Gillian Ayres at Exeter RAMM (ends 15 September)

During the summer I have been acting as an art volunteer at RAMM in Exeter on two or three days a week. This has involved engaging with visitors about the temporary art exhibitions: Work by Gillian Ayres; Wasted - an exhibition by Gina Czarnecki; and Masters of the Moor - paintings by William and FJ Widgery. The Gillian Ayres exhibition is finishing on the 15th September and I would urge you not to miss it.

Gillian Ayres’ work has many influences and her style has changed over the years. In the 1950s she worked in the tachist style – a European version of abstract expressionism. In the early 1960s she was more influenced by her peers - Hilton, Scott, Hodgkin etc - but then in the later 1960s went on to produce cooly formulaic decorative work, typical of the period (think hippy/BIBA-style). In the 1970s she returned to exploring the limits of colour and form. Her style became denser with a chromatic touch recalling the late Monet garden paintings and this work evolved into the style seen in this exhibition.

The show includes monoprints (including a couple of large linocuts), multiple prints, and both acrylic and oil paintings. The great majority of the work - which spans 25 years - is prints. This is a new departure for Ayres who previously was primarily known for her vigorous painting style using oils and, in her early work, Ripolin.

Ayres is now 84. However, she came along to the preview evening and spoke at some length with the art volunteers. She remains passionate about her art and continues to follow a purely abstract path (despite what is suggested by the names of her works which are titled - not necessarily by her - simply to identify them one from another). Her printmaking is done in collaboration with Jack Shirreff- a master printmaker. Nevertheless, Ayres has a distinctive approach to printmaking, often using carborundum as part of the printmaking process and overpainting many prints by hand.

A number of museum visitors recognised similarities to work by Howard Hodgkin and more noted the influence of Matisse. Many commented that the work was life-affirming. Personally I recognise parallels with, if not the influence of, Mexican folk art and Keith Haring in the later work.

Although it is a pity that the exhibition does not include work from other periods, it is nevertheless a great opportunity to see some of the last 25 years' output from Britain's foremost living woman abstract painter. Her work can be purchased from RAMM, during the exhibition, or from the Alan Cristea gallery. You have until the 15th September to catch the exhibition.

Maddy Pethick at Spacex - Books that Can't Behave Themselves

During the last week of the August Atelier I went along to Spacex and had a go at the Books that Can't Behave Themselves workshop with Maddy Pethick.

 

Maddy is an artist and lecturer in Contextual Practices at Plymouth College of Art. To quote from Plymouth Arts Centre blurb: She is an artist who makes books, performance, video, text and installation. Her recent works are made from second hand books: They evidence the recurring themes in her practice including cookery, cats, gardening, knitwear, and flowers. They include books constructed from books, taking the form of long concertinas that meander across surfaces or, in the hands of a performer, reveal their latent momentum.
 

 

This workshop was only two hours long and Maddy did not waste time. She showed us examples of her work reconstructing books (some of which are shown above) and then got us tearing up books acquired from charity shops and working on our own projects. She shared her thoughts, ideas and experience with us while we worked and, after an uncertain start, we got to grips with the destruction and reconstruction of literature.  Some of Maddy's thoughts on reconfiguring charity shop books are outlined in the programme notes for this November's  Resurrecting the Book event.

I produced a piece loosely themed on Lord of the Flies (pictured below). The afternoon was a fun learning experience and I think this is something that I could usefully incorporate into future work.

It's just a start - and difficult to photograph - but if there is a next time I'll be more confident and will have more time to develop ideas. It was a great workshop, though, and a pleasure to meet Maddy. There are further pictures of other workshop attenders and their outputs in the August Atelier album on the Spacex Facebook page.

August Atelier at Exeter Spacex and coming soon: The Bristol Festival of Puppetry

The August Atelier is well underway at Spacex in Exeter. I went along on the first day, August 6th, and had my photo taken by El Busta's Travelling Photo Studio - which is exactly what it sounds like. Below are photos that I took on the day, together with the portrait that I came away with after it was processed on site (in about ten minutes).

