S1 ARTSPACE...

-    'S1 Artspace is one of those little hidden gems of the city'    -

It's been a while since I last posted on giveusahue. A lot has been happening in life: finishing my second year at University, embarking upon a new job adventure at Seven Hills Bakery (the smell of freshly baked bread has distracted me from my art ventures), but now that I'm settled again: it's time to bring giveusahue back to life!

So, let me update you on what I've been up to since the new year began:

To kickstart the new year, I took a trip to S1 Artspace: located in the depths of Park Hill Flats. I made it my mission to visit more galleries this year and see what is out there in Sheffield and beyond. S1 Artspace is one of those little hidden gems of the city. Having never been up to that stick of the woods, I was interested in how S1 Art Space fits in with Park Hill Flats. The works there were fab and really interactive (something that I haven't really seen before).

I think the pictures below speak for themselves, but the audio there was just as good! It was difficult to tell what the dulcet tones of S1 Artspace were or where they were coming from, but it was definitely an intriguing visit.

Lucy Vann's 'Zones of Comfort'  explore the idea of mapping out regimes of physical and mental exercises to encourage artistic expression -  a step-by-step method, or an educational structure thought to lead to transcendence. I found this really interesting, not only because it's built around the structure of self-expression, but also because it reminded me of the type of diagrams and structures I study through sociolinguistics. Her works had a sense of managerial language that offers the space for personal development - much like the process of second language acquisition, or acculturation into a new culture.

I love the way that S1 Artspace is tucked inside the old and new of Park Hill Flats. I visited in mid-February - a time when Sheffield was welcoming (albeit, begrudgingly) the snow falls. So, the space had an eerie feel to it which I think accentuates the harshness of the aged side of Park Hill. Despite this, it still felt lively. It's like you could almost see the marks of people who had come and gone in those flats behind S1 Art Space. Looking up at those flats, I could imagine what it might have looked like years ago - it didn't feel so eerie after that.

Park Hill Flats - Behind S1 Art Space: 

Overall, it was such a fab visit! It's a small space, so not a full gallery as such, but more just a great space for intimate works - defo worth a visit for those wishing to see a setback part of Sheffield that's full to the brim with a mix of the vibrancy of old and new. 

- giveusahue | Riannon Davies

A Day Exploring The Arts | Work and Adventures

Visiting the South Yorkshire Art Show...

Today was one of those spontaneous days where you jump out of bed and into your front garden without any plans set in stone - my favourite kinda way to spend a Saturday. With that in mind, I decided it would be a good time to pop home for the weekend and with mother's day being tomorrow, I wanted to treat my mum to a spot of lunch coupled up with a day of culture.

As it turns out, today was the South Yorkshire Open Art Show which was held in Rotherham's 'Old Market Gallery' and showcases some brilliant local works of Fine Arts, Photography, and Sculpture. After sitting down in the lovely Fitzwilliam and Huges Coffee Shop, located at where I like to call  - 'the top ov' thee 'ill', we ventured down to the gallery in the hope to see some refreshing works. The event did not disappoint! With only an hour until closing, the room was still jam-packed with people and it had a great atmosphere.

Something that really caught my attention was the illustration: namely 'The Right Good Art Club'...I know, what a name?! I still think it should be called 'The Reyt Good Art Club' with us being in Yorkshire an' all! But the illustration was, as my awesome art teacher would say: absolutely knock out!!

Design Credit - 'The Right Good Art Club' (Hustlerbyname, 2018)

I didn't manage to capture too much of the works on display or take a lot of photos of the event itself as I was too busy admiring the exhibition, but here are a few bits and bobs that caught my eye...

The Abstract Corner -

This was perhaps one of my favourite section of the show. Using materials in this abstract way isn't usually my style, but there was something so atmospheric about this corner.

Upon closer inspection, I noticed that one of the works had tiny engravings on the surface of the acrylic which told stories and personal expressions from the Artist. I loved the way the messages didn't give too much away and probably read differently for many people.

Another quite abstract collection being captured here. My love for layered paper and acrylic has been a recent discovery, but I was so glad to see some of it in the show. Above all, the most significant message to take away from today is that local art is an all living and breathing phenomena that is slowly moving through the ghost town that Rotherham has sadly become - I do really hope that my hometown can continue moving in this way. I intend to be with them every step of the way! Let's create a vibrant town and celebrate independent business and talent :)

Perhaps the most comical find of the day was the tiny tribute to Theresa May (I use the word 'tribute' loosely here as I'm not entirely sure she would feel the painting captures her best side - does she have a  better side?!) If it's anything like her policies... but, let's not get into that ey... I'll let you be the judge...

