Romsey Art Festival 2013: Light Up Your Dreams

This month the first ever Romsey Art Festival (rendered by Cambridge Art Salon) took place in Cambridge. The overall concept and aim of the festival was to celebrate and enhance the theme of community, through the use of art, in the area of Romsey. All types of creatives were invited to participate to showcase their work and ideas through the use of workshops, art markets, open studios, exhibitions and performances for the public to enjoy and get involved in.

You don't have to consider yourself as 'an artist' to benefit from art is a strong belief of mine. You just have to be willing to jump in, have a go, and you will sure to get something out of your efforts. People don't need to get hung up on thinking, "What if the end result is rubbish? What if I look a idiot?" Well my response to this is: Who cares? What have you got to loose by giving something a try? 

From previous experience and installations I have created I have found that people respond very well to illuminated objects. Taking the art out of the conventional gallery space, lighting and constraints and turning things around and thinking outside the box.

Previous Faith and Belief installation from earlier this year

The Romsey Art Festival kicked off on 3rd August at Hope Street Yard with an Artist Market put together by the Cambridge duo, LittleBigs, live painting, face painting, a DJ, music from Stumble Col (who make all their guitars from cigar boxes!) and artist led workshops. The workshops were free and suitable for all ages.

I held my own workshop called "Light Up Your Dreams", where everyone was invited to come along and make a simple lantern using 12 strips of patterned paper, which I had collected from various places (including wallpaper samples and some beautiful marbled off cuts courtesy of, Romsey based artist, Manuela Hübner) and cut in to strips previously.

Getting involved at the lantern making workshop

Throughout the day people from all walks of life were coming to make lanterns. I was astounded and surprised at how many people wanted to have a go and, by the end of the day, was running out of space on the supports of the umbrella, over the table, to hang them up on! Through running the workshop I learned a great deal of things which I can now apply to another one, should the opportunity present itself, and also got the chance to meet and speak to so many different and interesting people!

Each person followed the same template to make a lantern but were then invited to add their own creative twist to finish it off by personalizing their creation with a tag that they could cut themselves and attach to the bottom. The tag could be any shape and any colour, the maker then had to use the materials available to write a hope, dream or wish on to it. Some people used many colours, some cut unusual shapes and some communicated their message with an image.

Here are some lovely pictures from my magical lantern making workshop: 'Light up Your Dreams'. I would like to say a huge THANK YOU to everyone who came along and made a lantern! You guys were brilliant, and I loved seeing all the different creative ideas emerging from each person's head! I would also like to say a big thank you to everyone who helped out in one way or another! Team work! 

The participants of the workshop were told that their lanterns would be used in the 'Light Up Your Dreams' installation that could be seen as part of the closing party to celebrate the end of the Festival on August 17th at a SHINDIG event at St Phillip's Church on Mill Road, Cambridge. At this event there was live music from, the extremely talented, Gaze is Ghost and Toby Peters, some interpretive dance, a few films of the events of the festival, made specifically for this event, reinforcing and highlighting the theme of the festival: community. People were welcomed in to the main hall at a little table, where they were surrounded by the flags from the 'Faith and Belief' series. The show was illuminated by the lanterns made by the people of Romsey and their hopes and dreams, which hung proudly, on either side of the church hall, on the lanterns. 

The finale was both moving and emotional. The effort put in to the festival by everyone involved was evident and, I believe, it was only possible through pure passion and belief, which was clear to see at the gig last night. What a great evening and what a great event to be a part of!

The entrance lobby

Romsey, thank you! You rock!

MAMFAMA Show, Cambridge School of Art and Life Beyond MA Printmaking...

This stage last year I was having a panic about what I was going to be doing at this point this year. I clearly remember entering the Print Room and blurting out how scared I was and how was I ever going to get a job that was anything to do with, or even vaguely related to, the Arts?! I also clearly remember being told to shut up, and that I was ruining the ambiance of the Print Room, by our Technician, John. He told me to calm down and just concentrate on what I was doing and take one step at a time, otherwise I would end up messing everything up. This advice was firm but fair and some of the best advice I have ever been given.

It didn't feel like it at the time, but he was right. Now our final hand-in has passed, I have come out the other side of Cambridge School of Art with a Masters in Printmaking and am perched on the first stepping stone to the rest of my career: A job as an Art Technician. I'm not going to lie, I am absolutely elated, I though it would never happen.

