Darker Woods

These are good associations highlighted below, but I'd be looking at other roads as well- just like when Dorothy comes to the fork on the Yellow Brick Road, it can sometimes take a darker turn....the Hansel and Gretel image reminded me of a piece of work by the artist David Wilkinson. If you go down to the woods today, you're in for a big surprise....surprise, the unexpected, that's where your art should be taking you and the viewer!

If you go in to the woods today

Another idea I have is the nursery rhyme "The Teddy Bear Picnic" again it's the childlike aspect of the forest holding all these magical things. i'm concidering dressing my nieces up as teddys and taking photos of them in the forest by my house. Wether thats for my own aunty needs or for the project I dont know. I could develop the photos in to paintings and manipulate them to give them a more mystical look, I could also make the teddy outfts that the wear. theres a number of ways I could go with this. I'm going to look into it more. I'd like to make it less childish than the images I have shown and a bit more mysterious.

ditto

Yep. when I heard "the forest" I too thought of magical creatures. In paticular the true story of the Cottingley Fairies, Were Elsie Wright and Frances Griffiths, two young girls who in 1917 allegedly took pictures of real fairies. when me and my sister saw the movie of this story (were they said at the start it's based on a true story and in it, show real fairies) we were so happy that we lived near a forest and ran out of our house to search for fairies, only to get shouted at by our mum for trying to leave the house at 8 O'clock at night and had to search our back garden intead. Needless to say we didnt find any, but it was the excitment of the believe in them that was so wonderful, I think a childs imagination is one of the greatest thing in the world and when im doing reasearch for the theme "the forest" im going to try and think like the nine year old who, all those years ago, was crawing in her back garden like a looser looking for a fairy. I have posted a link of the movie, and some of the original pictures that Elsie Wright and Frances Griffiths took.

Lets Start things off

So when I heard the title of the summer project, I instantly thought of Fairies and goblins and other such beings that live under toadstools and leaves in the forest and then I thought of I book I had in the house called Lady Cottington's Pressed Fairy Book, it’s a small book written by Terry Jones and Illustrated by Brian Froud. Brian Froud is an artist that creates artwork that usually has a fantasy feel towards it (Froud did the artwork for the movies The Labyrinth & The Dark Crystal) I thought it tied in for a couple of reasons, one as I said earlier I thought if fairies, two because the book is laid out in the format of an old pressed flower book, which usually consists of many varieties of flowers, some of which come from the forest and three the artwork of Brian has a very earthy and natural look and feel to it(in the sense that his characters however inhuman, are seemingly at home with nature and there surroundings).

If anyone wants a look at the book I’ll bring it in September.

And I know this isn’t a page from my sketch book but I thought it would be an easy way to ease myself into the "virtual sketchbook" thing and to break the ice so to speak, in other words ease in the awkward turtle (oh the Joys in store for the people who have not yet me yet)

http://www.worldoffroud.com/www/about/bios/brian.cfm

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Lady-Cottingtons-Pressed-Fairy-Book/dp/1857933362

SUMMER SKETCHBOOKS

Make at least one post every fortnight showing an image or two from your sketchbooks. This can also include other images that relate to 'the forest' theme- your own photographs, or images that you have come across elsewhere. Remember, keep an open mind as well as open eyes- anything that sparks off an association with the theme can go into your sketchbooks. Upload your images as small jpegs- not bigger than 600K- and nothing blurry or fuzzy! Take your time photographing your subjects, be it from your sketchbooks or other sources. Work in your sketchbooks using black felt tip/ marker/ ink and wash etc- it will show up better when you post it on 'Trees from Wood'. Good luck!

STUDENT OPEN SUBMISSION EXHIBITION

Students are asked to submitt work for forthcoming exhibition at the F.E. McWilliam Gallery in Banbridge. This blog will be used to post Summer Project work in the form of sketches, photographs, maquettes and ideas as you work towards a final piece for submission in November. Keep an open mind and respond creatively to the theme of 'The Forest'.....see right hand sidebar and take inspiration from THE TOP TEN artists and artworks that could relate to this theme. The current exhibition at the gallery (pictured here) runs to August 14th- contemporary sculpture from Ireland and the UK. Make sure you see this exhibition, and think about how your work can respond to the gallery space and the outside sculpture garden.