Using a Saggar

 A Saggar is a clay box that is made to go inside a  kiln.I made one ( you will be able to see it below)because I wanted to be able to put my pinch pots in the kiln with seaweed that had been washed up along the river Thames.Unfortunately,burning seaweed at high temperature can produce cyanide gas and so after speaking to two experts ,Fred Gatley and Basil Olton they suggested that one way around this would be using a saggar.So,here are a selection of pinch pots that I made.They were fired before putting them in the saggar with the different materials.

 

My first attempt with seaweed didn't seem to have much effect;I may have used too little in case I poisoned everyone in the area.You may be able to see slight marks on the pots .for my next attempt I  added my remaining seaweed with local wildflowers and pieces of charcoal which were remains of our old garden shed.

                                                                              Before

                                                                              After

This final picture was taken while they were still hot and so the lid was put back on and I have to wait and see if it has been successful.

Silkscreen print with Chine colle Moths.

                                                                     Printing at home .© 2016

Etching and Chine colle Prints

These prints are based on the view from my window;showing a new building in construction.It is almost completed now and is very prominent in the area .

©2016 T Ward

Garden city

Thinking about ideas of the natural worlds place in urban areas.How being close to green spaces is proven to have a positive effect on our physical and emotional wellbeing. I had read an article called 'Urban Green Spaces and an integrative approach to sustainable environment' by Shah Md.Atiqul Haq.

It states;

'Plants improve air circulation, provide shade and they evapotranspire. This provides a cooling effect and help to lower air temperatures.' (evapotranspire, verb to lose water into the atmosphere by evaporation and transpiration.) It was interesting to read that temperatures in cities tends to be higher than in rural areas but by having green spaces pollution levels and temperatures can be reduced.

Thinking about where I live there seems to be a constant battle between the natural world and the increasing demand for redevelopment .Where children's playgrounds and green spaces are seen as premium sites for construction.The landscape is constantly changing with demolitions new high rise buildings ;the highest approved building to go up so far is landmark pinnacle at 75 floors high.

These pictures are in response to the information about the environment and thinking about how we co exist with nature within an urban setting.

Mono Prints

These prints are all Monoprints ,two of which are on display at the Brady Arts Centre as part of the Shadwell printers show.The show is on until the 24th August.

http://www.towerhamletsarts.org.uk/?s=3&v=15&guide=AllAges

Two little birds

This piece 'Urbanite' was made for the Fill the gap gallery in Leytonstone.

©2016

I made this piece while thinking about how nature adapts to survive .The robin traditionally symbolises joy; especially during the festive season.But also renewal ,seen as one of the first visual signs of spring. A time when people can go outside and enjoy nature.This robin has a nest made from the materials available in it's man made environment.The renewal is redevelopment,the nest is on scaffolding. The view behind the robin is of social housing part way through demolition with another image superimposed showing a new large tower in construction both pictures are taken from my local area.

Bird form made using chicken wire,tissue ,sticks and rose thorn© 2016

This is a work in progress.

On the Brink Show

As part of the Leytonstone Arts Trail 20 artists;myself included have made sculptures and installations.

For the On The Brink show.

The  details are:

Venue: Wanstead Quaker Meeting House
Starts: Saturday, July 2, 2016
Ends: Sunday, July 10, 2016
12-5pm
Address: Bush Road, E11 3AU, London...

It was a long day for me as I was installing a piece that is made of thread .It was raining that day and so I just decided to carry on .I hadn't realised the time and six hours had passed before I decided that I should finish up.Going back over the weekend to view it was good as the sun was shining and the light caught the coloured threads that made up the piece 'Ghost Net'.

The idea for the name came about after reading a piece in the Guardian which said about us being in the Anthropocene .A geological age where if a sample of the soil was taken ;would show our reliance on plastic.

This lead to ideas of Solastalgia; a term coined by Glenn Albrecht .To put it briefly it is the feeling of homesickness while still at home, where the speed at which man made and environmental change is so rapid that it is difficult to catch up with or comprehend .

For a much better explanation please see :

http://www.psychoterratica.com/solastalgia.html 

Reading around the subject and thinking about the impact we have on the environment I decided to make this piece .A 

'Ghost Net' is a fishing net that have either been lost or discarded and trap any marine life that encounters it.

The first picture is of my work I recommend looking at all of the work below;although this is only a small selection.If you wanted to visit please see the links below.There are lots of activities on for the Arts Trail until the 10th July.Also ,the festival is on at the same time:

 http://www.leytonstonefestival.org.uk/
More links below and list of the contributing artists.

 

https://www.facebook.com/onthebrink3D

https://twitter.com/Leytonstone_Art 

Venue: Wanstead Quaker Meeting House
Starts: Saturday, July 2, 2016
Ends: Sunday, July 10, 2016
12-5pm
Address: Bush Road, E11 3AU, London...

Organiser: Brett Banks, Mary Knight & Sira Cornejo Sz Ibarra

Participating Artists:
Martin Adams / Brett Banks / James Blackburn / Kath Cottee / Siobhan Davies / [dis]tinct project by children of Jenny Hammond Primary School / Jo Goddard / Kevin Hope / Sira Cornejo Sz Ibarra / Joanna Jagiello / John King / Mary Knight / Silvia Krupinska / Julia Maddison / Klaus Pinter / Helen Porter / Neba Sre / Sandie Sutton / Tracy Ward / Sean Worrell

Twenty artists are exhibiting installations and sculptures in this exhibition. Their skills have been applied to the topic of On the Brink. The results are wide ranging, vital and topical. Ecology, life in the office, housing, witches, insects, organic sculpture, refugees, a bed that has been made so someone must lie in it … Just a few of the stunning pieces in the woods. Go to the indoor exhibition, Art in the Making, by Quaker artists and Friends, then come down to find the sinister and fun.

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