Past Art Exhibition
Elephant Test | Ruth Macdougall
ELEPHANT TEST, an exciting exhibition of new performance and video work by Timespan’s artist in residence, Ruth Macdougall.
The preview night was also a celebration of Helmsdale’s Ice House. All who attend will have the opportunity to look around inside and see the new door and window that Ruth has designed in conjunction with local sculptor, Sam Barlow. This permanent installation is the last in a legacy of improvements coordinated by Ruth that will breathe a new lease of life into the monumental deep freeze. The new lockable door and window will allow for much needed security and ventilation for the damp interior, allowing visitors to see inside even when the doors are locked. Carefully installed lighting is already allowing the buildings vaulted interior to be properly appreciated for the first time. And after the success of Chris Dooks SCALES music performance, which drew an audience of 65 to the ice house, we can look forward to many more original events.
The Ice House Project has been generously supported by Helmsdale Community Council, Highland Council, Timespan and Sutherland Estate. In particular Chris Whealing, manager of Sutherland Estate must be thanked for his support, engaging collaboratively with the project coordinator to ensure that the next chapter in the life of Helmsdale’s Ice House is an exciting one.
ELEPHANT TEST runs from 23 May – 28 June and will also be showing in the grounds of Tate Modern from 22-25 May, as part of The House of Fairy Tales Arte Povera Installation.
Although Ruth only has two months left of her two year residency, they look set to be as full as ever. Ruth will be curating a month long residency by glass/film artist Anne Brodie and video artist Yael Rosenblut, also in response to the ice house. Both artists will be resident at Timespan from 1 June until 4 July – please check Timespan web site for related events.
Ruth’s residency is funded by The Paul Hamlyn Foundation and The Scottish Arts Council’s partners programme.
Artist Showcase | Kate Leney
Trained in Fine Art and with an MA in printmaking Kate is originally from Wales. After having many successful exhibitions in England and Wales she moved to the west coast of Scotland where she has been exhibiting in Edinburgh and Glasgow and runs a gallery and print workshop in Glengorm, Isle of Mull.
As a printmaker specialising in woodcuts and linocuts, Kate enjoys working on a large scale, hand printing onto Japanese Tenji Paper. Inspired by nature she uses landscape as a base for exploring printmaking techniques.
Kate Leney woodcuts and linocuts
I have been interested in large scale printmaking since university. I originally focused on black and white simple images using the scale of the print to capture the presence of nature. I enjoy working on handmade Japanese papers and use the fibres in the papers to add to the print. After studying in Hong Kong I became influenced by the presence of simple images and combined this with my love of handmade papers and a westernised style of woodblock printing to eventually find myself with asian influenced work.
I try to keep my use of colour in keeping with this influence and like to have light wash affects in my smaller pieces, using the landscape as a subject matter to experiment in printmaking techniques. I enjoy mixing printing techniques in my smaller pieces, layering linocuts with collographs and printing by hand so I can use fine handmade papers and achieve the delicate result I like.
I have a gallery at Glengorm, near Tobermory, on the Isle of Mull and run relief printmaking classes and try to promote printmaking.
Designer Showcase | Fergus Stewart
Clay, wood, fire and salt
I am very mindful of history and ceramic tradition, and seek to interpret and contribute rather than mimic. I was introduced to pottery and ceramics at high school and was inspired by the contents of a local ceramic collector's kitchen. Pots of Anglo - Oriental tradition mixed with large jugs and salt glazed crocks from the English country potteries, and a selection of teapots and handmade utensils fought for space with early bowls from Korea and China. These influences remain with my work today.
Over time I have developed a diverse repertoire of domestic and decorative forms that employ a comprehensive range of traditional pottery skills in their making and firing, and through repetition and refinement of design, communicate directly and intimately with their user, offering a link to our pre - industrial past whilst conveying notions about intention and attitude and affirming values of human patience and skill.
I work primarily at the wheel, throwing, altering and constucting by joining thrown forms to slabs and stretched thrown components. Many forms are finished away from the wheel by cutting and carving. Decorating and creating surfaces often incorporate local materials, with coloured slips and glaze, in the green and bisque stages.
I am drawn to the qualities of wood fired ceramics and have explored the variety within glazed, anagama and salt-glazed surfaces and firing procedures, designing and building kilns for specific results, and making and exhibiting significant bodies of work in each specialisation.
In 1997 it was time to reassess the nature and direction of my studio practice and its location in Australia . I began travelling back home to Scotland regularly to work and teach, and in 2002 made plans to re-settle in the Scottish Highlands where I feel a strong connection and spirit of place which, I feel, will continue to influence the creative development of my work.
Since 1985 I have held and participated in exhibitions and led workshops in throwing, design for function, and woodfire kiln design, construction and firing in Australia, Scotland, Denmark, Hungary and the USA.
Part-time teaching positions include Canberra School of Art, LaTrobe University, Glasgow School of Art and as a guest teacher for Bornholm School of Glass and Ceramics, Denmark School of Design.