreasing space?

Run up the stairs and peer through from the tiny hole at the back of the cave to see what's living down there....

Or lift the flap on one of the top-floor cabinets to see collected treasures from my studio.

Or down in the basement, you can torture yourself with a video loop of me talking about my inspiration.

But you know me. It's the quirky detail I love. So here are my fave bits...

the ghostly pillar jellyfish,

the basement jellyfish

and their fourth-floor friend. All of whom only come out at night.......