I ran away to join the circus .. but I'm back!

I know ... my website is still in process but I've been having the most wonderful time... My solo painting exhibition 'The Bee Keepers'  at The Street gallery was extended ...

..   and yes I ran away to Circus Space to make the set props and costume for 'Strange Forces' ... the third year degree show, directed by the incredible dark clown Peta Lily. Ingenious  lighting by Sarah McColgan, spot on sound by Craig Byrne ...

also I must mention Liz Kay, simply brilliant  stage manager .. and Kim, Matt, Mari and the crew with tech (and amazing patience and stamina) and of course the amazing Circus Space students.
Special thanks to Mark Morreau the photographer who has allowed me to use his photos in this blog page.... and to Maeve and Hannah from RADA ...

The set was a black sharktooth gauze with a backdrop that expressed back stage circus school... ropes hoops .. It was to signify the change from third year acts like Arce on pole....

... to the strange forces interludes where the audience was entertained by sad, 'put upon'  first year clowns... Michelle springs to mind..

The Iconic costumes comprised of disposable overalls with vests and leggings ... or white  cotton scrub suits that I made late into the night... but to make a whole circus troup I  also included tutus and  full catsuits that I painted with tattooos for contortionist Claudia .. and dancer Natalie.....

My favourite sculptural elements were Morris the pantomime unicorn played by Marianna and Michael .. with Katie under duress with the whip... The pattern from scratch was hard work and he took me three attempts to get the body right...

A circus is never complete without animals I made an elephant vacuum cleaner creature to hoover up the flitter from Heidi's rope act...

Maisy  brilliant as Ellie and and Charline the kind loving keeper...

The interesting thing about working with Peta Lily is that the props inspire and direct the way the show develops... so every day there were texts for .. a white rabbit...a whistle .. a tricyle for a toddler  and yet Floria and Craig D managed to ride it!....

The spirit of the circus was exemplified by paper plate ruffs and exfoliating scrub cloths on overshoes as wigs .. or swimming hats ...

... or just paper carrier bags ....

.. The Little man piece was a favorite to make and Michael played his part magnificently ...

But each first year was amazing so I must mention each of the other first years .. Laura, Lucky, Natalie, Claudia, Ellie, Kerrie, Lil, Alice. Jess, Arthur, Graig G, and Luke..

Oh and  I really enjoyed working with the third years ...

and learned a lot about costume durability, safety and how to bring the stark costumes of the links into the glorious costumes the third years had to devise for themselves... (above Ben ...below - Matt)

I am so inspired I have begun  to investigate possible fabrics and seams for circus, specifically arial acts like Gonzalo's

 ( and Lydia ... wonderful bird girl)

So many wonderful third year acts .. Beren and Louis...

Lynne..

Beth

Tom...

James

Nelly....

And an amazing talent from the first years too in a wonderful clowning way...

.. and Mark captured these so well ....

I will add some more soon ...

images from my website

Theatre and Production - While selecting images for my website ( will be live this October) I realised how much I have produced since I set up as an artist in 1989.  The early work and exhibitions , the residencies and workshops in schools and galleries and the theatre work. I thought I'd load up some images here.

This summer I designed and produced the set costumes and props for Miss Havisham's Expectations, written and directed by Di Sherlock, performed by Linda Marlowe, lighting design by Paul Green. It's had great reviews at Edinburgh Fringe (see links below) and is now touring. This has been a wonderful project to work on and to be part of an amazing team.

There is a design style that runs through all my work, paintings and production. These next images are of the set and costumes I produced for Dance Continuum for the performance 'Of Myths and Moon dragons' premiered at Sadlers Wells Theatre. 

 I enjoy working on the detail of a piece. Everything is a work of art. The many props for fringe theatre are always facinating, particularly when it is the only prop as in Naomi Paul's 'Reshape While Damp'. The hand painted Kafka Biscuit tin which she uses has the wonderful irony of the fact that Kafka died of starvation.

  In The Cinderella Story ( directed by Jo Girdleston) the challenge was to produce costumes for twenty young people which gave a sense of the ashes of the fire yet make everything with a budget of £100! The fish was made from newspaper,  kitchen roll and PVA glue - very Blue Peter!

 

 I freelanced as a master Artworker for Living Paintings, making the sculptural reliefs to complement the audio discriptions which allow partially sighted and blind people to read and 'see' paintings. It brought a new perspective to my work, particularly concerning accuracy and detail.

