Art n that

Placement at On|Off London & Paris Fashion Week.

2012-02-07T13:38:00.000-08:00

I have been selected as an intern for Doll where I will be working at On/Off London Fashion Week & Paris Fashion Week.

Im incredibly excited to be part of Fashion week in both of these AMAZING cities.
This is truly a once in a lifetime opportunity - an opportunity of being able to network with Fashionistas from across the globe.

On|Off has a strong international reputation of showcasing 'design over hype' with a track record of discovering and nurturing new talent including Peter Pilotto, Gareth Pugh, Louise Gray, Yang Du, Mark Fast, Aminaka Wilmont and Hannah Marshall to name a few.

I first became involved with On|Off during a "Guest at Grays" Guest Lecture from Lee Lapthorn - director of On|Off PFW and LFW, Fashion consultant, Print designer & external examiner printed textiles St Martins.

He talked of how his career as a textiles designer had influenced his involvement within Fashion week and had resulted into the creation of On|Off which I felt deeply interested in.

There is going to be some truly inspiring designers showcasing their work at On|Off and I'm so excited to see them in action. To read about and see some of the designers who have shown at On|Off click here.

Below is a clip of On|Off Paris - Can you spot Vivienne Westwood and some of the other well known names in Fashion?

On|Off Paris SS12 September 2011 from On|Off TV on Vimeo.

Im so excited to begin working in both London and Paris Fashion weeks and you can make sure to keep unto date with both Fashion Weeks as well as all of my own experiences and time in London and Paris via @artnthat on twitter as well as via my schedule below.

Matt's Schedule

London Fashion Week Schedule - Designers showcasing at On|Off

Paris Fashion Week Schedule - Location and Sneak Peek

London here I come!!!

Photogram Life Drawing Designs - ARTnTHAT

2012-02-07T10:20:00.000-08:00

Photogram of Leaves and Lightbulbs

A photogram is a photographic image made without a camera by placing objects directly onto the surface of a light-sensitive material such as photographic paper and then exposing it to light. The usual result is a negative shadow image that shows variations in tone that depends upon the transparency of the objects used. Areas of the paper that have received no light appear white; those exposed through transparent or semi-transparent objects appear grey.

Photogram of Scissors

Essentially anything can be placed onto the photographic paper to create a different effect.
I decided to combine my life drawings with semi transparent objects such as light bulbs, acetate, leaves, jewellery and feathers - it is then up to me to how many seconds of Light I give the paper with the object on top which gives the end result a different effect.

My life drawings were then converted to acetate and then layered onto the photographic paper along with some leaves, lightbulbs and text I had written.

The layering of all these transparent objects and drawings created a real effect of depth which could be used in not only as nice images but I plan on using it as repeat image for digitally printed fabric....

Keep your eyes pealed for some photogram inspired fabric....

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My Metal Sculpted Dress : Textiles Draping and Innovative Dress Making

2012-02-03T14:20:00.000-08:00

Working with unusual and innovative fabrics and methods is of highest priority as a textiles designer to ensuring you are keeping fresh and ahead of the game - This is always at the forefront of my deigns and work

I was given the brief was to use my most innovative ideas in relation to draping and intergrate them as part of our draping project in the construction of a floor length dress.

I decided to use unconventional materials as my textile, this material being metal.

I began work with aluminium metal sheets which I took to the welding workshops and melted into rounded and streamlining sculpted segments which was then constructed into my floor length dress as seen below.

Adding another dimension to my dress was the projection of the amazing colours onto the metal, creating a reflective metal dress.

The recording which was projected and reflected on the dress was a video I took of the colours created when I welded the metal.

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Gordon Highlanders Scarf Range - The Photo-shoot

2011-12-21T02:24:00.000-08:00

These are the scarves which were created by me and my team for the Gordon Highlanders Museum in Aberdeen. These will be exhibited in the GH museum for roughly six months (dates coming soon!) showcasing our designs, sketchbooks, photo-shoot photos and of course the scarves...

These scarves will be up for sale as well as our designs will be showcased at the museum from the 1st of February!

Gordon Highlanders Museum

February 1 - 30 November

Tuesday - Saturday 10am - 4pm

Tea Room and gardens - admission free.

Museum admissions:

Adult - £5.00

Senior Citizens and students - £3.00

Child - £2.00

Family - £11.00

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Gordon Highlanders Museum - Scarf Range Designs

2011-12-15T08:44:00.000-08:00

I am Currently working on a Scarf Range for the Gordon Highlanders Museum in Aberdeen which will be exhibited in the GH museum for roughly six months showcasing the designs, sketchbooks, photo-shoot photos and of course the scarves ...

The Gordon Highlanders is one of the great names in Scottish history and one of the most celebrated regiments of the British Army.

Renowned as a courageous fighting force with an exceptional reputation for good conduct, professionalism and steadfastness, the legacy of The Gordon Highlanders lives on through the current serving soldiers of The Highlanders, 4th Battalion, The Royal Regiment of Scotland.

Although in 2006, The Highlanders were merged with Scotland’s five other infantry regiments to form The Royal Regiment of Scotland.

However since then the Gordon Highlanders Heritage and History has been preserved in the heart of north-east Scotland, in the beautiful former home of prominent Scottish artist, Sir George Reid, the Museum is constantly evolving with various exhibitions, corporate visits and events.

The Gordon Highlanders Museum has now decided to work with 3rd Year Textiles on a live project with Gray's School of Art.

We will be having a 6 month exhibition in the Press and Journal Corridor at the Gordon Highlanders museum. This exhibition is to include a range of 100% Lambswool scarves designed by ourselves to be exhibited and sold at the museum.

I began my research with a visit to the museum where I took various photographs, drawings and imprints of the collections the museum holds.
After being given a chance to explore not only the museum but an interesting insight into the Archives of the Military forces of the past.
Below is a short example of some of the print designs I created to be used for the scarves.

Bydand Emblem Repeat

Inspired by the ceramics of the regiment

Inspired by WW2 helmet marks

Inspired from the GH stained glass windows

Bydand emblem.

From there we were divided into groups where we were to create a brand associated with our chosen style.
With my past experience in branding as well as photoshop skills I created or brand
"Ley of the Land" with the Scottish spelling of Lay.

Ley of the Land - Our brand

The 100% lambswool scarves were printed using various dyes and inks as well as embellished and sewn making each one completely unique.
We had a photo-shoot with photographer Mick Easton who got some fantastic shots of our range.

