The fabulous felt collages of Jacopo Rosati

I'm currently starting a textile project with one of my first year groups. Serendipitously, amazing blog its nice that featured the amazing felt collages of Jacopo Rosati back in December when I was thinking about the project. The work is amazing, and so much fun. I know my first years will love it and hopefully it will really inspire them to get some of their own fabric collages going.

I emailed Jacopo for information on how he makes the collages. He's such a nice man! He emailed me back almost immediately with a link to a video of his process (featured below). Can't wait to see what work the pupils produce, i'll let Jacopo know how they get on!

Dermot Power

Wow, my poor blog is getting more and more neglected :( it's been a really crazy 2013 so far, the dip seems to be even busier this semester! Maybe i'm still just settling in.

I'm doing concept art with one of my first year groups at the moment. We're looking at character concept art as a way to get them interested in life drawing. This week they'll be developing their own characters based on story archetypes. I'm looking forward to seeing what they come up with!

I showed them some of Dermot Power's work last week. They loved it! His concept art is amazing and I think it's inspiring to show the pupils the work of someone from Cork who has really excelled at what he does.

Here's some of that work I showed them, there's loads more on his site.

NOLA nostalgia

It's Mardi Gras today in New Orleans, so i'm getting nostalgic for our trip last year.

I took sooo many photos on that trip, here are some screenshots of the typography related ones, just for nostalgia central.

Art of St. Als!

As i've mentioned, i'm currently doing my H.Dip placement in my old school, St. Aloysius College, Carrigtwohill. It's great being back and seeing how everything works from the other side! When I was a student I had no idea how much planning and co-ordination goes on, not to mention the close eye that was kept on all of us!

Over Christmas I set up a blog for the art department, artofstalscarrig.blogspot.com. You can check it out here. It showcases work from across the six years in the various disciplines. There's been some really incredible work produced, this just gives you a taster.

Not art related, but I also set up a TY blog with the pupils have been keeping really active, it gives a great insight into the school, you can check it out here.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year! "Stay glad, dream good" : resolutions from this list by Woody Guthrie in 1941.

Life Drawing 2012

Finally got around to doing some well overdue site updates today. I re-arranged the "personal" section of work and amalgamated a few sections that didn't really need to be separated. Here is some of my life drawing and painting from the last year, all done as part of Applied Arts course in CCAD.

You can check out online updates to my drawing portfolio here and the painting portfolio here.

Notions

Yesterday evening I went to the opening of a special art exhibition / event just off Douglas St. in Cork. It's called Notions and it's the work of my good friend, Lauren Baylor. It's so beautiful! It's only open for 3 days and it's in a garden in a convent in the middle of the city, a really serene location. It's based on a story that Lauren has written, the story is so lovely. It's autobiographical, but in Lauren's inimitable fantastical way. I'll ask her if I can reproduce some of it here on the blog.

Here are some pics of the exhibition taken yesterday evening. It's open until tomorrow so i'd recommend popping in. She's selling some really beautiful photographs connected to the work which I hope she'll show on her own blog soon.

UPDATE

I spoke to Lauren today and she gave permission to reproduce some of the (beautiful) story on the blog. Here it is:

Part of it became alive by these characters
whose liveliness could spark up a room
and animate the night
Fiery, warm and fun

Then there was the other part, the art?
The quieter one that was dark
and the sorrow wanted to dominate

...

Have you ever met someone and felt like you knew them before?
They have these powers, you see
They share and can feel what you feel
like sweets...mmm!
or a cut knee

...

She loves to question and inquire
(and hoard up all the answers)
She also loves to journey
With arms outstretched she dances

Also she is usually mostly starving

WOW, it's all so good. These few paragraphs really aren't doing it justice. I'll leave you with this one last bit...

The heat turns,
It bubbles, boils and in a ball-shape it burns
The speed
it travels
Its insides push to the out in a constant race, self-propelling its journey

Is it getting faster?
Could it even get hotter?
The atmosphere, the darkness, the silence have broken
A freak spell like, terror, crackling the air, it fights against itself

Its direction is erratic
Its energy majestic
The space it finds itself in has transformed in so brief a moment
But its impact will last

like the first time you click with someone...time has no meaning any longer,
that familiarity of friendship withstands time

This invasion is fiery, quick
but it leaves a warmth, like the memory of and unexpected embrace.