12 working days with 25 artists til Christmas

  Margi Adams - mosaics and framed butterflies from cans,   Sian Bailey -  illustrations, Helen Bennett or HeB Designs - animal illustrations, Mary Bryning - framed topographical embroideries, Theresia Cadwallader - bead jewellery, Helen Chatterton - sumptious home ware and clothing,   Jane Coyle- glass ware, Julie Dodd - artists books and ornaments ,   Jenny Dunlop - enhanced illustrations, Sophie Green - illustrations,   Pam Holstein - mixed media, Paul Irvine - silver jewellery, Sabine Kussmaul - cyanotypes, Marianthi Lainas - photography, Roy Lewis - Candlesticks, Freida McKittrick- baubles, prints and cards, Janine Pinion - watercolours, Mike Rule - turned wooden bowls Brenda Sharp- books and brooches, Roger Sinek - photography, Helen Smith - flowers and vases, Jo Smith - sea glass jewellery,   Patsy Taylor - textiles, Matthew Thomas - photographs,   Lisa Waldman - jewellery    

Twelve Working days til Christmas

Here are some of the people I have lined up with goodies for you all:-

Roy Lewis – metal candlesticks made from old motorbike parts (NEW)

Freida McKitrick – prints, ornaments, mugs, Christmas cards with her wonderful line drawings of the Liverpool Skyline (contributed to last 2 Christmas shows)

Theresia Cadwallader – pretty bead jewellery (contributed to last 2 Christmas shows)

Helen Smith – flowers & vases made from recycled glass (NEW)

Margi Adams – Butterfly pictures made from embossed cans (NEW)

Brenda Sharp – Exquisite hand made books  (contributed to last 2 Christmas shows)

Julie Dodd – delicate decorations and Sinister books (showed previously in a solo show at MerseyBIO)

Matthew Thomas – photography from his Spectra range (solo show in our 19th exhibition)

Paul Irvine – silver jewellery (shown in our 20th exhibition)

Marianthi Lainas – landscape photography (shown in our 20th exhibition)

Jo Smith – jewellery on little stands made from sea glass (NEW)

Helen Chatterton - cushions made from tweeds and velvets (NEW)

Janine Pinion – prints and  watercolours (NEW)

As usual a proper invitation has to be made as we are a secure building so please email me, alison.roberts@2bio.co.uk if you would like to attend.

Sabine Kussmaul: Fragmented Views

Sabine Kussmaul: Fragmented Views starting 3rd of October at MerseyBIO

Sabine Kussmaul: Fragmented Views

Sabine's pictures are "physically sandwiched" images, collages happening on different layers - like life that expresses itself on separate levels and in various physical dimensions. 

She draws and stitches on transparent fabric, weaving and threading an image, a network of paths.

Colour comes in on a separate layer, on a canvas on a frame.

Both of these work together, at a distance from each other. 

Some artworks have an extra layer of cut steel.

Sabine is intrigued by the idea that the expressions of life are so manifold in nature: Memories, feelings, scientific data, visual information, , ... are all experienced in different ways  and  the "final picture" of  it (.... What is the "final picture" ... What is the "it" ? ) only exists in the experience of the viewer. 

Sabine trained as a Fashion Designer but soon moved on from the world of fashion to work in illustration and teaching. For three years, she has been exclusively working on her own fine art.

Rather than designing garment shells for the human body, she now explores how visual statements can be made, often referencing architecture, which – similar to garment design, provides an interface between body and environment and creates a home for a viewer's visual experience.

Her exhibition will open on the 3rd of October in MerseyBIO (next to Biosciences building on the University of Liverpool campus) and will come down on the 1st of November. Sadly, the exhibition space is not open to the public and is by invitation only.

To receive an invitation to the opening and networking event, please email alison.roberts@2bio.co.uk

Tour of the exhibition on the 12th of June

20th exhibition has new exhibitors - Paul Irvine

In addition to Marianthi and Dennis, we are proud to present the silver work of local artist, Paul Irvine.

Paul Irvine is Wirral born, and has lived in Hoylake for twenty five years. He is a full time teacher of Design & Technology, and has always enjoyed the challenge of designing and making his own ‘stuff’.