Contrary to what some may think, this job did not come easily. Throughout my time at Anglia Ruskin University, I applied for many jobs in the arts, often spending days filling out difficult and monotonous application forms for anything vaguely related to the Arts. The majority of the jobs I applied for (actually, all of them) didn't even select me for interview. Some offered a healthy salary, others, minimum wage. I felt as though I was fighting a losing battle.

I think its extremely important to keep a positive attitude and not to let rejection defeat you or else you will never get anywhere. It's difficult, but, it's life. If you didn't get the job, it wasn't meant to be, keep your head up and most importantly, stay engaged. Go to every event you can, speak to the right people, volunteer, go on holiday; research doesn't have to be boring. Enjoy yourself. From past experiences, I have learned that if you're not having a good time, you're probably in the wrong field. But take what you can from the experience and use it to get to where you want to be.

Our final MA show is due to open at Cambridge School of Art, Anglia Ruskin University on 28th August until 12th September. 

The show will be open to the public from Monday to Friday between 10am and 4:30pm and is completely FREE! 

The Private View will take place on 5th September from 5-7pm so put it in your diary! Through this course I have learned so much and met some fantastic people, so come along and celebrate with us and grab yourself a glass of bubbly while you're at it! Oh, did I mention that the Master of Arts: Printmaking will be showing off a fabulous display of their artwork, in conjunction with the Masters of Fine Art class of 2013? I very much look forward to seeing you there!

Faith and Belief: Three Pillars

From exploring the themes of Faith and Belief I produced three long, thin pieces. These were mainly to test colours and to try out the new lino blocks that I had cut. I knew that I needed to finish them some how but I didnt know, at the time when I printed them, exactly how I would do this. The long paper strips hung around the studio for a few months until, after visiting and taking inspiration from the London Original Print Fair last year, and looking at how religious establishments communicated with their followers, it came to me. Inspired by banners, scrolls and pillars I decided to create this 3D piece; 'Faith and Belief: Three Pillars', it measures 45cm (w) x 150cm (h).

'Faith and Belief: Three Pillars'

Growth and Process x Faith and Belief

During the Private View at our show, Portable: Affordable, at Williams Art way back in February a friend was complimenting my work in the exhibition. We chatted and by the end of the evening we decided that he would let me know the measurements of a wall in his house and I would design a piece to fit! I was really excited to get started as ideas for the piece started springing in to my mind very quickly. I planned to combine the Faith and Belief lino tiles, together with the Growth and Process pattern. The opportunity to work on such a large scale filled me with motive, which I used as fuel to drive the project and got straight to work as soon as possible.

Getting Started

I took photographs of the work throughout the process. The whole album of the piece coming together can be seen on my Facebook page. As I worked on the panel, during the process, my plan started to develop... it got bigger and bigger. I quickly scribbled down the fantasy idea of what it could potentially turn in to.

The fantasy plan

After meeting for a tutorial with one of my lecturers I showed him this plan just at the end as an after thought. He really pushed me to do it asking me, "What have you got to lose?" and telling me "If you try it and it doesn't work out then at least you've tried it. If you don't try it, you'll always be thinking; What if? Why not?"

My main worry was the time I had to produce this piece. I put my social life on hold and spent long days in the studio. This made me realize how much I love the Print Room! I have formed amazing friendships in there and driven quite a lot of people mad with my huge long scrolls of brown parcel paper, taking up loads of room! But I saw this as all part of the challenge.

Due to the size of the pieces being made I was unable to use the press to print them. Instead I planned where each tile was to go on the paper then inked them and printed each one individually under foot!

When working to this size things that seemed simple through your plan have the possibility of going wrong. Although creating test pieces may seem time consuming, it is always worth the effort so you can be sure and confident when it comes to making the final piece.

I cut holes in the piece and attached it with wheat paste I had made on to white MDF boards in 3 sections. I then took the framed piece Growth and Process (Specimen Collection I) and hung it in the middle section.

I have always been interested in the placement of artwork and how this affects the viewer and their opinions of the work. If a framed piece is hung in a swanky gallery space it is seen mainly by people specifically interested in 'Art'. If a piece is placed outside in the environment it is accessible for everyone, whether they possess vast knowledge in the subject or not, the work is set free. Yet this placement may effect the opinion of the viewer who would look at the same piece of art in the gallery in a totally different way. I made this piece to challenge and question the positioning of an art piece and how it affects different people's opinions.

Growth and Process x Faith and Belief

I just had to throw in this one with me in the middle so the true scale of the piece can be shown!

