Winter News

A few more images of my installation Dust of Stars, made from scrap, reused and found materials, some from older work. It questions what is waste, dead, no longer of value. We throw away so much… Looking at the bigger picture, all of life is made from stars made billions of years ago: ‘The cosmos is within us. We are made of star-stuff.’ (Carl Sagan). Matter keeps on going… Loved watching the way visitors interacted with the installation. See my instagram page for video clips of the work. We had some great feedback: ‘one of the most exciting art exhibitions I have seen in a while’ (Jan Ollis, SAW Co-Chair). I gave a talk about Dust of Stars as part of the Hatch exhibition, which will soon be published online via their website.

Photo by Rod Higginson

I’m enjoying the speed and convenience of working at a small scale, trying out different versions of a general idea about precarious structures on stilt legs. The sculptural maquettes are made from repurposed and to-hand materials, treating the assemblages as 3d sketches. These and other sketchbook ideas are leading to upcoming projects, including one I’m co-curating with Jan Ollis (‘As Old as the Hills - working title) for next year’s Somerset Art Weeks Festival. We have some great artists on board and will be taking over the top floor of the Zig Zag building, Glastonbury. The project is rooted in local heritage and environment, linking community with social engagement activities highlighting issues of conservation and sustainability. Culture is an indispensable pillar of climate action. Currently fundraising for the project. More on this soon..

Maquettes: Found & recycled materials: (top left) grass stems, willow, pine, peacock feather, copper wire, wool, roots, steel; (top right) steel, copper wire; (mid left) steel, copper, aluminium; (mid right) sticks, grass stem, khadi paper, leaves; (above left) roots, cardboard, plywood; (right) wood, cardboard packaging, khadi paper

Collage

For many instability is the norm. Dwellings exist on the edges of safety raised high on make-do scaffolding to avoid floods and other threats. In ‘Planet of Slums’ Mike Davis highlights our increasingly unstable urban world. Nomadic Somali tribes carry their homes on camels. Shepherds in France used to herd on stilt legs in boggy ground. I’ve been thinking about resilience, making do. In order to adapt, change the narrative of consumerism and economic growth, imagination is key.

Teaching:

I’ve been running 6 courses at Bath College (3 sculpture, painting, drawing and life drawing). Loved getting to know and working with students on their work - see pics below of students’ work.. ↓ (from top to bottom: Maureen, Mandy, Nick, Cath, Juliette, Sarah, Lynette, Sarah, Martin, Sally, Cath, Fran, Cathy, Pat, Juliette, Jenny, Suzanne, Sally, Judy, Jenni).

Squeezing in my own studio time has taken a concerted effort, and I have been treasuring that.

My next online sculpture course starts in January ‘24. If you’re interested please get in touch, or buy the course direct from my shop. I have other goodies you can purchase too, if considering arty Christmas gifts!

Upcoming events:

My work will be showing in Casting Shadows, Royal Society of Sculptors group exhibition at ACEarts, Somerton, 2 March - 6 April ‘24.

As part of the Snowdrop Festival (February ‘24), I’ll be running a free workshop with writer Polly Hall to create a long scroll-like collage with text, on 20 Jan, 10am-4pm, at Create@#8, Shepton Mallet. The artwork will be installed in the Baptist church for the festival. Get in touch if you’d like to join us.

Really enjoying reading The Golden Mole and other Vanishing Treasure by Katherine Rundell, sent to me by Faber books. As part of the book launch, I was commissioned to make a small Pangolin sculpture, now on display at Hunting Raven Books, Frome. If you haven’t yet, do read the book! Each chapter tugs at your heart with enthralling details about wonderful but endangered creatures.

I’ve been selected for a PADA residency, Portugal in February, and am fundraising for this great opportunity. If you can support me (for travel and accommodation costs), I’d really appreciate a donation via the link below.

Donate

My next blog may be post-Christmas, so here’s wishing you a wonderful festive time wherever you are!

Studio Time

Collage, recycled materials and found objects: paper, plant debris, metal, botanical dyed fabric remnants, plastic, tea bags, wool

Maquette, recycled and found steel, copper, sticks, wire, pondweed

Flags of the Forest (detail), recycled and eco-printed fabric, wool, plastic, leaf

Drawing, inks, plant-dyed fabric, netting, paper

I’ve been working through new ideas in the studio, making sculptures, textiles pieces, collages, eco-prints and drawings.

