art + designideas, inspiration, starting points

2011-02-10T04:36:00.000+01:00

Grantown Grammar's art + design website is a top hit on Google!!

Search for 'standard grade art essay', 'standard grade design essay', 'blow chair' and many others results in GGS's art website as a top hit (and sometimes the top hit).

You should have no problems finding help and starting points for your work now!!!

2010-11-30T23:51:00.000+01:00

New exhibition at Inverness Museum and Art Gallery of work by Victoria Crowe, who many of you will have looked at in class for inspiration.

Victoria Crowe’s long term interest in the study and drawing of flowers and plants naturally lead to an exchange between the artist and the scientist David Ingram, Master of St Catherine’s College in Cambridge and formerly Regius Keeper at the Royal Botanic Gardens in Edinburgh on the wider aspects of knowledge of plants and nature.
The exhibition is based on the artist’s study of the wonderful old archives, herbals and historic collections of plants in Cambridge and Venice. The delicate beauty and detailed analysis of the plant forms illustrate the natural link between science and art.

The exhibition is open until January 8th 2011 and admission is free.

2010-06-09T23:09:00.000+01:00

A new term and lots of new art students.
This blog will keep you informed about important news about your courses, plus lots of ideas for exhibitions to visit, articles to read or shows to watch.
Sign up for my Twitter account on the right and you'll get lots of interesting art and design sites to visit.

There will also be a whole heap of art and design programmes to watch in the department that I have recorded - some you will watch in class, but there are other you might want to watch during lunchtime, study periods etc.
Ask me if you want to find out about a specific area of art and design - I might just have the programme for you!

Calum Colvin exhibition in Kingussie

2010-05-03T10:28:00.000+01:00

An exhibition of stereoscopic images by artist Calum Colvin entitled ‘Natural Magic’ that was on show at Inverness Museum and Art Gallery will be on display 8th May - 5th June at the Iona Gallery, Kingussie.   The exhibition is inspired by Scotsman David Brewster (1781 - 1868) who pioneered 3-D in Victorian Britain and is an open-ended exploration of a time of great change in science, religion, nationality and our understanding of the visual world.
The exhibition explores parallels between the invention and development of the stereoscopic viewer in 1838 and the development of the digital camera and printed digital image towards the end of the 20th century.
The artworks are presented as a series of wall-based and free-standing stereoscopic images some of which require to be viewed through 3-D specs whilst others are viewed through angled mirrors.
Based on portraits of Brewster, Charles Wheatstone, who created the ‘mirrored stereoscope’ and Lord Byron, and including shadowy rabbits, skulls and a host of other objects, Colvin plays with perception and cultural identity.
Colvin makes photographs by constructing a three-dimensional assemblage of objects which is then photographed from a particular viewpoint which means that the image portrayed only exists as a photograph rather than in real life. It is then and printed onto canvas. In this exhibition the images are then bounced back to the viewer in three dimensions.
First shown a the Royal Scottish Academy in Edinburgh last year, the exhibition is toured in partnership with the National Galleries of Scotland, the Royal Scottish Academy and The Highland Council.
Artworks by Colvin have turned up in the Higher/Int2 papers before, so it would be useful for your revision.

2010-03-21T21:20:00.002+01:00

Check out some of the works of art you will be seeing at www.art.highlandschools.org.uk
Download Paris Trip Guide here...

2010-03-10T19:45:00.003+01:00

You could practise for your exam by looking at, and writing about, products on this website:
Bonluxat

BBC Archives - Francis Bacon; Henry Moore

2010-02-25T19:20:00.000+01:00

http://www.bbc.co.uk/archive/keywords/336.shtml

The BBC Archive is full of amazing films, images and documents from the past.
If you are interested in Francis Bacon and Henry Moore, there are lots to watch.

