Times they are a changing . . .

This year has seen a great deal of change for me and Helen Foot Design.  Anyone who follows my facebook, twitter or instagram might have spotted some of these shifts.

Firstly, it's been a fantastic year for commission work so far.  Dot One orders have been keeping me very busy indeed and we've been extremely fortunate to have some celebrity endorsement to help us along our way.  One of the first pieces we produced was for Romesh Ranganathan back in January and he can be seen in the image below wearing his DNA scarf on It's Not Rocket Science.

Second up, I started the shift of moving out of my studio of 5 years to creating a home work space.  The Creative Studio has been a fantastic place to grow Helen Foot Design but it's not always been the most practical space to work in, being freezing cold in the winter and boiling hot in the summer!  I moved house back in March in order to accommodate my new home studio and have been slowly but surely getting everything shifted over since.  It's meant a bit of downsizing but it's forced this secret hoarder to clear out the clutter and think about streamlining what I need for the business moving forwards.  Last week we did the final sweep and handed the keys back in.  It's the end of an era but the start of something fresh and new!

The Creative Studio looking bare before we handed the keys back over.

The end of the academic year also saw me say goodbye to my teaching post at Hereford College of Arts.  I've spent 4 great years guiding some lovely students through their BA's and it's been wonderful to see their hard work pay off in an abundance of successes over the years.  I'm especially proud of my weavers who all seem to be taking great strides with their creative careers, through Masters degrees, Texprint success and starting their own labels.  I spent a lot of time working with students to think about their futures and how to achieve their goals and ultimately it got me thinking about my own career priorities.  With such a busy year I knew something had to give and I decided it was the right time to concentrate on my own practice again.  I hope to carry on teaching as a Visiting Lecturer so that I can work more flexibly around other work commitments.

Farewell Hereford College of Arts

For now my house is still full of boxes to be unpacked as I settle into my new work space.  Hopefully the chaos will have calmed by next week and I can crack on with the next wave of weaving.  I'll be showing again at MADE London from the 20-23 October, this time on a joint stand with Dot One, so do pop the dates in your diary and come say hello.   I'll be offering some special discounts at the show and online in the run up to Christmas, so watch this space.

Goodbye 2015, Hello 2016 . . .

Where does the time go?!  2015 seemed to go by in a flash and I can't believe we are at the start of another exciting new year already.  Last year really was packed.  Here's a reminder of my top moments from 2015 . . .

• I met some famous faces.  HRH the Prince of Wales, Celia Birtwell and Emma Thompson.  I did my best to contain myself but probably wasn't as cool a cucumber as I think I was!

• I showed my work at MADE London for the 1st time and had an absolute blast with the R&A Collaborations guys and the rest of the makers.

•  I went to Peru.  It was amazing.  Expect to see some new work inspired by this adventure later in 2016.

Handweaving in Cusco, Peru.

• I made a new collection. It's five colourways of wiggly fun accessories!

• I started working at Birmingham City University as a Visiting Lecturer.

• I made some one-off pieces for Cambrian Mountains Wool and they went into an exhibition that toured the UK.

• I started collaborating with Dot One and thanks to some amazing press at the end of 2015 we now have a packed order book. 

• I had some fabulous helpers.  Huge thanks go out to everyone who has interned with me this year; Morwenna, Chinarose, Georgia, Alice and Molly, you guys were fantastic!

2016 starts off with a bang.  I've got lots of weaving to do with Dot One (more on this later in January), our collaboration work will also be on show in 'Simpatico' at Unit Twelve Gallery in Staffordshire from the 7th of January to 26th March. But for now it's the beginning of another term in the academic calendar and I'm back in to Hereford College of Arts to catch up with my students tomorrow.  Let the new year commence! Happy 2016 everyone!

Introducing the Canvas Collection . . .

After months of build up I can't quite believe that MADE London has already come and gone.  As my first show after a 2 year break while I concentrated on commission work, I was a little nervous about delving into the world of shows again.  But MADE certainly did not disappoint.  Held in the beautiful One Marylebone it showcased 4 floors of the most fantastic makers and I am so thrilled to have been selected as one of them.  My thanks go out to Tutton & Young for organising such a great show.