Faith and Belief: The Scarves

After it's display at The Assembly House Art Show 2013, I traveled through to Norwich to pick up Growth and Process (Specimen Collection I). While I was there I took the opportunity to visit a friend who lives in Norwich... and got her to model my 2 scarves from the Faith and Belief collection!

A big thank you to Lizzie! Here are the best photos from our shoot!

Assembly House Art Show 2013: Art Alive!

It came as a surprise to me when I received an email requesting that I please send a Jpeg image and a statement about the image to be displayed in the Assembly House Art Show 2013. I didn't even know I had been accepted! I was confused, but when I thought about it, I realized that I had submitted my idea for a piece for the show when I was living in my old house and the acceptance letter must have been sent there. This was the reason I was unaware!

I looked at the proposal I had written and realized I still had to actually make the work! I had in my head what I wanted, so I prepared some paper and had some fun making lots of samples of relief etchings in bright colours. 

The piece I eventually ended up with is called Growth and Process (Specimen Collection I) and is in display now at The Assembly House Art Show 2013: Art Alive!

Growth and Process (Specimen Collection I)

About the Work:

Growth and Process (Specimen Collection I) is a precious accumulation of original prints. This personal selection abstractly examines the effects caused by chemicals and substances used throughout the printmaking process of etching. Influences include organic shapes and growths seen in nature and decay representing the beauty and fragility of existence.

The show opened on 8th April and will run until 8th May 2013. 

Opening times are Monday - Saturday, 9am-5pm.

FREE ADMISSION

The Assembly House is a Grade I-listed Georgian building with its amazing interior and well groomed gardens showing a diverse range of work by 120 artists from the East Anglia region. If you fancy a visit you can look forward to pottery, sculpture, painting, printmaking, drawing, photography, installation and video; you're bound to find something you like!

Here's a snippet from the Assembly House website (where you can also view the whole catalog of the exhibition in PDF format) :

Co-curators John and Yvonne Millwood said: “When choosing from the hundreds of original ideas submitted, our emphasis was on quality and variety. We have chosen works that we think are good of their kind – we have not interpreted art narrowly. We hope you will agree that the exhibition is exciting and thought-provoking. And that the Assembly House is an ideal, non-stuffy venue for living art where all are welcomed; we hope that parents will also bring their children so that they too can experience the joy of art.”

The busy Private View

Next to my piece, enjoying a glass of bubbly at the Private View

A little quieter the next day for a return trip for a better look at the work on display!

The Refectory Table Creative Business Day at The Water Tower, Northampton

A friend and I had found out about a Creative Business Day being held at the Water Tower. The course was held by a couple running a partnership, encouraging creative start-ups through informal, relaxed and friendly workshops, business courses and mentoring schemes. Pete Mosley and Janet Currie are known as The Refectory Table. I would highly recommend their courses and advice to any Creative looking to get that extra boost to get their business idea off the ground. They are like-minded people who understand the difference of starting up your own business selling your creative wares and/or skills compared to launching a regular business venture. Their website can be found at therefectorytable.com

18 Creatives from all over the country arrived in the morning, signed the register and got name tags and the most important thing for full concentration - a cup of tea! The Water Tower was the perfect place to hold the workshop, as it is a laid-back, friendly and creative atmosphere, away from the distractions and stresses of every day life, which really helped you to relax, and focus, creating a very productive learning environment.

The room where the presentation was given and most of the workshop was held in

The day started off with a presentation from Pete Mosley. The presentation helped to spark ideas in my head and helped me to clarify what exactly I am doing, selling and aiming for, and at. Afterwards, we had a break for lunch, which gave us the chance to meet the other people involved in the workshop and find out a bit about them and their background. As the sun shone, we tucked in to delicious salads, freshly baked bread and cakes, sitting outside and soaking up the gorgeous weather and surroundings.

When we regrouped, we split off in to pairs to discuss key events in our lives which, in turn, could be tailored to build our 'story'. If you have a story, it adds personality to the product or service you are attempting to sell. I think people are much more likely to buy in to something if they can see the person behind it. Combined this with honesty and you can engage potential clients, resulting in success.

Janet Currie's report on the day can be read on The Refectory Table's Blog, which includes photos from the day and comments from the artists involved.

Since The Creative Business Day, I have FINALLY set up my website! It is something I have had on my 'to-do' list for far too long. I am still working on it but am happy for people to visit and let me know what they think. Any constructive criticism is very welcome so please feel free to get in touch!

You can find it at katymcdonaldart.weebly.com

I also now have a Twitter account! If you wish to follow me you can find me @KatyMcDonaldArt

The website landing page