Reflections

Through my critical reflection the following areras/questions have arisen which I have sought to research in order to progress my practice.

Gallery image

Sketch by Josef Herman.

“When the sun appears and gilds the air, the streets, otherwise uniform grey, become copper brown. This happens usually in the evenings, for the days are mostly behind a screen of slow rains, cold and blue like steel dust; the kind of rains which never promise to stop … such is life here; mostly grey, but there is also a drop of gold in it”.

The above is taken from (Herman and Curtis, 2002) which provides the backdrop for my work. Josef Herman (1911–2000), left his native Warsaw shortly before the Second World War and is best known for the body of work he produced whilst living in Ystradgynlais—a small mining village in South Wales—between 1944–1955. The experience is encapsulated in his diary entry: “This image of the miners on the bridge against the glowing sky mystified me for years with its mixture of sadness and grandeur, and it became the source of my work for years to come.”

The “gold” that Herman refers to is that which I am particularly interested in showing: symbolic for the stoicism and resilience shown through particular events in history and aspects of contemporary life. This exists in the work of various artists whom I have referenced below along with the the body of work relevant to the Valleys Project and the more recent work of Rene Matic.

One of the key objectives will be to show the power of printmaking in promoting societal issues in a thought-provoking way. Through my work, I want there to be a sense of relevance, as in the work of the artists whom I have researched. I have outlined in this section, and also in Artists, elements that resonate.

Critical texts and theory

I have been greatly interested in the work of Sarah Sze and in particular “Triple Point”, US Pavillion, Venice Biennale, Italy, 2013 and the recent exhibition “The Waiting Room” at Peckham Rye train station in 2023. The following quote particularly resonates with me: “My work is a vivid exploration of still life, using subjects that allow me to satisfy my obsession with colour, and within them somehow communicate that elusive sense of sheer joy. The process is very visceral: I paint subjects that evoke memories of childhood, as I want to create feelings of nostalgia”. This links in with a sense of hiraeth and in objects of cultural significance. For example, Davy lamps, the eisteddfod chairs, and paraphernalia of the miners’ strike.

Kevin Sinnott: A contemporary Welsh artist who has been described as having “captured the dynamism and colour of the people out on the streets and up on the hills” Critic Kim Howells in his BBC4 film “Visions of the Valleys” refers to Sinnott: “he captures the vitality of the valleys better than anyone. Paintings that celebrate the humour and panache of the people who live in these towns and villages.” Personal favourites of mine being “Hard to Get” and “Running away with the hairdresser”. I want my work to include humour whilst capturing the often unique personality of people from the valleys.

Jeremy Deller: “Art is Magic” publication and in particular “My Stairway to Heaven: The Battle of Orgreave”, and “Music is Prophecy”. I am a great admirer of Deller, and in particular the way that he deals with serious issues in a localised manner.

Rut Blees Luxemburg: “Histories” & “Future Archives”.

Aberfan, a book by Gaynor Madgwick.

Studio18, an art gallery in Garw Valley, South Wales.

Katrina Palmer

I was struck by the originality of this project and which has led me to retrace my background in this industry. The book “End Matter” and the idea of the audio walk “The Loss Adjusters” is something I will consider further.

During December of this year I visited the Black Mountain Quarry, on the Brecon Beacons, South Wales. I had worked in that industry at the Cilyrychen lime kilns, Carmarthenshire in the 1970s after having left school and where my grandfather was a foreman. Both he and my parents are buried at the chapel graveyard at the village nearby. I have been reflecting on those times and photographs from that time will be used in collage going forward. One of my grandfather was used on an earlier work on metal prior to starting the course.

See:

Andrews, Malcolm. (1999) Landscape and Western Art. Oxford. Oxford University Press.

I enjoyed this book particularly the references to Ravilious’ Train Landscape (Ravilious, 1940) and Kiefer’s Ikarus – märkischer Sand (Kiefer, 1981).

The triptych effect created in the “Train Landscape” is a very interesting concept to add to my own practice.

Kiefer’s work is extremely powerful and something I will want to seek out in the near future. His exploration of identity and history is particularly relevant to my work. The scale of his work and his use of materials and tools (blow torch, acid, electrolysis) is very interesting. He often refers to the “memory of history” during interviews and in particular during an appreciation of the “Field of the Cloth Gold” which has an uplifting quality.

I also enjoyed the section on “Landscape and Politics” and the reference to “The Hay Wain” 1821 by John Constable. I had earlier in the year been to Whitechapel gallery and seen Peter Kennards exhibition “Archive of Dissent” which utilises this to very good effect.