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| Christmas card with paper wreath ©Fenfolio2016 |
Fen is my name in short and folio means "a sheet of any written or printed material".
Thursday, 22 December 2016
Merry Christmas
Friday, 16 December 2016
Art & Craft workshops
It has been a busy month with various workshops I organised for children and adults at the Woodend Barn.
Printmaking with children
Using foam sheets, some plastic drawing tools, printmaking ink, coloured paper and scraps of fabric the kids created some wonderful prints. It was fun, but really, really messy! Some kids were worried their hands were still blue the next morning when they had to go to school, haha. Luckily it's all waterbased!
Making your own fabric and paper wreath
In preparation for Christmas I decided to organise my first ever craft workshop. We made wreaths from scraps of fabric tied around a wired ring. The paper wreath was made by curling various strips of gift wrap paper, coloured paper and double-sided paper and pinned down onto a polystyrene ring. They loved it and thought it was very therapeutic.
Making Christmas baubles from fabric
Local art and crafts group Third Stage invited me to organise something Christmassy for them. I decided to have them create their own Christmas baubles from scraps of fabric. Almost every woman has some (or lots) scraps at home. It was great to see what they brought along. Just before the workshop I visited a few local charity shops and was very lucky to find some sparkly fabric that I added to our collection.
Once they measured the parts on the polystyrene ball, they cut out their pattern and the peices of fabric. With a scalpel sections were cut into and with a palette knife the pieces of fabric were pushed into the cuts. The baubles were then finished off with some ribbon and sequins. Easy, fun and beautiful results!
Printmaking with children
Using foam sheets, some plastic drawing tools, printmaking ink, coloured paper and scraps of fabric the kids created some wonderful prints. It was fun, but really, really messy! Some kids were worried their hands were still blue the next morning when they had to go to school, haha. Luckily it's all waterbased!
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| The printing station before the kids came ©Fenfolio2016 |
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| Drawing their design ©Fenfolio2016 |
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| The kids were very creative and productive ©Fenfolio2016 |
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| Inking up the foam sheet ©Fenfolio2016 |
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| Concentration! ©Fenfolio2016 |
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| Printmaking is a very, very messy job! ©Fenfolio2016 |
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| Cool designs printed on coloured paper and fabric ©Fenfolio2016 |
Making your own fabric and paper wreath
In preparation for Christmas I decided to organise my first ever craft workshop. We made wreaths from scraps of fabric tied around a wired ring. The paper wreath was made by curling various strips of gift wrap paper, coloured paper and double-sided paper and pinned down onto a polystyrene ring. They loved it and thought it was very therapeutic.
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| Cutting strips of fabric ©Fenfolio2016 |
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| They could choose to make a fabric or a paper wreath ©Fenfolio2016 |
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| Making piles of strips of fabric ©Fenfolio2016 |
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| Pinning down curled strips of papers ©Fenfolio2016 |
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| Tying the strips around the wired ring ©Fenfolio2016 |
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| Lots of different patterns ©Fenfolio2016 |
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| Curled wrapping paper ready to be pinned ©Fenfolio2016 |
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| Beautiful combination of colours and textures ©Fenfolio2016 |
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| Even old jeans were being used! ©Fenfolio2016 |
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| A beautiful paper wreath ©Fenfolio2016 |
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| Another beautiful paper wreath ©Fenfolio2016 |
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| Proud of their creations ©Fenfolio2016 |
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| My friend Dorothy found a different use for her unfinished wreath! ©Fenfolio2016 |
Making Christmas baubles from fabric
Local art and crafts group Third Stage invited me to organise something Christmassy for them. I decided to have them create their own Christmas baubles from scraps of fabric. Almost every woman has some (or lots) scraps at home. It was great to see what they brought along. Just before the workshop I visited a few local charity shops and was very lucky to find some sparkly fabric that I added to our collection.
Once they measured the parts on the polystyrene ball, they cut out their pattern and the peices of fabric. With a scalpel sections were cut into and with a palette knife the pieces of fabric were pushed into the cuts. The baubles were then finished off with some ribbon and sequins. Easy, fun and beautiful results!
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| First the sections were drawn on the ball ©Fenfolio2016 |
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| Then fabric was cut out with the use of a simple pattern ©Fenfolio2016 |
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| Everyone hard at work ©Fenfolio2016 |
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| Stunning handmade Christmas baubles in just 2 hours! ©Fenfolio2016 |
Wednesday, 23 November 2016
Heritage, Art & Pokémon Go in Oslo
At the end of the summer (I can't believe it's almost three months ago!) we visited Oslo for a few days. I was blown away by what this city has to offer. I have created this photo gallery because there were too many of them to put them all up individually. Below is more detailed information about what we have seen.