Photo-shoot photos coming soon...

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ART 'n' THAT now blogging for STV .

2011-12-13T07:17:00.000-08:00

ARTnTHAT - The blog which follows the work of (me) Matt Russell a student at Gray's School of Art at the Robert Gordon University where I specialise in textiles and surface design will be now showcased through the online platform of STV.

I visited STV studios recently to meet the team who work there and also received an exciting yet surreal tour of the STV studios...I even got to sit in the News seat just after the lunchtime news. (below)

You can read my first post published on STV by clicking here

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Watch this space for further exciting things...

Weavers Guild of Aberdeen Award Winner - Matt Russell

2011-11-08T11:51:00.000-08:00

On Thursday the 10th of November I was invited to an intimate awards ceremony hosted by the City Guild of Aberdeen to allow me to meet the Guild as well as present my research, development and weaving samples. I gave a presentation exploring my work, thought process and development leading onto how beneficial the cash sum the guild presented me contributed to my research and studying in Nanjing China last March - there I researched textiles of the east as well as Chinese Culture and language.

Read more about my Chinese Experience in depth via the links below.

- Purple Mountain Tomb of Dr Sun

I was so pleasantly received by the guild and it was a wonderful privilege to be given a dedicated night to my work. There was a private tour of the Guild Property where there were hundreds of magnificent paintings and priceless chairs and artefacts dating back to the 12th Century. Such an archive of wonders I was given an insight into historical pieces the public are unavailable to witness. Such an inspiration.

This is a short summary of the Work I created for the guild - beginning with research and developing through to the winning weaving samples and outcome.

Research of Pattern Colour and Tone

I began my research for pattern, colour and tone at Glasgow's Botanic Gardens where the have a fantastic array of exotic plants and flowers. I Posted a full blog post about my research at the Gardens which you can read in full here.

Weaving in Action

I began researching traditional weaving methods at the Edinburgh weaving mill as well as an in depth visit to Lanark Weaving Mill museum where I learned the traditional methods and principles of Scottish weaving.

You can read about Matt's Visit to the Mills via the links below.

- New Lanark Mill and Heritage centre.

- Edinburgh Weaving Mill

I then took all my research gathered from the Botanic Gardens as well as the Mill's into my weaves and developed them into my work as you can see below.

Winning Weaving Profile

The following photographs are a insight into my weaves designs, for these I took the colour texture and tone research from the botanic gardens and combined it with the traditional methods of Scottish weaving. I created these designs which explored both the exotic as well as the local. I used some innovative materials such as the coloured branches - which are seen in a range of warm and earthy colours giving a contrast to the soft and versatile wools and chenille etc.

I would especially like to thank Lorraine Sneddon the technician from Gray's School of art, who helped me overcome any technical difficulties weaving my branches.
Thank you very much also to Weavers Guild of Aberdeen who's contribution to my trip to China was incredibly beneficial as well as an incredible privilege to be invited to the City Guild and be given such a warm welcome at the ceremony and for the wonderfull insight into Aberdeen's past and future.

MIRRORED - Collaborative Exhibition

2011-10-16T12:48:00.000-07:00

Above : Flyer for Exhibition, half Matt half Holly.

A Collaborative exhibition exploring the bridge between Photography and Textiles.

I worked with my friend and Photography student Holly Aitchison to create a series of photographs and projections which explore the boundaries between textiles and photography.

We worked with Textiles Prints and photographic research I used in projects previously along with Holly's photographic and digital media skills to make a combined set of projections.

These projections then were projected onto each others torso and face, allowing the projection to interact and be manipulated by our positions and angle.

Some of the projections really allowed myself to visualise in another manor how my prints could interact with the human form.

These were then photographed in the photo studio in high quality, adjusted by ourselves then we shortlisted with photos we would use in the exhibition. After much thought and consideration the photographs were then printed digitally to the size of A1 (roughly the size of 8 A4 pages combined).

The preparation of an exhibition was greatly underestimated by myself however it was certainly worth the work.

Myself within a textile photo combination of stained glass window and a Tiger print.

Holly within a photo I took in Shanghai with her Cat's eyes.

Myself interacting with one of my textiles designs

Falling from a hight.

Wings of Barcelona

Holly within my Textiles Print

Holly within the Tiger Beach.

It's me Matt!! With Mini Matt projected
on my top. I MUST Make a T-shirt like this

The Exhibition opened on Thursday 13th October at Gray's School of Art with a fantastic

reception along with wine and nibbles.

A few photos of the Opening night too below.

The Exhibition is running for a week at Gray's School of Art Aberdeen so be sure to pop by if your near...

Bradford Textiles - Matt Russell Print Designs

2011-10-10T03:19:00.000-07:00

For our summer project this year we were given the task of designing a range of designs for our specialism - my specialism being Printing .

For this I began as I usually do, with a piece of inspirational material and go from there.
The Inspiration I sourced for this project was an antique 1800's book on the British army in spain, with handwritten notes from a sergeant in Aberdeen and his personal experiences in the war. I wanted to capture the age of the book as well as the texture and rough surface of the book facing which had been damaged not only by age but fire also.

I combined the delicate flowing movement of the text as well as the rough and rugged patten of the book cover along with some of the map patterns, a drawing of the Sergeant himself.

From here I created a Client board and Colour board to keep my designs in line with the market and colour scheme I wanted to target.

Client Board

Colour Board

These are some of the textiles print designs I worked with and developed from this inspirational book. Now I will look at shortlisting these to the top ten and make these paper designs into fabric samples and see which ones come out the most successfully.

Print Designs

These designs will go towards the Bradford Textiles competition once sampled and the design and development process is finalised.

Hopefully I have captured something a little unusual to the ordinary applicants by using this original and one of a kind antique book and the naturally aged book pages hand writing and maps.

The Bradford Textile Society's Prize Schemes, which have been the source of encouragement and inspiration to textile students and practising textile designers, and have helped to stimulate new developments in textile design and construction, and finishing and printing techniques.

The original sponsors, the Society itself and the Wool Record, share the distinction of having presented special prizes for design achievement since the Schemes were established in 1923.
The Society is also grateful to individual organisations and companies, whose support and encouragement has helped the organising committee to increase the total prize money by a considerable amount over the years.

In particular it acknowledges the generosity of the Clothworkers Foundation, which has awarded a number of prizes since 1968, the Dyers' Company, Prestigious Textiles Ltd, The Woolmark Company, the British Wool Marketing Board, the Association of Fashion & Textile Courses, Holland & Sherry Ltd and Bradford College.