He trained at Shoreditch College in the 1970s, and has returned to working in silver relatively recently, although he is equally happy working in both wood and engineering materials which proves to be useful, as it enables him to make the tools and formers that he needs to work silver. Perhaps because silversmithing is first and foremost a hobby, Paul’s pieces are somewhat eclectic, ranging from pieces of jewellery to candelabra to napkin rings.

His preferred method of working is to beat and hammer silver into shape, where the material’s malleability (‘smackability’ as one of his pupils memorably expressed it), enables the silver to be wrought into shape. For some pieces silver sheet is ‘pressed’ into shape using handmade wooden formers and the pressure of a vice – this is particularly so on some of the bangles, where the curvature is anticlastic (it curves in opposite directions); this form is particularly strong along its length, and can be seen in natural structures such as leaves and grasses. He also fabricates pieces, joining them together with heat and solder.

Design sources are picked up all over the place: from natural forms, from geometric shapes, from the inspiration of the work of other artists and craftspeople, and from simply thumping the silver to see where it will go. Sketching sometimes forms the basis of ideas, although more often than not three dimensional modelling is the preferred method of development. For each finished piece of silver there are usually at least a couple of rough hewn pieces of copper or gilding metal languishing in the corner of his workshop.

Paul is registered with the Assay office at Goldsmith’s Hall in London, and all his work is assayed and hallmarked by them to guarantee the quality of the silver. The majority of his work is produced in Sterling silver, which can be seen by the 925 mark within the Assay marks.

Paul would probably like to describe his silver work along the lines of ‘The product of many hard won years of experience, finely tuned and realised in individual pieces in his studio workshop in Hoylake’ His wife translates this as ‘Rustling up bling in his garage’.

Marianthi's photographs for our 20th Exhibition

©Marianthi Lainas

©Marianthi Lainas

©Marianthi Lainas

©Marianthi Lainas

©Marianthi Lainas

©Marianthi Lainas

Our next exhibition will feature Marianthi Lainas and Dennis Spicer

Marianthi Lainas

Marianthi is a professional photographer based in Hoylake. Whether it be capturing the interaction of light on the land, recording the architectural landscapes of urban life or highlighting the intricate details of a flower or plant, she enjoys the challenge of new and varied subjects.

Land and seascape photography remain her particular love however, and form the subjects of most of her photographic images. She is inspired by the rich colours of dawn and dusk when natural light is at its most special and also loves working in black and white, creating striking monochromatic images to emphasise texture and form in a scene.

 

Her images are made using digital camera equipment with an emphasis on capturing the essence of a scene ‘in camera’ rather than relying on computer enhancements afterwards.

“The stunning views around the North West coast, with its fantastic skies and ever-changing light provide a constant source of inspiration for me. I have a fascination for how the camera records movement in the landscape, its ability to capture magical moments of light and will frequently use long-exposures to explore the different effects that can be created.”

Her images are regularly published in travel guides, magazines and newspapers, feature on greetings cards and calendars and her limited edition prints are increasingly in demand from private clients.

www.openspaceimages.com

Dennis Spicer

Dennis attended the Byam Shaw School of Painting in London from 1979 to 1983. Since then he has supported himself as a teacher and by selling his art. In 2000, he moved to the Merseyside with his family where he continues to teach and paint. The majority of his work are of still life.

"Perhaps it is the idea of the momento mori, the idea that life is transitory, or perhaps that the objects within a painting are somehow carrying on a dialogue with each other, but whatever it is, I find the subject endlessly stimulating and fascinating. The painting of the varying textures and the way that the surfaces reflect light constantly challenge the artist and the spaces between the objects become just as important as the objects themselves. In the tradition of "nature morte" I am attracted to paint things that are cast off and have no importance. I find objects in charity shops or sometimes in the detritus of the street or on the sea shore. I am trying, through painting them with the same attention and scrutiny as more precious objects, to reclaim them from being simply overlooked.  Life drawing and painting are also important to me as a change from the static nature of the still lives to the more spontaneous capturing of a momentary gesture. In addition I have lately been doing landscapes of the country side around West Kirby and portraits."