Sarah Bingham - Theresa May: Acrylic 

The works on display really do capture the creativity and movement of the Arts in South Yorkshire and it was lovely to see Rotherham working towards getting the community together for a reyt good old chinwag and a proper strong brew. Unfortunately, the shops in the imperial buildings just aren't what they used to be -  all empty and in need of some true TLC and a kiss of independent business. But I am a firm believer that as one era ends, others reform in its place - hopefully on my next visit they'll be some vibrancy back up there - just like it used to be in my school days!

Links to Artists -
HOSTED BY -
'The Sorting Office' - http://www.artfulonline.org/  'The South Yorkshire Open Art Show'
'The Right Good Art Club' -  https://therightgoodartclu.wixsite.com/website
     in 'Huster by name' - http://hustlerbyname.co.uk/

- giveusahue | Riannon Davies

Getting back into the swing | University Life

Exams, exams.... more exams! 

Yep, you guessed it - it's University exam season for first years, which means I've been bogged down with lots of revision, timetable lists, and a plethora of topics I've ploughed through before the big days ahead. 

Amidst all the chaos, I have been eager to get some ideas onto paper in terms of my printing plans. It's been a slow process so far with the amount of work I've had to prioritise and it almost started to feel as though I'd never seen the end of exam season, but with two days to go, I can just about see the light at the end of this semester. 

In order to get all excited (very excited) for the weekend - when I can actually print - I decided to order some more lino inks and soft cut boards. I find the soft cut material a lot easier to work with, despite the consensus that it can sometimes create a more grainy print. So I logged onto my favourite printing website and decided to treat myself for when I can finally start getting back into the swing of things.

Having also gone home for a couple of days last week, I was able to fish through the enormity of art materials that I didn't quite realise I had accumulated over the years! Boxes and boxes of stuff just piled up waiting for me to use! I can't wait to get started again :) 

Watch this space for some upcoming designs, prints...and what I plan to do with the finishing product! 

PhotoSOC | University Life

Project 1...

Since studying at the University of Sheffield, my artistic interests have been waiting on the shelf for me to rekindle. When you're thrown into a new environment, it can be difficult to continue with your interests when they're not at the forefront of your studies. 

In order to rekindle the fire... I decided to join Univerisity of Sheffield PhotoSOC. A society that works with students to channel shared interests of photography and art as a way of creating a platform for people like me to showcase our projects. 

For the first week, I attended a lecture with the focus on 'flash photography'. During the lecture, we explored how light can be manipulated just as much as the subject you are photographing. In order to have full control over the lighting and manipulation, we used artificial lighting and kept the lecture theatre dark throughout. The results were drastically different from one student to the next - with some creating strobes of light, others illuminating the subject itself (in this case we nominated a few members of the society to be our subject), and in my case - the light was layered in both the foreground and background of my images. 

My images as a result of light manipulation

Stay tuned for the upcoming projects showcased here along with information about where my next photography adventures will be... COMING NEXT SEMESTER! :)

*All images were taken using CanonPowershot G5X

Check out TRC Arthive to see a featured post of my recent work and how I ended up fortunate enough to be involved in things like this today! :)

http://trcarthive.blogspot.co.uk/2018/01/where-are-they-now-riannon-davies.html

Art Critique | Art Prof Appearance

Exciting news ahead!! 

During my A-level Art studies, I ventured to a little website called 'Art Prof'. This hidden gem consists of lots of different and talented artists - working and creating in all walks of life... from school level studies to college, to University and beyond. The organisation is run by a great team of individuals who are also involved in their own artistic adventures - all having their own little areas of interest.

When creating work for my final exam, I was really interested in the way Art Prof focused their time and efforts on giving students feedback on work from all over the world. At this stage in my studies, Art Prof was offering free art critiques for students that wished to gain some extra information and constructive criticism about their work. Being keen to get my name on the waiting list, I snooped around their website and contemplated signing up.

