KUTAC

SEE closer

2011-08-13T10:40:00.000+01:00

Some of the photographs I put in the Kutac Summer Show can be seen here.

See - KUTAC summer show

2011-07-09T13:10:00.000+01:00

KUTAC are back again.

This summer 6 KUTAC members along with one guest member will be exhibiting work at the Brighton Fishing Quarter Gallery on Brighton sea front.

The exhibition is open from 11am-5m starting on Thursday 28th July until Tuesday 8th August. We'll be having a private view on Friday 29th July from 6-9pm.

Telling Tales - the private view

2011-03-09T16:51:00.000Z

The Private View of Telling Tales was on Saturday. There were a few dark circles under a few eyes but it was a great success. We had live storytelling from Artemis School of Speech and Drama which added a new dimension to both the gallery space and the work and was a welcome opportunity to sit down and enjoy the surroundings.

The next "live" event at the exhibition will be artists talks in the gallery next Saturday, 12th March between 1.30pm and 4pm. There will also be more storytelling from Artemis.

Here's a snapshot of what you can see from the Kutac artists involved...........

Works from "The Inheritance Project" by Hannah Buckley

Photographic panoramas and audioscapist music from Patrick Fitzsimons

A small section of Peter James Field's "Saliva Tree" which connects over 300 celebrities through Peter André

"Common Threads" - Stitchtags (textile street art) from Wendy Ward

Telling Tales

2011-02-21T09:21:00.000Z

4 Kutac artists will be showing in an exhibition in East Grinstead opening on Friday 4th March; Hannah Buckley, Peter James Field, Patrick Fitzsimons and Wendy Ward.

Entitled Telling Tales the exhibition brings together exciting and unpredictable work from seven artists including Darren Cleary, Maxine Greer and Thierry Miquel. The aim of this collaboration is to establish shared stories across different mediums, including photography, painting, sculpture, music and textiles. In a time of the sound bytes, this show provides a refreshing alternative in an evocative gallery space. Experience a flock of paper birds, mysterious cloth toys and stitched text. Witness the expansive landscape, celebrity diaries exposed and love letters rubbed away by touch. Live story telling is to be provided by Artemis School of Speech and Drama.

4th -15th March 2011 Exhibition open (except Sundays)

Private View 5th,March 2011. 1.30-7.30pm

Greenstede Gallery, Chequer Mead Community Arts Centre, De La Warr Road, East Grinstead, RH19 3BS

Contact: Leigh Wheatley Tel: 01342 325577

Christmas shopping

2010-12-05T11:14:00.000Z

Kutac members Peter Field, Patrick Fitzsimons, Cloé Gillies, Ellen Stewart, Wendy Ward and Lauren Watson will have some of their work for sale at the New England House open studios next week.

The studios will be open on Thursday 9th Dec and Friday 10th Dec from 12-8pm. Bring cash and cheque books as most studios don't take cards.

Some studios will even offer you mulled wine and a mince pie…..now that’s got to be better than elbowing your way around town. Hasn’t it?

More info about New England House and where to find it.

KUTAC designers at Art Junky 21st November

2010-10-24T12:12:00.000+01:00

Some of the KUTAC designers will be selling their wares at Art Junky at the Phoenix Gallery in Brighton on Sunday 21st November.

Come along at kick start your Christmas shopping.......

Peter James Field : Live Art

2010-10-11T11:52:00.000+01:00

On Friday night I had an exciting evening, doing live painting at the Brighton Glug event in The Basement on Kensington Street. Although in the past that I admit I’ve said that live painting doesn’t greatly appeal to me, in the spirit of healthy self-contradiction I decided this was reason enough to give it a bash. The project brief was challenging and interesting - painting on ceramic skulls that will later be glazed, fired and auctioned for charity.

We celebrate our first anniversary

2010-09-16T22:34:00.001+01:00

August Location Creation

2010-08-09T15:19:00.001+01:00

KUTAC (above left to right - Wendy Ward, Cloe Gillies, Peter James Field and Ellen Stewart / below - Patrick Fitzsimons)

As a bit of summer fun, and a change from our more sober indoor discussion sessions, KUTAC decided to celebrate the glorious summer last week by stepping into the golden sunshine. We shared our inaugural outdoor 'location creation' session by enjoying a pleasant afternoon in St. Anne's Well Gardens in Hove, chatting about recent experiences and sketching/photographing the tranquil surroundings. Scroll down for a small selection of the fruits of our endeavours...

Peter James Field

Patrick Fitzsimons

Ellen Stewart

Patrick Fitzsimons

Wendy Ward

Ellen Stewart

(Portrait credits: KUTAC group shot by Patrick Fitzsimons / Patrick portrait by Wendy Ward)

Asako Masunouchi

2010-08-02T18:54:00.001+01:00

Just thought I'd post a few bits of work by Asako Masunouchi who joined us briefly yesterday during our August Location Creation meeting. She is a Japanese philosophy graduate who did a second degree in illustration in Brighton and now resides in Athens, Greece.

http://www.asako-masunouchi.com/

Joan Eardley

2010-07-09T12:23:00.000+01:00

Continuing our occasional series on influences, here's an artist whose work I have recently come to love.

