Whiskey Money Boxes

 Just a quick update as I realised I hadn't blogged a money box I made recently.

The photos aren't great but basically I use the tin/cardboard tubes from whiskey bottles to create money boxes.  This one was especially poignant as it was the last bottle my father had before his death so I decided to make a money box for my mum.

I start by gesso'ing the tube to create an even layer then add torn papers and emphemera.  I often add a watered down gesso layer to blend everything together adding gems, items of importance, ink dirbbles, stencils etc. 

 I cut a slit to add the money and the sunflowers are torn from napkins with a lady bird added

 I added leather die cut flowers, buttons, the word 'Mum' from metal etc

I then applied several top coats of a spray varnish to protect it all.

Full of sentimental value and made with love

Kyla

 

What's on your Workdesk Wednesday?

Hurrah I actually managed to make a Wednesday blog post!!

Things have been a bit hectic here, work, London visits, festivals etc !!

But this is not my desk, I will be honest this was Monday night at Coven where I decided to make some more tags for my next art abandonment project (see my previous post for full details about what it is!).

 

I already have a plan for when to set them free....watch this space!

Happy WOYWW

Kyla

 

Upfest and Art Abandonment

I thought I should warn you in advance this is a heavy photo post but nowhere near as many as I actually took but hopefully enough to give you a rough idea of what I have been up to.

I have taken part in Free Art Friday (google it-its a great idea) for a while and recently joined the Art Abandonment facebook group.  The idea is you create art and leave it somewhere for strangers to find and enjoy!

So for my first 'abandonment' I decided to make some tags using a stamped face and a devil icon that I carved (the words are stamps that I bought). 

 I added colour with spray inks and a little mica

I decided the time to set them free was this weekend at Upfest.  Upfest is the largest free street art festival and is held in my hometown of Bristol.  They have over 300 artists from across the globe and they paint, in real time, on buildings, hoardings, cardboard, floors, vans.....you get the idea.  They paint across an area of the city based around a few streets and parks.  It is great free family entertainment with music, art classes, sales, food and all round general greatness!

To set ourselves up for the day we popped into the local YHA for a coffee and this is where I made my first 'drop' (tucked into the bottom left of the notice board)

 

 My next drop was at one of the several large boards placed around for kids and adults to 'have a go'

 I soon got into the swing of things, abandoning on park fences

 and even in  a church garden

 When we returned the next day they had all gone.  Hopefully people will be in touch to say they found them, but if not, at least I know someone may have liked them enough to take one.

So, I took several hundred photos but I am hoping that these few will give you a flavour of the event.

 They painted buildings

 Skate park ramps

 Book pages painted and pasted onto junction boxes

 Sides of businesses

 Wooden boards placed up especially for the weekend

 Bristol is well known for being politically astute so hardly a surprise that there were several political ones

 Small stencilled faces

 Stencilled vinyl records (infact we even bought the 2nd on the left)

 This painting was several stories high and blew us all away

 This Game of Thrones/Jeremy Corbyn parody prompted a lot of comments

 

 These stencils are fantastic (Big Issue vendors are a big part of Bristol life-the people of Bristol even recently organised a wedding for one of them!).

 This was on the side of a train carriage!

 The background on this one is amazing, I watched the artist create it with torn cardboard and spray paint!

 I love this one, crowds walking through a rain streaked city scape.

 Again, another building painting (seriously I have NO idea how these artists scale up their sketchbooks!)

 These were painted on temporary hoardings

 Whilst this 3D image was painted on the floor (I was lucky enough to see his work in Malta last year)

 and this was painted on a double decker bus!!!!

 As usual the tallest was this 5 story building.  

Whereas these two were much smaller and not as colourful but just as powerful images leaving you wondering HOW they paint these!!

So a weekend of much walking, catching up with friends, art abandonment and watching some skilled artists create some amazing pieces.

Upfest - you did it again!!!

Kyla

 

Royal Academy Summer Exhibition

 Thought I would update on our recent visit to the 248th Royal Academy Summer Exhibition.

I have not included all the photos I have taken (as that would be a HUGE post) but thought I would share just a few of them.

 This looked like oils on an old metal tray and was titled "Roman 2" by Jock McFadyen RA.

I loved the depth and colour as I felt I was able to transport myself into the picture and could hear the traffic and smell the ozone.

This amazing piece was called "Migration" by Cathy de Monchaux and is made from copper wire, bandages, silk and pigment

 Whilst this was "Silver Hart" by David Mach RA and was made from steel and coat hangers!

  

Sadly I didn't make a note of these two, but I loved them both

 This was a bronze statue of Iggy Pop (full size) by Stephen Haines and in the back ground you can see the shipping container "The Bridge" by Jimmy Cauty (of the band The KLF) with spy holes whereby you can look in and see the 'scene' 

 He produced a HUGE version (an entire room) of this for the Banksy exhibition at Dismaland" in Weston Super Mare last year.

 Sadly I didn't make a note of who created these (though the artist on the right we have seen in previous exhibitions)

 As previous years there was an architecture room and this pencil sharpener caught my eye.

Finally in one room was a large Gilbert and George painting (once again I didn't get the details of who created the skeleton piece).

The exhibition is on until 21 August in London.  

Anyone can submit a piece for consideration and the BBC (usually BBC4) make a programme each year following the story from the point of view of an artist-such an eye opener.  

If you get the opportunity I recommend it, the work is varied and there are over 1000 pieces, some by very famous people, other by unknowns but one thing they have in common is that they all got the opportunity to grace the walls of one of the most famous galleries in the world.

Kyla