A few weeks past and I was busy creating, brainstorming and doing revision for my other subjects. In short - life was catching up with me. Just as I was starting to forget all about signing up, Clara Lieu: an artist in partnership with Art Prof, commented on one of my Instagram images of my most recent project. I was absolutely ecstatic to see that she had noticed me. It was only a few weeks earlier that I had been researching her work on her website and admiring her talent and hand for charcoal drawings. Subsequently, I signed up, sent some images of my latest work... and within a few weeks, my work was up on the website ready to be seen by many people who use and love Art Prof.

My submission for the Art Prof critique

I was very priveldged to be involved in this program at this time as it allowed me to use the feedback from a range of other artists as a way to push my ideas and concepts forward. This was definitely beneficial for my studies during my A-Level and gave me just the boost of confidence I needed to move my project in the right direction.

A closer look at the original print

The above works are intaglio prints inspired by the details of onion skin and the concept of textures.

Take  a look at my Art Prov appearance here: https://artprof.org/critiques/riannon-davies/

Youtube Video/Audio of the critique: https://youtu.be/YxtgGP2UYxM

Screen Printing | Techniques

Screen Printing...

In the second year of my A-level art course, I discovered a love for screen printing. As an avid drawer who likes to capture fine details in portraits and textures, I was sceptical about starting a new technique process which I'd only ever associated with graphic design. However, screen printing soon became a large focus within my work and something still of great interest to me today.

Because I am so intrigued by the finer details and textures you can find in a drawing, it seemed only natural to try and find a way to combine the Fine Art and Graphics element... and so the Screen Printed drawing was born...

Left (an inverted version of the drawing scanned onto a stretched screen)
Right (the result of a screen transfer in charcoal grey ink)

My work for this particular project is very close to home. With a continuous interest in the history of the mining industry, I wanted to capture a point in time by using my grandfather as the focus of my work. It goes without saying that this project wasn't short of its difficulties - creating pieces from unfamiliar techniques so late on in the course produced added stress, but the hard work eventually paid off with the finished design.

I'd fallen in love with the effect of Screen Printing. The way that I could combine light and dark greys to match the charcoal effects that I desired really allowed me to convey my concept and do justice to what I wanted to explore!

Since leaving college, I have started to develop skills in a fun and creative way to create the beginning of my own craft, card-making selection. As Christmas is only 10 days away, I wanted to surprise my family and friends with something a little different this season... below is my finished lino printed design ready to hit the welcome mats of lots of homes!

As I would now say I am an avid printmaker...I had the pleasure of being invited back to Thomas Rotherham College during early November to make Christmas cards for TRAC - a brilliant way for students and staff to collect funds for the department and charities! Thanks for having me for the evening!! :)  See their featured blog post all about the event here:

http://trcarthive.blogspot.co.uk/2017/11/open-evening-festive-fun-trac.html

New Beginnings | University Life

Oh, how things have changed...

It has been a while seen I wrote any sort of blog post. I think life catches up with you from time to time and you forget to stop and document your daily life. Well now is the time: I couldn't be more enthusiastic about getting this blog back up and running as I march into my degree! 

A lot has happened since I was last actively writing about where my life was heading. I am now a fully fledged grown-up... or so I like to think. It almost felt like I was living someone else's life when I moved into University Halls and faced new challenges head-on. Before now, I was comfortably situated in my own little world of creativity. A world that involved sketchbooks, concepts, cameras, and a non-stop time bomb ticking in my head as I approached those scary deadline days. But the truth is, I miss my little hectic college life - the running around to get pages created in time, the endless thoughts of 'what project should I explore next' - the fact is, it gave me a buzz.

It goes without saying that Art at college gave me a platform to understand what it was that I wanted to do and how I was going to go about it. I wanted to explore how I could really understand where my talents are, how I could push my limits, and what would happen when I was thrown in at the deep end into shark-infested waters of A-level qualifications. 

College taught me an awful lot of useful life lessons. It taught me that the world can't decide things for you (that includes your experienced and wise-worded teachers), it taught me that a grade doesn't define your worth or talent. More importantly, it taught me that if you have a real passion for something in your life then it will stab you in the side like a toddler wanting an ice cream at the park until you make a rational move to change your perceptions. 

Now all that is established and I feel ready to begin my blogging journey again, (about time!!)... I will leave you to explore my blog for as long or little as you wish until you maybe stumble upon something that interests your mind. 

- Giveusahue