I launched my new Canvas Collection at MADE (which I fondly refer to as my wiggles).  Incorporating borders made from french knitting which have been woven into the scarves, the design is a follow on from the scarves I developed for the Cambrian Mountains Wool exhibition (which is currently touring the UK and on show this weekend at Made by Hand in Cardiff).  The colourways have been inspired by some of my favorite artists; Sonia Delauney, Peter Doig, Howard Hodgkin, Patrick Heron and Per Kirkeby.  The colour combinations are bold and blended, while woven structures are subtle so as not to detract from the statement meandering knitted tubes.  A harmonious hybrid of knitting and weaving.



        

The collection received lots of attention at MADE, including the eye of actress Emma Thompson who bought a 'Kirkeby' as a gift for a friend.  If you want to follow Emma's lead and get some wiggles on this Winter the collection will be available to buy online very shortly for £175 each.  If you can't wait, email me your order to studio@helenfoot.co.uk.

Countdown to Peru . . .

At the end of next week I'm off to Peru for 3 weeks.  To say the least I'm rather excited as it's my 1st holiday abroad in about 12 years! But all work and no play makes Helen a dull girl.  I'll be visiting some fantastic sites; Lima, Machu Picchu, Cusco, Lake Titicaca and the Amazon rainforest.  I've just bought a massive new memory card for my camera so expect to see a lot of photos on my return! But before the off I've got a commission to do, my new collection prep to finish and find time to learn some Spanish (eek)! Adiós!

Fabulous colour blocking from these ladies on the Uros Islands, Titicaca, I should fit right in!

 Image from here.

Meeting HRH The Prince of Wales . . .

For a little while now I have had to keep a secret.  It's not something I'm particularly good at doing! But apart from spilling the beans to a few of my nearest and dearest I managed to keep schtum.  And now the secret is out . . .

For those of you who follow me on social media you may have spotted that on Friday I met a very famous face, HRH The Prince of Wales!

At the beautiful Nanteos Mansion just outside of Aberystwyth, Cambrian Mountains Wool were hosting a private view to celebrate the work produced for the 'International Design and Make Challenge 2015' project.  I am one of 37 designers who produced work for the challenge. At the event on Friday I was able to meet the fellow makers (one of whom had even traveled over from the USA specially for the PV), the organisers and associates of Cambrian Mountains Wool.  We were told in advance there would be a special guest in attendance but nothing more, but when we were asked for extra information in order to carry out security checks it soon clicked who the very special guest might be!

The Cambrian Mountains Wool Project is part of the Cambrian Mountains Initiative, of which His Royal Highness is President.  It's one of the many projects HRH supports associated with promoting wool. The Prince launched the Campaign for Wool in January 2010 as an initiative to expand the market for British and Commonwealth wool and promote awareness of its environmental benefits.  Wool is my absolute favorite fiber to work with and it was the sustainability of wool that I spoke to HRH about when we met.

photo courtesy of http://www.anthonypughphotography.co.uk/

Now the day is over it feels quite surreal that it actually happened but it was an amazing experience.  A huge thank you to Cambrian Mountains Wool for making me part of their project and allowing me this unforgettable opportunity!

Read my previous post to learn more about my work for the challenge

Collaborating with Dot One . . .

Last year I embarked on an intriguing commission with product designer Iona Inglesby for her Masters show at the Royal College of Art.  Iona had taken her families DNA and transformed it into a series of bright colour block designs which I then wove using a double cloth.

Now Iona has now set up Dot One, offering up her unique design services for commissions.

Dot One translates your genetic data into understandable colour patterns creating your own DNA 'tartan'. The design embeds trends of inheritance, similarities between siblings or records the merging of two families. All you need to do is a simple cheek swab and let your DNA do the designing!

Iona and I recently met up in London to talk about her latest commission and are now hatching a plan to combine our design skills to produce some limited edition products collaboratively.  Sampling is currently taking place and we hope to have more information about this exciting work very shortly, so watch this space!

