Centre Apple Tree

Centre Apple Tree

Another New Studio

I just completed the Contemporary Art Academy PG1 course with a session where the participants delivered an ‘elevator pitch’ summing up our practice using the insight gained from the course. This is obviously really difficult because it is hard to articulate in the first place and remains hard in the final analysis.

I said something like “My name is Ian Latham and I build mixed reality installations. These involve physical sculptures alongside virtual environments (worlds). I use found and reclaimed materials, branches, scaffold planks, insulation foam etc., to build objects and structures based on my suburban garden. The virtual worlds that work alongside these explore the process of creation using LiDAR scans of the sculptures at various stages of their creation. The juxtaposition of these objects with representations of the garden IRL suggest the process of growth that I’m exploring.”

There were lots of hhms and aahs along the way, a few digressions and an element of self deprecation that was described to me as apologetic. All in all it was a great experience, it’s good to meet a group of peers and discuss the work rather than the life of being an artist.

I made this video for the presentation but in the end didn’t use it as we were trying to present ourselves as if we encountered someone while networking.

 

Centre Apple Tree

Red Garden Six

Since the last post I finished Red Garden Six with the addition of the red tree in the foreground.

Centre Apple Tree

Red Garden Seven 07 06 2024

Red Garden Seven 10 06 2024

I also took Red Garden Seven through two more stages. I’m not entirely convinced by either of them but I am persuaded there is nothing more I can do with either.

Two Red Trees – Pear and Apple 17 06 2024

I continued to work on the “Three Trees version Two” but it morphed into the “Two Red Trees – Pear and Apple” that will sit at the entrance to the virtual exhibition, and the physical one come to that.

Centre Apple Tree

Two Red Trees – Pear and Apple

The exhibition will have “Two Red Trees – Pear and Apple” at or just past the entrance, a new piece “Centre Apple Tree” in the centre of the quincunx and the first version of “Three Red Trees” at the top left and the “Dancing Partners” at top right. The various drawings may be displayed alongside although part of me thinks they’ll be separate.

Two Red Trees – Pear and Apple – Detail

Centre Apple Tree

Centre Apple Tree

Centre Apple Tree

I spent the back end of the month building the new “Centre Apple Tree”

And drawing it.

We had an unusual spell of good weather, for June, as well so I did some drawing in the garden.

Climbing rose 21 06 2024

Garden 26 06 2024

Hydrangea 26 06 2024

 

Drawing

I’ve continued to draw every day;

The June drawings can be seen here

and the May images here

There is a link to the previous month’s Gallery on each page.

The drawings are posted to Threads and Instagram each day.

Tripod Tree

Tripod Tree

Another New Studio

The whole month has been a bit of a let down for me as it has been broken up by time away and illness. I read an interview with Nicola Tyson  who talks of a practice defined through drawing and escaping the line. There is definitely something in the fact that Tyson was born in 1960 so she had the same kind of art education as I did. The desire to draw was instilled in people of this generation and it’s difficult not to start there. It also often becomes an entirely separate discipline to the painting or sculpture.

Tripod Tree

Dancing Partner 29 04 24

At the start of the month I solidified the ‘dancing partner’ structure by adding paper to the sides to turn it into a tall tent.

Tripod Tree

Dancing Partner 29 04 24

Dancing Partners 01 05 24

After this I painted it to lean against the original ‘dancing tree’. I’m not sure whether I’m going to match the surface finish yet.

Red Garden Six

I added the dancing tree to ‘red garden six’ but decided that it didn’t fit the space as well as I’d like. It seems too deliberate. Possibly not big enough.

Red Garden Six

On the 16th May, after a week away, I started to change the drawing.

Red Garden Six

Red Garden Six 16 05 24

Eventually simplifying the structures and darkening the trees.

Red Garden Seven

I also started a new drawing, ‘red garden seven’ using the paper I prepared with gesso.

Tripod Tree 22 05 24

After another few days off because I was ill I started to use the insulation foam c-view have given me to build another large tree sculpture. Tripod Tree.

 

Dancing Partner

Dancing Partner

Another New Studio

Started to move forward by framing some pictures, the first image ‘Jamie’s Flowers’ was longlisted for the Jackson’s Art Prize.

Dancing Partner

Jamie’s Flowers in C-View

Red Garden 5 in C-View

The second, ‘Red garden 5’ is probably not quite finished yet. I have a small VR environment for the Red Gardens,

It just takes the garden using a 3d background from Google maps and walks through to a 3d exhibition of the existing sculptures and back through portals to the red version.

I took some screen shots while I was in it and used one of them to start a new drawing.

dancing partner

Screenshot from VR

Red Garden 6 17/04/24

Red Garden 6 22/04/24

And these next iterations show it on the 22nd at different stages.

Red Garden 6 22/04/24

After this I did a lot of thinking about where the end point for this work is and I’ve looked again at the theory around the ‘geranium project’ and the inherent dualistic approach I took there. I haven’t resolved that as yet but I ought to for the course I’m currently studying 

Red Garden 6 24/04/24

I worked the surface over more on the 24th, this is the stage where every drawing begins to lose something I think. I also made a small drawing on paper prepared with gesso after a discussion with Terry Chipp who has the studio above me at C-View.

Red Tree 24/04/24

I also spent an inordinate amount of time looking at this scene in the studio.

Studio 24/04/24

The ‘Dancing Tree’ sculpture is crying out for a dancing partner.

dancing partner

Red Garden 6 26/04/24

On the 26th I spent some time recovering the big drawing ‘Red Garden 6’ and added a small amount to the red tree

Red Tree 26/04/24

Finally I spent some time building the base for the dancing partner.

Studio 26/04/24 ‘Dancing Partner’ WIP

I’ve managed to keep up with 30works30days and made this short video of the 2nd second of each submission