“Impressed”

PR1 Gallery, Victoria Building, University of Central Lancashire

Preston, Lancashire

Artists: Janet Minogue, JOhn Morrison, Marcia Alcock, Anna McDade, Paula Smithson.

 

This exhibition is a result of the AA2A Scheme- A national project which creates opportunity for artists and designer makers to develop their work, using higher education facilities. The artists on display at UCLAN had unique individuality, whilst all responded to printing mediums and techniques.

John Mortimer’s work is “an exploration of transience and impermanence in the natural landscape”. With fractured elements of earth such as broken ice and sea caves, applying a rich texture to his aesthetics thorugh intaglio printmaking techniques.

Marcia Alcock uses interdiscplinary skills from photography, paining, text and drawing in order to “test the boundaries of her projects”. This layering of medium further enhaced by the artist restricting light in the devlopment phases, displayed an element of exposure to elements both human and scientific. The final works are almost as if each manipulated layer is peering at its onlooker with a story to tell or a juxtaposed composition to promote.

Anna McDade’s work utilises non toxic prinitng methods in etching sterling silver and copper in the production of wearable jewellry items. The artist explores a friendly interpretaion of a previously clinical process, further complimented by imagery inspired thorugh natural forms. These now environmnetally friendly canvases remind us of the innevitability of change.

Janet Minogue’s pieces are in collaboration with cooking; as one appeared to not exist without the other. Small intricate printing images are displayed alongside foods and spices to provide a sensory experience to perhaps a sterile medium. It burrs the lines between everyday activites for an artist and opens up a celebration between art and life. The hand written recipes next to the prints describe to us a method and a process without telling us the whole truth.

ARTICLE; Printed and Featured in BRUCE zine issue#2

‘Installation’

Art Exhibition

THE SPACE Gallery, 22 Cannon Street

Preston, Lancashire.

Artists: Susam Angel, Clair Thomason, Creative Links, Joanna Greenan & Victoria Johnson, Chris Davies and Amy Marshall

Curated by Garth Gratrix

The Space Gallery began in March 2009 and initially saught to give refuge to individuals who had moved creatively forward from previous ‘mental health service users’ backgrounds. The Space offered a new avenue to develop creative skills and celebrate these processes by prgramming exhibitions and events.

‘Installation’ is the third exhibition for the gallery, studio and workshop venue and sees artist and curator Garth Gratrix provide a network between practicing artists and those seeking to gain knowledge in contemporary art forms. The show housed many diverse artists that all referenced both the personal sub conscious though and also that of what has been reclaimed and utilised from The Space itself.

Amy Marshall is an exceptional artist predominantly based within the community realm and has worked with many of the individuals who have benefited from this facility. Marshall’s pieces was a breathtaking arrangement of hand made Origami flowers, made from various papers, maps and invoice sheets found within the cellar at the venue. Displayed within an empty and craked alcove in a gallery wall, the work was a beautiful metaphor for those individuals growing and developing out of the circumstances of their current situations.

This was complimented by a unique set of boxes presented by Susan Angel (an artist in residence at The Space). In her first ever installation art piece she utilises reclaimed boxes and packs them full of homewares and personal items as if she were moving house or indeed forward. In her aspirational art piece she shows the audience sentiment and closure towards aspects of her own life.

The exhibition also housed an interactive mixed media installation comprising of hand made chains, linked together from floor to ceiling. Instigated thorugh the ‘Creative Links’ workshops (see bluestreakarts.net). This piece was originally intended as a study for observational drawing, however their attachment lay in favour of the tangible objects they had made instead. This awakening was then celebrated by offering the audience te opportunity to add to the chain that Creative Links begun- filling a gallery corner floor to celing with visual, kinetic and textural energy.

Experimental video also had a rare outing within Preston’s contemporary art circuit and was brought to us by Gratrix himself. Showing a salvaged family video of the artist re-enacting the Wizard of Oz at the age of four. The footage combined with props taken from his involvemnts in a recent promenade thatre performance of the original ‘W.O.O’ script, made for a great connection between the old and the new. Metaphorical narrative and the fantasy mixed with the reality were apparent, as the piece broke out across thew wall with a unique projection through a vintage mirror.

Also exhibiting were Joanna Greenan and Victoria Johnson who collaboratively produced a “temporary refurbishment” to the dissused rear of the venue, in an attempt to create a “superimposed aesthetic” that responded to the inactive entity that the area had bedome. They use elements of indoors outdoors and thorugh doing so create an “atmmosphere where comfort and imagination co-exist”.

ARTICLE: Printed and featured in BRUCE zine issue#2

Rock In The Park

Avenham Park, Saturday 15th August, 2009

Preston Lancashire.

This was a huge event which I was privelledged (although not overly giddy) to have backstage passes. Avenham Park was filled with 15,000 people truly showcasing Preston’s ability to produce shows of a larger scale and calibre.

Preston has promoted many singers in it’s time- notably The Spice Girls and myself. It continued to prove it’s strength in providing a good all round show. British Soul diva Beverly Knight was exceptional whilst other vocal strangths came from X Factors Laura White and Booty Luv.