 Images courtesy of Dot One

MY TEN TIPS FOR NEW TEXTILE GRADUATES . . .

This year marks 10 years since I completed my BA at Winchester School of Art and 5 years since I finished my MA at the RCA.  As my distance traveled since graduation grows ever longer and now I'm a lecturer and business owner I can't help but feel reflective of my own graduation experiences. I certainly did not get the most from the experience the first time I graduated (or maybe even the second) but I was young and boy did I learn from my mistakes.  But now I'm older (and hopefully wiser) I want to pass on some pearls of my wisdom.  So here are my top 10 tips for new (textile) graduates:

1.  First things first, update your CV.  It might seem obvious but it's such an important part of the first impression you will make with a potential employer.  Get it looking slick and make sure it's not too wordy.  You need clear formatting, bullet points rather than paragraphs and a couple of great referees (make sure you get their permission 1st).

2.  Know who you are contacting. VERY IMPORTANT this one.  There is nothing more frustrating to an employer than getting contacted by someone who didn't think to look up their name and it screams GENERIC EMAIL.  If someone can't be bothered to go on my website and read my blurbs to find out a bit about me, then I can't be bothered to read their email, let alone write back.  Simple.

3.  Hand in hand with point 2, if you are applying for jobs make sure you are a) responding to an advert (if there isn't a position to fill your wasting your time and spamming companies), b) know where the business is based (don't apply for something miles away if you have no intention of moving and c) have the right amount of qualifications (if they ask for 2 years industry experience or more, you're probably going for a job you're not experienced enough to do, find something more appropriate).

4.  It's a small world. Good word of mouth is essential, but similarly bad words spread too.  The impressions you have made on your tutors/internships/employers are SO important.  It's amazing how connected this industry is, don't forget that.  Most of the jobs I've had over the last 10 years have been from recommendations by people I've met along the way.  Internships turned into full time employment, good word of mouth manifested in lecturing jobs and commissions turned into collaborations.  It's a rolling ball, keep it rolling!

5.  Stay friendly with the contacts you have already made, they are your foot in the door to the industry you want to be a part of.  Just make sure you maintain professionality throughout and don't overstep the mark.  If you start asking questions you could just have typed into google you may find yourself skating on thin ice.  Make contact during business hours and whatever you do don't confuse them with your best friends and send them texts in the middle of the night!

6.  Make sure your social media content is impeccable.  Recruiters will look up facebook profiles (I've done it myself!) so make sure your private life stays private.  Change your security settings for your personal profile and think about setting up a 'page' for your professional profile.  I love linking up with my past interns via facebook but not every employer would want to be this informal.  Linkedin is a great alternative in these cases and I've also known people to get headhunted through the site, so make sure you have a profile set up.

7.  Be someone worth knowing.  You may have been a large fish in a small pond while you were at college but there are thousands of other people graduating at the same time as you and that ponds about to become an ocean! Find a way to stand out from the crowd.  It's not all about the innovation in your collection, being wildly cutting edge or the fact you just secured yourself a First.  When studios are looking to take someone on it is often more important to find someone who will integrate smoothly into a small team.  Be genuine, be polite, be dependable, become indispensable.

8.  If you love being a practical designer find a way to access the equipment you need in order to carry on working after college.  Does your college offer alumni access to workshops or are they part of the Artists Access to Art Colleges scheme?  There are also opportunities to join studios where you can access shared facilities or other perks like the Cultivated program at Unit Twelve Gallery. What is there available in your local area?  I also found the HOTHOUSE scheme the Crafts Council runs to be incredibly helpful when I first started my business, applications for their next intake open in July.

9.  It's alright to not know exactly what you want to do, it takes time to find your path and it may change along the way.  It took me almost a year to get my 1st full time job in the industry after my BA.  I worked as a Sales Assistant straight out of college until frustration drove me to throw myself back out there into the textiles world.  The sales world definitely wouldn't miss me the way I missed weaving! And since then I've dabbled in a few different roles.  It's because of the varied experiences I've had I know more clearly where I want to steer myself with the next 10 years of my career.

