Forge2 Exhibition
Mechanical
An exhibition of exuberant celebration of all things mechanical by professional and up-and-coming artists from across the UK - see Gallery page for samples.
‘Mechanical’ is a riveting (no pun intended!) exhibition with a fabulous collection of work from some top British Automata artists including Robert Race, Ian Mackay, Rachel Larkins, Wanda Sowry, Jeff Soan and Angela and Lawrence StLeger. See invitation here.
We have an extremely beautiful ‘Hotpod’ limited edition wood burning stove crafted from recycled materials, including a gas bottle and Volkswagen parts, by Blacksmith Daniel Harding, and fantastic, streamlined, automotive-inspired carbon fibre sculpture by ex-Formula 1 engineer, Alistair Gibson.
We are delighted to be able to show the clean line functional ceramics of Graham Hudson, and a range of original paintings and prints.
Artist Statements
Graham Hudson.
My current work consists of small batch production and individual functional
tableware pieces informed by a strong interest in both ancient and contemporary
ceramics and manmade patterns, textures and colours across local landscapes. I
have a strong interest in materials and process, and continually trial new
ideas, keeping my work moving and developing. I try to keep pieces simple,
unfussy and contemporary, my intention is for them to be both visually appealing
and a pleasure to handle and use. Current pieces are either Slip-Cast and
altered or thrown, in semi-porcelain and terracotta bodies. Coloured slips and
decorative surfaces are added to greenware and a white tin glaze is applied
after bisque.
After graduating, I worked as an advertising art director for about 7 years,
during that time I became interested in illustration, and decided to leave the
ad agency and start as a freelance illustrator. I joined Meiklejohn Illustration
in London, and I was soon busy working on some of the biggest national and
international advertising campaigns - these included Barclays Bank, British
Airways, Boots, Cadburys, Jaguar, London Transport and Volkswagen, to name just
a few. I am still commissioned from time to time to illustrate magazine
advertising campaigns and posters.
In
recent years I have turned my attention more towards fine art, with work
published in Europe and the USA by companies such as Bruce Mcgaw Graphics and
The Art Publishing Group. A large number of these images have been in the art
deco style. This is a style which has grabbed my imagination from an early age,
and I always thought these had a certain style and feel of a bygone era, long
before I knew what art deco was.
I
now work in two distinct styles, the art deco flat colour image, influenced by
the posters and graphics of the 20s-30s period, and a more traditional painterly
style, of acrylic on canvas. In either style I like to capture the way the light
shines and reflects on the surface of the vehicle, giving a very solid metallic
feel. I also think it is important try and sit the car in a setting appropriate
to its era, and style.
I have recently been commissioned to illustrate the BMW
sponsored Concorso d’ Eleganza at Villa d’Este, for 2009 and 2010. Held in Italy
on the picturesque shores of Lake Como, this is the premier classic car event in
Europe.
Also this year, I have illustrated one of the most
exclusive classic and supercar events in this country, Salon Prive, held at the
Hurlingham Club in London.
My work has been exhibited at Goodwood, both at the
Festival of Speed and the Revival Meeting, Silverstone Classic, plus the
International Historic Motorsport Show, and in motor sport art galleries.
Roger Copple. The Hero Manufacturing Co was founded by Roger Copple in 1980 after graduating from the Product design course at Portsmouth College of Art and Design. Tall on ideas but short on capital, he found a regular supply of hardwood off-cuts from local joineries and with the loan of a lathe set up the new business making his range of skittles. The Design Council was the first to make an order after giving the designs "award status". From then on customers were recommended by word of mouth from gallery to gallery. Roger joined the British Toymakers Guild in 1981 and gained their award for excellence at the first fair he attended. Roger now lives and works in his cottage in Cornwall, designing new products and is ever more involved with one-off and corporate gifts. The recent new work of cars, boats, and busts has seen a departure from the manufacturing process of lathe turned products which was previously the prominent tool.
