Wax Work

Artist's Statement

I initially began my project ‘To Sense My Space’ with the aim of dealing with sound in space and investigate how sound alone affects space. I started to record the daily sounds I could hear and soon after introduced colour into my project. This project was thoroughly enjoyable and took me on a journey. Research proved to be vital and gave me great ideas. Surprisingly, I began dealing with synaesthesia and associated different colours with different spaces I would be in. This then brought me to look at psycho geography and map art. For the final few weeks I have concentrated on maps of my space, which are mainly maps of Limerick. I have enjoyed experimenting with different media, especially ink and wax. I have learned many new skills from this project and it has introduced me into the world of art.

Sketchbook Work

My Studio

My Work

Here is some of my most recent work which include monoprints. I have spent a lot of time doing prints as I really enjoy printmaking and the atmosphere within the Print Room. I also like to make adjustments to my work - changing the colour and contrast- through the use of photocopying.

Limerick City Gallery

I came across this art work while visiting the gallery. I like how the artist Deirdre O' Mahony used mixed media. This relates to my own work as I feel it looks like a map.

Limerick City Gallery

Today I visited Limerick City Gallery with my studio to see Alan Phelan's exhibition "Fragile Absolutes Part 3". While I appreciate his work I find his concepts difficult to grasp. However, I did find some of his work quite humorous!

Recent Work

My recent work was inspired by artists Clodagh Emoe and Mel Chin.

Mel Chin 'Render' 2003

Clodagh Emoe 'The Approach' 2006

broken leaves and burnt paper

Artist - Russell Crotty

While carrying out research I came across an artist called Russell Crotty. For over 25 years Crotty has created and exhibited a large body of art works manifested in globes, drawings and books.

I find Crotty's landscape work most appealing. His observations of the natural and man-made world relate to small yet momentous moments: wandering mountains, climbing rocks, and trees, treks down backroads of bucolic ranch lands or journeys to extraordinary spots along the coast.

Ceramics Workshop with Kieran Whitelaw

Print Workshop

Today I tried printmaking for the first time! I was delighted with how my prints turned out. I did a wood cutting of a map of Grove Island and used a variety of inks to record the different colours I associate with my space. I experimented and twisted the wood block to add complexity to my prints.

My Wall 

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'Pretty Ugly'

Today I visited Limerick Printmakers Studio & Gallery to see Emilie Doyle's print exhibition 'Pretty Ugly'. I found it very impressive and I learnt a lot about print making by going on the opening night. Each year Limerick Printmakers award a BA Degree Graduate from the Printmaking Department at Limerick School of Art and Design a Bursary Award in the form of a year’s membership and a solo exhibition at the end of that year. Emilie is the Bursary Award Winner of 2011/2012.

Doyle’s work is a study of the dull and unsightly views which characterise daily life. Her works consist of monographs, wire sculptures but mainly consists of collographs, the gestural and textural marks that are achieved through this discipline creating a free and flowing quality in the prints that contrast interestingly with the stark hardness of her subjects in reality. She gets inspiration from the contrast between the initial dislike such images cause and the subsequent visual fascination that deeper study can instill. The artist wishes to challenge acknowledged perceptions of beauty by manipulating these everyday scenes into something people would find worth looking at.
The artist’s work is displayed in an unpretentious manner. Her pieces seemed to be mounted on torn or corrugated cardboard or paper. From what I could see, there was an incomplete quality to Doyle’s work that you would either like or hate. I liked this element of her exhibition; it added a sort of quirkiness to it. There is a certain delicacy present in her work. She depicts dark, almost sinister, images in the likes of ‘Dead Crow’, ‘Street’ and ‘Walking the Land’ but somehow manages to give them a faint touch of beauty. The title of Doyle’s exhibition ‘Pretty Ugly’ therefore perfectly describes her work in two words.
My favourite works were surprisingly the smaller ones. I felt they had more of an impact on me, against the white background they really stood out. One of my favourite works is ‘The Yellow Door’simply because I love the perspective and colour contrast of the yellow door against the dull background.

'The Yellow Door'

'Walking The Land'

'The Turquoise Door'

Combining Media

Colours I associate with Clare Street.

My Studio

Our studio is beginning to look full and colourful. Everyone's wall is becoming more and more interesting each week. Here is some of my recent work in my studio. By laminating thread to depict the journeys I make within my space and other specific materials, I made this installation and hung it from the ceiling of my studio.

Artist - David Hurrell

I have been studying different types of maps over the past couple of days. While researching different artists I came across John Hurrell, an artist from New Zealand. Hurrell has made a series of works on single maps, blacking out everything but the lines indicating urban park pathways. I find his work fascinating and it gave me more ideas on where to go with my project.

Interesting photos I took on my way to college. 

Experimenting with wax

A map of my space! I painted my A2 drawing board with white paint. Once it was dry I melted layers of black wax onto it. I then scraped and cut into the wax to make my map.

^^ My Wall. I've been collecting different objects I find on my way to college every morning.

Martin R. Baeyens is an artist who incorporates maps and road markings into his work. His book really helped me in my research. This is one of my favourite graphics.
Winning in the new world
computer aided design
2010

Experimenting with wire, quite happy with the result! :)

Kathy Prendergast sees the body as a land mass. Here are some of  my favourites.

Statement

I feel that my project is beginning to take shape and is beginning to take a different direction. I now see 'my space' as a map. I find map making enjoyable and interesting and am happy to continue experimenting with maps as part of my project.

Sketch book Work

I considered looking at my space as a musical instrument.

I decided to sketch out maps of my space - my daily route to college. This makes me more aware of my space, the different sounds I hear and the colours I see within my space. This is a line drawing of my walk to college, without looking at my sketchbook! It turned out to look quite similar to Kathy Prendergast's work. Kathy uses maps in her artwork, sometimes associating it with the human body.

Some of my sketchbook work, recording the impact of colour in a space. This reminds me of Kandinsky's work.

I have also been exploring colour and how it affects my space. I quite like the idea of combining sound and colour together, Here is some of my recent work..

I have been exploring sounds in space. I've been recording the different sounds I hear daily in various spaces. These sounds include the beeping traffic lights, the busy city, footsteps in the college, doors creaking and banging and so on. I find David Byrne's installation 'Playing the Building' fascinating and it greatly appeals to me and my ideas

A pin in a haystack!!!

I've just put down my first week in Art college, I love it! There is a lovely atmosphere within the college, everyone is so friendly. On Monday we received our First Semester Brief 'to sense my space' Eeeeeeek!!! :O I felt rather over whelmed at the thoughts of it, just like the other 214 First Year students felt, I hope! I imagined myself as a pin lost in a big space, like a haystack (the haystack a metaphor being for the college!) That's when the ideas began to flow. My mind began to buzz as I realised how open and broad this brief was. There is no right or wrong answer... the links given to us   along with the brief were very helpful. The link attached is my favourite. Moving, deep and ambiguous, it taught me that sound plays a huge role in sensing space.

Statement

My plan is to concentrate on sounds and how sound alone affects the space we are in. I am recording the different sounds I hear everyday, the sounds I hear in different spaces.
I have also been videoing and taking pictures of my space. I want these sounds, pictures and videos to reflect my personality.