Rooftop Archive 3

For previous posts on the rooftop archive, see here, here and here. One of the large portfolios from the roof archive had some large prints that friends had traded or given to me – some even inscribed “Happy Birthday, Lorraine” or “To Lorraine”.

This is an etching my good friend, Elizabeth Canfield created in our final year at CTS art school (1981). Although it is undated, I remember her working on it in the print room. It is the second print of an edition of four and the image size is 60 cm x 45 cm. 

This print is also by Elizabeth Canfield and is an undated photo-etching from when she studied printmaking at York University in Toronto (1982-1986?). It is entitled “The Ride” and is 45 cm x 60 cm. 

This etching is by my friend Jay Dampf (RIP) and is from our final year CTS art school printmaking class. Though unsigned and undated, I remember Jay working on this and giftng me the piece. The image size is 60 cm x 45 cm. 

This is a unique serigraph by Scott Gwilliams, who went to the same art school in Toronto, though in a different year than I. It is entitled “David” and dated 1983 by which time I was attending the fine art department at York University. The diptych image is 50 cm x 70 cm and dedicated to me for my birthday.

rooftop archive 1

Happy New Year! Last year seems ages away now and before I got caught up in all the December activities, I had begun another purge by going through a number of portfolios and portfolio boxes that were being stored on the rooftop area adjacent to my studio. I blogged about that here and what had prompted the exercise. I never did find the specific drawing I was looking for, but this did lead me to find other things, properly document work, and finally, destroy quite a few unnecessary and/or substandard works. But here are some of the earlier works that I am keeping.

I destroyed most drawings from various life drawing sessions in Ireland (I decided I didn't need proof that I was able to draw!) but decided to keep this life drawing from my third and final year at CTS art school in Toronto. Pastel on paper, 81 cm x 56 cm, 1980

This graphite drawing is dated 1981 and measures 59 cm x 45 cm. It is signed as S. Lorraine (my first initial and my second name, as I am called by) and though not technically drawn as a self-portrait, I always thought of it as one. I find it interesting now as a precursor drawing to the work done for my first solo exhibition, held in Dublin in 1989 (I will do a future blog on that exhibition's work, which was also in one of the rooftop portfolios). 

Although this chalk pastel drawing is unsigned & undated, I am sure I drew it in 1983 either shortly before or shortly after my parents left Toronto to return to Ireland; it measures at 61 cm x 46 cm.

BAEC exhibition at Signal Arts Centre

I was at the launch of the Bray Adult Education (BAEC) exhibition of student work (from final years of both 2022 and 2021) at Signal Arts Centre last Friday evening.  The show’s title The Art Within was complemented by BAEC's Director Ray Finucane’s opening speech regarding the journey of each individual on the road to developing their art and the unquantifiability of the art. 

The exhibition is a fine showcase of the varied art and craft processes that the students learn at BAEC, each piece showing an individual creative response to a process. 

As well as the numerous crafted work on display - felted 2D & 3D works, ceramics, leathercraft, mosaics and pyrography - 

the walls were full of paintings and drawings, showcasing the developing skills of the students, many of whom had never formally explored art forms before.

The age old tradition of student artists copying from the Masters is visible on this wall!

The exhibition consists of work by this 2022's second (final) year students and last year's second year students since, due to covid restrictions, did not get to have an end-of-course exhibition.

So it was a big show to organise and hang!

Much appreciation went to the staff at Signal who basically curated as well as hung the show on the Monday beforehand in order to show each work at its best.

unexpected archive

A few weeks ago I was sorting and culling from several large boxes of correspondence and found a number of things that didn't actually belong with correspondence, rather they could be more appropriately part of my personal art archive. I already blogged about an envelope filled with torn pages from a number of notebooks here. But I found a number of other things in the boxes. This sketch was one I did on my second art school class trip to New York City in 1981. I had been with my friends at The Lizard Lounge that night and for some reason left on my own. I remember running across Times Square to The Picadilly Hotel, where we were staying. At the front desk I asked for the key to the lads' room by mistake and didn't realise it until I got into the room and noticed that the bathtub was full of cans of beer. Rather than return the key to the lobby, I decided to wait for everyone to come back. I found some hotel stationary, a pen, and did this drawing. 

In 1983, in an attempt to extricate myself from an abusive relationship, I began dating someone else. However, I was followed everywhere I went and decided to make a series of artworks from the experience. I planned to call the series "Evidence" but did not get much further in the project than making this small stencilled card.

I made this postcard in 1986 or 1987 specifically so that it would be returned to me. It was sent to one of my former university professors, along with a letter, asking for a reference. The images are based on The Tidal Series of paintings and drawings that I was doing at the time and I made response as easy as possible by providing a series of boxes to be ticked on the postage paid card. My sense of humour showed by my inclusion of the box "I don't remember who you are" - just in case! The card, however, was happily returned to me with a positive response and phone number.

I was talking to one of my cousins about my recent organising and culling, and she reminded me of a piece of work I had given her when she visited Toronto in 1981. It was delightful when she sent me some photos of the piece, the colours as fresh as the day they were painted.

At the time I had been greatly inspired by an exhibition I had seen in New York of Eileen Gray's work. I had painted my own chest of drawers so this was the second piece of "furniture" that I decided to paint. Many years later I painted a full set furniture for my child's room. I blogged about that furniture and the piece that started it all here.

Books & Back to Work!

I finally finished John Man's historical travelogue, Genghis Khan: Life, Death and Resurrection, which was a fascinating book. I was inspired to read it after reading Conn Iggulden's Conqueror Series (Wolf of the Plains, Lords of the Bow, Bones of the Hills, Empire of Silver, and Conqueror) -- historical fiction about Genghis Khan's rise and events down to the rise of Kublai Khan (Genghis' grandson). Some exciting books!  Now, as well as getting back to some other books I was reading (Kurt Vonnegut, Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain, to name a couple) I have also started Penguin's collection of Van Gogh's letters. I read Dear Theo when I was in art school, but that was a long time ago...

And what is this a picture of? I did some work today as I want to continue with my Moments series. I want to do some medium scale paintings, but don't want them on regular stretched canvas and don't want them on paper. So I have half stretched some canvas on old wood frames, and will just cut them to size when I am finished. Because they are half stretched they should have a bit of bounce while I am painting, and I will just cut them off the frames when finished.