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.

Graduation

After many months of eager anticipation (and more than a few sleepless nights) the day of my Graduation finally arrived. Thankfully, a deluge of snow failed to postpone the awards ceremony and the presentations went ahead as planned.

It was a great honor to receive my Degree surrounded by so many deserving and hard working individuals (and friends), I hope that they found receiving their degree as rewarding as I did. To receive such a high level of recognition for the fruits of ones labor was a fantastic achievement.

Many thanks to my family, loved ones and fellow Graduands for making the day a perfect one!

May I wish my fellow graduates all the success in the world!

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!

Mimaki

During my Print Technician internship I have thoroughly enjoyed advancing my existing technical skills. One of the most rewarding aspects of my internship has been becoming a competent operator of the Mimaki TX2. I have enjoyed learning how to operate the Mimaki, change its inks, fabric/paper, perform general mantainance and set up, and use RIP software to create layplans. Printing students work and helping them to achieve their goals and their digital design dreams has been a very rewarding experience, and today on the final day of my internship I have had the opportunity to use my beloved Mimaki again to print my own design for the first time since completing my degree.

I would like to thank all of the technical staff, textiles students and Design lecturers at The University of Derby for making my 13 week internship a delightful experience! I have enjoyed working with you all immensely!

Lord of the Flies

Of late I have been working on an utterly unique, one-off print called 'Lord of the Flies', which incorporates both my love of symbolism and nature (but in a very different manner to which they have been combined previously). This highly personal creation strongly reflects my interest in macabre, unusual art, design and literature. The design (created for a wall hanging) features various insects and beetles, all of which historically symbolize evil, the devil or disease radiating from the great, central 'Lord of the Flies'.

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!

Private View

Visiting the 'Best of the Best' Exhibitions Private View evening was an interesting and different experience, being the first exhibition to feature my work which I have not had full creative control over and assembled myself.
Curated by Jayne Falconer, the small exhibition showcases the Best work from across the 2012 ADT Degree Show. As well as my prints, the exhibition also features some of my visual studies and supporting conceptual work:

'Best of the Best' Exhibition

Im very pleased report that select pieces from my collection are currently on display at the 'Best of the Best 2012' Exhibition at the University of Derby's Markeaton Street campus.
The exhibition is currently running from Monday 17th September until Tuesday 25th October (Monday to Friday), with a special Private View on 3rd October.

The exhibition is open to the public with free entry. It is a showcase of specially selected Art, Design and Technology Graduates work.

Please feel free to visit the exhibition. For more information on how to get there:

http://www.derby.ac.uk/markeaton

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):

Embroidery

It has been many years since I had the time to partake in any recreational embroidery, however this summer has provided the perfect opportunity to utilize an old skill.
As a nod to a largely forgotten Heavy Metal tradition, I chose to embroider (as opposed to paint) the logos of bands onto one of my heavily customized jackets. Though a time consuming labor of love, I have had aspirations to once again pay homage to this traditional method since visiting the 'Home of Metal' Exhibition a few years ago.

Creative Curriculum Vitae

A great many things been achieved since my previous Creative CV post in my second year, and as I am now officially seeking employment as a qualified print designer I decided it was important to invest some time updating my CV.

So here is my brand new up-to-date CV!

If you would like to receive a full copy of my CV via email or post, please do not hesitate to request one.

Fresh Aesthetics

For some time I have considered updating the aesthetics of my blog. After a little deliberation, I decided it would be apt to have a blog header which reflected my most recent work, and an updated, more versatile layout. I echoed certain elements in my new template, as I was satisfied with the overall simplicity of my blogs layout, but it needed a little refining.

So its farewell to my old blog layout and welcome to my brand new header!

Feedback and opinions most welcome!

Arts Thread

My Arts Thread online graduate portfolio is newly updated and fully live to the public. The portfolio features a small selection of my design work which I feel best represents my style, skills and the techniques which I am familiar with.

Please feel free to visit Arts Thread and view my portfolio on the following link:

http://www.artsthread.com/p/alicedurose

New Designers 2012

Last week saw me take up residence for a week in London while I exhibited my work at New Designers along side thousands of the years best design graduates from across the UK.

Having the chance to exhibit my work at the largest Graduate Design Exhibition in the country was a wonderful opportunity and an incredibly enjoyable experience.

As one of 14 students selected from the University of Derby I was allocated one 9ft board on which to display pieces from my collection. Condensing down my show from 4 boards to one was a challenging process, however I feel that I successfully displayed a range of my fabrics to the public.

The theme chosen to display a representation of everyone else on the courses work was the jubilee. This topical theme created a lot of discussion amongst visitors.

Many thanks to the thousands of people who visited New Designers over the week and helped support young design talent in Britain. Thank you to the numerous people who picked up one of my business cards, our exhibition catalogue or asked to see my portfolio, your interest and appreciation of my work is valued very highly.

A First ...

Today saw the release of my courses degree classifications from the examination board. I am incredibly pleased to announce that I have officially achieved a First Class Honours BA in Textile Design!

I would like to take the opportunity to thank my friends, family, lecturers and technicians for their unyielding support throughout the course of my degree, especially during my final year, your support has been invaluable.

I am overjoyed with the result, as it is something which I have aimed to achieve throughout my entire degree, and it also allows me to further consider an option I have been contemplating pursuing in the future; studying an MA in the History of Design at RCA.

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.

New Designers

Much to my total and utter joy, I discovered today that I have been selected by the University as one of 14 students chosen to exhibit a board of work at New Designers in London.

After visiting New Designers 2011 last summer and witnessing the truly brilliant quality of work on display at the Exhibition it has been my goal to achieve a standard of work worthy of being shown at the most important Graduate Exhibition in the UK ever since.

Having the opportunity to showcase my work, style and abilities as a designer to a vast audience is an incredibly exciting prospect, for more information on New Designers including dates, opening times and the location of the exhibition visit:

http://www.newdesigners.com/

If you are planning on visiting the exhibition or are exhibiting at New Designers as a Graduate, I look forward to seeing you there!

Degree Show 2012

Following the whirlwind of the opening of the University of Derby 2012 Degree Show and the excitement which has followed, I thought it only right to share some images of my own show and the work I have chosen to display.
The pieces on display within my show are; six narrow lengths, one 3 metre 'Virtue' length and five hand printed scarves across 4 boards. My portfolio is also available view upon request. Below are some images of my show (and yours truly).

Purchased Work

The Private View of the Degree Show was a fantastic success. Upon my arrival I was utterly speechless to discover that I had been awarded a prize by the University which meant that they wished to purchase a piece of my work. Many thanks to the University for choosing my work to become a part of their collection, its a total honour.

I would also like to thank each and every person who discussed my work with me, expressed an interest in my style and my techniques and complimented me on the merits of my work, the Private View was an infinitely rewarding experience and your kind words were thoroughly appreciated.

Thank you all for more support and appreciation than I ever could have imagined!

Degree Show 2012

The moment I have been working towards for the last three years has almost arrived. Friday 1st June has been set as the date for the Private Viewing of my Degree Show (situated at the Markeaton Street campus). From Saturday 2nd June the Exhibition is open to the public Monday - Saturday (excluding bank holidays)until 12th June. If you would like to visit the show, please feel free to do so, for further details of opening times, events and the location of the campus please follow the link below:

http://www.derby.ac.uk/degree-show/timetable

If you are interested in attending the Private View please do not hesitate to contact me (or if you would like to discuss my work and conceptual ideals in person).