We started at Bygdøy Peninsula and visited the Kontiki Museum where Heyerdahl's balsa raft was displayed and the FRAM museum where the polar ship FRAM is shown. It was built in 1892 and is believed to be the world's strongest wooden ship and has sailed the furthest north and furthest south. It was used for three polar expeditions; Nansen (1893-1896), Sverdrup (1898-1902) and Admundsen (1910-1912). We also went to the Viking Museum where we were gobsmacked by the sights of the world's best preserved Viking ships and artefacts such as tools, handcarved cart and even well preserved fabrics!
At the National Museum of Contemporary Art I really enjoyed the conceptual artwork from Ilya Kabakov ("The Garbage Man") and "Humus Line" by Oddvar I.N. Daren and Lars Paalgard where sound and visuals were combined. The interior of the building was also stunning! The building used to be the headquarters of Norges Bank.
The National Museum for Architecture was in particular of interest to Jaap, especially when he saw he could design his own dream house with the building blocks!
From learning about Norwegian architecture in the museum, we then admired the architecture outside at The Opera House; this is truely a magnificient piece of design. Not only from the outside and from the roof where you can walk on and have amazing views over the city, but also indoors. The waterside restaurant there serves delicious food, Yes, it's expensive but so worth it!
With our Oslo Pass we could travel with any bus or tram in the city so we jumped on one going to Ekebergparken sculpture park. It has a wide selection of large sculptures in a beautiful setting. Art and nature work so well together!!
Even more impressive were the 212 sculptures of Vigeland in Frogner Park. Created in bronze, granite and cast iron, they seek to portray the essence and emotions of human life from the foetus to old age. At the centre of the collection is the "Monolith". Carved from a single block of granite and containing more than 120 figures, the 14 m high sculpture may represent the struggle for existence. Vigeland also designed the outline of the park and was meticulous in his details. He died in 1943. Although the park was incomplete, enough had been done to ensure that it is a faithful representation of his vision.
Along the fjord is Akershus Fortress and Castle. At the end of the 13th century Viking king Håkon V Magnusson decided that Oslo should have a fortress at the top of the fjord and he moved in, the first permanent royal residence in Oslo. The fortress grounds are rich in history and perfect for leisurely walks with great views over the city and fjord. There are even more sculptures to be seen here!
We finished our short city trip at Astrup Fearnley Museum of Modern Art. This beautiful building was designed by world renowned architect Renzo Piano and is located on the tip of Tjuvholmen, overlooking the fjord. The privately owned museum houses an extensive collection of Norwegian and international post-war art as well as changing exhibitions of Norwegian and international contemporary artists.
We saw the intriguing piece of Damien Hirst "Mother and Child (Divided)"; a cow and her calf were dissected and each put in a box of fluid with space in between to walk through. Another iconic piece in white and gold leaf porcelain was "Michael Jackson and Bubbles" by Jeff Koons.
But the artist I was most inspired by was Anselm Kiefer and in particular his sculpture "The High Priestess/Zweistromland". This work consists of 200 lead (!) books placed on two gigantic shelves separated by a four-metre high glass plate. Each book is unique and weighs between 100 and 300 kilos! The title contains several references. Zweistromland, the land between the two rivers Euphrates and Tigris, creates association to ancient Mesopotamia, the cradle of civilization, and the books bring to mind the library of Babylon. The High Priestess refers to a figure on a Tarot card, representing wisdom personified. Knowledge are preserved in books, but Kiefer's lead books preserves their content while at the same time makes it unavailable.
It was such a strong contrast to see us and other visitors admiring this beautiful building and all the artwork, whereas outside the majority of people we saw were youngsters and adults hypnotised by what's happening on their smartphone. It seemed this was a hotspot for Pokémon Go players!
Till next time, Norway...
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| Fram Museum ©Fenfolio2016 |
We started at Bygdøy Peninsula and visited the Kontiki Museum where Heyerdahl's balsa raft was displayed and the FRAM museum where the polar ship FRAM is shown. It was built in 1892 and is believed to be the world's strongest wooden ship and has sailed the furthest north and furthest south. It was used for three polar expeditions; Nansen (1893-1896), Sverdrup (1898-1902) and Admundsen (1910-1912). We also went to the Viking Museum where we were gobsmacked by the sights of the world's best preserved Viking ships and artefacts such as tools, handcarved cart and even well preserved fabrics!
