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The exhibition at John Jones has now finished and with it comes a trace of sadness but also many positive things to conclude this blog with. It has been fantastic in terms of feedback, I have had my first reviews, one from our very own editor Andrew Bryant which is rather amazing!

click the below link to read it.

www.a-n.co.uk/p/556131/

as well as on Spoonfed.co.uk

http://bit.ly/Projectionreview

Projection really did project me out there and project my work.

It made me start a blog through which I have met and had dialogue with a number of interesting people. For John Jones, the exhibition with all the blog feeding in created a buzz of excitement for them and there were a lot of positive comments from staff and visitors alike. Their enthusiasm and professionalism did not wane and I have grown very attached to them all.

I have since been preparing for the next group show I am in at PHOENIX BRIGHTON, with Louise Bristow , Peter Bobby, Rowena Easton, Mark Hewitt, Jane Ward, Rich Whitewhich opens next Friday for a preview, 4th September until 11th October .

Floor Plan explores buildings, architecture, and the physical, aesthetic, and psychological interactions between these structures, their inhabitants, and the surrounding communities. www.phoenixbrighton.org

We are going to be having a panel discussion on the 23rd September with Zoe Whitley, Curator of Contemporary Programmes at the V&A, around the central themes in the ‘Floor Plan’ exhibition, and in particular, the interrelationship between psychology and architecture which inspires further thoughts on the themes I am concerned with in my work.

There are several more exhibitions to go this year and each one teaches me something new and makes new connections. It is a joy ( sometimes laced with anxiety!)

And so now fellow travellers I leave you with wise words from Graham Crowley.

‘ Being an artist is a complex and demanding business…’

Ain’t that the truth

It turned out to be quite an amazing evening. A whirlwind of chatter! I think I spoke about my work for about 5 hours straight. In fact I got a rather lovely review, my very first one from Spoonfed. I am so excited I can barely sleep!

Assemblage at John Jones Project Space by: Claire_loves_jam

Assemblage is a ‘festival of contemporary makers’ pursuing the workshop’s commitment to thrusting emerging artists and unseen, contemporary art into the public arena. The project space lurks down a quiet lane near Finsbury Park tube station and strategically draped lanterns create an intimate, ambient atmosphere. It’s refreshingly unpretentious.

The star of the night has to be Rosalind Davis. Her exhibition of mixed media paintings in the Projection space reflects a fascination with grotty and disused looking buildings which have an underlying importance to the communities they serve. The pieces fuse painting with collage and embroidery and invite closer inspection to see where cotton ends and acrylic begins.

The idea here is that the tessellated canvas explores equally complex themes enshrined within the structures they are based upon. Often the buildings painted are taken from areas of serious social deprivation and are supposed to represent the lifeblood of their surrounding communities.

From a distance broad, bold brush strokes used to depict neglected buildings contrast with delicate, floral print backgrounds but a closer look reveals meticulous detail. Each individual stitch masquerades as a streak of paint which at times can look a little chaotic – something I’m told is meant to emphasise the fragility of the structures captured on canvas. It’s a bit like art nouveau; the deeper you delve into the image the more attention to detail you find. My eyes are sore.

Despite their vivid and bright tones, I still find the paintings very foreboding. Whether or not they’re successful in portraying ‘melancholy dystopian landscapes that explore human experience and identity’ I would certainly recommend checking out Ms Davis’ work.

http://www.spoonfed.co.uk/spooners/claire_loves_jam-2366/assemblage-at-john-jones-project-space-1306/

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John Jones. Projection Space and the future

Rosalind Davis