Ideas

Firstly I became obsessed with Tourists in Rome. I HATE THEM! Life through a lens! horrid! Stupid! I felt like grabbing them by the shoulders and saying you are here now! touch! turn your phones and cameras off!

How is it we go to historiacle sites and just snap away as proof that we've been there? I spend the first time I visit somewhere looking up down and around then I snap away quickly focuing on what I find interesting like the clash of old and new, in some cases, the tourists themselves, there were masses of them in all the well known areas sucha s the Colosso and Trevi, but the Baths of Caricalla? Nope, 15 people inlcluding myself at most even though it's older than the Colloseum and bigger than the Forum. This has led to a faceless painting; a protest of my own about tradition, history and us pathetic people.

This experience has led to the inspiration of my project. The (Un)Touchables. I want to make people SEE and TOUCH history which has led me to another contrast, why don't we photograph new builds anymore? I for one have decided the new build infrount of the ADA is ugly and horrificly blocks my view of the Three Graces on the Waterfront. So now I want to build on that if you understand me. What use are we in documenting our personal lives is if we ignor aspects of day to day? surely it is better to stop and engrave emotion into the memory that snap a quick photo and say "look! I was there!" Raawwww! I can't describe how this nearly brings me to tears, such a passive society we live in, victims of our own evolution.

Anyway I've uploaded ideas involving this concept of (Un)Touch. Still In the works, descrptions follow the image.

Spring (Apple Blossoms)

Sir John Millais
The Death of Nelson

Benjamin West
Rome Day 1
Rome Day 2

These pen illustrations are an exercise of observation for myself, it hardly seemed fair to criticise the observation of everyone without testing my own by laying tracing paper in front of photos the drawing what I could see. From these I can see repeating the exercise allowed me to focus more on the task therefore the more I saw as I spent more time on them.
A page from my sketch book of the idea of repeating an image in various colours also the destruction of a vase to re-create a structure of significance.

A painting from a photograph of Rome. I am pleased with this as it is the first serious painting I have done in a while and I have purposely left the faces blank as a personal protest towards peoples lifestyle.
A photo of my area. Ideas and quotes I find interesting including Einstein and EH Gombrich. The train tickets are my hoard of Year 2 travelling, again because of my interest in technology and interest in travel. The blank areas represent lost tickets from day to day life, a sort of abstract way of putting across how I hate mundane tasks of getting to and from a place yet not being able the expense of staying put, then again, al those tickets cost a pretty penny.
Saggy Man. He is how I felt one day. No explanation. Just a representation of daily anger, depression and deep thought. (His head fell off, that's why he has masking tape all over him, though I quite like it.)

The Work for Year 3

I have always had a strong fascination with technology and art, over the summer I went to the Iron Bridge and was amazed by the structure and the town being speciffically built for the construction of the bridge. I highly reccomend people should visit this site if they are interested in industry, technology and social history. Robert Delauney's 'The Red Tower' comes to mind as a favourite representation of industrial triumph and evoulition in the "normality" of art.

By "normality" I mean that since chemicals and science lead to the invention of the first commerical camera in 1900, artist had to find other means of making their art desirable. This lead to art movements such as fauvism, dada and art deco as the creativity overtook the realisim for the desirability of art. It's basically the divide seen everyday walking by National Galleries and Modern Art Galleries; Pre and Post, BC and AD. Which reminds me, whilst in

Rome (little grin here) by the Colosseum, you can step on 1st Century BC Flags and 20th Centuary AD Pavement at the same time! how amazing is that!

Iron Bridge

Rome Photos

More Photos on Facebook, find me through 'Art Lids' on Facebook as well.

Also I've realised that people are passive to their surroundings in nearly every situation, you may not think it, but whilst on holiday, do you spend the week living through your camera lens? Then when you get home, do you really look at what pictures you've taken? Food for thought.

Over the Summer

Over the Summer the Art Lids Society was created in the Leaf Cafe on Bold street.

Insert description of Group

We have recently been involved in the Bold Street Festival on Saturday 24th September which was a huge success. We did a variety of live art workshops such as portraits, painting, installation and sculpture.

I did the sculpture workshop which was bombarded by children, I gave up serious sculpture making and said "make what you like, elephants seem to be popular."

It was great promoting ourselves as community artists being hands on with events, we even gathered enough donations to pay for the materials we bought for the event and spare cash to put towards a student led outing to whichever exhibition gets the most interest around England.

There is a Council led event happening in November as well and we have been invited to take over floor space in Clayton Square for the 'Alice in Wonderland' themed event. I'd like to incorporate this into my work.

More information on the Art Lids Facebook page, as well as gallery photographs.