To find out more about the Bradford Textiles Society CLICK HERE

Blairs College, St Mary's - Aberdeen

2011-09-09T18:06:00.000-07:00

My Grandparents visited me in Aberdeen the other week and we took a trip to Blair's College, a museum for an college closed in the 80's.

It was Scotland's only junior seminary for boys and young men
studying for the Roman Catholic priesthood.

Up a country lane, along a dirt track you are led up to the "Hogwarts"
of Aberdeenshire.
The most impressive building hidden within the trees and
surrounding countryside.

Inside there was also St Mary's Church, which the boys would have attended.
This however still runs as the local parish. I took a photosyth, a 3D panorama
of the church allowing you to see it in depth, in my previous post.

There was a wonderful archive of religious textiles dating back to the 15th Century,
embroidery and rich colours like you couldn't imagine.

A trip with the grandparents wouldn't be right without a trip to the tea room.

Blairs college and St Mary's Chapel is well worth the visit if your interested in seeing a rather unknown tourist destination in Aberdeen. You can find out more by clicking here.

What not to do...How to feel miserable as an artist.

2011-09-09T17:53:00.001-07:00

Make the most of Today...

2011-09-02T01:34:00.000-07:00

M x

Photosynth - Blair's College, St Mary's Chapel. Aberdeen. 3D Photo Panorama

2011-08-25T07:34:00.000-07:00

Photosynth is a powerful set of tools for capturing and viewing the world in 3D

It works by me talking lots of photos in a 360' motion and stitching them together to create a breathtaking image leaving you feeling like your in the moment

- similar to the sort of software you can see on google street view.

You can view this Photosynth I took at Blairs College - St Mary's Catholic Church in Aberdeen by clicking the link below.

Click here to view my 3D Photosynth.

Hope you enjoy having a look at this Church as though you are within it. Photography seems to advance every day I explore it further.

Took some other regular photos there too as there was some breathtaking scenes to capture...keep an eye out for those.

COMING SOON!

Matt

Vote for my Summer Shot please!!

2011-07-07T08:10:00.000-07:00

Please "Like" my Summer Shot, as I hope to get noticed and win myself a new SLR Camera!

The Photo was taken at Revolution Bar in Aberdeen and is part of Revolutions Summer Competion!

CLICK HERE and "LIKE" my photo to help me win a new camera!

I would love you forever if you do!

Matt

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Keep up to date with ARTnTHAT on Facebook!

2011-07-06T06:39:00.000-07:00

After discovering this new spangled technology all the kids on the block are keeping up-to-date with...I decided ARTnTHAT should get onto Facebook after much demand.

We all know Facebook has became a major part of peoples life and most read it each day like the morning paper, keeping up to date with friends and family across the world so why not ARTnTHAT too!

To "Like" and follow both my blogs on Facebook click the link below! Thanks!!

Matt

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Trend Prediction Autumn/Winter 2012/13 - The Lighthouse, Glasgow

2011-06-30T06:20:00.000-07:00

The Trend Presentation highlighted the upcoming Textile Trends for the autumn/winter 2012/13 season. The presentation includes fashion, knitwear, accessories and interior trends 18 months in advance to assist design and product planning for our Fashion accessories at CARi & Co

The event was a good opportunity to network with other creative designers in Scotland along with meeting a few other familiar faces.

Anne Ritchie gave a presentation on Textile Trends for the Autumn/Winter 2012/13 season and it was so exciting to see what's up and coming a year in advance.Anne has worked in the textile and fashion industry since 1982 and has an extensive knowledge of both the global and the Scottish textile, fashion and accessory industries – from design and product development to market research and promotional activity.

The trend presentation was followed by a review of retail activity and some feedback from the key trade shows and was good to talk to others who had done some of the shows we had not.

Matt x

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Saachi Gallery London, June 2011

2011-06-16T14:00:00.000-07:00

Took a trip to the Saatchi Gallery during our short stay in London and it was well worth a visit!

A short walk from Sloane Square in among fashionable boutiques and cafes was the Saatchi Gallery showcasing the latest contemporary art from Sculpture, Painting and Textiles on its fantastic 70,000 sq ft building.

There was some really fantastic exhibitions on including the work of Dundee artist David Batchelor who's work with its use of bright illuminated artificial colours reminded me instantly of the Chinese Streets at night.

Dirk Skreber's work features as part of the exhibit – it draws upon perceptions from his childhood in Germany, inspired by the overwhelming industrial presence in his home town. His work focuses on creating a dystopian visionary wastelands from cars wrapped round poles and bike parts lingering across barren roads. Photo below of me crawling out of one of the wrecks.

John Baldessari’s work seen below is one I found particularly interesting as there was a consistent urge to delve in to the piece named Beethoven's Trumpet (with ear) and listen to see if you could hear any sound, however I suppose its the ear listening and for us to make the sound.

Entry to all exhibitions at the new Gallery are free.

For more information on visiting the Saatchi Gallery Click here

Matt

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Confucius Temple by day - Nanjing China

2011-06-15T16:50:00.000-07:00

Chris Cunningham Live @ Camden Roundhouse

2011-06-12T15:55:00.000-07:00

My friend/housemate Holly (Below) got two tickets to see director Chris Cunningham live as a Birthday present from her parents, so knowing I was also a massive fan she asked me to come along.

After a grueling train journey from Edinburgh to London we were in London town and ready to be inspired.
We decided to take as many galleries and exhibitions in as we could in the short time we had in between going to Chris Cunningham.

Below is my favorite Video directed by Cunningham, for the band Portishead and the on the night of the show at The Camden Roundhouse the atmosphere felt as thick as the air in this Video.

Chris Cunningham is known for the shock factor.... after all who remembers normal?
Below is my Video taken at the Camden Roundhouse...the atmosphere was unbelievable and has to be the most intense experience I have ever had.
The Speakers that were used vibrated our clothing and you can understand how loud it was through the distortion in the video I took with my iphone!

Such an inspiring inspiring director, his use of the human emotions is just fantastic!
Chris Cunningham is probably best known for his music videos for Aphex Twin and Bjork.

[edit]

Mochou Lake Park, Nanjing, China

2011-06-12T10:05:00.000-07:00

We occasionally had some free time in Nanjing on a Sunday so we often decided to jump in a cab and point at the map to see where we would end up, one of the best destinations we discovered was Mochou Lake.

