Elsecar Iron Man

Today I have been working with Fabric Lenny at Elsecar Heritage Centre, helping nearly 30 children from Barnsley make an Iron Man out of cardboard. Fantastic!

Their inital Iron Man designs were great too...!

A Garden In My Pocket: Magic Frames

I am still very busy working with children in Kirklees on the Magic Frames film project funded by First Light Movies. Over the past few months myself and Fabric Lenny have been at Ashbrow School working with children to create a short animated film celebrating the magic of planting seeds and bulbs and growing fruit and vegetables in your own garden. The children have been using the pixilation animation technique and have created their own animation set to look like the inside of a potting shed. They have developed very precise animation techniques and have been a joy to work with.

The children have also worked with musician Nick Lewis to create their very own soundtrack. Well done everyone!

The Pirates of Rabbit Doll Island

I am busy working with children at Battyeford Primary School in Mirfield on the production of their animated film - The Pirates of Rabbit Doll Island. Check out the Magic Frames website for more information.

New Exhibition: Windows of Light

I have just completed a new series of work which is currently exhibited at The Lawrence Batley Theatre, Hudderfield as part of the Artist In Residence End of Year Exhibition. The exhibition runs until the 20^th October 2012. Please click here for more information about this series of work.

 

Recent Exhibition at The LBT: The Last Curtain Call

I have been really busy over the last few months creating work for exhibition at The Lawrence Batley Theatre, Huddersfield. 

The first exhibition was a solo exhibition called "The Last Curtain Call" featuring images of the Palace Theatre, Hudderfield which has been left to decay under 50 years of dust and is soon to be converted into student accommodation. If you didn't get chance to see the exhibition here are a few images for you to enjoy. More information can also be found here

Magic Frames: Animating at Battyeford

The First Light animation project at Battyeford Primary School is going really well! The children have been amazing. So far they have completed one set and have already begun building another.  I am really looking forward to helping the children make their film over the coming weeks! For regular updates on this project please visit the Magic Frames website.

Magic Frames Begins!

Today was the first day of Magic Frames, an exciting filmmaking project I am working on with Fabric Lenny across four schools in Kirklees, funded by First Light Movies.

During our first day myself and Fabric Lenny worked with Y3 children at Battyeford Primary School to develop their story ideas, design the sets for the film and begin to construct cardboard props including a huge pirate ship. At the same time, Dan Mallaghan was working with children at Crossley Fields to help the children turn their amazing ideas into a script. There is a real buzz in the schools already and the children are fantastic! Please follow the Magic Frames website for regular updates from the children...

Lydgate Vikings Animation

I have just finished delivering an animation project at Lydgate School in Batley alongside artist Fabric Lenny. Together we worked with 31 Year 3 children in the creation of a Viking Animation film. The children developed fantastic imagery, created animatable characters and built huge sets, along with writing and recording the narration and animating all the characters. The children were a joy to work with and we had great fun. Here are some images captured throughout the process. More can be found on the Kirklees Arts4All blog, along with the final film.

Pictures and Words: 154 and Barnsley Uplift

A few weeks ago I delivered a two day workshop alongside fellow 154 Collective artist Dan Mallaghan at The Cooper Gallery in Barnsley, with members of the Barnsley Uplift group. The workshop was based on Pictures and Words and introduced the group to capturing creative images on digital cameras and mobile devices, processing their photographs through various apps on iPads, printing them out and then producing a piece of creative writing based on their images. 

The first day was focused around being creative with cameras and we explored Barnsley Town Centre, looking for interesting shots from all kinds of unusual angles.

The second day was focused around processing images using photography apps on the iPad and then producing a piece of creative writing based on a chosen image.

The two days were really great and I was very impressed by the images that the group produced. Everyone was great fun and worked really hard! Their images were so super that each person submitted two of their photographs into the Barnsley Photographic Society Photography Competition....so fingers crossed! Best of luck everyone!

Here are a few images that were produced during the workshop...

Thanks to everyone who took part in this workshop - we had a wonderful time!

The Last Curtain Call: Photographic Exhibition at The LBT

The Last Curtain Call

The Lawrence Batley Theatre (Upper Bar),  Huddersfield, 30th July - 9th September

My current solo photographic exhibition presents a contemporary peek behind the curtain of The Palace Theatre, Huddersfield, unearthing memories from a distant past, of a theatre which was built more than a century ago and which, at present, lies beneath 50 years of dust and decay. This exhibition will move to the Main House on the 8^th and 9^th September and will be a feature attraction of the Heritage Open Days at the LBT.

Candle House

As part of a Taste of HOST the above image is currently exhibited at Huddersfield Train Station until 30th September, alongside work by other local artists in the lead up to the Huddersfield Open Studios Trail - HOST on the 8th and 9th September. During this weekend I will be based in the main house at the LBT, Huddersfield, sharing work from my current solo exhibition The Last Curtain Call.

A Taste of HOST at The LBT

Today I delivered artwork to The LBT for inclusion in The Taste of HOST Exhibition which runs until the 9th September. My work is exhibited in the Foyer alongside work by 37 local artists. This exhibition offers a 'taste' of artists work, to be shared more fully during the HOST Open Studio Trail on the 8th and 9th September at The LBT and at a range of venues throughout Kirklees.

Photography for fellow HOST Artist: Mary Lane

Recently I was asked by Mary Lane, a fellow HOST Artist, who I originally met through my Artist Residency at The Lawrence Batley Theatre, if I would photograph some of her work so that she could produce promotional materials and products. The images turned out great and Mary is hoping to get some of them printed large scale, along with a series of greetings cards. Here are some of the images of her great work ...

Dancing With The Orange Dog

As part of the 154 Collective I am currently involved in the development of an eclectic theatre show which includes elements from a wide range of art practices, including photography, animation and film, through to the drawn line and dance. 

‘Dancing with the Orange Dog’ will tour three North of England venues in early 2013 and is being made under the umbrella of the ‘Routes North’ initiative. The venues are; Theatre in the Mill - Bradford, The Lowry - Salford and The Arc - Stockton. Keep up to date with developments via the 154 Website and Blog.

154 Pictures and Words Workshop

Last weekend myself and Dan Mallaghan, a fellow 154 Collective artist, delivered a Pictures and Words workshop as part of the 154 Exhibition at The Cooper Gallery in Barnsley. The workshop was based around our "Pictures and Words" collaboration and shared ways in which they could capture and process interesting images using mobile devices such as iPod Touchs, iPhones and iPads and use them as inspiration for creative writing. 

As a focus for the workshop we based all photography and creative writing around our next 154 Collective Show - Routes North and asked the group to work with us to capture images of Dan, in character, to be used as promotional and publicity material. The group were fantastic and produced some super images which contributed to the final publicity image, captured by Richard Hanson and further developed by Fabric Lenny.

More information on this workshop can be found on the 154 Collective Blog.