Simon Taylor. When
racing cars roar by, they excite all the senses, the sight of the speeding blur,
the feel of the vibration through the ground and body, the sound of the
incredible cacophony of noise, and the smell of oil, exhaust and unburned fuel.
My paintings are a fusion of
colour, light and dynamic line, which I hope in some way
evoke, or at least hint at, the incredible feelings experienced when seeing them
in action at close hand. The paintings are all painted very dynamically and
loosely with non-traditional techniques (no brushes!) and develop very much in
their own direction depending on how the paint flows and falls – much of it
ending up on me.
The pictures on display capture the evocative cars of previous era’s which with
their sleek lines and inherent beauty make very suitable subjects for painting.
These cars can still be seen at full throttle at various historic racing
meetings run throughout the year. Also included in this small collection of work
is an impression of the vibrant energy of rush hour in the city at sunset.
Toby Nunn. 3rd
Year Student - Automotive Design (MDes)
at Coventry University. Car design is
something I have aspired to since day one, and having completed two years of the
course, I have become most interested in the interior styling of vehicles. I am
currently looking for a placement for my third year in design so hope that
exhibiting some of my work will attract interest and hopefully a
placement....... Commissions taken for any vehicle.
Stephen Campion.
I
sketch a lot (usually on trains) and re-create the sketches digitally on the
computer working with ‘vectors’, I then seperate out colours for screenprinting,
then hand-pull the prints.
I am inspired by wildlife and nature and the impact of
human intervention, but am equally happy drawing robots for no good reason!
Artists that have influenced me are Tomer Hanuka,
Shaun Tan, Graham Carter, Jeremy Fish and Ghibli.
I am
currently working as a graphic designer/artworker but would ultimately like
illustration to be my full time occupation.
Angela and Lawrence St Leger. The
St Leger’s started off making miniatures for dolls houses, and then experimented
with moving toy miniatures – their first design was Samson The Strong Man. They
now have over 150 in their repertoire and rumour has it that astronaut and
automata collector Richard Garriott took one into space with him.
Wanda Sowry.
Wanda is an independent artist-maker who specializes in fantastic mechanical
scenes. All her work is wood-based and hand-powered. She has exhibited in UK and
Europe and her work has been published in the Telegraph and other leading press.
Recently she has experimented with solar-power for her automata but found this
was only ok for Summer projects.
Rachel
Larkins
has been making collectors toys since 1996, shortly after she graduated from
Winchester School of Art.
Rachel's work is strongly influenced by local social history and the incredible
tales of various characters from the historical Archives of the Christchurch
Library reading room and local Red House Museum.
In
2006, Larkins was awarded a professional development grant from the Arts Council
of England, which has led to much of the work seen here.
Glyn West.
I
am a graphic designer and printmaker living and working in Bath, England. I draw
my inspiration from folk art decorative traditions - particularly those of North
America.I also illustrate on the mac and have produced stunning canvas prints of
my tin toy collection.
I like the infinite possibilities working digitally affords, coupled with the
limitations that screenprint imposes, I see it as a challenge to get as much
mileage out of each layer as possible. I'm forced to accept a level of
serendipity in the print process. Presently I'm fascinated by Tantric art, and
various forms of symbolism. I like balancing appropriated imagery with
drawings and vectors.
With an education in balance-engineering, Alastair set off to Europe with the ambition to work in the motor sport industry. Resulting in a career of twenty two years, fourteen of which where in formula one, four as lead mechanic for the Benetton F1 team and ten as race team chief mechanic for BAR Honda Grand Prix Team. Drawing similarities between modern Grand Prix cars and game fish, Alastair undertook a series of sculptures using F1 parts and technology to show these unique fish in a different form.