Developing a series of flag pieces that might all work together. Large-scale drawings in space with fields of colour, celebrating diversity/bio-diversity, hopeful of nature being more cared for, and thriving. Flags represent a shared ideal. Hoists may become growing lines.

A series of maquettes and collages are chasing an idea for larger pieces in conversation. Interconnected entangled substrates with vertical lines supporting infinite small life forms in cyclical transformation. Layered surfaces made up of debris and ‘found’ objects - some found on walks. Vertical lines piercing woven surfaces. Intersecting roots, rhizomic systems, strata, fragile edges. Life above and below.  ‘Fungal networks lace woodland soil… slow stories… making and remaking’ (Robert Macfarlane, Underland).

Been eco-printing on fabric and paper with some success, thanks to Nicola Brown's free bootcamp videos, and online botanical printing demo with Suzanne Ledesma-Sikkerbøl via Zen stitching.

Mentoring sessions with Mark Devereux Projects are helping to challenge my practice. Still overjoyed and so grateful to have been awarded an Arts Council England ‘Developing Your Creative Practice’ Award. My instagram account @fiona_campbell_dycp is documenting progress.

In between making, I’ve been preparing for my Kenyan research trip later this month. Really excited to be meeting the team at Untethered Magic and other Nairobi-based artists. I’ll also be visiting art galleries and museums around Nairobi and Malindi.

Lovely to have been interviewed by Art Etcetera editor Jordan Brinkworth and featured as an artivist in a special edition on eco-art. The Artivists is almost twice the size of their standard digital editions, with an extra 30 pages dedicated to eco-artivism.  In an effort to push for greener alternatives to paper, they are offering a special digital environmental edition for just £1.99 using promo code GODIGITAL on their website.  The edition is partnered with Art From Heart (who selected me as artist of the month in March).

I took part in ‘Lore & Draw’, an event celebrating Coleridge’s 100th annniversary at the Ancient Mariner. We made mud and charcoal mixes, and used sticks/feathers as drawing tools. Inspiring ideas for future workshops.

Recent Inspiration:

Books: Underland - Robert Macfarlane (highly recommend); The Man Who Planted Trees - Jean Giorno; Women on Nature - edited by Katharine Norbury

Podcasts: Brilliant talk by Frances Morris on Louise Bourgeois (currently on show at Hauser & Wirth Somerset, where I occasionally invigilate). Becoming Fungus: poetic sound art with reading by Merlin Sheldrake - extract Entangled Life

Exhibitions: Visited William Kentridge at Royal academy of Arts. A mind-boggling range of powerful expressive multi-media work focusing on South African politics: apartheid colonial oppression, conflict, loss. The impressive scale of work spans drawing, prints, film, theatre, collage, tapestries, sculpture. One large room with 5 films features multiple charcoal drawings as animated films (drawings for projection), through an erasure technique ‘palimpsest’ and stop-motion camera. I wish I could have stayed longer, there’s so much to take in.

New Work Developing

Maquette; found objects: pondweed, buddleia dyed fabric, khadi paper, plastic netting, leaves, wire, sisal, steel, aluminium

Developing Work (Developing Your Creative Practice funded by Arts Council England)

I’ve been revisiting concepts of Life in the Undergrowth, reading Entangled Life (Merlin Sheldrake), and experimenting with making new plant dyes and ink. My latest discovery, literally on my doorstep, is buddleia, which produces a wonderful vivid yellow, ochre and olive green.  So abundant, buddleia is ‘one of our best wild sources of yellow in the UK… plenty to share with butterflies and bees…’ (Flora Artbuthnott).  A studio tidy up gave me a chance to pick through a few collected objects to inspire.  I’ve been drawing roots and iris bulbs, which had survived in a bucket since a pond clean up 2 years ago.  They will potentially provide me with some black iris bulb ink soon..  This has led to a few small trial sculptures. ‘Radical’ derives from the Latin ‘radix’ = root. Excited to see where the roots take me.