Most entertaining has to go to The Lancashire Hotpots and their ‘Chippy Tea’ masterpiece…. Brilliant fun!.

The V.I.P bar provided further refreshing entertainment (if you know what I mean), whilst also making me look like an extra in Hollyoaks and Coronation Street… what joy! The event was successfully co-ordinated by the likes of Tim Joel- Events Support Officer for Preston City Council and all round comedy sketch guy, who made it just such a great day.

Pissing down regularly, but nobody cared… one artist thought she was in Manchester and received a boo after verbally saying Manchester throughout her set (Bless her cottons), but on the bright said that just tells you the event felt up to scratch with what the larger cities and venues offer currentl. When Preston does things it does do them well and can compete.

Goodbye small town syndrome and hello Glastonbury woohoo!

Other Acts at Rock In The Park included Tynchy Stryder, Mr Hudson, Jade (Eurovision), JLS (formerly JML), Taiu Cruz, Ironik and more.

ARTICLE: Printed and Featured in BRUCE zine, Issue #2

THE RED SHOES.

Brectian Theatre Performance: 31/07/2009

Guild Hall Youth Theatre: Bluestreak Arts

Preston, Lancashire.

The crowd was minimal but intimate! Their expectant faces prepared to celebrate the achievements of Guild Hall Youth Theatre’s ‘Summer School’ performance.

It was GHYT’S second Summer School extravaganza to be held at the Charter Theatre, brought to us by community arts organisation Bluestreak Arts (.net). Naturally (or perhaps stereotypically) you would expect a performance by young people to be ‘amateurish’. Moving where they have been told and speaking when required- perhaps with a sligh whisper from a director in the shadows to keep the cue’s going. However this was not the case as the young people embrace this adaptions og Hans Christian Andersons fairytale ‘The Red Shoes, with great flare, charaterisation and stage presence.

You realise at this moment that when GHYT and Bluestreak Arts are united under a theatre bracket, something magical can happen. A transformation of 18 young individuals working solidly for a whole week under professional deadline restraints and setting, alongside professional actors, director and choreographer. You can see how when ‘youngsters’ are treated as professional tools of a long established creative trade, that the end result is an instant blur on amateur terminology.

This is perhaps the best piece of Brectian Theatre that I have seen in a while and it came from the most unlikely of places. All the performers showed tremendous stamina as part of this Summer School workshop and how diversified they can be as their multiple characters were interchangeable on stage. Good simple use of props supported by solid stylsed movement and clearly spoken dialogue made for a fluid and uncomplicated piece of entertainment for all the family.

The only thing I was put of by (as a gay man) were the exceptionally sparkly red sequined shoes….. yummy!

I met the cast afterwards and their faces glowing and chests panting with excitement showed how much theatre gives back to those taking part within it. The personalities I cam across was like meeting potential Johansons, Streeps, Depps, Roberts and even Dench and Blethyn, as they lay early roots within the performance industry. Amateur has been proven as a mere marking of time people have been involved in something as apposed the the talent that is on offer and importantly talent that is supported by organisation such as Bluestreak Arts.

I look forward to seeing the next installment of GHYT.

ARTICLE: Printed and Featured in BRUCE zine Issue#1

What do people want

It is becomming ever more apparent that consultation is forever key within our world of intermediary services. People need or perhaps require cnfirmation that their thoughts and ideas are worth while before launching them.

My ponderance is what happens when you apply this capitalistic view within an arts environment. We all want to know if our work is considered of value… dont we? and besides artists are the few remaineing that are still prepared to launch a thought or idea and still call it just that before putting and Co or Limited by guarantee before it.
Whatever happened to simplicity!!

Well I guess this is it right here. I have toiled with numerous thoughts of what this could be for readers (but those thoughts turned into ventures, then marketability, then profitability) so ironically it comes down to you! What type of information would people like to read about within an arts, contemporary arts following?

I make art.. to which I wouldnt be ashamed to say good art. As do thousands of other creatives, even though financially its ruddy difficult. So we can establish we do it all for more than money! but what is it that makes us continue to be curious towards art?
Is it the art or the artist? is it the events? or is it the notoriety of the people that are involved so we dont feel we are progressing slower than others?.. or perhaps its far simpler and we want to know what shoes the artist was wearing at their last private view?
All are valid as we allow ourselves to be viewed, therefore it is impossible to restrict what people view/interpret and what they dont.

To finalise my first post.. My name is Garth Gratrix and im confused dot com, but know conversation and discussion is a good start!

Hello world!

Welcome to WordPress.com. After you read this, you should delete and write your own post, with a new title above. Or hit Add New on the left (of the admin dashboard) to start a fresh post.

Here are some suggestions for your first post.

1. You can find new ideas for what to blog about by reading the Daily Post.
2. Add PressThis to your browser. It creates a new blog post for you about any interesting  page you read on the web.
3. Make some changes to this page, and then hit preview on the right. You can alway preview any post or edit you before you share it to the world.