Dennis has had two one man shows in London and regularly exhibits at the New English Art Club and Royal Institute of Oil Painters exhibitions, as well as shows in the North West. He has paintings in both private and public collections in this country and abroad.



dennisspicerartworks.blogspot.com
www.dennisspicer.co.uk
 

Private Tour with animation by Matthew Thomas

 

2Bio Ltd will be having a Private tour of our new exhibition Kaloseidos with main exhibitor Matthew Thomas on THURSDAY the 1st of March, let me know if you would like to be included in the tour. We are meeting  for a coffee at the Victoria Gallery and Museum near Metropolitan Cathedral/Crypt at 10am and then saunter over to MerseyBIO around 10.30 am for a tour of the show and a viewing of an animation Matthew has produced.

Update about the theory behind Kaloseisdos from Matthew Thomas

Update:

I have asked for some more in depth background information from our main exhibitor, Matthew Thomas about his fascinating images as there have been many questions from the staff of the companies within MerseyBIO today as I hung the show.

 This series of works (Kaloseisdos), utilises the fibonacci series of numbers. This is to merge the the world of art and science together to make works that can have a sense of 'controlled chaos' about them. 

He believes that art and science have the same working ethos with many experiments having to be made to get the 'right' or correct result. Matthew repeats the process several times to explore different perspectives and to essentially make sure his theories are 'working' correctly. The sense of knowing that you have achieved what you have set out to do is shared by both art  AND science.  'Kaloseisdos' is a window onto that world. To achieve the 'concept' of a kind beauty, within the Fibonacci number series.

 

Taking his inspiration from the merging of Art and Science through 'natures number' (the number series that defines and quantifies beauty), he has created a series of images that mirror this 'formula'.

 

Each image, deliberately shot on a black background, has within it, the code of life. 

 

Each plant, shows its inner 'spirit' has its own glow, through the absence of light behind it. this reveals the life / energy exuding and pulsing / emerging from the verdant form. 72 degrees of rotation, frames of reference that incorporate the 0,1,1, 2, 3, 5, 8 and so on.

 

There is spontaneity within this mathematical conundrum, as he uses the number series to create these works and not his own 'aesthetic' values.

 

The Fibonacci Series

By definition, the first two numbers in the Fibonacci sequence are 0 and 1, and each subsequent number is the sum of the previous two. (0,1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55, 89, 144, 233, 377, 610)

 

The Fibonacci sequence is named after Leonardo of Pisa, who was known as Fibonacci. Fibonacci's 1202 book Liber Abaci introduced the sequence to Western European mathematics, although the sequence had been described earlier in Indian mathematics. (By modern convention, the sequence begins with F0 = 0. The Liber Abaci began the sequence with F1 = 1, omitting the initial 0, and the sequence is still written this way by some.)

 

Fibonacci numbers are closely related to Lucas numbers in that they are a complementary pair of Lucas sequences. They are intimately connected with the golden ratio, for example the closest rational approximations to the ratio are 2/1, 3/2, 5/3, 8/5, …and so on. Applications include computer algorithms such as the Fibonacci search technique and the Fibonacci heap data structure, and graphs called Fibonacci cubes used for interconnecting parallel and distributed systems. They also appear in biological settings, such as branching in trees, arrangement of leaves on a stem, the fruit spouts of a pineapple, the flowering of artichoke, an uncurling fern and the arrangement of a pine cone.

 

 

Music

It may seem odd that 'numbers' can appear in music and poetry, but there are many examples where great composers and poets have deliberately applied Golden Ratio proportions to the structure of their compositions.

Mozart is undoubtedly the finest example of such a composer. His piano sonatas have some characteristics in common: Each one is divided into two sections. The first is always the one in which the theme of the piece is represented, and the second is always the section in which the theme is treated with different variations. Almost always, Mozart's sonatas are divided in such a way that the division occurs on the Golden Ratio point.

Beethoven, too, used Golden Ratio proportions in his works by repeating certain parts of the music at intervals consistent with the Golden Ratio (that is, the verse is played at the beginning, at the end, and once at the point where the piece is 0.618 of the way through). Beethoven's Fifth Symphony is a fine example of this division.These 'hidden' references to the Golden Ratio are not limited to classical music, though. In modern music, there have been quite a few examples of how artists have referenced Fibonacci in their works. For example, Marilyn Manson – the gothic-inspired musician, photographer, painter and writer – has on numerous occasions made reference to Fibonacci (either directly or indirectly).

