CANW - James Dixon & Blackburn Orphanage

JAMES DIXON & THE BLACKBURN ORPHANAGE PROJECT

10th October 2012

Very exciting news today.  Child Action NW who own and operate the Orphanage at Wilpshire, are wanting publicity materials to do with a book which is to be published about JAMES DIXON, who founded the orphanage in 18?

The book is to be written by Melanie Warren.

Media  and Visual Communication students are invited to submit ideas for advertising and design of the book cover.



The Orphanage As It Is Today




We are invited to visit the orphanage next week for a tour and a brief about this.
I understand that records were kept of every child who stayed there, plus files, records and accounts.  It sounds as though there is a wealth of material.

It remains to be seen what the brief may be, but a couple of facts that I've already become interested in are: Ponto the Donkey, who played an important part in the orphanages and children's history.  Plus the fact that James Dixon was Scottish.



23rd October 2012
Unfortunately I missed out on the visit so didn't get to see the archives and photos.  I have managed to do a small amount of research and will hopefully be able to visit there soon.
In the meantime, using general photographic images printed from the Internet, we began experimenting with shapes and ideas, generally just playing around with the images we had, thinking about where this may take us, how the ideas can be expanded on, and exploring and thinking about different materials we could incorporate into the designs.

Layering The Same Image to Create a 3D Effect

Collage of Parts of the Buildings

Using card, gift wrap, tissue paper and cut images, I  created  a small concertina booklet.  Some of the photos were multiplied and overlapped. 

I enjoyed making this little booklet and was pleased with the end result.  I particularly like the dolls house page and the next one with the repetitive image of the boy.  Somehow I would like to incorporate this kind of collage and repetitive imagery into something else.

I have a few ideas for other things, and am researching into different techniques and styles.   I'm already interested in collage and stitched effects, so would like to investigate further, and try a piece along those lines, possibly a sampler style.   I am keen to incorporate James Dixons Scottish heritage, perhaps with some tarten somewhere and definately want to explore victorian toys, dolls and dolls houses.  Also the clothes and outfits they are all wearing.

A Walk In The Park



Twisted Bark Stems



Following on from the visit to Dolphinholme, I thought I would like to create a picture using found leaves, berries and twigs.  On a cold and dry day, I went for a walk through our local park down by the riverside.

I took several photographs whilst there, it was a lovely morning with the sun just rising and a fine dew on the leaves and trees.

Wild Mushroom Patch

Foam on the River



Sunlight on the Web



Thistles



Autumn Foliage



As I walked through the park I collected various fallen leaves, twigs and berries and bought them home with me.

At home I washed them, dried them and sealed them with a coat of PVA glue to prevent further decay, and to allow me to work with them without them crumbling.

I'd collected some lovely coloured leaves and berries, reds and rich browns.  Some in the stages of turning and some just about to decay completely.

After painting a wash over some paper, I then ripped it up and arranged it on a fresh piece of paper.  I added strips of various other papers.  Some of the papers had a wonderful 'bark' type texture which made for great tree trunks.  

I added blue paper and blue washed paper for the sky with a splash of yellow for the sun.  I then arranged my leaves and  of course added a large beetle, before stitching  over the whole picture on the sewing machine.

Stitched Collage

Back Stitching Effect

Turning the painting over, you can see the great effect achieved by free machine stitching to the front.  The outlines show the images very clearly and makes for an interesting picture on its own.

3D Bug



I was struck by the effect created  on the beetle, which after being stitched, took on a very  3D effect.  It really does appear to be above the paper. 

I added many different layers to the picture, incorporating papers, little pictures, threads, stitching and of course leaves.

Tree, Beetle and Leaf Back Detail

I'm pleased and surprised how my painting turned out.  At first I wasn't quite sure about the papers being stuck on, it didn't appear to be creating the effect I'd hoped for. However, once I applied the leaves and stitched the whole thing, it seemed to bring it all together, and the addition of the beetle made a huge difference, I think it really makes the picture with its 3D effect.

Researching Bugs in The World of Fashion

The first dress I ever purchased as a teenager, was a red and black spotty affair, lovingly referred to as my 'Ladybird' Dress.  It has no real reference to a ladybird, but just by the colouring alone, those little creatures instantly spring to mind.

Similarly this fragrance bottle by designer Marc Jacobs instantly makes you think of them.

Many designers base their ideas and designs on insects and bugs.  The textures, intricate patterns and beautiful rich colours of many tiny creatures, make them a living library of inspiration and ideas. 


Whilst researching bugs and fashion on the internet, I came across Italian Artist Cristian Grossi, who has done some marvellous insect inspired designs.  Some of which are shown below and which can be seen in their full animated glory at chicquero.com or on the link below.