According to one legend, the name of the lake came from a young woman of beauty and virtue named Mochou.who lived during the Northern and Southern Dynasty (386-589). She married a man from the Lu family in Jinling (now known as Nanjing City) and had a baby. They lived a happy life until one day Lu was recruited to the army. Because there had been no news of him since he had left, she missed her husband dearly day and night. Finally, it is said that Mochou turned into a lake, with the hope of flowing to her husband's side. In memory of the young woman's undying devotion to her husband, the lake was aptly named Mochou Lake by the local people.

The Statue of Mochou herself.

It was such a pleasant place to visit and it was full of locals spending a lazy Sunday afternoon in the sun away from the madness of the congested city.

Matt

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Chinese Painting Class Experience

2011-06-09T07:52:00.000-07:00

Above is a photograph I took of our Chinese Painting teacher at Nanjing University.

During my time spent in China we had various lessons, most frequenty was our Chinese language classes which took place every day, from starting as early as 8am.

Along with this we had culture classes where we undertook painting classes where we were taught the traditional way of Chinese painting.

During my time at Art School in the UK I have had lots of painting classes, however this was completely different as Art in Asia is so different to that of Europe's.

We learned that Chinese art in particular is so different to that of the west because artists in China are seen in a completely different light. Historically Art in China was not usually created by "artists" as such but the art that was produced was usually created by philosophers or Poets that were respected at the time, often therefore a painting would be used to create a feeling towards a particular poem instead of being a visual representation of something which was originally the case in the west.

This means that chinese paintings are very often not lifelike, or directly a representation of something in paticular, making each artwork into an abstract metaphor.

Saying this however is making it seem as though their painting has developed in order to create this metaphoric representation, however the art of China has not changed very much in the past 2000+ years that its been around.

Why has it not developed like the art of the West? Well in my experience with the chinese they found it difficult to understand the purpose or prospects in Art, they are after-all still a developing country trying to feed themselves.

Art seems to the Chinese luxury not necessity, however with the economic climbing China does every day - becoming closer and closer to being the economic center of the world they become closer to their World of Art taking off.

With the wonders and masterpieces I saw in Chinese traditional art such as "Chinese paper cutting" and the wonderfull embrodery they have behind them, I can only dream at the moment for the wonders that the Art of China in the future will bring.

Me (Matt Russell) with my Chinese painting teacher holding my first -poor- attempt at Blossom tree's.

Purple Mountain, Tomb of Dr Sun

2011-05-10T12:57:00.000-07:00

Dr. Sun Yat-sen's Mausoleum (中山陵) is situated at the foot of the second peak of Mount Zijin (Purple Mountain) in Nanjing, China. Construction of the tomb started in January 1926 and was finished in spring of 1929. The architect was Lu Yanzhi, The day we spent at Purple Mountain was incredibly hot and the pollution levels were low so we got a view of the most amazing landscapes.

A photo of me standing in front of Dr Suns tomb.

(Above) Purple mountain is named as such due to it having these increadable flowers which cover the mountain with a sea of purple, these flowers were only beginning to appear as they grow more with the high temperatures of the summer months.

(Below) A few photos of the Tomb buildings which are hand painted with the most incredible decorations, the striking colours really higlighted in the beautifull weather.

Purple mountain has be one of my favourite places I visited in Nanjing!

A great contrast to that of the busy City and a focal point to that of Chinese History.

Chinese Hotpot Experience!

2011-05-10T06:09:00.000-07:00

The Chinese food has to be one of the biggest obstacles I had to overcome during my time in China. Name it and the Chinese will eat it. You are constantly surrounded by street vendors selling scorpions, ducks heads or chicken claws, and I really struggled to eat many of the meals that I discovered in the restaurants.

From a disturbing dish of baby turtles to a difficult experience I had with the traditional Nanjing Ducks blood soup (ya shui tang) This looks and tastes like dark red-brown jelly firm tofu, in a spicy broth however the jelly turned out to be congealed curdled blood cut into squares and egg like chunks which was revealed to me as ducks liver. This led me to no longer asking what things were and just eat to enjoy rather than eat to worry. By some of my Chinese friends we were recommended to attend a Hotpot restaurant.

In a hotpot restaurant you have a giant pot full of a tasty soup like liquid at the centre of the table above a electric heated hob. You then choose what you would like to cook in your hotpot and you empty these raw contents to cook in your pot.

Below you can watch a short video of this pot and a kind Chinese waitress who saw our looks of puzzlement and decided to help us cook the mushrooms and various meats we had ordered.

The left hand side of the pot had oily slightly seafood taste and the right half was full of a taste bud killing mixture full of Chilli seeds blew my head off.

(Below) Tasty mushrooms- who'd have thought there was such a thing.

I really enjoyed the food this night and I'm glad we persisted with exploring the various foods available, it was funny however we soon discovered that the most dreadful looking back streets had the most fantastic authentic restaurants. You can look forward to a post I am preparing named "Bird Flu Alley" which took cooking to a whole new level.

M xxx

Studying at Nanjing University, Jiangsu Province, China

2011-05-05T05:58:00.000-07:00

I studied Chinese culture, language and economics at Nanjing University which is one of the top 5 universities in China. Below is a photograph of me and my Chinese language class (4th from right - white hair) outside one of the oldest buildings in Nanjing which is now a focal point of the University's city campus.

(Below) This is the entrance road into the university which at peak times was swarming with students.

(Below) This is the Xian Lin campus where we took a trip to, this campus was simply breathtaking and was a fair distance away from Nanjing City centre itself. The campus is as far as the Nanjing metro goes and the sheer scale of the university was overwelming.

This is the student accommodation on the Xian Li campus and I have never imagined such a place could exist. A whole city of just university student housing, libraries, sports halls and specialism buildings.

(Below) is a scale model of the campus we took a tour

of showing the extent of the magnificent campus and its size.

(Above ) A class photograph of us with our Chinese

lecturer who patiently taught us the language.

My Chinese language classes consisted of regular lessons each day and by the end of my trip I had gained 60 hours of language lessons, I really felt as though I had began to grasp the language as our lessons were practical and we were able to use what we learned that day during our adventures out and about in the streets. It surprised me massively how little English the Chinese spoke, no taxi drivers spoke English, no shop staff spoke English and this was originally a little intimidating as you were essentially in an alien country with no means of communicating so this greatly helped push my Chinese lessons along in order to grasp a better viewpoint on their culture. (Chinese classroom below)

南京 My time in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, China

2011-04-29T05:35:00.000-07:00

During the following blog posts I plan to inform you of the time I spent studying in China.
Nanjing ( 南京) was where I was studying, however I travelled to Suzhou and Shanghai during my time, the following pictures are of the city of Nanjing which is in the Jiangsu province, the city's name translates as Southern Capital as it was the capital of China until 1949.