For more info and to follow my development please visit my new instagram page: fiona_campbell_dycp dedicated to my ACE DYCP work.

Together We Rise

It’s been over a month since Together We Rise opened at Chichester Cathedral.  Last Saturday I revisited and really enjoyed showing London Art Critic Tabish Khan round our exhibition, along with Maria (Royal Society of Sculptors), Jo (Jo’s Art History) and Nia (Tate). Photo credits (below): 2 Martyn Sheppard, 7, 8, 9 Paul Gonella

I’ll be taking part in an Artist Talk event alongside fellow sculptors and curator Jacquline Creswell, this coming Wednesday 17th August at 11am and 2pm, Chichester Cathedral. ‘Hear about how the show was conceived through meetings on zoom during the pandemic, learn about materials and processes, and join in the discussion on how the works resonate with the architecture and context of the Cathedral.' Tickets £6, book here - or call: 01243 813586

Hope to see you there! There’s a month left to visit the exhibition - it ends on 6 September.

The Gleaning

I’ve been working on textiles panels and leading workshops for The Gleaning - a community arts project I’m co-curating with Gill Sakakini.  The work involves gleaning materials, ideas, people, cultures..  We’ve had some wonderful collaborative sessions, most recently at Collett Park with a group of people drawing together on fabric for our Shepton panel, which will represent the town’s iconic landmarks.  We used wax crayons and oil pastels, followed by ink - mainly homemade botanical mixtures including turmeric, onion skin, avocado pit, oak gall and buddleia inks. The wax resists the ink - a great way to build up colour in layers. We return to the bandstand on Tuesday 16 August, 10-12 for another free workshop. Do join us!

I’m delighted to have been supported by The Eaton Fund, enabling me to buy a sewing machine and other materials for The Gleaning.  Hand-stitching is important for some of my work, but it’s not always ideal for large-scale pieces! Thanks also to our funders Shepton Mallet Town Council, The Arts Society Wessex Chrisi Kennedy & Cranmore Parish Council. We’re still seeking some funding - get in touch if you can help.

Check out our instagram page: thegleaning_shepton

Tomorrow I’ll be running a free swan sculpture workshop at Wells Museum via Somerset Art Works - free drop-in!

'Art is always about reappraising the way we look at the world. It can speak more eloquently than propaganda because it can inject emotion into facts. And sometimes it can work like a Stealth Bomber: it can slip under the radar and hit home’ Cornelia Parker.

Post Christmas Sale and Sculpture Course

My next Online Sculpture Course runs 10 Jan-13 Feb 2022. Aimed at adults with mixed abilities, the 5 week course is designed to inspire you to get creative with nature-inspired sculptural work using found and recycled materials, including wire. Visit this link to find out more and see my showreel.

COST: £80
TO ENROL email: fionacampbell-art@sky.com

You’ll receive further info + a free tools list

Book now as places are limited!

Testimonials:

‘Brilliantly delivered by Fiona, through her weekly blogs/zoom and Whatsapp presentations…’ Gina Glover

‘Clearly structured and catered for all abilities… my creativity is much more free-flowing and is absolutely blossoming as a result’ Sarah Herfet

‘Friendly, guiding and inspiring... This has had a significant impact on my practice as an artist.. a joy’. Nicky Oram

Do share this with anyone you think would be interested.

Iris Roots, charcoal on Somerset Paper, 76 x 57cm

I want to highlight some of my favourite pieces in my online store and let you know about my post Christmas sale, which lasts until midnight this Friday 31 December. I’m offering 10% discount on all purchases via my shop, and I’ll also be donating 10% of product sales to Save Pangolins this month. So, with your purchases you’ll not only be getting a slice of me at a reduced price, but also helping to stop trafficking and slaughter of these precious creatures - the most trafficked on earth, tragically slipping away to extinction.

Use this DISCOUNT CODE at checkout to get your 10%: FIPROMO21. Please take your time to explore everything the shop has to offer. Enjoy!

Hope of a Tree

Hope of a Tree is the working title of my latest piece in progress for Inch by IN:CH, an artist-led travelling project around South West UK.  The phrase comes from The Overstory (Richard Powers), a book which has influenced my work, following on from The Hidden Life of Trees (Peter Wohlleben).  Both reveal emotive stories and facts about trees: their sentience, underground communication, and resilience.