His incredible designs reminded me slightly  of the Len Lye and Stan Brakage Scratch Films.  Even though they are several decades apart they somehow seem to match together very well indeed, in style and colour.

http://chicquero.com/2012/06/19/insect-mood/




















At the bottom of his post, you can also see some fantastic photos of small creatures and insects, such as the one below.  This is called Wonderland in Bugsland by Aimishboy.  Follow the link at the bottom of  Cristian Grossi page for further colourful encounters.

Also on the internet, I came across these fashion photographs on the DIVA website, entitled Fashion Inspired by Animals and Insects by Vanessa Valerie Tay.  These marvellous images show how different designers have used insects to draw inspiration for their designs.

Sketch Book ~ Part One

This is my first sketch book, for Part One of the UAL Foundation Art and Design Course.

Our starting theme is Grids, Layers and Reflections.

After our initial visit to Blackburn Art Gallery and Museum, I choose this painting entitled ' Hardy of Chelsea Green'.

I picked this as I was drawn to the colours and patterns of the clothes in the painting, also the fact that I thought the subject looked like a man dressed as a woman, or as though the subject was 'dressing up'.  The painting struck me as not being just a typical portrait. 

I tried to capture the colour variations within the painting, there are a great many colours and patterns to the clothing, plus detailing like the fringing on the shawl.  I also attempted  to recreate the colours and pattern with different mediums of paints and pencils.



Patterns on the neck scarf



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Bugs and Insects

Whilst visiting the Art Gallery I was also fascinated by the cases of bugs and beetles on display.  I thought the colours and variations of patterns on the wings and shells of the bugs were really interesting, and gave great scope for a whole range of work.  With colour combinations, patterns and textures able to provide ideas for many projects.

On reflection I decided I'd concentrate my work more on this area, rather than pursuing the painting I'd first chosen.  I believed the bugs and insects would provide greater scope for me, plus they are something I can, and we all can, relate to.

You have to understand that there are very few of these bugs and beetles that I would actually want to touch or hold on my hand!

Having said that, as a small child I vividly remember keeping Ladybirds and Small Green Beetles in a sellotape tin as my treasured pets.  As a young child I found them cute and colourful and interesting to watch as they scurried around.

I think everybody adores Ladybirds, they are used for so many branding and advertising items, in fact the first book I  learnt about insects from, not only contained information about them, but was published by a Company bearing their name.  One of the rhymes we learnt as children is about Ladybirds.  My dressing gown as a child had Ladybird buttons.   So bugs and insects are part of us from an early age, probably without us really being aware of the fact.

Early Ladybird Book on Insects



I Used to keep Ladybirds and Green Beetles In a Sellotape Tin



A Childhood Rhyme



My first idea, was to take the word Ladybird or Ladybug literally, and create a picture based on that.  A true 'LadyBug'
A decoupaged picture on a colourful background.

Unfortunately, it didn't quite work as I'd hoped.  My colourful 'fruit and flower' background, is just too colourful, making my LadyBug rather invisible.



For my research on bugs and beetles I looked in a beautifully illustrated book, which contains hundreds of gloriously photographed insects, moths and beetles.

I drew some of these through carbon paper, capturing the different shapes and structures of their bodies and wings.  I also tried to create my own little 'Insect Display' using photographs of the bugs, lining them neatly in a brown framed paper case.



Insect Display



CARBON DRAWINGS

I tried again to created a picture using  decoupage and collage.   I used cut up pictures, wallpaper and torn textured papers to create a mini framed art work of my own interpretation of a green beetle.

Whilst researching insect inspired fashion, I was prompted to draw my own idea for an  insect inspired garment. 

One of my particular favorite images in the book, was this Helicopter DamselFly, I hope to do some work around this.

Textiles Session One

Our first session doing textiles saw us projecting light through an image to create shadows which we then painted in a variety of mediums.  Using dyes, crayons, pastels and pencils we followed the light formations and reflections. 

We added on to the base paintings, using papers, fabrics and cuttings to create a collaged piece of work.

As only one of the projectors was working, the group sat round one table to work.   It was a little cramped, with not a great deal of space to spread out or form any different patterns, without impeding others.  However, we did what we could.  I used green and purple dyes to create lines across the paper, using bleach in areas to take out the colour and create effects.  Once it was dry, I used a picture of a woman modelling some knitwear from a vintage knitting pattern. 

Using crepe paper, I created a pleated skirt for my lady.  Stitching it on the sewing machine. 

For the bag I used a scrap of paper with a wool pattern plus a piece of painted paper I found in the paper drawer.

At first I decided to keep my picture in the purple and green colour I started off in, adding texture with scraps of tissue paper and threads in the same colours.   I then found some more fashion pictures, from roughly the same era, so decided to incorporate those into my work as well.

Finding this picture with the woman wearing a bright red scarf, I decided to add just a few highlights in red to bring the picture together.

Using  a red chalk to add a hint of colour on the green crepe skirt, and adding a few lines, words and small blocks of red.