Recycled jewellery ideas

2010-02-16T18:25:00.000+01:00

http://www.catdavison.com/jewellery/index.html

How to make a DIY recycled sketchbook

2010-02-16T18:24:00.000+01:00

http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2010/feb/16/how-to-make-notebook

2010-01-17T15:03:00.005+01:00

Crucial deadlines and dates

The design essay is due Monday February 1^st.

Practice written paper 1 – Design will take place on Monday 8^th February.
Those absent can take this paper after the break.

Practice written paper 2 – Expressive will take place on Monday 22^nd February.

The Higher and Intermediate 2 prelim written paper is on Thursday 4^th March.

Final estimate grades will be submitted to the SQA on Thursday 25^th March.

ALL PRACTICAL WORK MUST BE TOTALLY FINISHED AND MOUNTED BY THEN.

2010-01-12T23:52:00.000+01:00

I'm really into Andrew Hem's work at the moment. Check out his blog in my list below.

2009-12-07T22:56:00.000+01:00

The art+design website has been updated.

Find course info at:
Higher
Intermediate 2

Find assessment info, examples of sheets, marking instructions and past papers at:
Assessment

Find essay and revision help at:
Writing tips

Find artists and designers for your essays and revision at:
Interesting artists and designers

Also check out the links on this blog - they will take you to galleries where you will find lots of inspiration.

2009-11-14T14:52:00.002+01:00

Damien Hirst says anyone can be like Rembrandt. But does art world agree?
• Dutch master was no genius, says British artist
• Not true, say experts and a Turner prize-winner

Make up your own mind by reading the article and an interview with Damien Hirst.

2009-11-10T08:59:00.001+01:00

Some interesting Scottish artists, including Graeme Wilcox, at this gallery.

2009-11-04T18:23:00.002+01:00

Interesting young Russian artist, Vasili Zorin

2009-11-01T01:33:00.001+01:00

Here's a superb example of photorealistic drawing by
Dan Fischer

2009-10-27T19:12:00.002+01:00

Nice idea for marketing cool T-shirt graphics. A new T-shirt every day and only available for a day!
TEE FURY

2009-10-21T21:50:00.004+01:00

I've just been reading through some of Oliver Jeffers' children's books. Some of my favourites. Beautiful illustrations.

His website is full of incredible ideas.

2007-05-07T22:08:00.000+01:00

Good luck with the Critical exam later in the month - hope the rest of your exams go well too.
You will have been given these revision tips in class - you can access a copy here if you were absent.

2007-04-16T23:50:00.000+01:00

Check out a few examples of chairs from the last 100 years here...

2007-03-22T07:45:00.000+01:00

New section added to the website detailing the deadlines you will have to meet for each course and the work that is required of you.

2007-02-13T19:29:00.000+01:00

Check out the Design Museum's history of chair design here....

2007-02-05T23:44:00.000+01:00

Information on two new courses for seniors in 2007:
Higher Visual Arts &
Advanced Higher Art & Design: Research & Appreciation
can be found here...

2007-01-29T00:50:00.000+01:00

You can now search within the art + design site using the Google box at the bottom of each page or by going to the search page.

2007-01-17T18:22:00.000+01:00

Some good examples of contemporary jewellers who have created headpieces (a bit like modern crowns or tiaras, but with a twist) have been uploaded. You can download them as a zip file or by going to the design themes page.

2007-01-16T01:48:00.000+01:00

Ideas, images and info on chair/seating design now available here...

2007-01-15T23:58:00.000+01:00

Examples of bag design added to the art + design site at this page.

2007-01-14T20:25:00.000+01:00

If you are stuck for designs and designers to write about in your essays and exams, I'll try and put more and more worksheets together online for you to start from: you can get to them from various pages on the art + design site, including the writing tips page.
Remember there is also the interesting artists + designers page, plus all the pages and images you can explore for expressive and design on the links pages.

2007-01-08T23:05:00.000+01:00

If you are stuck for ideas, then try the design themes section of the art + design to get some ideas. If you're still stuck, email me at Grantown Grammar and I'll send you some good designers to look at.

