283 BLUE DREAM by JANE PICKERSGILL GARDNER

 INSPIRED BY...

 an exhibition at Morley College,  open until June19th.

Morley is 5 minutes walk from The Old Vic theatre and a mere 10-12 minutes down Westminster Bridge Road from Big Ben itself.

Confront us with a landscape painting and our eyes scour the canvas for clouds tinted with delicate pastels, for grass heavy with green shade, and trees - both muscular and willowy - which reassure us with a solid earthy colour. But here the artist has changed all that. Her idealised landscape, executed in contemporary minimal style, uses cobalt and ultramarine. 

She writes "I have a long standing passion for Japanese woodcuts (especially by Hiroshige), for ceramics and Chinese and Japanese art - particularly  by the scholar painters.  I have been using ink in my work for several years and so I attempted some blue ink paintings.  The colour was terrible so I moved into watercolour to achieve the beautiful cobalt blue and white china originally from Asia, but popularised by Delft".

Jane again 'The work also incorporates Japanese paper collage which I love to use as it disrupts the surface and produces accidental effects. The deep blue horizontal ‘stain’ across the top of the work is a device common in woodcuts as is the effect of multiple horizons"

One of the pleasures of Morley Gallery is that it no only shows work from its own students and from local initiatives, but also hosts exhibitions like Inspired By... in partnership with the V & A (Victoria and Albert Museum) and NIACE (National Institute of Adult Continuing Education)

Here are some of the works from the V & A which have inspired the artist. To the right is a large ceramic ‘pot’ by  Felicity Aylieff who, in 2007  took up residence at the Pottery Workshop Experimental Factory in the historic 'porcelain city' of Jingdezhen, China, while on sabbatical from her work as Professor of Ceramics at Bath Spa University. The surfaces of these pots explore contemporary translations of traditionally used techniques. To see more of Felicity's work look up my Blog 205 Monumental by Felicity Aylieff.  On the left is a small exquisite vase in 18thC Japanese Satsuma ware, also in the V & A.

Finally this is another example of Jane's work,

 Shoreline, a black ink an watercolour wash.

www.janepickersgill.yolasite.com

 www.morleycollege.ac.uk/departments/art_design

http://www.aylieff.com

www.tatteredstones.yolasite.com   for Jane's  hand made jewellery designs