Art By River

 sculptor 24 years ago she went back to college. Had children. very relatable. Took an A.S level in fine art with Tom. Gave her confidence. continued with a level. Did foundation full time. had second daughter but still continued while pregnant 2nd time. Tom got her ready for uni. Tom gave advice i think you need to continue experimenting. went to uni. 2ND year in was into metal as a material, basketry. Made metal frames. welded metal. created welding frames. wanted to combine landscape with all this. lecturer advised to look at different relative artists, what happens when nature plays with sculpture? looked at art shows, asked for there demographic breakdowns on visitors, was not high enough. rhs Chelsea flower show!! wanted to get involved in this. went to check it out, so much art work and sculpture, felt this is where she needed to be. how does she get there> 6 months worked at tkmaxx for monies, but realised she needed to do the art full time so left. looking at small show...

jUsT mAsK iT!   Masks I feel are a better option for my collections project. I can still express a level of emotional depth that I wanted to have come across throughout this project but not so deep that progressing through this project becomes a mental problem for me functioning through and getting it to a point of completion.  Masks i enjoy making, wearing and displaying or if they are worn as part of a fashion or wearable art piece. I like costume and fashion but i like the feeling more when i can wear these masks and being and becoming a different character. You can hide behind a mask. You can put on a smile, an act, a persona but that is a challenge in itself.  I would like to make more masks, lets see how many i can make. I will experiment making masks but with different material possibly for each one. I feel i would need a base to work and build up from. I am not sure what i could use for this. I do have ideas on how i can make each mask look like different emotions...

    Saad Qureshi This incredible display at Lakeside was quite special. Saad`s fantasy landscape sculpture really blew my mind. This one colour, bulk of possibly cement used as the main material, but that is a guess as materials where not noted and i could not find more info on this online but it was a mix of what i assume to be concrete with a metal structure for the main bulk of the piece and then crafted, possibly wood buildings, temples and places he collected of others peoples views worldwide on a what their paradise would look like.. When i saw this i wanted to be shrunk to scale and aboard this sculpture to climb and explore its pretty yet plain coloured contour.        

  Awesome tiny bone collections found in Hopkins Nottingham   Doll parts and marbles  Collections of random things but they don't really have much meaning  Still, pretty  with everything neatly in boxes  aesthetically pleasing but not everything fits neatly in boxes

  Tristram Aver Exhibitions curator around notts museum's and galleries for 16 years Tristram knows Nottingham well and local artists. He completed a fine art degree but decided not to pursue a masters. Has worked in every gallery in Nottingham besides The Contemporary. Working with turner prize winner artists. The castle is over a thousand years old, Grade 1 listed site. It recently had 32million referb. Deer park and Williston hall also connected. (bryon is not a legend, (Newstead) He is a very naughty man!) Tristram spoke to us about all the exhibitions he has put on (mostly in Nottingham Castle) alongside showing some of the work of these artists which was really diverse and so many different styles shown. I found it really interesting on what a curator has to go through and provide for artists. Some exhibitions facing complaints or controversy and giving us an idea of the relationship between the castle and contemporary and how it is received.  Tristram took us into his p...

  Collections Barbie Dolls Barbie doll collector Bettina Dorfmann owns 18,500 dolls and holds the Guinness world record for the largest Barbie doll collection since 2005. Dorfmann received her very first doll in 1966 when she was 5 years old and has been collecting for over 30 years.  uncanny valley.  dolls are empty shells.  small human replicas.   creepy Isla de las munecas  The island of the dolls Located in Xochimilco canals near Mexico city, an island covered in hanging, mutilated or decapitated dolls. over 3000 dolls.   1950s, Julian Santana Barrera. deand girl in lake with doll. he collected since to warn off evil spirits 

Wow what a chat we had today! I have always wanted to know what art my lecturers make behind the scenes and today Tom shared that with us as a group. He shared his art journey from his young scoundrel days. Sneaking into art colleges to teach himself, avoiding actually signing up and paying for the course, found a space and started creating. Breaking rules while looking like a main boss from The Lost Boys? Go on!! I felt inspired by the creative craziness, no care for others opinions, he likes to express his art and brain thought processes fully! You will be involved and immersed before you've even realised it. Whether its shouting about his passions in the streets with a loud megaphone, asking you questions in brightly fun coloured suits while pushing paraphernalia in a wheelbarrow, sailing down rivers and upsetting mundane fisherman or jumping into creative installations in an abundance of museums and galleries. This was so much fun and a beautiful insight as to who is not only t...