BP Portrait 2013

Hopefully I will be ready in time to enter...

http://www.npg.org.uk/whatson/exhibitions/bp-portrait-award-2013.php

Prints

A few of my favourite Silk-screen Prints...

Latte Art?

So recently I've not had a chance to make much 'art' of my own so I've been practising some of my 'Latte Art' skills! Here are some of my better ones - hey, they might get better sometime!

Urban Exploration

Perth, Scotland.

This city has many hidden gems, here are a few of my favourites!

A Girl sits alone in the world?

Getting the Fine-liner back out! 
August 2012
Ink Pen on Paper 
A2

Freshly Squeezed! DJCAD Graduates Art Show

https://www.facebook.com/events/258214360961505/

A wee exhibition that might be of interest! Check out the facebook event by clicking above! ^

Some exciting work from myself and other recent graduates of Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art.

Links to some of the artists pages:

http://www.laura-whyte.tumblr.com/

http://www.sallyhackett.co.uk/

http://www.kirstyturpie.tumblr.com/
http://www.tanyahendrie.co.uk/
http://ninameahow.blogspot.co.uk/
http://tderparthogh.blogspot.co.uk/

Opening times:

Sunday 22nd July 1pm, running until Thursday 26th July at 9pm

The Vic Bar/Kitchen, 1 St Mary's Place, St Andrews

DON'T MISS IT!!!!

:)

Degree Show 2012

All works are for sale, prices available on request.

Commissions also welcome.

Please get in touch if you are interested, want just to give some feedback or get more information.

ncoupe141@gmail.com

A link to my Degree Show online catalogue page!

http://www.dundee.ac.uk/djcad/degreeshow/studentsexhibiting/fineart/nicolacoupe/

Degree Show Opening Times

Private View:18 May, 6-9pm

Dates:

19 May to 27 May

Time:

Monday – Friday 10am -8pm

Saturday – Sunday 10am – 4pm

Admission:

Admission is free

Location:

Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art & Design

University of Dundee, Perth Road,

Dundee DD1 4HT

Artists Statement, Degree Show 2012

Nicola Coupe

B.A.(Hons) Fine Art

An Investigation of the Self.

Issues about identity and the self, gender and sexuality are part of the human condition; it is through portraiture we explore these ideas. (S.Nairne 2006)

Executed in monochrome, my work is an exploration of self-representation. Issues about identity, obsession and fragmentation are at the forefront of my work. By being the artist and the model it has become an extension of my identity. Interdisciplinary practice has allowed me to explore many possibilities for research and development of my ideas.

In the final works for this degree show I have concentrated mainly on painting. My drawings and photography support the main idea and have also lead me to my conclusion. Using a combination of techniques, I have tried to combine a painterly style in the figure with a graphic style in the background to portray a tension between the real and unreal. I also collect photographs from many sources, mainly of my own body and face. This enables me to see how the work will come together, allowing elements to bleed into one another. Combining images enables me to resolve the work, linking pieces together by repeating forms and patterns, however the theme of self-reflection will never end. By surrounding myself with my own image I am trying to emphasise this reality. 

Degree Show 2012

Degree Show: Assessment week

This week was strange, I felt at a complete loss after having done so much work over the past 4 months. I was able to go in one day to help another student with their project. She was doing a performance piece as part of her assessment, getting a tattoo of her artwork in front of the marking panel which I was lucky enough to be part of by documenting the process. Check her out at http://fortysixclementines.blogspot.co.uk/

Degree Show: Preparing the space

So now that the work has been made and the mounting is done it is time to prepare the space in which I am exhibiting this year.

I must say that anyone down in my area of the show were very lucky as our boards had already been put up :)

Day 1 Sunday 29th April - Discovering many staples and nails in the walls that must be pulled out and the holes filled in with poly filler. An abundance of masking tape was also needed to fill all the gaps between the boards.

Day 2 Monday 30th April - Painting the walls white. A mighty task for someone so short! A big thank you to Yasmin (3rd year fine art) who helped out with this task.

Day 3 Tuesday 1st May - An hour long trip to the print unit started my day. I had already printed my photographs however they came out all stripy! Total Nightmare! So I then had them re-printed and mounted onto kappa board, setting me back a few pennies! I also helped a friend nail 8 8ft/4ft boards to her wall (in only half an hour I might add). This was not as bad as having to carry them all up six floors! My muscles got a workout that day!

Day 4 Wednesday 2nd May - A trip to Perth for the all important varnish for my paintings (another massive dent in the budget!) I used a 50/50 mix of Windsor and Newton Artists matt and gloss varnish to give my paintings a satin finish! I was very reluctant to put something over the top of the paintings as I have never done this before! The result of this was astounding. I feel the work would not be what it is without this vital finish.

Day 5 Thursday 3rd May  - Hanging the work. A massive thank you to Alan the studio technician! No major problems were encountered other than the odd measuring mistake (mainly down to tiredness). A little re-arranging of the work was needed to draw the viewer round into the main part of the show. A long day that was.

Day 6 Friday 4th May - Arranging my supporting materials. Sketchbooks, Photo-books, Portfolio of Photography, Drawings, Prints, Notes all had to be organised. This was a major task and it took me all day to label everything and organise it on my desk in a sensible way!

Day 7 Saturday 5th May - Finishing touches! Painting around all the fixings and over any pencil marks. Much to my displeasure I found a couple of holes in the wall that I had missed! I also painted and sanded a plinth for my business cards and book.

Day 8 Sunday 7th May - The floor must be Mopped! I had splattered a bit of white paint of my lovely wooden floor. Woops!  

So there it was - my show was complete! Time now for a well deserved pint!

Update on progress

So I have now spent a total of seven weeks on my final pieces, probably another week to go before I am happy with them. Next stage will be drying and deciding on glazes/varnishes?

I also have been given my space for this years degree show - a prime location near the entrance! I have been allocated two walls, one 16ft (for the triptych) and another at about 12ft with will exhibit a series of drawings or photographs, I am still undecided!

Anyway, here are some photos of my progress.

The Preparation Begins

Proposals are in, works are in progress. The second semester of my final year is proving much better than the first. I am currently working on a large scale triptych, oil on board 4ft by 13ft.The development of these pieces has been explored directly on the board. Surface texture, composition and technique applied has been something of an experiment. I initially thought that I would include printmaking in my show also but I now think it is important for the medium and techniques I use to relate to each other in some way. I would like the pieces to compliment each other and explore the same themes. Here are a few pictures of my work in progress. More will follow.