Inspiring art and design I saw 2019

I have a love of lists. I write them in many places, in many ways and with a number of different aims. Many of my lists fill Trello boards with tasks, are scribbled on post-it notes, and tapped into my phone. Most of those lists are to bring order to actions and to remind me of something that is yet to happen. However, this list below is to remind me of things that I have already done, already seen, already absorbed. It’s about pulling myself back into the moments of art and design that made my mind tick in 2019.

In 2017 and 2018 I started sharing a list of the inspiring places I had visited during the year. This list was a good tool to reflect on those years and start to think about how I might fill the next one. I have just completed my 2019 list and admittedly it’s a fair bit smaller than previous years. However, there are some mighty elements within it.

A stunning view and crafted nook at Blackwell: The Arts & Crafts House

Experiments in gold

Fragments of gold cling to the rough outer edge of a striking blue agate. The once rough edge takes on a new appearance and is unrecognisable from what it was moments before. The transformation is almost complete…

Gold leaf and agates © Hazel Saunderson 2019

My partner Kevin’s sister recently had a beautiful small wedding in rural Scotland, just outside the artists’ town of Kircudbright. In preparation for this, she asked if I would take on the task of making the place cards. There wasn’t much of a brief, just an indication of the two main colours – blue and gold.

Learning Relief Printmaking

Four days of printmaking, three final prints, lots of cleaning up paint, good studio vibes, and creativity unlocked. This was how I spent my summer holidays. A staycation, but one spent learning new things and getting to know an inspiring new place – Edinburgh Printmakers. There was even some sunshine, so I spent one of my lunches sat outside in the courtyard and another looking out over the canal. Pretty sweet by all accounts.

Life is a jigsaw, relief print © Hazel Saunderson 2019

This was one of the prints I created during that week, a jigsaw print that started life as abstract sketches of beautiful flowers that I got for my birthday. On day two of the class, we were told to bring an idea for a jigsaw lino print on our third day of summer school. So I spent the night before sketching…

Late-night sketches © Hazel Saunderson 2019

I used the sketches to make a more detailed geometric drawing the following morning, with the idea that the central circle would be what helped to connect the jigsaw pieces once they had been divided.

Transferring sketch to detailed drawing © Hazel Saunderson 2019

Then I started cutting the design into the lino, the key being to remember which bits I wanted to remove to create bright white space and which bits to keep that would print. I tried to add some organic touches back in whilst cutting out the lines.

Cutting up the pieces © Hazel Saunderson 2019

Then the afternoon was spent inking up, lining up and pressing down to make a small print series. I really felt like I turned a corner on day three of class and was really pleased with how this came out.

That moment when all the pieces fit together © Hazel Saunderson 2019

Bowling through life

I went bowling with some friends recently, a rare occurrence for us; The allure of the glowing lanes and sweaty balls isn’t something that lures us out too often.

I was first up. I went in confident, tried to walk-the-walk up to the bowling line and launch my first ball down the alley with gusto. Then I watched as it started well, but soon took a spin to the left and into the gutter. Take two of this first shot happened pretty much as the first one. Then my friend got up and with almost startlingly little perceived effort, she dropped her ball and it rolled right down the middle of the lane, landing her a strike.

Inspiring places I visited in 2018

So last year I started a thing. I started to list the inspiring places I had visited during the year. I guess it was a way to keep track, a personal reference and a tool to remind myself I haven’t filled my full year with lazy weekends, although I had enjoyed a fair few!

Soaking in glorious pattern and colour. Bridget Riley and Jim Lambie, what a mix.

After writing the 2017 list I felt inspired and so have decided continue list writing. It feels good to keep a better track of places I visit and things that I look at.

When your head feels a little like this… Look at art. Look at nature. Look at people. Soak it all up. Soak it all in. Let your eyes wander and your heart open. Love more.

So here’s my 2018 list —–>>>

The two days I spent in Liverpool in August definitely helped populate a chunk of the list and were absolutely a highlight for me. The Double Fantasy exhibition at the Museum of Liverpool was one of my favourites from this year.

Imagine Peace. Double Fantasy at the Museum of Liverpool.

#5WomenArtists in National Museums Scotland’s collection

Justice, Dignity, Hope, Equality, Collaboration, Tenacity, Appreciation, Respect, Empathy and Forgiveness.

What a powerful set of words.

These words represent the ten values of International Women’s Day that took place earlier this month on March 8. Yes, yes, I’m a little late! However, although I believe that it is very important that this specific date continues to be recognised around the world. I also believe we should be building those values into the way we talk, think, write and act in regards to the role of women in our everyday too. Plus a few things caught my attention on March 8 this year, that I’ve taken a little time to reflect on…

On Yoga: The Architecture of Peace

This evening I was searching Netflix for a film to accompany a hot bath. Something to brighten my spirits, on this snowy cold Wednesday night. I decided to click through to documentaries, and sitting at the top of the list of suggestions tonight was the film On Yoga: The Architecture of Peace.

