art portfolio
24 visual artists and writers contributing to an international group exhibition. ‘We Also Fight Windmills’, a collaborative undertaking for which Sophie Gaudier-Brzeska’s life and work, as well as artist Ania Ready's photographic interpretation of it, were the points of departure.
Oxford University Press, Fairway Gallery, 4-26 April 2024.
I can’t make this pop-up event in person, but do have a piece, a concertina artbook, exhibiting.
Embroidered photo gift for a colleague’s leaving present
bishy barnabee
dormant on the window’s edge
waiting for Spring warmth
As an artist, a researcher and primary teacher, I am particularly interested in the construct of childhood and the childhood experiences and personal narratives that form our memories and contribute to our identities.
I enjoy exploring combinations and collections of images, words, and repeating motifs.
Ladybirds, or ‘bishy barnabees’, are among the best-known and most well-loved beetles, and have a place in my own childhood memories. The representation of them in the bishy barnabee series of lino-prints explores how a simple, small motif can increase in visual power and impact through repetition, number and in being part of a collective.
A loveliness of ladybirds
“I have memories of building ‘homes’ in flower pots for ladybirds in my parents’ garden as a young girl. I remember the ‘swarm’ of ladybirds that I observed one Norfolk summer (2009?) on a trip along the North Norfolk coastline. And a stay in a lovely Oxfordshire cottage that yielded a host of them hibernating in the corners of an upstairs attic bedroom! I am fascinated by the beauty of the adults, as opposed to the arguably less beautiful larvae. I read about the ‘invasion’ of the non-native harlequin. The power of this tiny beetle as part of a collective is awesome.”
My art-research-book is being shared at both of these celebration events in May and June…
'Bishy-bishy-barney-bee, tell me when my wedding be, if it be tomorrow day, take your wings and fly away. Fly to east and fly to west, but fly to him (her) that I love best'.
Old Norfolk schoolyard rhyme
Know the child first,
connect to who they are.
Shift and respond.
I took words from the data, shaped them into several haiku. (Or at the least, if not perfect haiku, it’s an attempt to practice this artistic discipline: the minimal nature forcing me to pare down to only the essentials—each word, each syllable, counts.)
Curiosity
This is Curiosity.
If you look carefully, you’ll find it.
When it has been mislaid or forgotten about it shrinks and hides in the background, waiting for an invitation to come forward again. It is easy to forget that it is there, or to shun its importance. It is often waiting.
When it comes forth, it cannot sit still. When it is called, it fizzes like a firework, whizzing off in many unexpected directions. It is sometimes hard to keep up with.
It is never full. It is interested in everything and asks lots of questions. It likes a good helping of mystery. It is very sociable, enjoying linking up with others. It needs contemplative time every day.
It enjoys residing with children. This is because of its playful nature.
It is good friends with Creativity and Inquiry.
It doesn’t get along with Assumption.
The breed of Curiosity in teachers is a special kind. It is good at surprising, and good at nudging. It can often become overwhelmed in the classroom. It is one of the breeds that benefits from regular airing and lots of attention
Teresa Smith. 2023