10.  Don't expect an easy ride.  Despite my good fortune at times along the way, there have also been crushing blows.  I know exactly what it feels like to be rejected, I've had more applications refused than accepted, I've been made redundant, I've gambled money on shows and lost.  It hurts. BUT the only thing you can do is pick yourself back up, dust yourself off and carry on.  Success isn't instantaneous.  You have to be tough and you have to work bloody hard for it.  So why rush? Remember your building a career.  I know I'm in it for the long game!

GOOD LUCK!

all images from google.

Cambrian Wool Challenge . . .

Back in March I was accepted to take part in the Cambrian Wool Challenge 2015.  Cambrian Mountains Wool is an initiative of the Cambrian Mountain Farmers CIC, supported by its patron, His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales, in order to raise awareness amongst consumers about the unique, natural and sustainable benefits offered by wool.  Encouraging collaboration between the community of wool producers, designers, retailers, manufacturers, artisans and interior designers living within the Cambrian Mountain region of mid-Wales, the Campaign aims to educate producers and consumers about the versatility of wool, and reconnecting them with its myriad uses.  The challenge was set for emerging or established designer-makers to create products using 100% Cambrian Mountain wool.  The aim: to demonstrate the versatility and beauty of their wool.

From over 100 entries, 35 designers were selected to take part and very luckily for me, I was one of them. 

I wanted to develop new work that would intersect the disciplines of weave, knit and stitch.  This is something I have been keen to explore for quite some time and touched on whilst studying my Masters.  Breaking away from my usual style of working with highly colourful yarns, I chose instead to work with the Cambrian wool in its natural tone.  The creation of the fabric was concentrated around the development of texture and unusual 3 dimensional effects.  Having looked at intricate cable knits, macramé and rope knotting techniques for inspiration, I developed some fabric samples which combined French knitted tubing with finer spun yarns on the loom.  The ideas for the formation of the two scarves then grew from there.  The first scarf, which is the more complex, had over 20 meters of French knit woven into the piece.  The cord weaves through the cloth and then links back on itself, snaking its way through the entirety of the scarf.  A central cable was added into the scarf once it had been cut from the loom, which runs from a central knot, through the loops created during the weaving, down to the ends of the scarf.  The second piece concentrates on creating a complex textured border as a highlight on either end of the scarf.

The creations of everyone who took part in the challenge are now going into an exhibition which will tour for the next year.  The shows first destination is the Hay Festival which opens at the end of next week.  I'll be popping down to have a look so expect some photos soon. Further dates that have already been announced include; The London Welsh Centre during the London Design Festival and Made by Hand Wales in the Autumn.  The full listing of venues and dates is available here.  For more images of my process please see the full album on facebook.

Buddying Heather Shields . . .

I've been kindly asked by the Crafts Council to act as a 'buddy' again this year and have been paired up with Glasgow based weaver Heather Shields.  I'd met Heather briefly last year when she attended the 'LOOM' seminar I curated for Stroud International Textiles, so it has been lovely getting to know Heather and her work better.  Combining playful colour palettes and bold patterns, Heather creates vibrate contemporary fabrics and homewares.

Heather's strong affinity with weaving began at art school where she immediately became fascinated with the physical practice and endless possibilities for experimentation and innovation.The meticulous nature of weaving challenges and satisfies her drive for technical perfection and quality.  She currently works on a George Wood peg loom but is just putting through an order for a new loom which will help her to take her business to the next level.

Heather started on the Hothouse program just over a month ago and has already been busily traveling around the UK to attend events.  She is part of the fifth run of the program which provides selected emerging makers with targeted creative and business support.

I caught up with Heather a couple of weeks ago in Glasgow where she showed me around the city and Glasgow School of Art (where she also works as the weave technician).  I had such a lovely day 'geeking' out with Heather in a constant chatter about all things loom, weaving and beyond and look forward to spending more time working with her over the coming months.  Her fabrics are truly stunning and she is definitely a talent to keep your eye on.  You can follow Heather's development on twitter, facebook and pinterest.