I found Nanjing 南京 a beautiful city to stay in, although it has to be one of China's less cosmopolitan of Cities, you would definitely find difficulty finding any sort of western style food and there was a large element of shock in our presence (partly due to myself having blonde hair and blue eyes) so you found difficulty in exploring without a swarm of Chinese around you asking for photos. I will reveal my eating and travelling experiences in the next couple of weeks so keep your eyes peeled.

Below is a photograph of a Nanjing Taxi with the most fantastic colour of green.

The above video captures the view from my hotel bedroom, a street cleaner and a short journey by taxi.

There will sure to be more videos to follow with my next posts.

M xxx

Nanjing here I come....

2011-04-07T16:50:00.000-07:00

Cant believe the time is here but this will be my last blog post before travelling to China.

In the next few days I will begin my adventure in China where I will study the Chinese language,the Chinese economy, Confucianism, modern Chinese history, as well as Chinese customs and folklore.

My Travel Itinerary is as follows:

Saturday the 9th of April I travel Glasgow to Dubai- Dubai to Shanghai- Shanghai to Nanjing.

I will spend most of my time in Nanjing which is in the Jiangsu province -one of China’s most economically vibrant provinces, benefiting from significant foreign investments such as Suzhou Industrial Park. Nanjing, as the capital of Jiangsu province, is situated in the lower

Yangtze River.

Together with Shanghai and 14 other cities, it forms the Yangtze River Delta Economic Zone. It is one of China's most important historic cities along with Beijing and Xian and was the capital of the Republic of China till 1949.

Nanjing has also been a national hub of education, research, transportation and tourism throughout history. The population is over five million which is equal to that of Scotland.

The city still has the best kept city wall built by the first emperor of Ming dynasty in 14th century and I am so very interested to experance the worders Asia has to offer me.

I am currently unsure to what will be the best communication methods will be the best across there as whether as I know my daily photo blog - ARTnTHAT Daily Photo is banned due to its service being TUMBLR as well as such things as YouTube, Facebook and Wikipedia so fingers crossed that I will at least be able to access this blog to keep you up to date.

Howver my plan is to create a mailing list of people who may be interested in having an update with some photographs regularily throughout my trip.

If you would be interested please don’t hesitate to email me at

matt0805@hotmail.co.uk

I will leave you with this quote from the Chinese thinker and social philosopher - Confucius

“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step”

Byeeeeeee!!!!! M x

Aberdeen Weavers Competition - Matt Russell - Winner

2011-03-20T09:47:00.001-07:00

To my shock and great honour I was awarded 1st place in the Guild of Aberdeen weavers corporation competition.

Aberdeen can look back on a long and interesting history, especially from 1124 when, as a growing centre of trade and commerce, it became a Royal burgh and therefore won special distinction with other principal burghs in Scotland.

Much of that history stems from the actions of its early Burgesses, those responsible citizens who, appointed as freemen, were charged with guarding the burgh's laws and customs as well as the burgh itself. Their loyalty to King and community brought its own rewards by way of trading privileges as well as the general esteem in which they were held.

It was a massive honour to be given a position in the weavers guild competition. For this we had to Create a woven collection of materials along with our research(seen below) which I gained from New Lanark Woolen mill as well as The tartan mill and exhibition in Edinburgh. This went along with the colour and texture research I gained from the Botanic Gardens in Glasgow.

All textiles students were given the opportunity to enter the competition and there was entries from Second (my year), Third and Fourth year students as well as applicants from various external weavers from Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire.

Glasgow Botanic Gardens

2011-03-12T09:46:00.000-08:00

Glasgow Botanic Gardens is an Arboretum and public park located in the West End of Glasgow, Scotland. It features several glasshouses, the most notable of which is the Kibble Palace. The gardens were created in 1817, and run by the Royal Botanic Institution of Glasgow

Capturing the texture of the leaves with my macro lens...capturing the delicate nature of the plants.

I love the patten of the branches in this above photo and you can instantly imagine the printed or woven textile inspired by this photo.

Notice the ants in the above photo.

A fantastic image of the iconic Venus fly trap plant where

the wonderful reds merge with the outer green.

In the 1920s a statue was added in the palace to "King Robert of Sicily" a figure from the works of Longfellow. This is by the Scottish sculptor George Henry Paulin a really beautiful feature I felt to the Glasgow Botanic Gadens.

Tartan Weaving Mill and Exhibition

2011-03-02T08:58:00.000-08:00

I visited the Tartan weaving mill to as part of my research for the Aberdeen Weavers Competition.

The Tartan Weaving Mill occupies the building which used to be the Castle Hill reservoir, The main water supply for the occupants of the Royal Mile.

The mill is surprisingly large inside with five storeys to explore. Now run by Geoffrey Tailor Kiltmaker, the mill exhibition shows the whole process involved in tartan production from shearing sheep, to making a kilt.

There are working looms and the atmosphere of a busy factory which was extremely interesting to see in comparison to the smaller (but just as mighty) machines we use at Gray's School of Art.

New Lanark Mill and Heritage Centre

2011-02-27T08:58:00.000-08:00

I visited the New Lanark Mills as research for my weaving project, I wanted to discover the production of the weave from the creation of the cotton right up the the manufacture of the woven material.

New Lanark is not far from the small town I am originally from so I thought I would make the most of my visit down from Aberdeen.

New lanark was founded in 1786 by David Dale, who built cotton mills and housing for the mill workers. Dale built the mills there to takIe advantage of the water power provided by the river. Under the ownership of a partnership that included Dale's son-in-law, Robert Owen, a Welsh philanthropist and social reformer, New Lanark became a successful business and an epitome of utopian socialism.

These cotton machines are forming cotton onto spools to be sold in various shops across the world, back when the mill was working back in the 1800's children would be used to collect the wool which fell from the machinery.

The River seen below is the River Clyde which is the primary power system for the machinery used in the Mill and you can view the large water powered wheels powering the mill.

I would recommend a visit to you all if you get the chance! Not only is the Heritage centre extremal interesting it is such a beautiful Scottish location to visit.

