Danse Macabre

As part of my current personal design and customization work I have recently started developing a number of ambitious jacket projects, one featuring entirely my own artwork, and the other themed around a subject/attitude which interests me greatly; Danse Macabre.

Danse Macabre (Dance of Death) is a Medieval allegory which focuses upon the premise that no matter ones station or virtues in life, death, inevitably, comes to us all. During this historical period this was an intensely important message and consideration, as plagues and pestilence ravaged the population it was always important to remember that whether King or Laborer, none are exempt from the inevitable. I feel that this harsh reminder of mortality is still an important message and, like Memento Mori, reminds us to use our time and lives wisely.

I chose to base the jackets illustrations upon the Woodcuts of Hans Holbein the Younger, which in the true tradition of Danse Macabre show death spares none, despite their faith, power or wealth. The jacket is intended as both a homage to the artists skills, as well as the message, and truth of Danse Macabre.

'The Abbess' and 'The Abbot' are the main features of the reverse of he jacket.

Petite Portrait

I recently spotted a small plaster cast frame in an antique shop for a few pounds. Unable to resist the appealing petite piece I purchased it, removed the hideous art from its frame, conducted some minor repairs and finally painting a small Rhinoceros Beetle within the frame.
I found the strange, bizarre idea of featuring a beetle in the frame very appealing, especially after visiting the Natural History Museum and seeing many specimens first hand. I look forward to displaying the little fellow in my own home along side my other eerie artistic creations.

Pre-Raphaelite Reads

Ever the avid reader I am always striving to expand my library and seek out invaluable reading material with which to expand my knowledge. Books are certainly my favourite gifts to both give and receive, so I was overjoyed to receive two beautiful books for Christmas, both on the subject of my favourite art movement; The Pre-Raphaelites.

'Pre-Raphaelite Drawing' focuses around the lesser seen Pre-Raphaelite studies, which were the subject of the 2011 exhibition 'The Poetry of Drawing' at Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery. 'The Pre-Raphaelite Language of Flowers', is an utterly fantastic insight into the Pre-Raphaelites extensive use of floral symbolism. Having been engrossed in this specific subject for a number of years, it has had an immense impact upon both my design work and my personal art work, so a well researched observation of The Pre-Raphaelites use of the Language of Flowers is both a wonderful reference tool, and a joy to read!

King Diamond

Now that free time is slightly more abundant I have had the chance to begin working on many personal projects which have remained largely in the shadows during the creation of my final collection, my degree show and new designers.
I have been an avid creator of my own clothing for around 10 years and I am always eager to create and customize in a manner which reflects my own tastes and personal style. Recently I have spent my spare time working on this jacket. The main theme of the jacket is King Diamond's 'Conspiracy' album cover, and is my own homage and nod to one of my favorite albums, and a chance to hone my portraiture skills!

Eyes of the World

Having finished my degree I have far more time to pursue personal projects which have been on hold for an extensive period while I focused on my degree. Some of the works mid creation here currently are highly conceptual pieces of art, a vast amount of print design ideas Ive wished to pursue for some time (which are in their infancy but will eventually form the basis of my new collection) and a book of illustrations solely focusing upon something I enjoy drawing and find fascinating, but as an artist/designer they are also incredibly important to me; eyes! Here are a couple of eye studies so far (of both a Long Eared Owl and a 'work in progress' Tawny Owl):

The Great Romantic Artist

BBC Four can be relied upon to bring Art and Culture to the forefront of the minds of creative individuals on a regular basis and do not fail to do so with their recent feature on J.M.W Turner.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b01jv255/Turners_Thames/

I welcomed the programme greatly as a self confessed Turner novice. Until around a year ago I had never quite grasped the fanatical appeal of Turner. I had always considered his works masterful and doubtlessly beautiful, but British oil landscapes and seascapes had always been slightly lost on me and failed to ignite the interest which Cezanne, Monet and even Dali's landscapes provided. However this changed upon my first visit to the National Gallery last summer. Having never seen Turners work in the flesh before, I was unexpectedly knocked clean out of my boots by 'Ulysses Deriding Polyphemus'. The sheer, incredible emotion of the piece and both the atmosphere and beauty it captured had me transfixed and totally speechless for some time.

Even now I still feel that Turners work simply can not be viewed in a book and understood or appreciated fully. The texture of the paint and the true colours provide an emotion and beauty which seem incapable of being replicated in print. Even my memories of pieces I have viewed in the National Gallery and the V&A seem far more vivid and detailed than images in books.

The programme focuses specifically upon Turners use of the Thames as a base for many of his compositions and takes an analytical look at his use of colour, technique and intentions, however much of the discussion is objective and simply a result of personal opinion. The narrative may have benefited from some more academic elements, however it provides an interesting overall observation and appreciation of Turners work.

One element of the discussion which did intrigue me greatly was the mention of: 'Was Turner an artistic radical and a conservative Royalist? Or just an artist businessman? ... Nothing is known about Turners politics'. I have been looking for a new, exciting avenue of academic research to embark on, to say that 'nothing' is known of Turners political stance is surely something which needs to be rectified?

Since seeing 'Ulysses Deriding Polyphemus' at the National Gallery, I have had a postcard of the piece on view at all times to remind myself of the sheer emotion which creativity has the power to evoke.

The Louvre in studies

Using my sketchbook to document various inspiration within my project means that Ive had the chance to complete a number of studies of art within the Louvre which I found most impacting, and in particular the small details of these elements. Below are a few pages from my sketchbook looking at art and sculpture of the Lourve:

The Language of Flowers

The language of flowers is a concept which I am interest in introducing into my project. Having planned to theme my final project on flora and fauna for some time, the summer project was an odd coincidence. Initially I planned to create a natural project bursting with symbolism, and this is what I wish to return to.
The paper in the book prescribed for the summer project is far too lower quality to use for design work, so Ive begun my official sketchbook, made from 100% recycled cartridge paper, I will be binding the book myself once again. I am also eager to work in my own style and preferred media again.

I have taken a number of books out of the University library to read on floral symbolism within art and the Language of Flowers, although I am not a stranger to the topic. At college my specialist subject in fine art was The Pre-Raphaelites, famed for their heavy symbolism and use of nature (I also have experience with Vanitas art and Ontbijt).

The Language of Flowers rose to popularity in the Victorian era, when sending a posy was not something to be ill-considered, as every flower had a different and important meaning. The language was often used to express emotion, therefore causing the flower to become a powerful and potent symbol. Dictionaries were developed for users of the Language to ensure that they understood the meaning of a posy correctly. The meanings of the flowers often came from mythology, religion or scientific experimentation, and are surprisingly relevant and well considered.

A concept I have begun to work on is the idea of using flowers to express a trait, my first instinct was representing good and bad through floral symbolism, however this idea evolved into the idea of using the Seven Deadly Sins and Heavenly virtues as the basis for a collection of fabrics. I find the concept of people wearing a garment made of what symbolically represents 'Lust' or 'Wrath' and either revelling in this subliminal message, or being ignorant to it most enjoyable.
Although the language is largely disused now, we still cling to core symbolism from some flowers, such as purity from the white lily, love from the red rose, childhood from the daisy and vanity from the Narcissus. These surviving and widely known symbolic flowers do give a certain degree of hope that the language could be revived, if only to a few, as I do rather enjoy the passion and detail of floral symbolism.