His works have been exhibited in the 2003 Lucky Strike Tribe Art Exhibitions, which started at the Boiler House, Brick Lane, London and then moved to Tokyo, Milan, Frankfurt, Jakarta and a solo exhibition in Rome. Alastair has exhibited in galleries in Cape Town and Johannesburg South Africa, London, Monaco and recently at the 2009 Chelsea Art Fair. Now having completed his first year as a fulltime artist, Alastair is undertaking a number of private commissions and new work using the latest composite technology available for a new form of carbon fibre sculpting, which will allow us to see his fascination for technology and nature using this revolutionary medium.
Alastair works from his studio ‘studio 45’ near Oxford, England where he lives with his wife Carolyn and their young son William.
Robert Race
is identified on his passport
as a toymaker, but his work covers a wide range: Moving toys for children and
adults; simple automata; kinetic sculpture; exhibition design; mobile
decorations for hospitals and restaurants; donation boxes and interactive
collections of toys for museums.
He tries to make things which move in simple but interesting ways: Traditional
moving toys have influenced him strongly, and he has travelled in Europe,
Indonesia, Mexico, India and Japan in search of them.
His moving toys and simple automata incorporate a wide range of natural, re-used
and recycled materials. Much recent work is in driftwood, as collecting it
gives him a good excuse for going to the seaside.
Ian Mackay. The British automata artist Ian McKay combines weathered driftwood with wooden toy-like elements to create objects such as boat automata. Trained as a ceramicist, he has also been a silversmith, a blacksmith, furniture designer, a maker of wood engraving blocks, drummer, technician, teacher, and gardener. He sees toy-making to be the sum of all these experiences -- working in wood, brass rod, and paint.
Jeff Soan. Jeff studied Art and Design at Goldsmith's College in the late 60's, taught for a few years, travelled for a while, married, started a family and a building business during the 70's. He gave up building in the mid 80's when his knees, back and some clients started troubling him.
A chance encounter with a wobbly rat from Chile changed his life. He was so inspired by this articulating folk toy that he joined a course in toymaking at the London College of Furniture, successfully completing the City and Guilds course. He set up his garden workshop in 1987, making toys which were sold at the local craft market in Greenwich. After a year of selling many new designs he eventually returned to the articulating creatures that had so fascinated him. A batch of wobbly fish being snapped up by eager customers caught the eye of a passing TV producer and he was invited to take part in a BBC programme called 'Handmade'. Sales really took off and he started developing many different creatures incorporating the technique.
Jeff joined the British Toymakers Guild (BTG) in 1989. His distinctive talent was quickly recognised and he was awarded the Polka Prize in 1989, the coveted title " Toymaker of the Year" in 1995 and 2000 and the Guild cup in 1990, 1993,1994,1995 and 1999. He was also winner of the Longleat Cup in 2000.
Daniel Harding. I’m in the workshop that I started making things in over 20 years ago. I was a lucky man: I must have had one of the largest and best-stocked sheds in the country. My dad, Dan Harding senior, is a blacksmith and farrier. Iron is in my blood, so naturally I became a blacksmith too.
As a teenager I helped dad with odd bits of work at the forge, and if there was no surf I spent my time working on Gregory my surf bus and Florence, Grandma Harding’s old Beetle, which I inherited at 17.
I loved making things out of stuff I found, and when I first took apart a broken VW engine I was amazed at the beautiful things I found inside. That’s too good to throw out...its a candlestick!
Luzelle van der Westhuizen. At school, I was always getting into trouble for not paying attention in Maths class. I would be blissfully doodling away in my textbook, plus and minus signs would evolve into intricate, colourful patterns and all of a sudden the teacher would say: "Luzelle! What is the answer?" Goes without saying that I got an A+ for Art and Design and a dreadful D for Maths. I studied Jewellery Design and Manufacture at Cape Town's University of Technology, graduating with honours. After graduation, I set up a small jewellery studio with a fellow graduate. But after a couple of months, the travel bug bit and I packed my bags for London, thinking that I would travel around Europe for a few months and then go back to Cape Town. After 4 years, I'm still living in London with my husband of 1 year. After working for other designers, I felt like it was time to go on my own creative adventure again, and so Mengsel Design was born. I have always been fascinated by geometric and hand-drawn patterns and this is something that you will see often in my work.
