Portrait Gallery: BP Portrait Awards

Today I visited the Edinburgh Portrait Gallery's PB Portrait Award exhibition.

After meandering round and looking at the paintings created by talented artists, I designated myself a spot to sit in.

I spend most of my time observing the observers. With my pens and pencils I draw the people passing by, they don't tend to look at the paintings very long, but when they do I appreciate it.

An artist came over to see what we were doing and after explaining that we were from the Art College, we began to discuss the work on show. We agreed that we both preferred the more rustic portraits over the photo - realistic pieces.

I appreciate the time and the pure talent that goes into the paintings that literally look like a photograph. But it pains me to think 'what is the point anymore.' I found it ironic, watching the public take pictures of them, meanwhile they look like photos anyway. I've spoken to artists before that do this work, and they argue that it's the time and effort a photo - realistic painting takes that is the whole point. They're usually extremely personal projects.

Overall the exhibition was a breath of fresh air and easy viewing.

Aesthetics of Research

This project asks you to collaborate (or work for) a researcher from the University of Edinburgh to explore the visualization of their practice, ideas and findings.

X3 illustrators will be allocated to one researcher.  You will meet with them and agree a working method and outcome. There are 8 researchers involved in the project altogether listed in the ‘Resources Document’ with very different practices. The researcher becomes your client or collaborator for this project.

The researcher I chose was Dr. Michelle Keown (English Literature). Her research goes towards the ‘slow violence’ of the nuclearised Pacific, she writes, "On 1st March 2014, Marshall Islanders marked 60 years since the devastating US hydrogen bomb test (codenamed BRAVO) at Bikini Atoll in the North Pacific Ocean. A thousand times more powerful than the Hiroshima atomic bomb, BRAVO exposed thousands of Marshallese to radioactive fallout. Still off-limits to its displaced indigenous peoples (due to high levels of residual radiation), Bikini Atoll has in recent years been marketed as a ‘pristine’, idyllic destination for wealthy Western diving tourists, while its indigenous peoples (and those on other irradiated Marshall Islands) are still suffering serious long-term health problems (such as cancers, paralysis, and birth defects) as a result of nuclear contamination of their bodies and environment."

Michelle showed us a video of a powerful poem, ‘history project’ (2012), by Kathy Jetnil-Kijiner. 

 [full version at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DIIrrPyK0eU]

It will influence my images.

After a great deal of research, I have come up with 5 images that depict the slow violence of the nuclearised Pacific in their own individual ways:

I began to develop them further:

I began a mixed media approach using photographic textures as well as watercolour and charcoal:

Influenced by the section in the 'History Project' poem about how the American public stirred more of a fuss about a goat being a victim of nuclear testing than the fellow human.

Scarred mutated hands grab the Bravo Bomb.

Below the sea, hidden from the public eye, are the mutated skeleton feet. They're the roots below the 'paradise' islands.

The Bravo Bomb shoots through a mutated skull whilst it speaks 'Bravo' 

President Truman, the man who made the decision to go ahead with the testing, gets his head blown off... "For the good of mankind."


RESEARCHER'S ENVIRONMENTHere are observational drawings and images made from the time I've spent with Dr. Keown, making a visual log of her workplace.

 

 

  

 

 

  

Portrait commission

Vibrancy was key in this painting. 

Not my usual palette but fun nonetheless! 

Used with acrylic

Editorial with Michael Kirkham

A project with visiting Illustrator, Michael Kirkham, involved creating 3 editorials.

During our meetings, Michael stressed that consistency is key. I felt pressed for time during this project and admittedly didn't leave myself much time. In some ways, that's the reality of editorial illustration anyway! I believe my images could be clearer and I could of spent more time on them, these are my final outcomes:

(also) Here are the 3 articles we were given: https://drive.google.com/articles

American Shift

Oh, the irony.

Festivals to raise awareness for global warming
Oh, the irony.

Self-Help Book Signing
Oh, the irony.

FICTION: Albertina's Second-hand Shop

My story for fiction derives from my Fact project where I created a factual zine about Barnardo's Charity Shop. Obviously, I don't want to deface any charity, therefore my influence went as far as basing my story around a second-hand shop and its owner. 




The Story

Albertina owns a shop that sells second hand clothes.

Her shop, based in the middle of no where, gets little customers, which leaves her sitting in her chair waiting. 

Albertina is polite and welcoming. People never hear that much about her, though. No one ever knows anyone who's been, but people go.

It's a normal day, she's sat in her chair in her shop and the bell goes and someone enters.

It's a donator! He makes his way through the shop and puts his bag down, gratification on his small face, eyes gleaming.

The room was small but big enough to fit her chair and table. There weren't even any clothes on show.

Albertina approached the stranger, hiding her tea cup behind her back and proceeded to stike him with it. She got a bit carried away with this one, probably the stupid smile he had on his face.

His head was mush. "No bother," She thought, "Albert isn't fussy."

She dragged the dead body across to an open trap-door exposing a dark well. The body fell down and landed at the bottom.

Staring down at the lifeless body was Albertina's huge hairless pet rat.

After feeding Albert, Albertina sat back on her chair and waited for the doorbell.

 

  

^ This was my first character development. I wanted Albertina to look creepy but frail. Originally, the was employing workers to get her 'food.' However, after a Crit session with illustrator Luke Best, it was noted that the employees were creepier. I decided to change Albertina to that style. 

Chosen character style