Collaborating with Sheep of Steel . . .

Earlier this year I was delighted to be contacted by Irem Arig, owner of Sheep of Steel, to see if I would be interested in making some collaborative scarves with her. Irem spins the most fantastic yarns and has an amazing sense of colour, so there was an proposition I couldn't possibly refuse!

After design meetings with Irem I set up a large sampling warp ready to test out all our ideas and possible colour combinations.  By the time I'd finished all the commission pieces in July we were ready to pick our favourites and get weaving the full size sample scarves.

But picking just 4 designs for our first batch of scarves was no easy task! We had ideas for hundreds so we really had to rein ourselves in.

So without further ado I would like to introduce to the chosen 4, Holoholo, Shamaye, Kwele and Ekoi.  And where do those names come from you may ask, well honing in on our African inspiration we picked the names of African tribes.  The scarves are all handwoven in small batches by myself.

With our first sale heading across the pond to a customer in New York if you'd like get your hands on one for yourself you can order your very own handwoven beauty via either Irem's or my own online shop for £200.  If you'd like to have a chance to try one on, Irem will be showing the collection at Handmade in Britain 2014 from the 14th - 16th of November at Chelsea Old Town Hall.  Likewise if you're in the Shrewsbury area you're welcome to pop by my studio for a peek!

Thank you Interns 2014!

I'd just like to say a massive thank you for all the hard work of this years summer interns. Sophie, Emma, Laurence, Helen and the two Alice's, I could never have got through the summer production run without you guys! Thank you for winding, reeding, threading, knotting and sewing. You were all fabulous! H x

Commission weaving for Noemi Niederhauser . . .

I started 2014 with a commission piece for Noemi Niederhauser, a Swiss artist currently completing a Masters at Central St Martins. Noemi contacted me because she is trying to reintegrate some textiles from the 1940's and wanted to know if I could weave a sample she had sourced in an old pattern book.  I asked Noemi what her project was about:

My practice is concerned with transcribing and reassembling cultural artefacts using discourses of ethnography and practices of the archive, to make surprising and fascinating new objects. In doing so I try to challenges historical, ethnographic and scientific narratives and  proposes new systems of exchange and modes of interpretation. For example, in my current project I am using an inherited  early twentieth century catalogue of fabric samples  and hand drawn patterns, originally the basis for the fabric design. I am using these as a basis for transcription, to make new, challenging sculptural objects in a variety of media- which themselves propose a micro order of relational objects.

An attempt to rethink conventional approaches to assemble and recount history and to propose a historiographic/ethnographical model that acknowledge doubt, subjectivity and reduction as inevitable factors when making sense of elements.

part of 'Sea melt into the sky melt into the sea melt into the land' by Noemi Niederhauser

Original fabric in pattern book.

The big challenge for me though was I'd have to do all the calculations for the warp without seeing the original piece of fabric.  This super fine cloth became one of the greatest challenges I have ever undertaken, with 100 ends per inch and being 40 inches wide, it really was epic.  Needless to say the process was extremely time consuming with 20 warp bundles to make and a total of 4000 ends to be threaded, reeded and tied on.  Just setting up the warp took me the equivalent of a whole week.

warp bundles.

fabric being woven on the loom.

myself with the finished piece of fabric.

Many hours of weaving later and the beautifully delicate fabric was done.  You can see the full photographic journey of the piece from fibre to fabric on my facebook page. Now I look forward to seeing what Noemi will do with it.  Her work will be on show at Central Saint Martins in May.

Goodbye 2013, Hello 2014 . . .

Oh my what a busy 6 months it has been (hence the long break from blogging). Since I started the summer production run back in July I don't feel like I have stopped! I have been working the two looms in rotation, using 'Levi' to produce the Regal scarves and 'Lawrence' for the Festival collection. Its been a great system which has allowed me to weave on one loom while the other has been set up by one of the amazing interns I have had through this year. And my what a fantastic help they all were, I couldn't have done it without them, so special thanks must be awarded to Nav, Victoria, Katie, Alice and Charlotte (especially Charlotte who put up with me for 10 whole weeks!).