Trend Presentation Spring/Summer 2012

2011-02-03T13:29:00.000-08:00

Glasgow's The Lighthouse was the location of Anne Ritchie's presentation on Fashion and Textile Trends for the Spring/Summer 2012 season, Anne has worked in the textile and fashion industry since 1982 and has an extensive knowledge of both the global and the Scottish textile, fashion and accessory industry – from design and product development to market research and promotional activity.
The Trend Presentation highlighted the upcoming Textile Trends for the Spring/Summer 2012 season. The presentation included fashion, knitwear, accessories and interior trends 18mths in advance to assist design and product planning and helped me greatly.
The presentation was really useful for my work in that my colours, print, knit and weave can be aimed towards a much more commercial output and we received a useful book giving an insight into all the most exciting details.
The presentation was also a great opportunity to network with other textile businesses and creative designers in Scotland and was a worthwhile visit.
Matt x

Study China Program

2011-02-01T04:27:00.000-08:00

Nanjing at night

Shocked does not describe how I feel at the moment.... I cant believe it but I have been chosen to go and study in China in April for 3 weeks.!!

I was awarded a place out of 2000 applicants so rather honoured to be given a spot.
I have been awarded a place in Nanjing where I will be given a chance to form a long-lasting relationship with

China, during my trip I will also be learning the language with over 40 hours of Mandarin lessons, the trip will also be packed with exciting and interesting activities. It is designed to give you a realistic experience of what life is like in China and to enable you to meet Chinese people. Previous programmes have included amongst other things: - Tai Chi, calligraphy and kite making classes, weekends away in Shanghai in a mountain village, work experience on an archaeological dig, Beijing Opera, amazing acrobatics shows and tea house/museum visits.

Nanjing 南京 Jiangsu Province

Nanjing University

Jiangsu is one of China’s most economically vibrant

provinces, benefiting from significant foreign

investments such as Suzhou Industrial Park. Nanjing, as

the capital of Jiangsu province, is situated in the lower

Yangtze River. Together with Shanghai and 14 other

cities, it forms the Yangtze River Delta Economic Zone.

It is one of China's most important historic cities along

with Beijing and Xian and was the capital of the

Republic of China till 1949. Nanjing has also been a

national hub of education, research, transportation and

tourism throughout history. The population is over five

million. The city still has the best kept city wall built by

the first emperor of Ming dynasty in 14th century

Nanjing High-street.

I'm so pleased that my application for the program has been such as success, and I can already imagine the influence this trip of a lifetime will impact my work and viewpoint on life.

Nanjing with its population of 5 million roughly the same as the population of Scotland will no doubt be a complete culture shock to me, however in my work I intend to focus on the way in which the East culture can perhaps be mixed with that of the west.

Excited and utterly nervous at the same time...Just imagine the photos and textiles resarch I will gather.

Journey to "Another World"...

2011-01-04T15:13:00.000-08:00

Took a trip to Edinburgh's Dean Gallery, where there is a exhibition showcasing the Surrealism movement and bringing together masterpieces by René Magritte, Pablo Picasso, Alberto Giacometti ,Joan Miró and my ultimate inspiration and favourite member of the surrealist movement Salvador Dalí.

© Salvador Dali, Gala-Salvador Dali Foundation, DACS, London 2006

Rene Magritte, Le Temps Menaçant [Threatening Weather] − Scottish 
National Gallery of Modern Art, Purchased with the support of the 
Heritage Lottery Fund and The Art Fund 1995© ADAGP, Paris and DACS, 
London 2010.

After previously visiting The Institute of Salvador Dalí in Paris in late September 2010 I found the Deans positioning of Dali's work in the exhibition very successful, giving Dali's work some context to his position in the surrealist movement. From the early beginnings of surrealism in the famous Dada movement to the unbelievable viewpoints and perspectives of Rene Magritte, the exhibition was unbelievably inspiring and it has to be one of the most interesting exhibitions I have visited in a Scottish Gallery and most certainly the best exhibition I have seen in 2011 so far.....

M x

Happy New Year Artnthat Readers!

2011-01-01T02:19:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year!

All the best for 2011!

Make sure you keep an eye on ARTnTHAT throughout 2011 and thanks for following my blog.

Tex styles Knitting....

2010-12-30T15:52:00.000-08:00

Knitting is something I have never really been that interested in, as a child my Gran taught me how to knit, however after constantly forgetting my stitch number I eventually gave up, Knitting in the Textiles and Surface Design Department at the Art School is on a completely different level to my grandmothers sitting room.
But does that change my opinion?

Well first of all, its machine knitting not hand Knitting. These machines consist of 200 needles and can be very unpredictable. You have to by hand manipulate the needles adapt the knit and depending on what you do changes the knit completely.

Knitwear is something which as you will most likely know has became very popular this Autumn/Winter with some fantastic knits and creations across the board and this helped me plow ahead and keep at the knitting. Unfortunately after our third day of our technician taking us through the basics she got stranded in the snow..and that was the end of our teaching time. The Snow which had been steadily getting worse in Aberdeen reached a peak, temperatures reaching -22 and eventually our knitting was put on hold, I decided to keep on going and with the help of a few others and my knit manual I managed to keep on and make the most of what I knew.

I did however manage to make some knitwear for myself to keep cosy and make the most out of the mad snow....take a look at my knitted collar scarf and fingerless gloves.

The Knit Project is due to be completed on our return, if the weather persists that is. I have to admit that I much preferred the printing project due to the freedom of what you create and I have had a steady love for printing over the past few years since my master-class at the Glasgow Print Studio, but I wont dismiss the knitting just yet....

To be continued.....

Tex styles Printing....continued

2010-12-30T15:42:00.001-08:00

As I spoke in my previous post I was doing my printing project where I had to create 10 Professionally finished samples. As part of this I designed headers to go along with this which had the title on the front and info on how the were created on the reverse.

2 Devore Prints

"Devore" is when a material which is made from both natural and man made fibres, has a paste printed on top of it and the paste burns the natural fibre from it leaving the man made material behind, this is particularly effective on Devore Velvet, which you will see below

Devore Velvet

Devore material with printed material behind

2 Binder Prints

Binder Printing is when block colour which has to be premixed is applied to separate screens to create a print of many colours.

ABOVE: Presentation example of how my samples look....

ABOVE: Close up of Binder Print 1

ABOVE: Close up of Binder Print 2

2 Dyed Fabrics

These are various dyed fabrics which I have dyed either Solid Colour or dip dyed the fabric to create a fading transition effect

ABOVE: Dyed Fabric with puff feature.

