Lots of Random Wholesomeness

Friday Face

So I tried to do one of my faces in material, and just couldn't get it to work. Ok, this is a really quick example of why, but it all just looked too homespun.

 However I cut/applied the material, I just couldn't get it to look anything like as lovely as my dog (below) by Bryony Jennings. I think what makes her work so fantastic is partly the linen and large floral prints she uses - where she cuts out and applies individual flowers etc as part of her work.

So, I then moved on to my first rose covered face. It might not be high art, but I liked it! And it's interesting how it was given more 'edge' once I'd added the rose thorns - carefully, but still painfully picked from one of my bushes at home.

 Another great example of 'less being more'

The finished face.

 If art is about creating a reaction in people, I think this will work really well once I've added the Kahlil Gibran quote around the face:

     The optimist sees the rose and not its thorns; the pessimist stares at the thorns, oblivious to the rose.

People might then consider whether they noticed the thorns or the roses (or the face) first. Ok, lightweight fine art, but still carrying a bit of meaning.

Weekend Sightseeing

The weekend involved a trip to Exeter, where I saw some great art: a lot of it on the streets. I loved this sculpture of a woman placed in Exeter Cathedral (which was also wonderful). If the pain of the contortion of her legs has anything akin with the pain of childbirth/piles/breastfeeding, then, yep, this little lady is laden with understanding and empathy:

There were also some fantastic Harvest Festival displays decorating the Cathedral, done by the Young Farmers. In all the experience was really uplifting (especially as the nice man let us off having to pay £5 to come in. A bit steep, I thought).

Next. If only I'd seen these earlier, i could have nicked the idea! They were in the window of a knitting shop, and are an Exeter student's final year project. The faces are apparently morphed to represent an amalgamation of races, a bit like the Jeddersen project:

And finally, I absolutely loved the design of this cushion cover by Magpie Design. The simplicity, the colours, the depth. I'm thinking about applying it to a face, just because....

Or designing a kitchen around it.