Check out some interesting hat designs here...

2007-01-08T22:38:00.000+01:00

An essay guide for Higher/Int2 Design Critical has been added to the art + design site here...

2007-01-07T12:01:00.000+01:00

The art + design site has now got a new home at www.art.highlandschools.org.uk

2006-11-13T08:13:00.000+01:00

A new, simpler essay frame for expressive portrait essays has been added here...

2006-10-24T23:39:00.000+01:00

You should have a good look at the SQA examples on the website or in class. They have provided a range of student work from last year, plus marks and explanations for their marks. Other example work from the SQA can be seen via the "How am I assessed?" pages.
Make sure you have up-to-date browsers and the latest version of Abode Reader or the files won't load properly.

2006-10-23T21:45:00.000+01:00

A guide to structuring an expressive essay has been added to the site on the writing tips page. It was written for students writing portrait essays at Standard Grade, but can easily be adapted for other types of art and for Int2/Higher.

2006-10-19T11:43:00.000+01:00

Design links have been added covering the history of chair design, the development of the iPod, Macs and other Apple products and to some 'web wizards' (innovative web designers). These can be found on the S3 and S4 critical pages, plus in the tips and links sections of the art + design site.

2006-10-08T17:43:00.000+01:00

Natural environment question guide added to higher/int2 critical and to writing tips pages.
Giuseppe Penone page added for those interested in the natural environment.

2006-10-06T07:43:00.000+01:00

There are plenty of Cubist still life, landscape and portrait paintings to chose from for your essays at www.artchive.com. There are also critical texts to read there, via the art + design site or at Wikipedia.
Don't like the images you took away from class? Then check out more and get new ideas at the art + design site. There are already links to plenty of internet pages that will really help you write your essays. Explore!
More info will be uploaded over the weekend and next week, so keep coming back! Check out www.artchive.com for lots of images for portraiture and natural environment too.
You can also link to portrait and natural environment images on the art + design site.
Remember- you can use my essay on still life to get you started.
Question sheets, writing frames, keyword sheets can all be found via the tips section or in the higher critical pages.
I'll put as many of the images as I can onto the images for Higher/Int2 essays pages.

Remember it's easier to write about artists and artworks you are interested in or like - so if you really hate the images you are studying, browse the art + design site to find ones you do like!

2006-10-02T23:45:00.000+01:00

New still life essay guide now added to the site or available here...
Check out the essay image page and you'll find the rest of the images you researched for your essays today.

2006-10-01T23:14:00.000+01:00

To help you with your Standard Grade, Int2 and Higher essays, I've added many of the portrait and still life images you have been researching to the website. Check them out here....
If you can't find the image online, copy the image you need at reprographics or scan it in the department.
Follow the links to find extra copies of the essay guides, keyword sheets and compare/contrast writing frames.

2006-09-28T23:07:00.000+01:00

Marc Quinn created a self-portrait bust in 1990 using 10 pints of his own blood. The sculpture has to be kept in a special freezer to stop it melting. See more here ...

2006-09-27T00:56:00.000+01:00

Rachel Whiteread created "Ghost" by making plaster casts of the inside of an entire room. She then put the casts back together in a gallery. The resulting sculpture appears ordinary at first glance, but on closer inspection becomes stranger and a little eerie. Perhaps the room has been turned inside out, or the air inside solidified. Whatever has happened it looks weird, uncanny, but at the same time familiar.
Whiteread has spent her artistic career making casts of the inside forms of objects - chairs, hot water bottles, mattresses, baths. Nearly always household objects. She takes the ordinary and everyday and makes you look at it again.
Check out more info here ...

2006-09-27T00:42:00.000+01:00

Sabochan and her dog wear cactus suits to protect them from the world outside... Tokidoki are based in Italy, with one eye firmly focussed on Japan. They produce 'toys', bags and other fashion items. Check them out here ...