 

 

 Jacques Louis David's portrait of the revolutionary Marat assasinated in his bath. First sculpted in clay, a strong rubber mould is taken and then  cast with bronze effect fine casting resin and burnished. It was exhibited along side the painting at the Royal Accademy. I produced panels for many of their albums as well as the queen's collection.

Sometimes budgets fit the brief. I designed and made the objects on the tables for 'Breaking the Mould' exhibitions at the National Portrait Gallery. Curated by Clare Gittings it was experienced by 18,000 visitors.

Everything needed to be robust to enable that many visitors to handle and explore the objects which explained the materials and methods of sculpture. 

 

               

 I collaborated with Clare Gittings and Roger Hargreaves at NPG on many schools and community sculpture workshops over a period of ten years.

Community involvement has always been part of my working practice. One of my favorite projects was an installation Jouet Unite- Dance in a box-I made with James Engel for the Royal Festival Hall and Islington Festival. It explored all manner of materials specifically aimed at under fives. It was a flat pack installation which could be transported to different locations. The 120cm panels each explored different sound, materials textures and could be put together in any combination.

The theatre work was my starting point in the art world. Apprenticing at Boundary Road studios in the late eighties gave me skills which have been forever developed. Backdrops I produced on canvas and plaster fifteen years ago stil have a fresh finish today.

The images from Sygiria in Sri Lanka (all in private collections) and clouds of cherubs are far removed from my painting for 9/11 memorial museum or the 1100 Tokens (see earlier posts on this blog)

Yet fifteen years after these works I was commission last year to turn a new plastered wall into a surface that looks as if it hasn't been touched in fifty years.

My work is always about being able to convey the message or brief using whatever medium is required to enable the concept to become reality. Budgets may range from £100 to £30,000 but the desire to produce something original and amazing never leaves me. At every step  I have had wonderful people to collaborate with and throw ideas around with.


We had some great reviews this summer for Miss Havisham's Expectations:

http://ed.thestage.co.uk/reviews/1505


http://www.whatsonstage.com/reviews/theatre/london/E8831344421121/Miss+Havisham%27s+Expectations.html

http://sgfringe.com/2012/08/13/miss-havishams-expectations/

http://edinburghfestival.list.co.uk/article/44027-miss-havishams-expectations/

http://www.festivalhighlights.com/the-times-give-4-stars-to-miss-havishams-expectations

http://www.lothianlife.co.uk/2012/08/miss-havershams-expectations/

many more ... and some lovely comments on  the costume / set design and Paul green's lighting...

Michael Coveney: Clever design and costumes by Andie Scott, and lighting by Paul Green, help Marlowe's mighty line in fringe fantasia: great riches, indeed, in a little room.

fringe guru: 'The iconic Miss Haversham look, a skeletal old lady in a decaying wedding dress, is created beautifully. And the costume design was my favourite part of this show; the two ‘Estella’ dresses are quite breathtaking, glistening like sweetie wrappers...'

and 'The cleverly designed costumes really added to the changing characters that Linda had to play.' 
here's just a few amazing people to acknowledge and thank:

James Engel-  designer of Breaking the Mould & Jouet Unite -  www.spacedout.co.uk
Di Sherlock - http://diningwithalice.co.uk/portfolio/cast-and-production-list/
Linda Marlowe -  http://www.lindamarlowe.com/
Paul Green - http://www.paulgreenld.com/Home%20New.htm
Eric Richmond - (first photo for Miss Havisham images) http://www.ericrichmond.net/

Clare Gittings - National Portrait Gallery http://www.scalapublishers.com/4fold.php?ID=198
Camilla Oldland - Living Paintings www.livingpaintings.org/
Michael Ho - of myths and moon dragons, http://www.elmhurstdance.co.uk/Michael-Ho.html
Josh Pulman - (photos for Of Myths and Moon dragons)- http://www.joshphoto.com/
Seabright Productions, www.seabrights.com/
Naomi Paul, http://www.fringereview.co.uk/fringeReview/4131.html

Peta Lily, peta@petalily.com
Roma Napoli - http://www.dix10.net
Black Sifichi -  http://www.blacksifichi.com  

City Plaza  Hong Kong - andie scott, james engel, roma napoli, photos by josh pulman

Today I am uploading my memorial painting onto the National September 11 Memorial Museum website of artists. The problem with this painting is that as a tiny image you cant see the individual portraits. 

Below is the piece I have written to go with my images.