Also (from a review by jeanine.marteau), the spectra images

Spectra:

As the colour blossoms from within the image and expands out it is almost as if the frame restricts the blast and restrains its liquid, silky flow. It is captivating and somewhat tactile because of the multiple surface layers, you almost want to go further into the material and follow its glide, let it twist you around and submerge you in colour.

I found the series at first look quite ambiguous and enjoyed the thought of each piece being open, be it open to interpretation or open in terms of freedom- to let yourself be drawn into the image’s sweeping form to explore it’s imaginative space, without trying to grasp direct meaning. Here’s what the artist himself said:

“I try and not use the same methods for each project, this brings a fresh impetuous to truly explore all the possibilities.I use photography and digital imaging technologies to create visceral layers that question historical and cultural concepts of time”

Images made from ‘solid liquid light’ – fused glass. Only existing in the mind and realised with aid of computer software, this represents a solid dream. Transparent paint that floats in abstract form. 2D Sculpture that looks real (from real fused glass). This gives an unreality which meditation mixes with imagination. The reality of abstraction. From the real to the unreal. Reach out and you can touch the subjects is the photos, except you know they are not real. This holds a mirror up to our society, the ephemeral nature of our existence and the role we all have to play in the transparent.

 

Matthew Thomas

Artist / Photographer

Matthew is an award winning artist / photographer with over twenty years experience as a professional, shooting portraits and behind-the-scenes documentary images. He has won numerous commissions photographing a wide spectrum of images for films,theatre and Carnivals both here (UK) and the West-Indies.He has been featured in 'Object of Dreams' and Black and White Photography' magazines. Now a concept photographer for musicians bands and corporate clients, he has shot many musical genres over the years from  heavy metal to  hip-hop bands.

 

Matthews background is from the classical tradition of painting and printmaking. He uses all these experiences in his Exhibition / Photographic work. Matthew exhibits his fine art work widely (including this year in Barbados!).

 

Private View 22nd of February 2012

Kaloseidos

Photography and jewellery

Hosted by 2Bio Ltd at MerseyBIO

22nd of February 2012

5.30pm to 7.30pm

Come & meet the artists & view 

our latest exhibition of photography and jewellery 

from Matthew Thomas & Ann Ellis from the North West.

Refreshments served.

Kaloseidos - starting soon at MerseyBIO

Kaloseidos will be an exhibition of photography by Matthew Thomas and jewellery Ann Ellis.

Necklaces and jewellery using plastic bags, plastic bottles, drinks cans, reclaimed metals, pc mouse cable, reclaimed plastic tubing, orphaned vintage glass beads.

Ann Ellis' jewellery is about transformation. It aims to celebrate change and possibility, whilst challenging notions about preciousness and value. She works by deconstructing, reforming and hand-dying discarded plastics, metals, paper, glass and textiles, including plastic bags, bottles and drinks cans, often combining them with vintage beads, jewels and found objects.

Biography

Ann is based in Lancashire. She graduated from Reading University with a BA (Hons) in Typography and Graphics and went on to gain an MA in Educational Research (Lancaster), a BSc in Psychology and professional qualifications in psychotherapy and education.

Ann worked at Marvel Magazines in London before becoming freelance, designing publicity and promotional materials for the arts and entertainment industry both here and abroad. For a while she lived in the Netherlands where her eldest daughter was born.

Ann has always delighted in using everyday materials in unexpected ways and in 2008 was added to the Index of Selected makers at the UK Crafts Council. Her jewellery won a Green Apple Award in 2009 and First Place at the 2010 British Bead Awards in the Beyond Beads category. Her work, both 2d and 3d, has been used in advertising, education, publishing, exhibitions and for corporate clients and private collections.

www.annellis.co.uk

Coming to MerseyBIO

Matthew Thomas

Matthew Thomas (c)

A new year and talking to new artists about 2012 programme

At the moment in discussions with new artists for exhibitions for 2012 at MerseyBIO. I took down the Christmas exhibition and reverted the walls back to their bare bones.