Charlotte knotting on a warp

With three shows this Autumn, a whole host of new stockists, plus my regulars and a pop-up shop at Somerset House I needed to weave a lot of scarves! At my final count just before Christmas it totalled 153 woven this year. Nothing like being ambitious!

My stand at Lustre, Nottingham (Nov 2013)

So after such an extensive weaving schedule I've let myself have a well deserved break for Christmas and New Year. Now I'm looking to the year ahead.  Part of what has kept me so busy lately was that I was asked by Stroud International Textiles to curate a seminar which will be taking place in May. The seminar is titled LOOM and will feature some fantastic speakers (even if I do say so myself!). Tickets aren't available just yet so I will be posting more details of this later.

And then my real big news is I've decided to move to Bristol. I'll be setting up a studio with one of my best friends who is also a weaver, all very exciting but means there is lots of planning to be done. This will be happening around June/July so  if anyone would like any commission weaving now is the time to get in touch. So thank you for your continued support over the last year and if you're looking for a bargain there are still a couple of days left to take advantage of my Winter SALE!  Happy New Year everyone!

Visit from MEP Philip Bradbourn . . .

Last week MEP Philip Bradbourn came to visit me in my studio to take a look at the new loom (Levi) which was bought with ERDF money earlier this year.  The money was acquired through the Shropshire and Herefordshire Business Enterprise Fund which was administrated by Shropshire Council.

Speaking of his visit Mr Bradbourn said "Enterprises such as these have a key role to play in rebalancing our economy and European funding has played a key role in getting this business off the ground. It is excellent to visit a project such as this and see the successful end product of this funding programme. I applauded the initiative taken by Helen and her family in setting up this business and wish her every success for the future."

with MEP Philip Bradbourn and Helen Hunter-Hayes from Shropshire Council

What's been happening this Spring? . . .

I realise it's been ages since I last wrote a post (naughty me!), but in my defence it's only because I have been such a busy bee!

Planning new colourways

For me this Spring has been all about the production of the new 'Regal' colourways.  The 'Regal' collection is my lightweight cotton stripe design and I've been itching to expand it for ages.  So now 'Charlemagne' and 'Francois' have been joined by 'Claude', 'Josepha', 'Lucienne', 'Antionette', 'Cecilia' and 'Agnes'.  I launched them at the Contemporary Craft Festival a couple of weeks ago and now I am working on getting them up on the website as soon as I can.  My in house photographer (Richard Foot) has been a busy bee too lately, working on lots of new films for R&A Collaborations, so pinning him down to take some product shots has been tricky.  But fear not, I shall be bribing him with biscuits next week! In fact I'm also planning a styled photoshoot of them for next weekend.  I shall be working with Ella Ruth Cowperthwaite again, who took the beautiful modelled pictures of the 'Festival' collection last year.

On show with the 'Festival' scarves at the Contemporary Craft Fair, Bovey Tracey.

But for now I'm off to London for the week, helping my Hereford students at New Designers and making sure I visit as many exhibitions as is possible while I'm down.  Once I'm back it will be the beginning of my summer production run and I shall thankfully have the assistance of some lovely interns for a couple of months.  So watch this space for some Limited Edition colourways, new gift products and an entirely new collection . . . .

Buddying Annabel Williams . . .

I was incredibly lucky last year whilst on the Crafts Councils Hothouse scheme to have the amazing weaver Laura Thomas act as my 'Buddy'.  The role involved being a general go-to person for advice and pep talks, spurring me on to push my business forward every step of the way.

This year the boot is on the other foot.  I was asked by the Crafts Council if I would act as a 'Buddy' to one of this years Hothouse intake and I'm extremely pleased to have been paired up with Annabel Williams.  A fellow weaver, Annabel designs and makes textiles for interior and commercial spaces.