I found Joan Eardley's work accidentally, during a holiday to Scotland, where her work was being shown at a rare retrospective at the Scottish Royal Academy in Edinburgh. She was born in 1921 in Sussex, but made her name in the poverty stricken backstreets of 50s and 60s Glasgow where she had a studio. Neighbourhood kids would come in and sit for her.

I've heard her described as 'Scotland's answer to the Cobra artists of continental Europe or America's Willem de Kooning' - a comparison that isn't as daft as it first sounds. There's a sheer energy to her large-scale works that is incredibly Expressionist in nature - combined with a rawness to her material experimentation (she liked to draw on sandpaper!). Yet she still manages to maintain sensitivity towards her subjects, their lives and experiences.

Eardley herself suffered physical pain through much of her adult life and finally succumbed to cancer in 1963 - aged only 42.

Creative Urges

2010-07-04T15:47:00.000+01:00

The first in a series of sporadic links to stuff we've found inspiring.....

a recent episode of the BBC's Imagine programme all about the creative process:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00svrvx/Imagine_2010_11_Art_Is_Childs_Play/

Not sure how long the link will be active but well worth 50 mins of anyone's time.

Review of recent KUTAC exhibition

2010-05-15T18:27:00.000+01:00

Brief but positive review of KUTAC's recent exhibition at Brighton Media Centre by a specialist reviewer of Brighton and Edinburgh festivals.

http://brighton.threeweeks.co.uk/review/9143

KUTAC Show Closes

2010-05-11T17:13:00.000+01:00

The first KUTAC exhibition ended on Sunday May 9th. A big thanks to everyone who attended, especially those who came along for the private view, which turned out to be a delightful evening.

Thanks to everyone who participated in our raffle, too - our winners Steven and Ewan have been contacted, and the beautiful Storm watches are winging their way to them.

So what does the future hold for KUTAC? Emboldened by the experience of this exhibition we will continue to meet each month, share ideas and actively support one anothers work. We'll also definitely be announcing a second exhibition at some point in the future. Keep checking back on this blog for more articles on our artists, and news of exciting collaborations to come....

KUTAC show on till May 9th

2010-05-03T22:55:00.001+01:00

Patrick Fitzsimons

2010-05-02T18:29:00.000+01:00

I am a composer who uses real instruments, samples and a sequencer to write instrumental music in genres ranging from ambient through funk to orchestral and beyond. Examples can be heard at http://audioscapist.net/.

Sometimes I take photographs.

A small selection of which can be seen at http://www.photoboxgallery.com/PatrickFitzsimonsphotos

For the KUTAC exhibition I have chosen photographs taken in and around Brighton, particularly along the coast. My obsession with West Pier is well represented, but you will also see other Brighton landmarks and a selection of moments you may have missed. The way we view images can be greatly influenced by backing music, so the photographs are accompanied by a selection of tracks by audioscapist.

Jake Spicer

2010-04-30T19:19:00.000+01:00

Jake Spicer is a painter and printmaker, and tutor of the Brighton Life Drawing Sessions. As part of the KUTAC May exhibition Jake will be showing a body of work entitled The Cinderella Project: Stella; a precursor to a collaborative art and theater performance later in May entitled The Cinderella Project: Lucien.

For more information about The Cinderella Project visit www.thecinderellaproject.tumblr.com
For more information about Jake or the Brighton Life Drawing Sessions visit www.jakespicerart.co.uk

Wendy Ward

2010-04-26T14:49:00.000+01:00

Wendy Ward is fascinated by old textiles; not just beautiful antique textiles, but everyday discarded clothing and textiles which tell a story. With a background in fashion design, Wendy has been working with recycled textiles since completing an MA in Design at the University of Brighton in 2004.

Enjoying the limitations of working with recycled textiles, her work has become very process led, allowing the materials to guide the direction of her experimentation. Often her textiles are treated in unexpected ways, such as laser cutting and combining with other materials.

The end results can have diverse applications ranging from interior textiles and clothing, to more unusual applications such as architecture, furniture and lighting. Wendy hopes to challenge today's throwaway attitude towards clothing through her work.

You can contact Wendy about her work by emailing wendyward(at)hotmail.co.uk

Hannah Buckley

2010-04-19T20:38:00.000+01:00

Hannah Buckley is an artist working primarily in textiles. She completed the MA in Sequential Illustration at Brighton University after her first degree in Stitched Textiles at Loughborough.