On Yoga: The Architecture of Peace – Documentary Feature Film Trailer from Adolpho Veloso on Vimeo.

This visually beautiful documentary, directed by Heitor Dhalia, is as much about photography as it is about yoga.

We first meet Michael O’Neil in his archives, where he gives us a glimpse into his vast experience as a photographer of famous faces. Shifting boxes aside, he pulls out huge negatives and laments on how he captured a powerful connection with his subjects. I enjoyed O’Neil as the narrator and this in many ways is a personal film (based on O’Neil’s book of the same name), his lifelong passion for photography is clear as he uses it to form the base of this study of yoga.

Scotland’s North Coast 500 in November – Part Two

In my earlier post, I told you about how we started our micro-adventure North last November, taking a few days to join Scotland’s official North Coast 500 route. In this post, I look at day 4 of our trip. It was just one day and yet we saw so many incredible sites, that it was a refreshing day on many levels.

We did a bit of a loop (Ullapool, Knockan Crag, Ardvreck Castle, Achmelvich Beach and Altandhu – see map at bottom of post), as we were starting from Ullapool, but wanted to end up at the Port a Bhaigh campsite in the evening. It was one of the rare campsites that were fully open in November.

Driving Scotland’s North Coast 500 in November – Part One

And above all, watch with glittering eyes the whole world around you because the greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places. Those who don’t believe in magic will never find it.
The Minpins, Roald Dahl

I felt like I discovered a little more of Scotland’s magic when we embarked on a driving holiday up north last November. The days were short, and yet they were filled with crisp cold air, sweeping empty landscapes and striking shards of light.

Kevin and I realised towards the end of October that we still had holidays to use up, and so decided to visit some family, whilst trying a bit of the North Coast 500. I was able to borrow a VW Transporter van for the trip (very lucky), and it was perfect for stopping to cook lunch surrounded by mountains or providing shelter from the wilder winter weather. I definitely got a very mild taste for #Vanlife, a wanderlust inspiring tag I’ve been following on Instagram! We camped in it a few nights, but with limited campsites open in November – we also stayed with family, and booked some nights in hotels.

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Heading north! Love a single track road when there is no other traffic! The tiniest snapshot of the 700+miles of driving I did during the week we spent doing a bit of the Cairngorms, Highlands and #Northcoast500 back in November. Forgot about this wee snippet, watching it back makes me happy. I have a longer, less jazzy version for people that like #slowTV. May upload that sometime. #Scotland #Scotspirit #highlands #nc500route #vanlife #museum30 #happy

A post shared by Hazel (@hazler_06) on Dec 19, 2017 at 1:45pm PST

The official North Coast 500 (NC500), route starts from Inverness, with a round route that covers around 500 miles, taking in the regions of Wester Ross, Sutherland, Caithness, Easter Ross, the Black Isle and Inverness-Shire.

We didn’t stick to the route 100%, but it was a great guide to get us started when planning our itinerary. We started in Edinburgh, so in this first post I’m going to cover our journey from Edinburgh to Ullapool, we meandered pretty slowly up through the Cairngorms and took three days to do this first part of the journey. Not necessary, but I love this bit of Scotland and didn’t want to rush through it in both directions (our drive home included a brisk dash down the A9).

Inspiring places I have visited in 2017

I often find that the period that spans between the end of one year, and the start of another is a good time for reflection. It’s a time to consider the 365 days that have passed, and start to imagine what the days ahead may hold.

I recently had a nagging thought that I didn’t see much art last year, so I decided to start writing a list of what I have seen, to mark some points in my memory. I’ve started with inspiring places in nature, exhibitions, museums and historical sites I visited in 2017.

Not everything turns out perfect on the first attempt, but it can still be beautiful. That’s what I took from this mishap art sculpture outside the Musée National Adrien Dubouche in Limoges.

As I completed this list – it made me realise that I have actually been really lucky and had healthy dose of art, nature and travel. It’s funny how my memory plays tricks on me. It reminds me that one of the reasons I like Instagram for personal use, is that it is like keeping a visual diary. Annie Dillard asserts in The Writing Life that:

“How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives. What we do with this hour, and that one, is what we are doing…”

Of course, depending on what hour of my day I choose to examine when considering this statement, I could conclude many different things about my life – some more inspiring than others. However, I think there is a nice reminder here – about the need to keep balance within our days. In gaining this balance, it’s important to consider how small daily acts, places we visit, and things we see can build up to have a significant impact on our year.