Working on a 16 shaft computerised George Wood loom (which she purchased from Ptolemy Mann) she creates cloths using monofilament, light reflective yarn, lurex and silk.  Annabel tells me her work is inspired by light:

The energy of the city creates a treasure trove of light, shapes and pattern from which I draw on as inspiration. From the buzz of the morning traffic to the fading evenings and dim lit streets, these traits instil a passion for my urban environment.

Light box

A recent graduate from Bath Spa University, where she studied under the watchful eye of Stroud based weaver Tim Parry-Williams, Annabel is now based in Bristol.  Having already successfully shown her work at Tent London, she is now planning for more shows later this year.  She will have a stand at The Contemporary Craft Fair in Bovey Tracey in June (which I will also be exhibiting at) and from my prodding is currently developing a dynamic list of potential stockists to approach in the coming months.

Handwoven cushions

Since I 1st met Annabel in February she has already been making fantastic progress.  I caught up with her on the phone last week and it was great to hear her making positive evaluations for the direction of new work and she's even moved her studio (which I hope to visit in a couple of weeks time).  

So keep you eyes peeled for the work of this new emerging talent . . . 

Nav's Gallery Report: RBSA Gallery

The Royal Birmingham Society of Artists (RBSA) is an artist led charity that supports artists and promotes engagement with the visual arts. Their gallery is situated near Birmingham city centre and has exhibitions on 2 floors. The RBSA's craft gallery has established a reputation as a leading Midlands outlet for contemporary craft. It showcases designer makers from the UK, exploring contemporary approaches to traditional craft-making techniques and materials.

The ground floor consists of solo shows as well as a craft gallery. When I first entered the gallery this exquisite handmade jewellery and metal work caught my gaze and pulled me in for a closer look.

I then began to look around the solo shows such as Rob Hand's ceramics and Kevin Line's pencil drawn portraits. Line's portraits reflect his attempts to make and convey emotional connections.

On the 1st and 2nd floor are works from various artists with different approaches to their work such as collaging, oil painting, line drawing, textiles and sculptures etc.

For more information on the RBSA Gallery click here.

Nav's Gallery Report: The Barber Institute of Fine Arts

Yesterday I visited the Barber Institute of Fine Arts. The institute was founded by Lady Barber in 1932 and is currently celebrating its 80^th birthday since it was opened by Queen Mary in 1939. 

The Barber is currently holding over 150 painting, approximately 50 sculptures, 1000 drawings and prints, and a large collection of Byzantine coins in Europe which makes it one of the finest art collections in the UK.

The gallery is a grade ll listed art-deco building designed by Robert Atkinson that is situated on the campus of University of Birmingham. The building contains a central concert hall which is surrounded by lecture halls and a library on the ground floor and the gallery on the first floor.

The collection in the Barber is full of famous works by artists such as Vincent Van Gogh, Claude Monet, Auguste Rodin, Pablo Picasso and Rembrandt, displayed in spacious galleries on the first floor. The Renaissance is represented by masterpieces by Giovanni Bellini, Veronese and Simone Martini, Rubens, Van Dyck, Poussin and Murillo. British artists represented are Aubrey Beardsley, Gainsborough, Reynolds, Rossetti and Turner.

Clause Oscar Monet (1840 - 1926),
The Church at Varengeville, 1882,
oil on canvas

As well as these well known and established artists there was an exhibition from the New Arts West Midlands which is a ‘brand new collaborative venture in partnership with Birmingham museum and art gallery and grand union, Birmingham.’ This exhibition profiles the ‘best critically-engaged work by recent graduates from the West Midlands university art schools such as Birmingham City University where I'm currently studying.

The work I was particularly interested in was Clair Waltons ‘Dying West’, (image below). 

 'Dying West' consists of a bike wrapped in wool, its utility removed and replaced by a new functionality. The bike was placed randomly among famous renaissance painting which begs the questions like who owns the bike, what's the history behind it, what colour is it, is there actually a bike inside it?.

For more information about The Barber Institute of Fine Arts click here.