Recent exhibitions include Thebes Gallery, Lewes; the Brighton Art Fair and a solo show at Black Swan Arts, Frome. She has twice received Arts Council Grants for Individuals. Buckley has also represented the MA group, selling artists’ books to both Tate and the V&A.

In 2009 Buckley was artist in residence for the Big Draw at Wakehurst Place, Ardingly. The artist lives in the Sussex countryside, near the Ashdown forest.

Work from the ‘Inherit’ series 2010

This body of work demonstrates Hannah Buckley’s exploration of two very different, but equally important, sources of inspiration: she is fascinated by the way families pass down their genes. In particular she investigates her personal experience of being a carrier of haemophilia and associated anxieties and fears. Family photos and text book diagrams dealing with the condition inform the work and inspire the stitched and painted textiles exhibited.

Another concern is how humans are drawn to talismans as a way of regaining a sense of control over fateful circumstances. Votive offerings, graveside mementos and personal experience inform this aspect of the work.

KUTAC Show Reminder

2010-04-14T23:52:00.000+01:00

The inaugural KUTAC exhibition opens in just over a fortnight at Brighton Media Centre's Friese-Greene House Gallery from Saturday May 1st - Sunday May 9th inclusive. The private view takes place 6-9 pm on Saturday May 1st. Other opening times are 9.30am - 5.30pm Monday to Friday, Saturdays and Sundays 10am - 6pm. (The show will also be open 10-6 during the day of our private view for those that can't make the evening do.)

The KUTAC show features a variety of work from professional creatives, working in the diverse fields of fine art, graphics, photography, music, illustration, fashion, textiles and lighting design.

Peter James Field

2010-04-10T23:06:00.000+01:00

Peter James Field is a full time artist and illustrator working in Hove, whose professional clients include The Times, The Independent, The Guardian, Time Out, Dazed and Confused, Wallpaper Magazine, Conde Nast, Dorling Kindersley and the BBC.

Peter's personal work embodies a search for beauty and meaning in an often mundane everyday life – explored through the visual diary which he has updated monthly on his personal website (www.peterjamesfield.co.uk) without fail since 2004. These diary sketches, which feature in the KUTAC exhibition, range from highly finished in-depth observations, to quick location drawings that capture fleeting moments – often augmented by an acerbic written caption.

Meriel Nicoll

2010-04-03T20:08:00.000+01:00

Meriel Nicoll is a painter and printmaker who studied fine art as a mature student at NCAD Dublin, Ireland. She has also studied reiki healing and psychotherapy through the arts.

A connection to the land, which has always been the source and inspiration of her work, gives her a sense of peace, belonging and spirituality.

Her abstract paintings are guided not so much by the outcome, as by the process. By not trying to control the painting, the picture discovers itself.
Her intention is to let go and allow the spiritual connection to come through.

Frances Geesin

2010-03-28T22:38:00.000+01:00

Frances Geesin is a Reader in Textiles & Materials at The London College of Fashion. She is a researcher / textile artist and Artistic Advisor to the Institute of Nanotechnology.

Intrigued by materials, she uses industrial shielding and thermoplastic fabrics combined with found objects, which she electroplates, and ‘upcycles’. In 2003 she was awarded the Arts Foundation Fellowship for her work with textiles. She lectures and exhibits in the UK, Europe and Japan. She is currently working with scientists exploring Nanotechnology, exhibiting and interpreting their electron microscopic images, contributing through her practice to demystifying nano science.

Ellen Stewart

2010-03-16T21:50:00.001Z

We begin a series of short spotlight articles on contributors to the forthcoming KUTAC exhibition by asking Ellen Stewart to talk about her current work...

"I joined KUTAC in an effort to be creative again after a year of being a mother for the first time and before that eight years as a - sometimes not so creative - graphic designer. I firstly worked on an exercise in recording my son's first year by taking a photograph of him every day. Since then I have produced similar cumulative series and sets: exercises to get back my creative 'fitness'. I have used photography and returned to drawing and painting, which I have neglected for years."

KUTAC show announced

2010-03-15T11:27:00.001Z

KUTAC are proud to announce their first exhibition, to coincide with the 2010 Brighton Fringe. Our members will display work at Brighton Media Centre's Friese-Greene House Gallery from Saturday May 1st - Sunday May 9th inclusive. The private view takes place 6-9 pm on Saturday May 1st. Other opening times are 9.30am - 5.30pm Monday to Friday, Saturdays and Sundays 10am - 6pm. The show will also be open 10-6 during the day of our private view for those that can't make the evening do. We'll be posting short illustrated articles on each of our ten participants during the lead up to the exhibition - so please check back for more info.

Exhibitors are as follows (top row); Cloe Gillies / Frances Geesin / Jake Spicer / Meriel Nicol

(second row); Peter James Field / Patrick Fitzsimons / Wendy Ward / Janet Emmanuel

(bottom row); Hannah Buckley / Ellen Stewart