I was able to go back to the homeland this March to see some friends for a drink and a natter after 2 years, as well as return to the forestry that I never get tired of. It was a different atmosphere this time of year compared to the usual crispy frost written landscape with the weather calling for an unusual balmy trek with the sun shining throughout.
A third set of filament shapes and form in response to Naum Gabo’s – Linear Construction No.2. It is hard not to compare Gabo’s stream of lines and curves to some thing organically formed like the bizzare growing of a certain jelly ear mushroom (Auricularia auricula-judae) or the rimmed Turkey tail (Trametes versicolor)
A second crop of altered CGI renders consisting of filaments of fabric for this weeks Naum Gabo Kick About on Red’s Kingdom. One thing so compelling about Gabo’s vessels is the amount of depth in relation to how transparent and delicate certain parts are. You can always feel where the fingers of this craftsman spent the most time making and altering. With my own stream of offerings, things turned up a notch when I started to duplicate the shapes on top of each other, tinkering with its blending of counterparts to provide the depth that I craved.
This weeks Kick About of creative outputs from artists of all stripes is the sculptural work of Naum Gabo – Linear Construction No.2. I have never seen Gabo’s structural filaments before but the meandering weaves of fabric intertwined into curves provides such depth and movement I was fascinated by the displays. I tried to emanate the same flow of fabric with a disused project that otherwise would never see the light of day. These CGI rendered materials – originally hats, were warped, blended and mended back together in light of Gabo’s intricate meshes. I created a bunch more models of peculiar looking shapes for this prompt but not particularly liking how the material looked on those offerings – as getting those delicate weaves of fabric through to the renders provide difficult, I decided to only use a couple of those shapes and instead rely on injecting some life in a otherwise dead project.
The final set of bubbling biospheres and twinkling nebulas all created within the confines of a bell jar and a generous heap of household ingredients. These images look impressive in comparison to the grotty unglamorous nature of which they were produced, but curiosity and experimentation proved to be the winning ingredients. I shall be sharing some behind the scenes shots of what went into the making of these cosmic liquids in due course.
This weeks kick about over on Red’s Kingdom is the colourful compositions, shapely design and bold typography of Saul Bass. Bass’s graphically designed posters and iconic title sequences are utterly transfixing and I wanted to create illustrations in relation to a series that grasps me just as much. The Handsmaid’s Tale is a dystopian series revolving around the roles of woman in a new male dominated world order. The series is directed by Liz Garbus and is based on the 1985 novel of the same name by Margaret Atwood. The series uses colour and composition in such a visceral way to represent the emotions of the characters, cooling teals and burning reds make up a lot of the series compositions and are splashed alongside more sterile colours, always making for such a striking difference and oozing with ominosity. I made some illustrations revolving around that colour palette and adding some of the phrases frequently used. I think illustrations can be very intriguing when you try take away all the unnecessary stuff and boil the composition down to its core so that it is still completely understandable. Doing illustrations like Saul Bass is tricky as although Bass’s impressive catalogue might look simple, it is hard to know how to get something up to the point so that it looks “right” and although I think my efforts could be better, it was still enjoyable – especially when something clicked and brought it closer to the desired result.••
Another batch of miniature colour infused concoctions, all photographed from the confines of a simple bell jar. Sometimes I would attempt to capture the reaction of ingredients as soon as it occurred, although it was fairly violent and fizzed furiously it was at times difficult for my camera to keep up, but sporadically the results were entrancing. The little bubbles brimming to the surface occurs when the reaction slowed down a bit – I like those results a lot, and the fact that I was able to manipulate the colours to my will meant that it felt like I was embodying the scaly skin of some retile attempting to camouflage itself into its surroundings.
A sixth offering of photographs from a method combining household fluids and powders in a jar and showcasing the results through the lens of my camera. It is hard to choose a favourite from these photos as I have a substantial amount that yet have to be shared and many more that didn’t make the cut, but if I had to choose one I think it would be the topmost image – I have always adored the cooling colours of teal against scorching reds and how this particular image fades into the darkness.
Another set of miniature nebulas created with ingredients stashed away in my cupboards. This process of creating something out of nothing is what I felt special about the kick about – there is always something otherworldly to be found in the mundane.
A fourth collection of bubbles, froth, fizz and many colours for this weeks kick about prompt. What was so enjoyable about this process is no one image is the same and because of that I spent hours manefesting these miniature milkyways. Tilting a light, changing the lights colour, adding a splash of vinegar, or giving the mixture a swirl with a spoon created a whole new galaxy to discover
Gentle Giant 