Art By Janet Curley Cannon

Febuary 2012

Next month I'll be running my favourite bi-annual workshop 'Experimental Digital Printmaking' where I spend 2 days with attendees exploring the possibilities of using digital print in a variety of ways beyond printing onto white digital paper. The workshop covers using INKAID Precoats and GOLDEN Digital Grounds to prepare surfaces from fabrics to tin foil ready for printing, as well as the step-by-step process involved in doing a digital wet transfer. The workshop covers many of the techniques developed by the Digital Atelier, for further information please visit the web site of the Digital Media Centre, South Hill Park, Berkshire.

My artwork explores aspects of contemporary urban society by making use of the physical structure to record and investigate the changing state of our social, political, and cultural systems. For my solo exhibition opening this month at Gallery@49 I'll be installing my latest work The Pillars of Society which was inspired by the public debate that followed the recent riots in England. The seven pillars named as Government, Business, Family, Religion, Education, The Arts, and Media/Communication visually consider the ideas surrounding these institutions, ask questions about their inherent values, play with the relationships between them, and reference both the historical and contemporary context.

I was invited to submit work based around a general theme of "Artists Discover Europe" as part of the 5th European Artists Competition taking place in Leverkusen, Germany. The digital print I developed Welcome to Europe references the countries of Europe linked together facing the harsh winds of the recession and Eurozone difficulties. After recent events though I'm not sure if the strings that tie the British and the other 26 EU governments are holding up to well, guess its fitting that the Union Jack is on the far right edge! Information about the exhibition to be held in January can be found on the European Union Leverkusen web site.

After several requests I decided to publish the images of the 19 drawings, the complete Bracknell Regeneration Project series, and the digital fresco panel from my Observations on a Town exhibition into a small book. I was amazed with just how straight-forward it was to put together and how well the colour imagery of the printed book matches the original drawings. If you are interested in seeing a preview of the book and finding out about how to order one please visit my book page at Blurb.com.

I finally made it to southern Spain last month and visited a few destinations that were on my 'must see' list since I studied the Moorish architecture as part of my Art History degree. The Mesquita (Cathedral) in Cordoba was amazing with it's the colourful arches, the patterned tiles of the Alcazar in Sevilla were wonderful, but the Alhambra in Granada is an experience that goes beyond description, just go see it! Photography is the starting point for most of my mixed media work and the images of the repeated patterns that I collected in Spain will keep me inspired for a long, long time.

I've started working on a series of small sculptural pieces that are a response to the steady stream of news of the breakdown of western society. In news reports on possible causes of the riots in the UK last month, ideas ranged from the breakdown of the family or the educational system, to the impact of the media and the greed of big business. This led me to research what it meant to be a 'Pillar of Society' and I came across discussions of seven main subjects or institutions. As I see them they are all crumbling or broken in some form or another which has provided me with ample inspiration. My first three Pillars of Society - Government, Family, and Business will be shown in a Group Show at Gallery@49 in Bracknell opening this month.

Older items of news can be found here.