The restrictions of lockdown have yielded up some rich treasures. Events that may have been inaccessible due to time/travel/other commitments, have become available online. The New Suns Feminist Literary festival at The Barbican this year took inspiration from themes in American science fiction author Octavia Butler’s writing, in particular the Earthseed series. Prophetic, and increasingly prescient over … Continue reading windows and worlds
creativity
Flag Printing
Today, for the Romani Arts after-school session, the children designed and printed their own flags. Paint was used to colour the background, and either a lino stamp or stencil used for the centre print, reflecting designs traditionally painted onto vardos, or horse-drawn wagons. Some of the children decided to print their version of the Roma flag. … Continue reading Flag Printing
Stories from the Dreamtime
For Week 3 of the Children's Art and Writing course, the children listened to three stories from the Dreamtime creation myths of Aboriginal culture: How the kangeroo got her pouch, Barramundi, (how the fish came to be in the waters), and a Kunwinjku Dreamtime Story of the long-necked turtle and the echidna, telling why they live … Continue reading Stories from the Dreamtime
Expressive Drawing Workshop
A wonderful day with lots of visitors taking up our expressive drawing challenge for Made in Roath festival. We rolled out long sheets of paper, and invited participants to use paint, charcoal and pastels to experiment and have fun.
Creative Practitioner Project
I'm very excited to have been chosen to work as a creative practitioner in a local primary school as part of the Lead Creative Schools Scheme, an extensive five-year plan to embed the arts and creativity into the Welsh curriculum. I and a fellow practitioner, Lowri will be working with a group of about twelve … Continue reading Creative Practitioner Project
Children’s Printmaking Day
‘Children are remarkable for their intelligence and ardour, for their curiosity, their intolerance of shames, the clarity and ruthlessness of their vision.’ — Aldous Huxley We began the session drawing faces, practicing on tracing paper before transferring to the styrofoam. The children quickly got the hang of etching into it, creating wonderfully detailed characters. … Continue reading Children’s Printmaking Day
Cyanotype Workshop
This was a Cyanotype Drop-in Session I ran at Cardiff Print Workshop. After my short introduction about the history and process of cyanotype printmaking, participants experimented with a variety of objects and techniques to produce interesting, abstract photograms.
Sun Printing
In preparation for the drop-in cyanotype session I'm running on Sunday at Cardiff Print Workshop, I arranged some plant life and other things onto coated paper and left it to make its mark in the sunshine. Here are the results.
Experiments with Lino
Making a Mark: The Art of Automatism
Automatic drawing or painting can be described as “expressing the subconscious” using any technique that eliminates conscious control and replaces it with chance. The basic techniques originate from spiritualism, practiced by artists such as Georgiana Houghton and Hilma Af Klint, both of whom have recently had their work exhibited in a revival of interest and … Continue reading Making a Mark: The Art of Automatism