ABOVE: Dip Dyed Fabric

2 Metallic Binder,

Metallic binder is a particular binder (printing ink) which has a shine or metallic effect for my prints I did one gold and one silver.

Above: Silver Metallic Binder full presentation & close up.

Gold Binder with discharge and puff feature.

Puff Binder,

Puff binder and the Devore have to be my two favourites, Puff is a particular substance which you print with and is then immediately put into the Oven to heat, the heat then to the areas which have been printed, embosses them and makes a totally 3D print, this is also very textural and stands out from the material, colour can also be added to the puff to create a colour raised effect.

Discharge Printing.

Discharge printing is when a material is dyed then discharge paste is applied through your exposed screen (with the pattern on it) The dicharge paste essentially bleaches the colour from the material, however unlike bleaching it can replace the colour with another.

Dyed black material with discharged pattern, embellished print and hand sewn bead work.

Dyed blue material with discharged pink pattern and embellished organza.

To enhance many of these prints I embellished them with smaller printed features and organza on some. I also applied some bead work to finish off the looks that I desired for the fabric.

I defiantly feel like the printing is something which I would like to take further, I feel as though there is so many different ways in which you can take it and expand and experiment. I am looking forward to taking these new found skills further in my future designs and fabrics...Look out 2011!

M xxx

Lack of blogging...... Apologies winter has arrived.

2010-12-30T12:39:00.000-08:00

Up here in Aberdeen we have had a pretty hectic winter, with the madness of the snow and temperatures reaching as low as -22 its been pretty crazy.

Apologies for not blogging very often this past month however I have lots to update you about.

At the end of November CARi and myself had a stand at the Country Living Christmas Fair, which was a massive success, our Collars being especially popular with the cold winter approaching.
I completed my print project at Art School, which you can see one of the pictures from my previous post of me printing away happily. This project consisted of me making 10 professionally designed and finished printed materials which I managed to do successfully and recieved an A for my results. I shall post some photographs for you to have a look.
I then moved onto my Knit project, This consisted of me learning how to use the knitting machines and create a simialr ten samples to go along with that of the print. I shall also post some photographs for this...however due to the Art School eventually getting closed due to the intense snow and our knit technician getting stuck down in Edinburgh the project was cut short and we have to catch up after Christmas with our knitting.
I have also been working with CARi at various Christmas Fairs across Scotland where we have received great Feedback for our Collar Scarves....so been pretty busy to say the least.

So once again I apologise for not being on here that often recently but I promise to get back to normal before the New Year (tomorrow) and update you in further detail of my latest goings on.

M xxx

Tex styles Printing....

2010-11-03T14:39:00.000-07:00

Started our printing workshops now.... and sooo excited.

I couldn't believe all the different ways material can be manipulated simply through printing...I feel like I am being told all the secrets of the materials and I cant believe I am going to be able to do all these wonderful processes.

Our end result is to create ten different professionally finished printed materials...cant wait to show you all the results. The dyes take hours to make and mix however the end result is worth it...

12 hour days doesn't really show the true stereotype of an student does it now...

Steptoes Junk Yard!

2010-11-03T14:25:00.000-07:00

Visited Steptoes Junk Yard with the textiles department as part of our drawing project.

During the visit we took various drawings and rubbbings discovering the wonders and hidden corners or the yard and house which was filled with more little tresures.

Part of our project was to take photos recording colours, textures and patterns....I was in my glory! haha

These are just a few of the photos I have chosen to use...

If you are interested in visiting Steptoes CLICK HERE

Movement.

2010-10-24T22:47:00.000-07:00

I have been interested in movement recently and have been putting some thought into ways movement can be expressed...one way I particularly like is long exposure.

Sometimes I felt as though long exposure never really showed the full extent of the motion so I decided to emphasise this by using flour to leave a track.

This is a few of the flour motion photos I took. :)

This one below is one of me blowing the flour..I really liked the contrast of colours and distortion of this image by my face not being visible.

Motif -ated

2010-10-07T03:23:00.000-07:00

Back into full swing of things at Art School again...feels like I have never left.

We have began making motifs that I plan to use for printing onto materials, there is eleven different ways to organise a repeat print - completely changing the way the motif looks each time.

For this project we  have to complete (due 18th October):

2 Colour Story Boards (one Autumn/Winter and one Spring/Summer).
11 A3 repeat structures in full Spring/Summer colours.
11 A3 repeat structures in full Autumn/Winter colours.
All of the above has to be spray mounted on A3 white mount board.
Presentation is very important

Below is the a few of the motifs that I have chosen to use for my repeat pattern ...

I took these prints and patterns from drawings that I completed for my summer project.

This is only a few that I have completed but it gives you an idea of the patterns and colours that I am using. 

Had an induction for the print studio -where we will be printing the our materials -I have to admit I got SOO excited to get back printing again...something I haven't done since I completed my master-class at the Glasgow Print Studio a couple years back...Cant wait!

Textiles & Surface Design Year Two

2010-09-29T15:26:00.000-07:00

I've just started back at Grays School of Art, Robert Gordon University.

I'm currently starting my second year and SOO excited to get back into the swing of things after having a busy summer working.

Received an A for my Summer Project so pretty chuffed - I have included some photos of the work that I produced for this below

We are using this Summer Project as the basis for the next projects, I'm currently developing these drawings into a motif which I am arranging into various types of printing methods (various patterns of sorts) Below is the image I am planning on using...in some sort of form.

I've also began a Daily Drawing Sketchbook which I have to maintain until mid December...suppose this can go along with my Daily photograph! You can still follow my Daily Photo which is on its 130th Day so far....to View todays and previous  Click Here 

Paris Premier Vision Trip

2010-09-22T12:50:00.001-07:00

Visited for a few days to Paris for Premier Vision to buy the new materials for next years collection, but obviously we took in some other stops along the way...

Arc De Triomphe

2010-09-22T12:50:00.000-07:00

Decided to take a long exposure of the Arc de Triomphe as we took a walk along the Champs de Elysee, not too bad for my first long exposure traffic photograph.

I have to say I'm glad this memorable location was the place of my first long exposure, haha SAD!

Sacre Coeur Paris

2010-09-22T12:49:00.001-07:00

Sacre Coeur is a really interesting part of Paris....we arrived in the centre of a hot spot for painters and artists...