At the National Museum of Contemporary Art I really enjoyed the conceptual artwork from Ilya Kabakov ("The Garbage Man") and "Humus Line" by Oddvar I.N. Daren and Lars Paalgard where sound and visuals were combined. The interior of the building was also stunning! The building used to be the headquarters of Norges Bank.
The National Museum for Architecture was in particular of interest to Jaap, especially when he saw he could design his own dream house with the building blocks!
From learning about Norwegian architecture in the museum, we then admired the architecture outside at The Opera House; this is truely a magnificient piece of design. Not only from the outside and from the roof where you can walk on and have amazing views over the city, but also indoors. The waterside restaurant there serves delicious food, Yes, it's expensive but so worth it!
With our Oslo Pass we could travel with any bus or tram in the city so we jumped on one going to Ekebergparken sculpture park. It has a wide selection of large sculptures in a beautiful setting. Art and nature work so well together!!
Even more impressive were the 212 sculptures of Vigeland in Frogner Park. Created in bronze, granite and cast iron, they seek to portray the essence and emotions of human life from the foetus to old age. At the centre of the collection is the "Monolith". Carved from a single block of granite and containing more than 120 figures, the 14 m high sculpture may represent the struggle for existence. Vigeland also designed the outline of the park and was meticulous in his details. He died in 1943. Although the park was incomplete, enough had been done to ensure that it is a faithful representation of his vision.
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| The Monolith by Vigeland ©Fenfolio2016 |
Along the fjord is Akershus Fortress and Castle. At the end of the 13th century Viking king Håkon V Magnusson decided that Oslo should have a fortress at the top of the fjord and he moved in, the first permanent royal residence in Oslo. The fortress grounds are rich in history and perfect for leisurely walks with great views over the city and fjord. There are even more sculptures to be seen here!
We finished our short city trip at Astrup Fearnley Museum of Modern Art. This beautiful building was designed by world renowned architect Renzo Piano and is located on the tip of Tjuvholmen, overlooking the fjord. The privately owned museum houses an extensive collection of Norwegian and international post-war art as well as changing exhibitions of Norwegian and international contemporary artists.
We saw the intriguing piece of Damien Hirst "Mother and Child (Divided)"; a cow and her calf were dissected and each put in a box of fluid with space in between to walk through. Another iconic piece in white and gold leaf porcelain was "Michael Jackson and Bubbles" by Jeff Koons.
But the artist I was most inspired by was Anselm Kiefer and in particular his sculpture "The High Priestess/Zweistromland". This work consists of 200 lead (!) books placed on two gigantic shelves separated by a four-metre high glass plate. Each book is unique and weighs between 100 and 300 kilos! The title contains several references. Zweistromland, the land between the two rivers Euphrates and Tigris, creates association to ancient Mesopotamia, the cradle of civilization, and the books bring to mind the library of Babylon. The High Priestess refers to a figure on a Tarot card, representing wisdom personified. Knowledge are preserved in books, but Kiefer's lead books preserves their content while at the same time makes it unavailable.
It was such a strong contrast to see us and other visitors admiring this beautiful building and all the artwork, whereas outside the majority of people we saw were youngsters and adults hypnotised by what's happening on their smartphone. It seemed this was a hotspot for Pokémon Go players!
Till next time, Norway...
Tuesday, 20 September 2016
North East Open Studios 2016 (2)
Wow, wow,wow.......What an amazing NEOS week it was! I'm still buzzing from the whole experience. I would like to thank the Woodend Barn for giving us the opportunity to exhibit in their spacious gallery, the Gallery Committee for sharing their expertise in setting up an exhibition, Kevin Andrew Morris for the great collaboration and Beate Allerton for her beautiful music performance. But most of all I'd like to thank all the visitors who took the time to come along and have a chat with us. Your positive feedback was overwhelming and has given me the reassurance to continue what I love doing!
Below is an impression of our NEOS week in pictures.
Kevin's work was inspired by his grandfather who used to work as a ghillie (=a man who attends someone on a hunting or fishing expedition) on the river Dee.
On Monday Kevin organised a workshop where plates, vases and cups were being decorated with decals. Once they were fired later in the week we could pick them up. Some very exciting results!
On Wednesday I organised a Creative Sketchbook workshop.
During the week we received a visit from Woodend Barn's photographer who is responsible for the marketing of all their events. For the first time I had a professional photo shoot! I felt a bit uncomfortable at the start as I'm normally behind the camera, but once I had the idea of practicing one of my yoga poses, I was more relaxed! Thank you Graeme MacDonald for the wonderful images.
