Roger Ackling
This afternoon we took a visit to Resistance and Persistence, the current exhibition at the Ingleby Gallery, Edinburgh, which includes works by a favourite artist, Roger Ackling (1947-2014).
Graduating from St. Martin's School of Art in the late 1960s, Ackling (along with friends and colleagues Richard Long and Hamish Fulton) challenged the traditional notions of sculptural production.
For much of his career, Ackling made work using the same method, using a magnifying glass to focus sunlight onto the surface of found wooden objects, burning lines and dots in a process of meditative mark making.
Born in London in 1947, he studied at St. Martin's from 1965-1968. In addition to producing work that is included in many public collections such as at Tate, the V&A and The Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam, Ackling was a popular teacher at Chelsea College of Art and other schools.
Occasional Papers have published 'Roger Ackling: Between The Lines', the first comprehensive overview of the artist's work.
You can find out more about Ackling's work from the Ingleby Gallery website or in these obituaries in The Guardian and The Independent.
Roger Ackling '6 Unit Stack Piece, Voewood' - sunlight on wood, 1999
Roger Ackling - a group of five works, sunlight on wood
Roger Ackling
Roger Ackling's installation at the Ingleby Gallery, Edinburgh in 2012
Roger Ackling 'Voewood' - sunlight on wood, 2010
Roger Ackling 'Bird' - sunlight on wood, 1974
'Between The Lines' published by Occasional Papers
Jonathan Gibbs
Jonathan Gibbs' latest solo exhibition at the Open Eye Gallery in Edinburgh opens on 9th January 2016.
Life is But a Dream features a selection of work inspired by his sabbatical leave from his role as Programme Director at Edinburgh College of Art last year. Within this time Gibbs studied riverine literature, songs, and imagery as well as travelling to Italy, India, and Norfolk to further his practice. Whilst in Venice, Gibbs paid great attention to Jacopo de’ Barbari’s woodblocks, used for his infamous ‘Map of Venice’, which inspired Gibbs to start working on a larger scale.
Known for his distinctive approach to illustration through printmaking, this exhibition includes a range of woodcuts with new paintings on mahogany, canvas or oak, and additional pencil drawings. The exhibition is titled ‘Life is But a Dream’ after the largest and most ambitious work in the exhibition, consisting of a woodcut over 4 meters long; a direct response to the children’s nursery rhyme ‘Row, Row, Row Your Boat’. The original bloc used for creation will also be on display in the gallery.
The exhibition runs from 9th to 27th January 2016 at Open Eye Gallery, 34 Abercromby Place, Edinburgh EH3 6QE. Find out more
Jonathan Gibbs 'The Baite II' wood engraving
Jonathan Gibbs 'Night Kitchen II' oil and gesso on wood
Jonathan Gibbs 'Kindrochet Still Life' wood engraving
Jonathan Gibbs 'The Baite IV' wood engraving
Jonathan Gibbs 'La Citié' wood engraving
Jonathan Gibbs 'A Store of Gifts' oil and gesso on wood
35 Years of the Open Eye Gallery
Edinburgh's Open Eye Gallery’s first exhibition of 2016 will celebrate their 35th anniversary, presenting the work of over 50 artists represented by the gallery.
The exhibition runs from 9th to 27th January 2016 at Open Eye Gallery, 34 Abercromby Place, Edinburgh EH3 6QE. Find out more
Here are a few of favourite works that feature in the exhibition...
‘Pole Star’ by Alex Malcolmson
Mixed media box construction - 59 x 45 x 6cm (open)
'Goshawk (From Life)' by Mick Manning
Mixed media - 40 x 50cm
'Before Winter' by Tom Mabon
Oil on board - 20 x 30cm
'Apple Crumble' by Brita Granström
Acrylic on canvas - 50 x 50cm
'Cluny, From Blackford Hill' by Catherine Davison
Oil on board - 40 x 45cm
Jonny Hannah’s Main Street
If you've yet to visit, we'd recommend you head up/down/across to Jonny Hannah's Main Street exhibition at Yorkshire Sculpture Park which runs until 28th February 2016.
Jonny has transformed the YSP Visitor Centre, creating three pop-up shops made entirely from his 2D and 3D artworks.
The exhibition – a tribute to high streets of the past, lined with independent retailers stocking an assortment of curiosities – features a collection of new linocuts, screenprints, and paintings. Incorporating strong colours and typography, and inspired by Hannah’s love of jazz music, the works are reminiscent of 1940s shop signs and concert posters. The exhibition also features Heavy Wool Products Come to McVouty’s – a limited edition screenprint printed at The Penfold Press in Selby, created exclusively for YSP – together with a small hand-painted and printed edition of unique wooden ukuleles. View a selection of the works exhibited
Find out more via the YSP website - you might also like to take this expert's guide to the exhibition or book a ticket for The Darktown Valentine's Cabaret.
Concrete Antenna
Concrete Antenna, our third Random Spectacular project, is now available as a digital download and a deluxe 12” vinyl album package of new music, a set of art prints, a series of short essays and a specially created tide table created by Tommy Perman, Simon Kirby and Rob St. John inspired by their sound installation in the new landmark tower at Edinburgh Sculpture Workshop, loosely based on the urban history, architecture and ecology of Newhaven in North Edinburgh.
The sound installation is currently set to run until February 2016 (though this may be extended). Keep an eye on the Concrete Antenna website for details.
Jonny Hannah at YSP
Here's a great little film featuring Jonny Hannah talking about his current exhibition Main Street at Yorkshire Sculpture Park.
The exhibition features three pop-up shops made entirely from the artist’s 2D and 3D artworks, all of which are available to buy. Navigate Main Street using Hannah’s traditional hand-painted signs suspended above the YSP Centre concourse; natter with the owner of the Record Store; and nip to The Hand and Heart junk shop to pick up anything your heart desires!
You'll even spy Jonny's wallpaper for St Jude's, The Darktown Billets-Doux.
The exhibition runs until the end of February 2016 at Yorkshire Sculpture Park, West Bretton, Wakefield WF4 4LG. Find out more
Edward Bawden at Christmas
Edward Bawden worked with London luxury provisions store Fortnum & Mason for a number years either side of World War II, designing many catalogues, menu cards, brochures and other ephemera.
Bawden's work for the store was captured in Mainstone Press' wonderful Entertaining À La Carte. Unfortunately this limited edition book sold out some time ago but copies can still be found online from time to time.
Here are a few seasonal images of Bawden's work for Fortnum & Mason.
