Abstract
Principal Lecturer in the School of Art + Media, Gavin Ambrose has been working with Arctic Artist Georgia Rose Murray on a series of books replicating her sketchbooks from the Arctic Circle.
The original sketchbooks are recordings of the changing arctic scenes. The format, a concertina sketchbook, is a necessity. Due to the extreme weather conditions only small amounts of drawing and painting can be done at any one time. We have worked to replicate the format, which when unfolded is over 3 and half metres in length to allow the sketchbooks to be exhibited at museums and galleries.
These preliminary drawings are translated into large scale works recording the changing arctic environment.
Description below about the first two books by Georgia:
‘Blandal: This book was painted over two days, during two excursions I made to Blandal, from Ny Alesund, where I was staying in The Artists Cabin. The golden light was incredibly exciting as the sun began to peak over the mountain tops for the first time in months. When the sun did emerge, the landscape of snow and ice erupted into a sea of millions of sparkling diamonds, only for a few minutes each day. I was lucky to have a whole research lab to myself, so could lay out the concertina sketchbook and make the panoramic painting using watercolour.’
‘Marine Laboratory: This book was painted on a particularly cold, inhospitable day when there was a lot of mist. I investigated lots of places around the research base of Ny Alesund, before I found this empty lab with a long window looking out towards Blandal. Towards the left of this painting, you can see Blandal in the distance, which is where the other concertina book was painted a couple of days afterwards. The Marine lab is right on the edge of Ny Alesund harbour, the big windows and sills provided the perfect vantage point to look out at the majestic Fjord and mountains beyond.’
The Exhibition. Runs from 9th November 2024 to early 2025 at the Moray Arts Centre, Findhorn, Scotland
The original sketchbooks are recordings of the changing arctic scenes. The format, a concertina sketchbook, is a necessity. Due to the extreme weather conditions only small amounts of drawing and painting can be done at any one time. We have worked to replicate the format, which when unfolded is over 3 and half metres in length to allow the sketchbooks to be exhibited at museums and galleries.
These preliminary drawings are translated into large scale works recording the changing arctic environment.
Description below about the first two books by Georgia:
‘Blandal: This book was painted over two days, during two excursions I made to Blandal, from Ny Alesund, where I was staying in The Artists Cabin. The golden light was incredibly exciting as the sun began to peak over the mountain tops for the first time in months. When the sun did emerge, the landscape of snow and ice erupted into a sea of millions of sparkling diamonds, only for a few minutes each day. I was lucky to have a whole research lab to myself, so could lay out the concertina sketchbook and make the panoramic painting using watercolour.’
‘Marine Laboratory: This book was painted on a particularly cold, inhospitable day when there was a lot of mist. I investigated lots of places around the research base of Ny Alesund, before I found this empty lab with a long window looking out towards Blandal. Towards the left of this painting, you can see Blandal in the distance, which is where the other concertina book was painted a couple of days afterwards. The Marine lab is right on the edge of Ny Alesund harbour, the big windows and sills provided the perfect vantage point to look out at the majestic Fjord and mountains beyond.’
The Exhibition. Runs from 9th November 2024 to early 2025 at the Moray Arts Centre, Findhorn, Scotland
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Place of Publication | UK |
| Publisher | Unseen Sketchbooks |
| Edition | 1 and 2 |
| Size | 13 x 25 x 345cm |
| Publication status | Published - 1 Nov 2024 |
| Event | A Piece of Sky - Moray Art Centre, Moray, United Kingdom Duration: 9 Nov 2024 → 31 Jan 2025 https://morayartcentre.org/events/a-piece-of-sky/ |
Bibliographical note
Principal Lecturer in the School of Art + Media, Gavin Ambrose has been working with Arctic Artist Georgia Rose Murray on a series of books replicating her sketchbooks from the Arctic Circle.The original sketchbooks are recordings of the changing arctic scenes. The format, a concertina sketchbook, is a necessity. Due to the extreme weather conditions only small amounts of drawing and painting can be done at any one time. We have worked to replicate the format, which when unfolded is over 3 and half metres in length to allow the sketchbooks to be exhibited at museums and galleries.
These preliminary drawings are translated into large scale works recording the changing arctic environment.
Description below about the first two books by Georgia:
‘Blandal: This book was painted over two days, during two excursions I made to Blandal, from Ny Alesund, where I was staying in The Artists Cabin. The golden light was incredibly exciting as the sun began to peak over the mountain tops for the first time in months. When the sun did emerge, the landscape of snow and ice erupted into a sea of millions of sparkling diamonds, only for a few minutes each day. I was lucky to have a whole research lab to myself, so could lay out the concertina sketchbook and make the panoramic painting using watercolour.’
‘Marine Laboratory: This book was painted on a particularly cold, inhospitable day when there was a lot of mist. I investigated lots of places around the research base of Ny Alesund, before I found this empty lab with a long window looking out towards Blandal. Towards the left of this painting, you can see Blandal in the distance, which is where the other concertina book was painted a couple of days afterwards. The Marine lab is right on the edge of Ny Alesund harbour, the big windows and sills provided the perfect vantage point to look out at the majestic Fjord and mountains beyond.’
The Exhibition. Runs from 9th November 2024 to early 2025 at the Moray Arts Centre, Findhorn, Scotland
Keywords
- Arctic Sketchbooks