James Brown. James Brown is an illustrator and printmaker living and working in London. Trained as a textile and surface print designer, James worked in the clothing industry for 10 years producing print designs for numerous brands from Levis to Louis Vuitton. After two years at Hope & Glory menswear James embarked on a new career as an illustrator in 2007. Alongside his commercial practice, James produces limited edition screen prints and linocuts.
Julia Parkes. Julia is a jewellery designer and
maker, who graduated from Central St. Martins in 1998. Her collection is
made with silver and resin using a unique technique, which creates sculptural
elegant designs. Julia's work has been featured in films, the most notable
being 007 Tomorrow Never Dies, where her earring became part of the plot. It has
been used in television adverts and editorial, and Julia has also worked with up
and coming fashion designers, showing at London Fashion Week.
Janine Partington. Janine is a
designer maker based in Bristol combining the traditional craft of enamelling
with fresh, clean, contemporary design.
Inspired by trees, flowers, leaves and deed heads taking their shape and
form in new directions though the creation of intricate hand-cut stencils.
These stencils form the basis of many of her panel and jewellery designs
when enamel powder is sifted over these stencils onto the bare copper.
Enamelling is the art of fusing glass onto metal.
Watching an enamelled coppper panel emerging from a kiln glowing red hot
after being fired at a temperature of 800 degrees centigrade is always an
exciting experience. As the metal
cools the true colours of the panel emerge.
It takes multiple short firings to create a finished piece of work.
Rachel Foxwell
I use the slab process to enable me to use the clay as canvas onto which I create patterns and textures with slips and oxides. The movement in each piece is important to me, I alter each individual piece to create relationships between the pieces and highlight the contrast between the surfaces of the interior and exterior.
I aim to make simple yet contemplative vessels which can stand
alone or be placed in small groups.
Kerry Hastings
Since graduating in 2002 it has been a preoccupation of mine
to make work that has a seemingly precarious balance. There comes a point in the
making when a piece is about to topple over and it is only rescued by cutting
and adding coils as required to regain balance. This is the part I enjoy the
most and if done correctly the result can be a pot that is quite energetic.
All work is fired in a Cromartie toploader to a temperature of
1140 with a 2 hour soak to let the colour mature. I use a stoneware clay called
'S' Material which I colour by slaking down and adding varying percentages of
oxides and stains. I coil onto a pinched base, defining and refining the
form once leatherhard by much scraping using a metal kidney. After a
bisque firing I sand the pots using an electric sander. I use a
contrasting colour glaze internally to compliment the coloured clay body.
She is inspired by 1950s design, all sorts of children's
books, fashion, anything quirky and her 2 young children.
Her favorite designers and artists include Mary Blair, Paul
Rand, the Provensens and Alberto Vargas.
Freya. Freya enjoys traveling around the world and drawing inspiration from wherever she visits. Her work is one of purity of vision with a forever optimistic view of the world. Her quirky and thought provoking pieces are much loved and sought after and held in many public and private collections around the world.
She began her working life as an Art Director for an advertising agency, but left to start her exploration of the world and along the way began to think about a different career. Illustration seemed a lovely logical option and she was delighted to discover that people enjoyed her creations as much as she enjoyed doing them.
Freya divides her time between London, where she is based and her little beach-side studio in Phillip Island, Australia.
Other Artists featured include: Denise Hobson, Etchings;
Claudine Purnell, Ceramic Robots; Mick Kirkby Geddes,
Recycled Metal Sculptures; Jane Prosser, 3d artworks;
Zoe Badger, linocuts;
Deborah Champion, screenprints; Dee Beale,
screenprints;
Victoria Horner Prints; Susan Moxley,
prints and Stained Glass