Hope has been an ongoing theme this past year. I find hope and sustenance in my garden everyday.  Watching, talking to birds, and listening to their chattering across the trees has been joyful. Hope is ‘a belief that the world has so many strangenesses and possibilities’ (Katherine Rundell, The Book of Hopes). 

Slowly, I’ve been building up the work.  A metal trunk (case) is the base from which rigid linear vertical forms ascend into branching umbrella structures. These contrast with translucent yellow hand-stitched textiles, referencing ‘invisible hands’ all over the world, repair, hope and regeneration. The recycled and found materials are gathered from my locality or donated by friends and neighbours. The trunk was sourced from an auction, and has a military history linked to Dar es Salam.

Inch by IN:CH runs from 29 May - 3 October in multiple venues. There has been a huge amount of behind-the-scenes work, including fund-raising - still ongoing… We’re delighted by the generous support (listed on our website), which will help bring a free programme of events to audiences.  I’ll be providing free sculpture workshops for visitors to explore techniques using recycled materials.

I’m juggling several projects, and it’s been hard dedicating time to making when online work demands attention.  I’m trying to prioritise ‘making time’; when the sun’s out and I can work outside - my favourite workspace - it’s top of the list!

Design work for for my All The Colours project is in its final stages. The community art project, part of Art First, via Seed, is a collaboration with the public to co-create a holographic artwork for 30 buses. The final designs will be revealed in June, when the art is on buses!

My first foray back into the real world running in-person workshops at Victoria Park Community Centre, Bridgwater was fun.  I loved interacting with participants after so long in lockdown, making collages for the photo mosaic chameleon which will change colour depending on viewpoint. I’m really grateful to all those who’ve submitted images to the project.  There will be an online exhibition of all work, and a prize draw.

I’m delighted to have been selected and awarded first prize for Round Lemon’s anniversary online ONE exhibition. 9 artists have been selected to take part: Chantelle Boyle, Sam Heydt, Nikolay Vlahov, William Shoal, Irina Laaja, Artemis Herber, Rachel Lou, Sarah Strachan and me. 

As part of it, I’m giving a free talk about my practice on 6 May 7-8pm. Book via the link - hope you can join!

My short film Life in the Undergrowth and a sketchbook feature in In Pursuit of Spring, an exhibition of works by Somerset Art Works members responding to the book by Edward Thomas. The first part of this exhibition is open on the ground floor of Black Swan Arts, Frome, 10am- 3pm, Friday-Sunday. The next part opens later in May (covid restrictions permitting). There’s an online exhibition on SAW and Black Swan Arts’ websites, featuring the artworks, artists’ statements and quotes from the book, published by Little Toller Books in Dorset.  It’s a lovely show, curated by Paul Newman and Emma Tuck. (2 Bridge St, Frome BA11 1BB; 28 March - 27 June ‘21).

Life in the Undergrowth is a filmed diary, inspired by hidden worlds in my garden. It began in early spring. Appreciating, observing, and communing with small creatures seemed vital. I witnessed transformation, life and death, and strange incidents happened... The film reflects my love of nature, changing seasons, how alive the air with bird sounds when we are quiet.  I was invited to write an article about my Life in the Undergrowth project for Somerset Gardens Trust magazine's Spring issue. You can see the article on my Press page.

I’ve been doing dedicated weekly drawing sessions (see @sculptorsdrawingspace on instagram) with Royal Society of Sculptors members initiated by Mark Richards. We draw together on zoom in congenial silence except for the sounds of our various drawing tools. It’s a precious time in the week to focus on anything we fancy drawing in the hour. Some of my drawings have been quick experimental doodlings, others slow and intricate.  One of my drawings will form part of a hand bound book of artists’ work, compiled by Nina Gronw Lewis for Somerset Reacquainted - coming to Ace Arts, Somerton in June.

I’m taking part in a Window on Art trail, Trowbridge from 5th June - early September, and other projects are in the pipeline. See my instagram for regular updates:

Hope you can visit some of the events!

Take care,

Fiona