Drawing

I was looking for a plant to draw from in a stylised way, interested in turning it into something new and fictitious. These flowers were quite interesting to work from. I played with the drawings dispersing and fragmenting. First in my sketchbook and then onto tracing paper - although drawn straight on, not using the material for it's intended purpose. To me tracing paper is very aesthetically pleasing, with it's little opacity.

You can find out how this piece ends up at my solo show which marks the end of my residency: 

Drawing Breath 

Opening: Friday 8th August  6pm - 9pm

Open Daily: 9th - 17th 11am - 4pm

www.sophieerin.co.uk

Poppy Seeds and Tea

Playing with poppy seeds and tea grains to create ephemeral works, reminds me of sand drawings.


Poppy Seeds

Tea

www.sophieerin.co.uk

Practical Play (white emulsion and plants)

Keen to play further with the plants from my hung installation I decided to experiment with mark making. I used white emulsion imprinting the flowers, leaves and grasses onto the front inner pages of books. With a good selection of incomplete books to choose from. I decided to use the inner front pages for their blankness or the simple titles printed on them. However it was intriguing find some with notes and signatures on and I particularly like these.

I imprinted the impression of the plant onto the pages, some of which I decided to leave the flower as part of the piece. This made me think of an artist I really love the work of, Anselm Kiefer - although this holds no conceptual value like Kiefer's work I was keen to play with this visual style. 

The messiness of the white emulsion meant most of the pieces didn't please me. Although I enjoyed the imprints left from the ivy, the rest lacked detail. I decided to incorporate pencil drawing in contrast to the white paint. A merging of precision and play. 

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Little Tree Installation

Fascinated by fragility I am always keen to apply detailed drawings to delicate materials. Garlic skins is something I have done previously and I was very happy with the results, yet eager to play with this further. For 'The Nature Of' I created this small installation using the garlic skins, drawn on with fine line pens, a small end of a branch and a glass dome. The glass dome spells out its fragility, the piece simply placed inside it, the dome as it's support. 

What I particularly enjoy with this piece is the use of such a throw away item as garlic skins and a twig, decorated and composed in a way to be looked at. I think this use of the mundane transformed by drawing is really interesting and particularly with the use of natural materials. It makes us look at things we wouldn't otherwise in a playful way.

www.sophieerin.co.uk

Sound Asleep

For 'The Nature Of' I decided to indulge in my love of hung installations. I really like this form of display with the way it captures a stillness, as if catching a moment. 

The exhibition was all about drawing from or with nature so for these pieces I decided to create with it, using a variety of plants to form two hung installations. The shapes as a form of drawing in mid air. The two pieces varied greatly in composition whilst one used a level of pattern and only two different plants, the other used a variety of flowers, leaves and grasses.

As the curator of the show these pieces helped shape the space. They posed an interesting way of breaking up the gallery, adding direction to the experience of the exhibition.

Below you can find out about 'Sound Asleep' or find out about my other hung flower installation, 'The Sleeping Garden', here.

Sound Asleep

Created with a level of pattern, Sound Asleep uses two different kinds of flowers to create a drawing in mid air. The dried buddleia and a natural paper like flower shifting during the course of their hanging with the lost of flowers and change in weight as they die. The title refers to this death in the more subtle and pleasing term of sleep - having hung for a long time the Buddleia is very much sound asleep.

The title also plays on the idea of the flower bed and was determined from the pattern element to the piece, reminding me of some sort of musical score. 

www.sophieerin.co.uk

The Sleeping Garden

For 'The Nature Of' I decided to indulge in my love of hung installations. I really like this form of display with the way it captures a stillness, as if catching a moment. 

The exhibition was all about drawing from or with nature so for these pieces I decided to create with it, using a variety of plants to form two hung installations. The shapes as a form of drawing in mid air. The two pieces varied greatly in composition whilst one used a level of pattern and only two different plants, the other used a variety of flowers, leaves and grasses.

As the curator of the show these pieces helped shape the space. They posed an interesting way of breaking up the gallery, adding direction to the experience of the exhibition.

Below you can find out about 'The Sleeping Garden', you can find out about my other hung flower installation 'Sound Asleep' here.

The Sleeping Garden

The falling plants are suspended in the air mostly in rows, as if in an unreal dreamlike state. Unrooted; the flowers, ivy and grasses are free to fly. 

Whilst The Sleeping Garden strikes a connection with the term flower bed, the playful title goes further than this - speaking of the death of the plants in a subtle and pleasant tone. The idea of sleep as a positive experience. 

This piece was composed in an attempt to give the hung garden a meadow like feel, with little pattern and a variety of plants.

www.sophieerin.co.uk

Playing with paper

For the Exhibition for Forest of Imagination, 'The Nature Of', I also held a workshop open to anyone to come and transform damaged books into paper leaves. These paper leaves were then added to the window or made into mandalas inspired by my mum - Amber Cooper's work. Despite a very small number taking part we created a lot of leaves and trees, which I then made into a further piece after the exhibition ended.

After the show I collected all the leaves, trees and shapes up and made them into one big tree, appearing like a paper forest in a tree.

www.sophieerin.co.uk