Iona's Art Blog: A Visit to Ruthin Craft Centre

On Saturday, I went to the Ruthin Craft Centre.

I Particularly enjoyed looking at the Shadows & Light exhibition
(1st December 2012 – 6th January 2013 in Gallery 1)

Ainsley Hillard was one of the artists work that stood out for me.

Ainsley lives and works in Carmarthenshire. In 2000 she graduated with a First Class Degree in Constructed Textiles from Middlesex University, London. The recipient of the James Pantyfedwen Scholarship in 2001/02 she continued postgraduate studies in Australia where she was awarded a Master of Art with Distinction from Curtin University in 2003.
Exhibiting nationally and internationally her work was most recently awarded first prize in the 3^rd International Competition of Textile Art, Belgium and the International Textiles Biennial of Scythia, Ukraine. Other awards include the Valcellina Artist Award, Italy and the Shell Fremantle Print Award, Australia.
Her work is included in the Lloyd Cotsen Textile Traces Collection U.S.A. and the Fiber Art Collection of the City of Chieri, Italy.

(c) http://www.artswales.org.uk

This was my favourite work in the exhibition - 'Folds'

'Folds'

The artwork included a series of doilies and linens dipped in porcelain and fired - the firing process has burned off the material leaving a delicate porcelain ghost of their form. These are hung at table height from the original drying rack. I love the Ghostly effects this creates.

The patterns shadowed on the floor is art in it's self

There is a ghost of a table here

Name unknown. Ainsley Hillard

Another artist work I enjoyed looking at was Rhian Haf's work.

Rhian graduated from Edinburgh College of Art with a BA (Hons) in Design and Applied Arts, specialising in glass. She set up her own studio in north Wales with the help of a start up grant from the Arts Council of Wales and has exhibited her work widely over the UK. Her work is mainly kiln based using a variety of techniques; fusing, casting and slumping, creating site-specific installations, sculptural and functional work.
In 2011 she completed her MA in Glass at Swansea Metropolitan University with Distinction and embarked on an invigilators plus residency at the Venice Biennale funded by the Arts Council of Wales.
Alongside her practice Rhian has worked as a lecturer, Arts Development Officer and co-ordinator for several arts projects; facilitating and delivering many school residencies.

(c) http://rhianhaf.com/about/

Glass, Light & Space

Exploration of shadow, scale and light captured within cast glass houses, which have been cold worked to achieve different surfaces, highlighting various qualities of the material.

I love the simplicity of the tiny houses and the way she has experimented with light and shadow.

It is interesting how the sense of scale has been played around with - there is no way of judging the size of these houses in these photographs.

This idea of the cast of houses is very similar to a project we did this term making plaster cast houses inspired by Racheal Whiteread. Rhian Haf's photographs have inspired me - I love how she has used light to create interesting outcomes.

We then wondered around Ruthin which is a very picturesque place. It had a very Christmassy atmosphere.