Artistic Explorations: Visual Poetry (1)

My collaboration with writer and artist Elaine Reid recently resulted in co-facilitating a Visual Poetry workshop, as part of the Barn's community year-long project Flourish that she is leading. In the run up to the workshop we got together in my studio to go through the steps ourselves and create a few visual poems. Elaine already had experience with found poetry and making zentangle drawings around it but I hadn't. We would offer the participants a wide array of art materials to play with and before we could do that, we actually had to find out what would work best.

We copied a few pages of an old book onto heavy-weight mixed media paper, skim read the text without actually reading the content and circling the words that popped out.



Example of text for visual poem

We then worked with gesso (to push back the text that we didn't want to keep) and added acrylics, coloured pens, stencilling, stamping and collage material for the visual element of our found poem. I thoroughly enjoyed the experimental and subconscious process of it all!

Here are the visual poems I made in preparation for the workshop.

Visual poem with stencilling

Visual poem with collage

Visual poem with stamping and drawing

During the first half of the day, which was led by Elaine, they focussed on found poetry; skim reading, circling and trying to connect words and phrases in pencil.



Participants at work in the gallery of the Barn



Participants at work in the gallery of the Barn ©Elaine Reid 2017



Found poetry in action

Everyone would get three different pages and in just half an hour's time, the group created so many different poems from sometimes the exact same text!

The second half was led by me. We first showed them samples of our work so that they could get an idea what can be achieved.


Examples of our visual poems ©Elaine Reid 2017

Once I explained and showed them what you can do with the various art material I had brought along, it was time to play!

I brought a selection of art materials they could use



Using gesso and collage ©Elaine Reid 2017



Using a stencil to draw a shapes ©Elaine Reid 2017

Using various papers as collage ©Elaine Reid 2017



The page is now totally transformed into a visual poem ©Elaine Reid



One of the participants using pen and collage to erase text ©Elaine Reid 2017



This workshop was part of the community project Flourish ©Elaine Reid 2017

One of the visual poems a participant created ©Elaine Reid 2017



Another example of a visual poem created by a participant

Reading and hearing the feedback from all the participants afterwards I can say it was a huge success! Hopefully we can do it again next year. From 5-18 March 2018, these poems and many more will be displayed during a two-week Flourish exhibition.

Artistic Explorations: Artists' Books and Book Objects (2)

In March I wrote about my first attempt to create an artists' book (see article). This inspired me to make many more but due to various other art projects, commissions and applications, it only stayed as concepts in my mind. Until now!

While browsing through my materials, I noticed one of my large prints would be suitable to create a flutter book from.

Ecotone (copper); drypoint with embossing and rubbing
with Artist Paintstik (copper) and conté crayon

After studying this book format and deciding where the cuts should be, I first made a sample out of cartridge paper, just to make sure it was all correct!

Then I selected the section I wanted, pencilled my measurements onto the print and cut it out with a scalpel knife. The paper was folded and some folds were partly slit to create an accordion. The back side was blank so I added pages by cutting out double spread sections. These were then handstitched with a pamphlet stitch to the flutter book by using copper metallic thread.



"Trees in a box", artists' book and box

"Trees in a box", artists' book and box



"Trees in a box", artists' book and box

"Trees in a box", close-up of a few pages from artists' book



"Trees in a box", close-up of a few pages from artists' book



"Trees in a box", close-up of page from artists' book



"Trees in a box", close-up of page from artists' book



"Trees in a box", front of artists' book



"Trees in a box", spine of artists' book (with handstitching)

I also made a box for this book out of cardboard and other parts of my original print. The box measures 11.5 x 8 x 3 cm.



Handmade box for artists' book "Trees in a box",
11.5 x 8.5 x 3 cm

Handmade box for artists' book "Trees in a box",
11.5 x 8.5 x 3 cm



Handmade box for artists' book "Trees in a box",
11.5 x 8.5 x 3 cm



Handmade box for artists' book "Trees in a box",
11.5 x 8.5 x 3 cm

Next year I hope to do an art residency to create more artists' books and book objects. I'll keep you informed if there is any news about that. In the meantime, I will be experimenting with this medium in my studio and see what else I can come up with.

Artistic Explorations: 3D Design (1)

When I was a young teenager my father introduced me to photography. He had a dark room and I remember watching him processing his images with different chemicals in various baths. It was magical to see him developing his artistic photographs! At that time I had my own small analogue camera but I never tried to develop my images myself because the smell of these chemicals really put me off. When I got my first digital camera around 2004, just before we moved to Scotland, it all changed. I enjoyed learning how to develop them on my computer and quickly I was hooked. My love for photography was reignited.

When my father gave me a selection of vintage cameras, previously owned by him, my grandfather and even my great grandfather, I was delighted! Although I have never used them myself, I feel honoured I'm the keeper of this precious collection.

My vintage camera collection

Among this collection is a glassplate camera and a rolleiflex

 

A few retro cameras

I even have a camera made out of of a can from Cuba, given by my parents!

 
Recently I started my 3D design course at Grays School of Art in Aberdeen. During this course we learn about lasercutting and 3D printing. After familiarising with Adobe Illustrator again for the first two lessons (it had been a long time ago since I used it but it's like driving a car), we had to choose an object we wanted to create and/or blend into. I chose to recreate one of the vintage cameras: the Balda Super Baldina from around 1950's!

Balda Super Baldina camera (1950's)

 

Sketchbook with my design for the camera

After measuring, drawing, re-measuring, tweaking and adding a few more drawings I was finally able to have all my pieces cut out from cardboard with the lasercutter. Then I glued all the different pieces together. There were a few things I had left out in my initial design, but once I had assembled the camera I thought it would be better to add them so I cut the viewfinder front and back, side strips, tiny cord holes on the side and flashlight holder by hand.

My cardboard replica of the Balda Super Baldina next to the real one

 

The reconstructed Balda Super Baldina in cardboard

 

Balda Super Baldina, back view

 

Balda Super Baldina, top view

I really enjoyed the whole process from design to contruction and I'm pleased with how it turned out. Now it has a spot in my small vintage camera museum!