Halima Cassell and Paul Scott at Blackwell and two exhibitions at Rheged.

Halima Cassells work was something quite new to me when I started the MA. I had started reading Ceramic Review and other sources before term started, so I knew who she was and had seen her work.

The exhibition was very well curated, and it was a pleasure on the eye, as was the lovely old building of Blackwell. This was actually my primary school!

This was November 2023, and the design and interesting features and muted clean colours really helped set of Cassell's work. Also you could see glimpses of the surrounding landscape through the windows. Obviously it felt like home to me, a safe space.

The bronzes were very nice. It is a good medium to set off the deep cuts and different faces of the sculpture shining in the light.

This was the floor of the cloakroom.

The clean white lines are beautiful. 'The white room' at Blackwell complemented her work well, though the pieces may have been displayed elsewhere nearby.

Evening light over Windermere. Lovely shadows in her work.

My piece for Stand....inspired by Halima's work. I wanted to do something new, that I hadn't seen before on ceramic, so I transcribed music - a Balkan folk song.

Something interesting I saw in the gift shop at Blackwell. It was the time for things inspired by the natural world in the MA.

I did visit Blackwell another time when Paul Scott had an exhibition there. I think it was the year before, but interesting to see another exhibition in the same surrondings. I did like the feng shui on the plates, the images on the plates are very strong, even though I am not a big fan of blue and white. Some more images of Blackwell.

Paul Scott's work. He prints on ceramics, quite often using decals. Printing is something I am getting interested in in my practice. I am looking forward to getting my first screens finished and put on my work.

Art Nouveau Tile

This William De Morgan vase was Anglo-Japanese pottery. It was also Art Noveau, so in keeping with Blackwell, and also a nod to a Japanese inspiration like the feng shui in Paul Scott's work

Art Nouveau celebrates elegant curves and long lines and is inspired by nature. Art Deco consists of sharp angles and geometrical shapes, inspired by things man made and industrial. We have made similar with these influences in the Stand and Deliver.

Rheged Exhibitions

The first exhibition was a postumous one, by the late Libby Edmondson. There were some bronzes of animals, but most of her work was 2D, in vibrant colour, which is her signature style. Both Susan Halls and Uclan Print, liked my use of colour in my drawings. This exhibition was a real inspiration to artists who are drawn to colour. The paintings were mostly of landscapes. They were all beautiful.

Changing seasons.

Seaside

The Souk

Versatile in mute colours as well.

3 D

Libby's Cheetahs (bronze). I like the long flexible bodies and the way their spots have been put on in relief.

My cheetah from South Lakes Safari Zoo. Drawn 05.05.24 by Thora.

Northern Artists Exhibition

This exhibition is very recent (May24)

This photo is particularly poignant for me, as my Grandfather ( Afi, meaning grandad ) was a Sea Captain. He also came down from the West Fjords with his family when he was young, in search of better pasture for the animals.

Photos from Siglufjordur last summer on my visit to Iceland. The West Fjords are a little further west. The roads are still quite basic and many partially or not tarmacked.

Another Cheetah.

A friend of mine is quite passionate about open air lidos. They are very common in Iceland, where they are a big social hub.

This lady who painted the horse obviously knew the anatomy well. I think she was a vet.

I chose to go to this exhibition because they were Northern Artists. We have had quite a few lectures from northern practitioners and part of my last essay highlighted northern art in its many forms.