911 : Memorial to 343 Firefighters Andie Scott
'911' depicts the portraits of all 343 firefighters who lost their lives while on duty at the World Trade Center on 11 th September 2001. I chose to paint the firefighters because they are a-political, there to save life at a risk to their own. I felt a compelling need to express the 9/11 tragedy in my work.

This is the first panel

I started to draw the firefighter’s portraits on September 20th 2001, using memorial notices on the web and newspaper articles. It took six months to produce the portrait drawings and paint them onto the canvas. 

Detail

A thin blue line walks across a canvas to create an image of the firefighters standing shoulder to shoulder, alphabetically, in rows from top left to bottom right. I had been working with this abstract style since 1998, and in this painting the broken lines express loss and grief.
When I showed the painting to Firefighters at Duane Street, New York in 2002 I stood silent and humbled as they kept pointing out their lost friends on the canvas.
The solo firefighter paintings are from the individual portraits I painted of some of the firefighters. I received this letter after my visit with the painting in 2002. 

Raymond Downey

Dear Ms. Scott:
Since September 11, 2001 we have all been moved by the tremendous outpouring of support from across the country and around the world. I would like to thank you for sharing your artwork with us, and indeed for showing your solidarity with the fallen in creating this work.
I will be forwarding your beautiful artwork to the wife of Ff. Joseph Angelini Sr,. The Angelini family was the only FDNY family that lost a firefighter father and a firefighter son on September 11, 2002. Your artwork of Joseph Angelini Sr. will, I am sure, be of comfort to this family.
As we look ahead with hope, know that we are stronger for this expression of support from you.
Sincerely yours,
Evelyn Tesoriero
New York City Fire Department
Family Assistance Unit

Karl Joseph

 


911 forms part of 'World Tragedy' a series of my paintings which challenges the way the news and media moves from one tragic situation to another filling us with emotions and a desire to act. The 'sound bites' of the world move on and we are expected to as well. But the memory and emotion of those who have lost family and friends continues.
'World Tragedy' is about making a mark through painting to make sure we do not forget situations that continue to cause that level of distress and outrage that we felt when it was called ‘breaking news’. '911' is the first completed painting. 





'911' is difficult to convey the impact on the website registry of artists. 
I have included an image of all the drawings I made with each firefighter's name. The painting is in oil on linen and measures 18” x 96”. I would like to see it hung at the National September 11 Memorial Museum.
andie scott, flexitron studio, 46 penton street,London, n1 9qa
andie.scott@btinternet.com 07880911488

Fringe Arts Bath

I'm really delighted to have been selected for the  Fringe Arts Bath open, a new bi-annual competition and exhibition with work selected from artists practising contemporary art in the fields of painting, print, drawing, photography, film, sound, sculpture, installation, and

performance.

My painting 'Tsunami' is 250,000 counted white lines painted in 24 hours

On the day of a Tsunami, 26th December 2004, it was estimated that 250,000
people had been killed within 24 hours. The images stayed in my head and I had to
record it. Some years later I decided to paint a line for each of these people and to do it
within 24 hours . Over time the official figures of death changed and by the end of six
weeks it was nearly 300,000.

It forms part of the World Tragedy series which are paintings and installations which challenge the way the news and media move from one tragic situation to another, filling us with emotions and a desire to act. Then the 'sound bites' of the world move on and we are expected to as well and a tragedy is forgotten. This work is concerned with mark-making that transcends the media hype and keeps in our minds the outrage that we felt when it was first called ‘breaking news’.

'1100 Tokens'

This installation marks the 1100 Burmese monks arrested in 2007.

 I have completed 700 portraits so far. Planning a touring exhibition for 2013 at the moment.

I had a great time at the busy FaB opening on friday. A facinating series of curated shows at the Old Officers club in stall street. for info on Fringe arts Bath see link below.

http://www.fringeartsbath.co.uk/

Great Expectations for summer 2012

Great Expectations

Busy working away on a rainy day on the costumes and set for
'Miss Havisham's Expectations', written and directed by Di SAherlock and performed by Linda Marlowe.
Exciting project to get my teeth into because I want it to feel as though the stage and characters are a painting.....

Then there's the London Festival of Architecture project Platform 9 with Spaced Out Architecture Studio and movingartsbase....

I'm writing the old stories of Kings Cross... how it was the last stand for Boudicca and was called Battle Bridge... how the Fleet River was full of healing wells around Kings Cross until it became an open sewer.
These stories form the seed for the contact dancers to perform at the London Festival of Architecture on the weekend of 6th - 8th July. The performance and drawings produced will be exhibited at the Flexitron Gallery