Category: Art Process

Doing some armchair travelling as we are on lockdown, through some old photos and found this one from two years ago when I was at Glastonbury Tor just before a storm in the evening. The light changed dramatically and I took this photo.

This body of work has taken me to unexpected places. Through it I have explored themes of time, perception and the human experience through personal narrative. Poetical texts , journals , talks and exhibitions have fed into this process as have links with industry and specialist practitioners. Crow pulp paintings have emerged through this – the limited tonal palette becoming a counterpoint to the high key palette of the paintings. Crow symbolism has been extensively explored and led to different branches of opportunity and expression.

The creative process has been discussed and shared through peer sessions, tutorials, an exposition and blog. It has also been recorded in notebooks , life drawing/ painting and partially through photography. Questions have been asked, theories considered, reflected on and responded to; partly in the poetical art statement to share with my peers and exposition attendees and also as part of the ongoing process.

Creativity is not as the crow flies but rather as the tree grows.

Below is an adapted part of the poetical art statement in two ‘wings’ expressing the themes:

Evolved Triptych: the idea of three distinct images connected through time and meaning

Painting as an expression and archive of time

Perspective change over time

Time is relative

An illusion

Birds: messengers and symbols of freedom, vulnerability, protection, shadow and light

Divination, communication, ancient meaning

The crow family circle the battlefield

Open to interpretation

Emptiness fulfilment

Being

Together, the Fine Art element of the MA put on a group exposition as a culmination of our expanded studio practice. After considering various venues, we secured a show space at Partisan. The build-up and process of developing the exposition was arduous, dramatic and convoluted to say the least. The role of social media in the process was valuable at connecting us, yet not all read the posts and information became repetitive, misunderstood and frustrated at times. The problem with the written word is that sometimes the tone and intention is lost. The name of the exhibition , I felt, was not encompassing of our practice. The only way I could concede to it was through the democratic process, in that most accepted it and also in another sense of the phrase:

One-Night Stand: a performance that happens only once in a particular place

dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/one-night-stand

However, we did use different media platforms to promote the work such as ArtRabbit and Facebook, plus physical posters that were circulated. On the day we organically curated the space and worked considerately to accommodate the needs of individuals whilst retaining an awareness of the whole show, to create a diverse exposition in the basement space. It was physically challenging because we were not allowed to have any fixings on the walls and the surface was loose and crumbly making it impossible to put adhesive forms on there. We did use the given fixtures and fittings creatively though. I was fortunate to find on my chosen wall space two parallel nails from which I could hang my clipped pulp paintings. I had also planned ahead and brought free standing easels, as had others.

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When we had all set up, we were reflecting on the tumultuous process and decided it would have been a better plan to allocate roles to working parties and to spend more time on promotion. Personally, it was interesting discussing my work with those who attended as I found a distinct polarity of appreciation in that some really resonated with the paintings, use of colour and were fascinated by the crow symbolism, whereas others very definitely felt an affinity with the delicacy and tonality of the pulp paintings. I came away with a sense of accomplishment, shared experience combined with a process of valuable, reflective group and individual artistic cooperation and evolution.

 

An Art Exhibition of Birds and Dragonflies in paint, linocut and giclee.

 

 

This Summer Solo exhibition at The Yorkshire College of Music and Drama this Summer explored the cultural meaning, beauty and significance of birds, the transcendent moment when a dragonfly appears and the otherness of winged creatures.

I see birds as messengers and symbols of freedom. 

https://www.facebook.com/lisajkilty/photos/pcb.909797899181693/909797869181696/?type=3

Thanks to all the people who came to see the exhibition from all over the world. We shared some very moving and profoundly insightful experiences. It has been an extremely validating experience as an artist.

I am now almost ready for the exhibition and have created a dedicated exhibition page on my website. It’s been a long and interesting Art journey so far – long may it continue…

Just put the finishing touches to a painting of Ruth for my Affinity exhibition at Wells Cathedral on April 21st

Fantastic trip to Glastonbury and Wells where I sketched and painted on Wearyall Hill, reflected in Chalice Well Garden and sketched in Wells Cathedral gaining a great feel for the place. I am now developing my final pieces for the exhibition which I will reveal in the traditional manner at the Cathedral rather than online..