Sue Lawty
12th - 14th May
£425
COLLECT - MAKE - DRAW
A Masterclass with Sue Lawty
Sue Lawty’s quiet, minimal, abstract artworks are distinguished as much by absence as presence. They are strongly informed by the material of their construction and characterised by meticulous attention to detail. These facets are born out of continuous focussed research and inquiry.
In this exciting masterclass participants will be guided in their own creative investigation of materiality and tactile sensibility. Using multiples of one element (natural / reclaimed / new / old) –– texture, rhythm, repetition and interval will be considered and developed. The aim here is to become increasingly discerning and singularly sensitive to nuance.
Participants will collect from the immediate environment and curate laid out ‘drawings’ by noticing and responding to the specific characteristics of their found marks. A non-precious undertaking, the inherent traits of shape, tone, colour, etc. can be explored freely and relatively speedily in multiple iterations of the same components – each composition documented before dismantling.
A second arm of the course is to work with either the recently gathered natural elements and/or the found material brought to the course –– reviewing fundamental qualities by deconstructing and manipulating e.g. cutting/ tearing/ scoring/ hammering/ layering/ folding/ rolling/ soaking/ pleating/ twisting/ bending etc. This will be followed by investigating ways of reconstructing and joining –– lacing, tying, weaving, wrapping, knotting, knitting, stitching, threading, pinning and so on; all the time noticing and exploiting potential for reiteration, cadence, pulse and pattern.
Both group and one to one discussions of the resulting assembled samples will help navigate development of larger pieces that further push qualities of structure and scale –– rigid, taught, dense, open, diaphanous, opaque, hard, soft, springy, hairy, compressed, smooth, rough etc… with the objective of creating a dimensional ‘fabric’. Empathetic abstract drawings will subsequently be developed from the made works, bringing the process full circle.
Tuition is individual, personal and relaxed. All the above is flexible/ non-prescriptive. Participants may work at their own speed and follow individual instincts and interests. Over the three days each group member will create a small personal portfolio (plus some potentially larger works!) and will leave energised, with the motivation and stimulus to inform future projects.
Lunches and refreshments included.
Days run from 10am to 4pm (ish)
About Sue
Whether making drawings and assemblages using tiny stones creating a kind of pixelated cloth or weaving in linen, hemp, raphia or lead, Sue Lawty talks of the 'integrity of mark making intrinsic to particular thread or structure’.
Through deeper focus into the minutiae of the earth’s surface, for example in searching out the found marks of a landscape (in particular tiny, thin slivers of stone), she states that her own understanding and sensibilities to subtle shifts and changes have also become heightened: ‘I feel constantly drawn into investigating these hidden ‘languages’ exploring similarity and difference – making visible that which may be overlooked‘.
In her works, nothing is predetermined. The physicality and subtleties of material and construction are explored with rigour and intuition during the process of making. Lightness of touch and a pared down palette give importance to each nuance of mark. The artist states that she seeks an ‘understated restraint, balance, tension, rhythm: an essential stillness’ Her works have been described as 'spiritual... meditative... a deeply contemplative experience’.
In education, the artist sees her role as a catalyst – aiming to draw out the unique creative essence of each individual. As a highly experienced artist, designer and teacher, Sue Lawty has exhibited and taught extensively. Her work is in collections worldwide including the Victoria and Albert Museum, London where, as Artist in Residence/ Associate Artist 2005 – 2010, alongside a solo exhibition of her work, she developed bespoke affiliated education and community projects. Prestigious Artist Research Fellowships include Smithsonian Museums USA, the School of Earth & Environment, University of Leeds and the International Studio Programme in Sweden. All these experiences continue to provide stimulus for her creative thinking.
Lawty is also a keen fell runner and an accomplished trekker, leading both hard mountain treks and specialist textile trips to Bhutan, India and Central Asia for the travel company Mountain Kingdoms. The book 'Earth Materials' was published in 2017 about her work.
From previous courses…
Sue’s personal practice…
