elaine phipps | the horizon is endless

LAF Liverpool Art Fair 2023

 

Hurrah! LAF returned this year and the venue for 2023 was the iconic Liver Building, on the beautiful Mersey waterfront. I've been lucky enough to have had work included in this show for several years now - Covid cancellations notwithstanding - and this event is very special to me.

People started queueing to get into the PV early - it was a gorgeous summer evening.

There was such a variety of work on show - the curation team had done so well to bring such disparate works together in a vibrant salon hang. The atmosphere was lovely and uplifting - the venue - amazing.

I had two pieces accepted - those with multiple pieces had their work rotated throughout the exhibition run.

 

Inspirational Women Artists GHT March 2023

“Explore a diverse collection of powerful and uplifting works emphasising the influential impact of women artists past and present.”

To celebrate International Women’s Day 2022, ‘a space’ arts hosted a silent auction of artworks by female identifying artists, with a two week exhibition at their flagship venue, God’s House Tower (GHT).

Each contributing artist created an A4 image; a photograph, a drawing, a print,a collage or printed digital artwork inspired by a female identifying artist who has influenced their artistic practice.

These artworks were exhibited in the Crawford Room at GHT over two weekends in the lead up to International Women’s Day. During that time, visitors were able to bid in a silent auction to buy any of the works. For each artwork sold 50% of the proceeds went to the artist who made the work and 50% donated to Yellow Door, a Southampton-based charity that prevents and responds to domestic and sexual abuse (artists had the option to donate their 50% to Yellow Door).

Exhibition opened Wednesday 8th March 2023 at God's House Tower, Town Quay Road, Southampton, SO14 2NY

Walk-through of launch link

Delighted to have my work (Betula Pendula Dancing) included in this exhibition/auction, now in its second year.

“My inspirational artist is Barbara Rae. Her mastery of colour, line and the use of texture in her work is truly exciting to me. Whilst my own work is not quite as abstract, I aspire to the emotional response that hers evokes. 

The piece I have submitted is from an ongoing series exploring light in the landscape featuring water, trees (usually birch) and reflections.”

 

 

Bolton Open 2022

So very pleased to have had work accepted for this show. I'm late to post about it because we've had a time of it with my Mum being very ill over Christmas - thankfully on the mend now. Anyways - here's a taster photo post!

Woke up to this ....

... bloody freezing - but there was a bumper turn-out for the PV and the show was opened by the Mayor, Councillor Akhtar Zaman. (He really was there - standing further up the stairs making his speech lol).

 

Then everyone rushed up the stairs to have a look!

It was a great turn-out. I'm going back to have a good look around later this week as it was pretty crowded. The exhibition run has been extended into February and more details can be found here.

This was mine - the messy one obvs (86). It was so nicely placed with other landscape pieces on one wall. I'll update this post later once I can get better pix - fab exhibition - recommend, recommend!

 

BACK

And I promise - no more bleating lol.

I've had issues that kept me off Typepad and this 'ere website - which are all now sorted - and I have resolved to be more solicitous going forwards. Also, apologies if you've commented and I've never acknowledged your fine words - need to sort that out in terms of notifications and so on.

So, where were we up to ... oh yes, Reader - I have had a crappy twelve months of sub-par health and overwhem. Creatively there has been a one-way street of noticing/things going in and bugger-all coming out. Practically, there has been a leaky studio roof and an inclination to shove all the stuff with no home into my studio (because I haven't been using it). Blimey.

Anyhow - enough of that - here's what has been going on this week ...

Next - submitting work to an exhibition woot!

TAE22

Delighted to report my postcard for TAE22 (benefiting The Encephalitis Society) has sold - thank you, mystery buyer!

 

Colour studies in the undergrowth

 

I'm doing a series of colour studies using an exercise used in Louise Fletcher's 'Find Your Joy' taster course. I really like this intuitive way of working 'blind' in the first instance (you are never sure what will remain in those taped-off spaces) - and then adding further elements once the tape is off.

Something I need to ponder, is whether to gesso the paper to prevent the tape from ripping the paper surface. I'm using low-tack masking tape but it still rips it - I quite like the effect; it adds to the random quality. Anyhow, these are some of the 'finished' pieces that I'd like to use as a starting point for bigger works. They are all about light.

This one I really like - initially it was just a broad stripe of water and banks - the defined tree form came later - but the fluttering light and shade are so nicely captured.

Again with the fluttering light and shade; shafts of light coming through the tree canopy. All I added really, were the black strokes. Really like this one too.

The rest of the series are maybe a bit more abstract - they're on my Instagram - still with the fluttering light. I'm continuing with this exercise, using a different light and palette. I really like this method of playing with paint and drawing into it. 

Daler Rowney System 3 acrylics on A2 300gsm watercolour paper with the addition of Stabilo Woody crayons.

 

Seed heads

 

When your clematis finishes blooming and you feel a bit sad - and then you notice the EPIC alien-like seed heads.
These amazing whorls and globes surrounding the seed heads almost make up for losing the gorgeous flowers. Of course I thew the plastic plant tag/identifier away so I have no idea what variety it is lol. It is growing like mad; it has this lovely purple-bronze foliage.

Here's something I'd like to work up larger.

 

Tansy Lee Moir Artist Talk

 

"Join artist Tansy Lee Moir in her studio as she introduces the themes behind her oil paintings and drawings exploring the complexity, vitality and sculptural presence of ancient trees. Hear how she develops her ideas, gain an insight into her creative process and find out more about the materials and techniques she uses".

Tansy Lee Moir website  here

Square pegs and round holes (also Print Day in May)

 

Since the beginning of the year I've had a calendar list of opportunities on my studio wall. Last week I took it down and threw it into the recycling bin- it had become a reproachful list of applyapplyapply, that honestly - I didn't really want to take up.

You know that thing where you see a submission oppo, go and see what kind of thing fits-in on the interwebs and then wonder how your square peg will fit in that round hole? Why do I keep doing it lol.

Yesterday was Print Day in May 2022 - I know my limitations - I am not a 'printmaker' but I do like to play with printing things. I whipped out my mangle and a few remaining polystyrene print tiles that I had kicking about and set to. I enjoyed it very much.




Print on the left, plate on the right

I don't have a press - but my table-top mangle serves me well; I don't use inks because I am both impatient and like breathing.

 

Artist Discussion & TERM - Egon Schiele

 

Was he well-dodgy? Was he the poster boy of degenerative art as defined by the Nazi regime? Did he commit incest with his own sister?

"It is not just that there is not a single Schiele in any British public gallery. It is that his raw, expressive nude portrayals of young girls, children and of himself just out of adolescence are today more, not less, disturbing than when he created them in Vienna between 1910 and 1918."
Article here

Artist Discussion & TERM - Egon Schiele - the activities around the lecture concentrated on blind contour drawing, collage and self-portraiture.

The collage (below) - uses a torn up magazine page, hair dye and paper. I like the messy finger marks. The blind contour drawing below that - I added blocks of colour to frame/bookend it. I love the energy of blind contour and am always amazed at the outcome.

The lecture was really thought-provoking and disturbing; the imagery sometimes hard to view. It somehow feels very wrong to admire the techniques that Schiele used in his work - when often - the subject matter is so disquieting.