After Photography, week two of the Atelier focused on Sculpture, week three's activities (from Tues 20th) are about Drawing, and the theme for the final week (starting Tues 27th) is Print. It's worth checking out the activities that are still to come - there is something for all ages.

Bristol Festival of Puppetry

The Bristol Festival of Puppetry 2013 takes place from 30th August to 8th September. There will be fims, exhibitions, live events and much more. If you're a puppet fan (and who can isn't?) then this is for you.

Mike Heron & the Trembling Bells at Exeter Phoenix

A week ago we ventured out reluctantly (given the temperatures) to see Mike Heron and the Trembling Bells at Exeter Phoenix. It had been billed as a standing gig, so we were relieved to find that the venue had actually been laid out with tables & chairs and that the evening was not going to be a repeat of the Johnny Marr sweat-bath a week or so earlier. I must admit that I wasn't familiar with the Trembling Bells and that my knowledge of Mike Heron really dated from Changing Horses - an album recorded after Heron and Williamson had given up drugs and converted to scientology which, unsurprisingly, was not regarded as one of the Incredible String Band's best.

However, from the moment that they took the stage we could see that we were in for a good night. Although most of the Mike Heron songs predated my String Band days, his unique delivery was unmistakeable and the arrangement of the songs by the drummer, Alex Neilson, was appropriately hippyish, with plenty of percussive and other folky effects. As luck would have it we found ourselves sitting next to Deb and Jez Winship. Jez has done a brilliant review of the gig on his blog Sparks in Electrical Jelly which traces the origins of many of the songs to relevant String Band albums and also fills in with information about the Trembling Bells material. So rather than try to top that (as if I could) I have just posted below a selection of photographs from the evening:

I've just looked back at my blog and it was April 2012  when we saw John Renbourn & Robin Williamson at the Phoenix. That gig was a bit disappointing (although Renbourn's guitar playing was masterful) and as a result I never posted any photos - but I may get around to doing that soon. Suffice it to say that Mike Heron and the Trembling Bells provided a far more satisfying evening and I will be looking out some of those older String Band albums that Jez mentions in his review, as well as investigating the recorded output of the Bells. To finish up, here is a taste of Mike Heron and the Trembling Bells doing Log Cabin Home in the Sky at the Hyde Park Picture House:

TAAG in Teignmouth: Anna Grayson and Friends

It's a while since I've posted anything about TAAG in Teignmouth. Earlier this month, however, I saw the excellent exhibition Woman’s Voices – the Journey for Women in the Arts in the garage part of the gallery.

A tagine and other ceramics by Anna

The exhibition included a wide range of work, including some by Anna Grayson who, alongside me, has been attending the Access course in Art and Design at Exeter College over the past year.

Life painting by Anna

Next week Anna is putting on another show of her work and that of her friends, which should also be worth a look. The exhibition will include a number of names familiar to regular patrons of TAAG. I have reproduced below an article from the Teignmouth Post containing further details about Anna and the other contributors:

So if you are in Teignmouth next week - from Sunday July 28 - I recommend that you look into TAAG and check out what's on show.

Another of Anna's Tagines for Devon

Johnny Marr at Exeter Phoenix

Johnny Marr played Exeter last Friday. The Phoenix was packed and it was a hot evening. Marr played a set from his solo album, The Messenger, stuff from the Smiths repertoire, and one from his time with Electronic.

He was styled as an ageing mod - a younger Paul Weller (but still too old for the look). He soon shed his velvet jacket due to the heat. The audience included some middle-aged blokes intent upon reliving their pogoing youth, and students who seemed surprised by the antics of the older contingent.

Marr played his trademark jingle-jangle guitar. The solo stuff went down ok with the audience but often lacked musical hooks and relied upon thrash and strum. Nevertheless, he was astute enough to throw in some old favourites: Big mouth strikes again; I fought the law; There is a light that never goes out; and, memorably, Getting away with it, and How soon is now? Marr is no Morrissey vocally but he was good enough for the enthusiastic crowd.

At the end of the night the punters all had a good time and Marr & his band left them sweaty but happy. I didn't take any video but here is a clip of Johnny and band doing How Soon Is Now? on the Jimmy Fallon show: