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My name is Rebecca Butterworth. I am a student of the University of Huddersfield, studying Contemporary Arts. My style varies between digital drawing, animation, video and photography. Exhibitions/Events Second Year Third Year Third Year: Take 2 Inspirational Posts Archive Useful links

[toolers]

I’ve been thinking about this quilt all week

A conversation with Louise Bourgeois in Incontrollable Beauty

[instagram]

#jesuischarlie: An Illustrator’s Response by @lucille_clerc

To see the responses from artists and illustrators worldwide to events in France, browse the #charliehebdo, #jesuischarlie and #voyageavecmoi hashtags. To view more of Lucille’s work follow @lucille_clerc on Instagram.

“It’s a small way to contribute, to make a drawing,” says Lucille Clerc (@lucille_clerc), a French illustrator and printmaker based in London, whose hand-drawn image in response to the Charlie Hebdo attack in Paris resonated with people worldwide. “It’s a little drop in the end, but if it inspires and encourages people to react in a positive way, then it’s good.”

Lucille started drawing as a child, and her work is inspired by architecture and places around her. She draws by hand, then scans her work before creating a screen print. Putting pen to paper was her reaction to the attacks on journalists and artists. “The risk is that you respond to violence with violence, and that would be such a terrible thing to do. The victims were good people and pacifists and I wanted to create something for people to respond to in a peaceful way,” Lucille says. “To express ourselves no matter what, that’s the best tribute we can give.”

[sixpenceee]

This is a glass ”murrine" made by artist Loren Stump. Each color in the piece was carefully layered to create this “loaf” which was then sliced. Each slice sold for $5000.

[therhumboogie]

The Arte Sella, looks to be one of the most magical, fairytale woodlands in the world. Since 1986 this astounding destination in the Sella Valley in Italy has been dotting the landscape with the amazing works of over 200 contemporary artists from all over the world. A future holiday destination for sure!

[ccephalopod]

This is magical

[pixography]

[slobbering]

Zdzisław Beksiński

"A famous Polish painter  specializing in the field of utopian art, Beksiński executed his paintings and drawings either in what he called a ‘Baroque’ or a ‘Gothic’ manner. His creations are mainly two periods, the first period of the works are generally considered to contain expressionistic color, with a strong style of “utopian realism” architecture surreal, like a doomsday scenario worries. The second period more abstract style, with the main features of formalism.”

Beksiński was murdered in 2005.

[pankurios-templeovarts]

Metallic gel pen on illustration board. Never used that myself or saw that technique before. Spiritual and occult motifs: Mr. John Paul ‘Lakan’ Olivares is the creator. 

[best-of-memes]

[beckibutterworthcontextual]

The Future?

Over the last few months, leading up to the end of my degree. I've been speaking to the University's careers Adviser for Art and Design, Zoe Mitton about my future in the arts. We have agreed to speak after the year is completed so I can focus more on that, rather than my degree and the exhibitions.

During the time we spoke. We managed to discuss where my weaknesses are in regards to the process of finding a job (In general, not necessarily in the arts). Confidence, while I can portray confidence in a interview in person, I appear to lack the skills to get across what I need to on paper, email or via phone. Experienced based CV's, Skills based CV's, and Art based CV's are my problem, which is something I seriously need to work on. However, talking to Zoe, she has suggested myself sending her jobs and my draft CV for that job so she can double check for me, which is quite a relief, that I have someone backing me up, and proof reading.

Speaking about career in the arts: We have determined (and Zoe has emailed me where to look for more information and potential jobs) that there are three potential sectors I can move into.

Animation. Currently what I am working on at the moment (that and digital art). It is the most logical next step, animation being a passion of mine since discovering it in the second year of University. Considering my skills realistically, I could apply for a job in 2D animation or an internship for character design. This could potentially lead onto Games Design, 3D animation, App design (examples are like Angry Birds, and other apps using 2D animation).

Games Design. Due to my passion for the creation and playing of various games. This is a potential career path leading off of animation, as the skills required for a career in animation is not dissimilar to games design. 2D Character concept is a key thing for me at present, but as I develop my skills further throughout my life, that may change.

Arts Sector. Considering my experience with the 2012 Olympics Arts Project (Stories of the World). Working for the arts council or the arts sector is a possibility. There is a lot of opportunity in that sector. However, while it is not my primary choices for a career, it is something I enjoyed when I volunteered for it originally. Teaching may not appeal to me (at present), working within the arts sector is another way of inspiring and creating without actually being within a classroom. More of an active role within communities rather than teaching those who are forced to be within the classroom.  (Note: While teaching is a worthwhile career choice, it is not specifically one for myself at present. While I did speak of the benefits of art and design within the school setting in my dissertation, I feel it needs a lot of tweaking and editing to be more beneficial for Children's development) 

[beckibutterworthcontextual]

Dream Sequence Paintings.  A series of digital paintings for the final degree show and exhibition in London. All created in attempts to portray the process of information and dreams. Dreams are used to wind down, and sort out the information collected that day. I find there is some sort of irony with the people in these paintings having a lack of eyes. 

Instead, eyes are something precious to us, such as a pet or a car. Rather than something we have, and are given. There is a slight surreal air to some of these paintings, which was never intentional. But, a happy accident; being unable to define myself in contemporary art, other than "Digital artist" is something I find difficult, whether that is due to confidence or what. It's something I need to explore.

[beckibutterworthcontextual]

Developmental Collection Piece, created for the assessment and external assessor and for the purpose of showcasing various animations (finished or not) throughout the stages of my project. The themes vary wildly depending on the stage at which they were created. 

Progression, I think, is very clear. From simple Shrigley-esque animations to attempting to find my own style in regards to that (something I am still currently working on even as this course comes to an end). 

[beckibutterworthcontextual]

Final Animation Piece for the degree show and assessments. Still having trouble in regards to putting them on CDs, although, I'm trying to resolve the issues with them so they're at least ready by the end of this week, before the external assessors come in. 

Based on the idea of dreams and the process of information. This animation in particular is the exploration of a mixture of the above, while attempting to create my own little world in regards to that. Elements of the creepy and surreal are incorporated in to this in attempts to create something not entirely one nor the other.

[beckibutterworthcontextual]

Inspirational Posts

The purpose of inspirational posts on this contextual blog.

I find that, as I have mentioned in the past, it is not necessarily the artist or their ideas that I find inspirational (however, that does not necessarily mean that I don't find their journey to success and cultural enlightenment, inspirational) I am more of an aesthetic artist, which I consider ironic considering my fondness for simple drawings, animation and philosophy. 

As part of my own motivation, I find collecting images (with credit to the artist of course) a good way to collect things that I find personally interesting in various ways. Which, of course, causes a mish-mash of various mediums, artists, ideas, and cultures. By doing this, I am creating a file on inspirational posts, which may not be relevant at the time of posting, but there is also potential that at a later date, these posts may come in handy or provide a new direction or insight. Which I believe is highly valuable. Kind of, broadening your horizons, rather than just what's relevant in the now. 

[velved]

Marilyn Minter, oil on canvas

[mydarkenedeyes]

Kriakao

[beckibutterworthcontextual]

Although many dreams do not seem to 'make sense', many others appear to be quite coherent and logical. Freud says that it is the function of secondary revision which creates this appearance of narrative coherence - it "fills up the gaps in the dream-structure with shreds and patches". The secondary revision turns dreams into something more closely resembling coherent 'daydreams' or depictions of reality than they would otherwise be. Sometimes the dream appears to be a simple retelling of events from the previous day, as in the dream of tuning the piano. Secondary revision, as the name implies, occur at the end of the lengthy process of dream-construction and can basically can be thought of as the application of conscious thought processes to the dream material. In much the same way a poem or story might be made out of initially disparate ideas and feelings, and gradually built up into a first draft. Once a first draft is written we then look at the work in a different way and start to revise it according to conscious and often formal criteria, taking into account things like logical coherence and who the intended audience is for the work. Freud points out that dreams, however, are not necessarily intended to be understood.

sigmund Freud on Secondary Revision

[beckibutterworthcontextual]

Curating for the exhibition.

Considering the impeding Degree Show this summer, I have been considering ways to curate my work. Considering it is animation based, there is a problem with how to display in this setting. Especially considering, the problem that normally, animation and film is so readily available on the internet.

I am wanting to make this space reflect who I am. I think a nod to traditional art should be applied here, displaying a piece what could be so readily available in something likened to traditional painting, is tempting. Such as displaying screens in gilded (or as close as I can) frames. Also adding in drawings (digital or not) may be something to consider, as they are as much my work as the final animations. Perhaps a nice mixture of animation and painting would be nice, such as images what subtly change in a number of seconds (to make it less noticeable, 20 or so seconds would be good here).  

The fact that my concept is about the processing and storing of information through dreams, the frames idea may be relevant due to the fact that people store their memories through photographs, and displaying them in their homes.

[baruchobramowitz-deactivated201]

"Stuff Being Thrown at My Head," a photo series by Latvian photographer Kaija Straumanis