Ursula von Rydingsvard

Wonderful exhibition at the Yorkshire Sculpture Park.
She uses commercially cut lengths of timber, and builds them up organically to make sculptures. The above 'mama, build me a fence' is lengths of cedar leaning against a wall. The wood has been cut, and drawn upon by graphite and chalk. 

 'Hemorrhaging Cedar', above, is a cast made from abaca paper (which comes form a rare species of banana). Von Rydingsvard makes a cedar-wood relief, then creates a cast. Hanging on the walls of the Underground Gallery, it looked like cloth; below is a photo of the cast, close-up.

A knitted coverlet, made by the artist's mother. Exhibited at the YSP. A connection to Von Rydingsvard's interest in the domestic world of women, and the peasant background she came from. There was a collection of farming, and domestic implements on show; objects she's collected over time. I loved this exhibition. A mix of grand gestures, massive sculptures, and smaller drawings. Showing a fascinating mix of materials (stitched cow's stomach, anyone?) and techniques. The exhibition's on until January 2015, so I'll be sure to visit again. It has depth, and layers which I think will lend itself to many visits. 

sketch book

A couple of weeks ago, I visited the Yorkshire Sculpture Park to catch the final few days of the 'FABRIC-ATION' exhibition by Yinka Shonibare MBE.
The textiles he uses are brightly coloured and made into items of clothing often worn by headless figures.
Patterns printed on the fabric relate to the idea behind each figure. A figure given the title of 'Air' had the patterns of birds printed on the fabric, similar to the sketch above. On her head, was a weather-vane, its arrow topped by the metal die-cut owl landing to catch the mouse.
The story of the fabric is fascinating; Shonibare first became aware of it in Brixton Market, and it's lineage
' was fantastically rich in meaning and metaphor, as the wax-resist batik cloth originated in Indonesia but was copied and manufactured in Holland and Manchester and sold to the African market. Hence the material exemplifies trade routes and legacies of a colonial past.'
The fabric was gorgeous; vividly coloured, and with complex patterns. Shonibare uses layers and layers of them, in different items of clothing. To see such fabrics used in the formal outfits of an C18th footman, was laugh out loud funny! 
I had a lot to think about with this exhibition, not simply the ideas presented by Shonibare.
My work with textiles over the last few years has resulted in a narrowing of my palette; whereas once I would have splashed colour around in the way it is done on these fabrics. This has affected my paintings too; I'm not using as wide a range of colour as I used to. Here I was shown how effective the mass use of colour can be. Juxtaposition and contrast can create complexity; and also, joy. My friend Ann would've loved to see this exhibition.

Hand-Made

Last year, I worked with a group to create hand-made bags. They were quite simple tote bags. We didn't have the space or time to do anything more complicated than that.
This was the one I made; I usually like to make the 'thing' that is being created in a workshop, whether that be books or bags. It gives me the opportunity to show different techniques, and use my object, as the 'sample'. After we'd made, and pinned the basic shapes of the bags, some people took theirs home to complete. Others, who didn't have access to sewing machines, gave them to me, and I sewed them all together.


I had a white cotton canvas tote bag, which I took home, and in typical artist fashion, painted! I was inspired by Peter Randall-Page's sculptures from an earlier exhibition at the YSP.   

Yorkshire Sculpture Park - MIRO

Off to visit the YSP last Tuesday, to see the big Miro exhibition on there. I liked some of the work in the Underground Gallery. The large black bronzes (tautology?) outside were too solid and...well, black, for me!

But there was a lovely quote from 1959, on the wall of the Underground Gallery which I thought worth repeating. Particularly as the grounds of the Sculpture Park could be regarded as a massive garden.......

  'I think of my studio as a vegetable garden. Here, there are artichokes. Over there, potatoes. The leaves have to be cut so the vegetables can grow. At a certain moment, you must prune. I work like a gardener or a wine grower.

Everything takes time. My vocabulary of forms, for example, did not come to me all at once. It formulated itself almost in spite of me. Things follow their natural course. They grow. They ripen. You have to graft. You have to water, as you do for lettuce. Things ripen in my mind. In addition, I always work on a great many things at once. And even in different areas: painting, etching, lithography, sculpture, ceramics.'

The River Dearne; birches; blackthorn in bloom; all signs of spring on the way. The land beginning to awaken, open, and push us into the coming season.

Reminding me, I too need to get my gardening gloves on, and begin the work of planting, and tending. 

And remember, 'Everything takes time.'