<!-- wp:pattern {slug:ajde_events/blocks} /--> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class=wp-block-list><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Friday 11th September - Sunday 1st November</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Plenty at the Square</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I am a fine artist living and working in Burley in Wharfedale. I am a former Head of<br>Art, having taught in a north Leeds school for many years. I completed an M.A. in<br>Fine Art at Leeds Beckett University, Leeds. More recently, I have discovered the<br>fascinating and intuitive properties of clay, focusing my practice on the creation of<br>wall plaques reimagined as mutated flowers and figures. I had the first showing of<br>my ceramic pieces at the Loading Bay, Bradford last December.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>My practice is inspired by family connections rooted in the ex-mining town of<br>Mansfield, the town where I grew up surrounded by the heavy trappings of industry.<br>From this I have been drawn to create surrealistic works that pursue the idea of how<br>nature may mutate when exposed to environmental pollution. Each piece has its<br>own narrative which plays out during the making process.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Elizabethan figures emerged as I made a visual link with the flowerlike ruff. I see<br>this historical period as the launchpad for modern technology, which fundamentally<br>extracted heavy human cost. The attached skulls, hearts and flowers to symbolise<br>the weight of technological progress and the human cost embedded within its history.<br>Central to my creative practice has been my belief in observing beauty, whether it be<br>found in a flower, an old radio valve set or in an industrial setting. Working with clay<br>has allowed me to give physical form to my imagination through sculpted forms,<br>glazes and intricate textures. I use these qualities to harness the narrative within the<br>material, inviting contemplation through the presence of the clay itself.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:separator --> <hr class=wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity/> <!-- /wp:separator --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>As part of the exhibition programme, we are hosting The Art of Eatign event. Our friends at Plenty at the Square will be designing a 4-course menu, inspired by Patti's artworks. <a href=https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-art-of-eating-patti-smith-exhibition-art-talk-4-course-dinner-tickets-1998430615768?aff=oddtdtcreator&_gl=1*15rhgrn*_up*MQ..*_ga*NjYyMjI2OTg2LjE3ODcxNTI4OTg.*_ga_TQVES5V6SH*czE3ODcxNTI4OTckbzEkZzAkdDE3ODcxNTI4OTckajYwJGwwJGgw data-type=link data-id=https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-art-of-eating-patti-smith-exhibition-art-talk-4-course-dinner-tickets-1998430615768?aff=oddtdtcreator&_gl=1*15rhgrn*_up*MQ..*_ga*NjYyMjI2OTg2LjE3ODcxNTI4OTg.*_ga_TQVES5V6SH*czE3ODcxNTI4OTckbzEkZzAkdDE3ODcxNTI4OTckajYwJGwwJGgw>Find out more and book here.</a></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->

Description supplied by the event organiser.