Notre Dame Cathedral Paris

2010-09-22T12:49:00.000-07:00

Notre Dame Cathedral Paris has to be one of the most breathtaking places I've ever been.

I have always found Churches as places of wonder but I was in shock when I saw the size and scale of the stained glass windows it was beyond belief.

Salvador Dali Exhibition

2010-09-22T12:48:00.000-07:00

We visited the Salvador Dali exhibition in Paris which to say the least was FANTASTIC!

I cant express enough how much of a genius Dali really was, and this was proof to that.

Surrealism is certainly my favourite art movement...and the thought put into his work was soo inspiring!

One of the most interesting pieces that I discovered in the exhibition was a drawing that Dali had done that looked like a distorted page of shapes...however there is a silver pole at the base of the image which joins the drawing together to show one of many self portraits of Dali.

Its really the hidden images and shapes within Dali's work which makes his work timeless and seeing it in real life resulted im me noticing things I never thought posssible...

Its impossible to leave this exhibition without feeling inspired and in awe of Dali and his work

Below is an image I got taken in a photo-booth (which gives you the Dali look) at the exhibition in a truly Dali-esc fashion....don't you think I look his double...

New House....

2010-09-05T16:05:00.000-07:00

Sorry for not updating my Blog much at the moment, as I just recently moved to a new house and haven't got round to setting up broadband :( bad times I know..

..Away to Paris next weekend however so look out for my Paris photography and textiles research as we visit various Fashion houses and Premier Vision Textiles Exhibition researching the new materials for our next collection.

100th day of Daily Photo!!!!!

2010-08-28T18:23:00.000-07:00

That's my Daily Photo reached its 100th Day!!!

Can't believe it! This project started with me deciding to take an artistic photograph everyday once I had finished Art School for Summer and  as a sort of personal project.

 Since you see something inspiring at least once a day (and when I didn't it made me look for something )and think "oh that would be good to use for a project," or "thats really unusual/strange"  it began a visual diary of daily life. 

Now I've certainly began to notice things I've never noticed before, after a while we become oblivious to the things around us...sometimes just by looking up you would be surprised to see something you have never noticed before.

I was then surprised to get followers and then  being reblogged across the globe, in blogs in New York, London etc... oh so exciting....to think others appreciate your work and are interested.

 Would like to say thanks again to all my followers!

Take a trip to visit my Daily Photograph.

Fishing for a dream...

2010-08-28T11:50:00.000-07:00

Took a trip down the Feugh Falls to see the Salmon jump.

It only takes place over this time of year as the salmon attempt to swim upstream to spawn.

After seeing a few failed attempts it was quite funny yet sad to see these fish flying in the air briefly for a few seconds before bouncing off the waterfall...however for them its a matter of life or death. 

Drawing in the moonlight...

2010-08-26T14:54:00.000-07:00

“Promises are like the full moon, if they are not respected at once they diminish day by day”

Last night I was sitting at my desk drawing as I saw an arc reflecting on the conservatory roof...after looking out the window I saw the full moon shining bright...

Directly out my bedroom window the moon was shining bright creating a silhouette with the trees in the foreground.

I also then decided to take a long exposure self portrait of myself in the moonlight.

Sometimes I guess inspiration can sometimes come to you...

Bee inspired- Talk on Bill Gibb by Rachel Singer

2010-08-19T04:14:00.000-07:00

I found out that Aberdeen Art Gallery were doing a talk on Bill Gibb the wonderful fashion designer from the 70's only to discover that the Course leader of Fashion & Textiles -Rachel Singer- was presenting it.

The talk explained how the second year students were given a brief to create garments inspired by Bill Gibb, their work was presented along with that of Gibb's -known also for his hidden bee within his garments- in Provost Skene's House.

A fantastic insight into both Bill Gibb and of second year textiles (which I am starting in late September).

Cannot wait to get back to the art school and get into the swing of things again.

Right: Two of the fashion and textiles student Gibb inspired garments.

To find out more about Rachel's talk click here

To visit the exhibition and Provost Skene's House click here

For more into about Bill Gibb and his hidden bumble bee's click here

Edinburgh Fesival.

2010-08-15T04:16:00.000-07:00

Decided to go home this weekend to Wishaw and took a last minute trip with the family to the Edinburgh festival.

While I was there I met up with my friend Holly and we took a walk around taking in the range of culture and atmosphere our capital has to offer.

We are soo lucky to have something as wonderful as the Edinburgh festival in Scotland, the range of shows,exibitions and acts are just unbelievable to be happening in the one city!

I wonder how many Scots really take the time to experience the culture their country has to offer at the Edinburgh festival which is something I instantly noticed not hearing one Scottish accent in the crowd

RIGHT: The worlds most pierced woman...only one of the more peculiar aspects of the festival on the walk of the Royal Mile.

An excellent day out, would recommend it to anyone!

Daily Photo Blog

2010-08-10T14:30:00.000-07:00

Thats me been taking a daily photograph for 82 days now.

I've found it so very interesting yet challenging at the same time, its often difficult to to think of something or somewhere to photograph (especially a lazy Sunday) but I've realised by undertaking this personal project that I have really started looking at things very differently, its often the things that we become complacent and oblivious to that are the most interesting if we take the time to notice.

As the saying goes "Take time to smell the roses"

I defiantly plan in continuing this project and look forward to looking back in a years time at how my photograph and life has evolved a every day.

Check out my Daily Photo Blog!

Art School Summer Project

2010-08-03T14:20:00.000-07:00

Well we have just received our summer project for textiles, the summer break is nearly over however better late than never.

Although extremely busy with work at the moment with the release for the New Collection of Collars and Snoods I have decided to spend a couple of hours (or at least one) a night to get the project going.
The project is to

Buy Elle & Elle Home magazine
Create 20 drawings inspired by the magazines
Write 2 essays on each of the magazines
Start a fabric bible to refer to costs and where to buy

Luckily the with the work we are doing for the winter collection of Collars and our visit to Paris in September the fabric samples shouldn't be too difficult to gather.

These are some of the drawings I have completed so far for this project.....Don't worry I wont bore you with the essays.....yet

New luxurious faux fur Collars & Snoods

2010-07-26T09:08:00.000-07:00

These are some photographs of our Luxurious faux fur collars & snoods

This is the photograph we are using as the front to the CARi Collars Collection.

I took this photograph of CARi and between myself photoshoping

the image and CARi drawing over it this is the end result.

Leave me a comment telling me what you think or

to find out more or buy our collars and snoods click here!