The moment I heard I was accepted to exhibit in this gallery I knew I had to work hard to fill the big white walls. I wanted to show a variety of work and mediums such as handmade prints, digital prints, mixed media drawings and paintings and assemblages (for the very first time!) but mainly all themed around nature and texture. It's a risk because it could have been too much for the visitor but luckily it was all very well received. I even sold a few pieces (see below) and may have a commission or two!
So that leaves me with just one thing......
Below is an impression of our NEOS week in pictures.
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| Setting up our exhibition ©Fenfolio2016 |
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| My work was mainly on the left hand side ©Fenfolio2016 |
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| Smaller items for sale on the right ©Fenfolio2016 |
Kevin's work was inspired by his grandfather who used to work as a ghillie (=a man who attends someone on a hunting or fishing expedition) on the river Dee.
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| Pebble sculpture by Kevin ©Fenfolio2016 |
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| Original items on the right and Kevin's work ("priest", to kill fish) on the left ©Fenfolio2016 |
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| Portrait of his grandfather in terracotta by Kevin ©Fenfolio2016 |
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| Wooden blocks made from ceramics by Kevin ©Fenfolio2016 |
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| Ceramics by Kevin ©Fenfolio2016 |
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| Ceramics and original items by Kevin ©Fenfolio2016 |
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| Ceramics by Kevin ©Fenfolio2016 |
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| Ceramics by Kevin and woodturned fish by his grandfather ©Fenfolio2016 |
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| Stags from terracotta with WWII medals by Kevin ©Fenfolio2016 |
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| Fiddle, hat, tweed and army bag from Kevin's grandfather ©Fenfolio2016 |
On Monday Kevin organised a workshop where plates, vases and cups were being decorated with decals. Once they were fired later in the week we could pick them up. Some very exciting results!
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| Kevin showing how to use decals ©Fenfolio2016 |
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| Kevin showing how to place decal on ceramics ©Fenfolio2016 |
On Wednesday I organised a Creative Sketchbook workshop.
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| Experimenting with various mediums ©Fenfolio2016 |
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| Participants used old books to paint and collage in ©Fenfolio2016 |
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| Everyone was in the zone and it was completely silent ©Fenfolio2016 |
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| Covering blank sketchbook pages with ink ©Fenfolio2016 |
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| This participant was inspired by womens fashion ©Fenfolio2016 |
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| Example of what you can do with an old book for children ©Fenfolio2016 |
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| The tutor had an easy task with this creative group! ©Fenfolio2016 |
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| My task is to encourage and reassure the participants in their individual creative journey ©Fenfolio2016 |
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| Such an exciting double page in a sketchbook! ©Fenfolio2016 |
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| Collage, stamping and drawing on a map of Aberdeenshire ©Fenfolio2016 |
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| In just two hours they completely transformed their sketchbook! ©Fenfolio2016 |
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| Write, draw, paint and collage ©Fenfolio2016 |
During the week we received a visit from Woodend Barn's photographer who is responsible for the marketing of all their events. For the first time I had a professional photo shoot! I felt a bit uncomfortable at the start as I'm normally behind the camera, but once I had the idea of practicing one of my yoga poses, I was more relaxed! Thank you Graeme MacDonald for the wonderful images.
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| Upside down and incognito in between my two assemblages ©GraemeMacDonald2016 |
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| With one of my figurative drawings ©GraemeMacDonald2016 |
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| A bit posed but it will do for the marketing! ©GraemeMacDonald2016 |
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| Me in front of a figurative painting ©GraemeMacDonald2016 |
The moment I heard I was accepted to exhibit in this gallery I knew I had to work hard to fill the big white walls. I wanted to show a variety of work and mediums such as handmade prints, digital prints, mixed media drawings and paintings and assemblages (for the very first time!) but mainly all themed around nature and texture. It's a risk because it could have been too much for the visitor but luckily it was all very well received. I even sold a few pieces (see below) and may have a commission or two!
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| Stripped & Stitched; asssemblage of birch bark and dried leaves handstitched ©Fenfolio2016 |
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| Close-up of assemblage ©Fenfolio2016 |
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| Close-up of assemblage ©Fenfolio2016 |
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| Close-up of assemblage ©Fenfolio2016 |
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| Botanical Pattern; papercut by hand in acrylic frame ©Fenfolio2016 |
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| Flow of the Dee; mixed media painting ©Fenfolio2016 |
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| Ecotone; drypoint print with embossing ©Fenfolio2016 |
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| Close-up of print and embossing ©Fenfolio2016 |
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| Highland Cottage; collagraph print in handpainted frame ©Fenfolio2016 |
So that leaves me with just one thing......
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