Rob Turner Public Artist

Creative Practice Seminars

2012-02-22T10:52:00.002+01:00

I am working on my presentation for this event this week and if you read the flier for the event it says's I am presenting a session on making applications and writing proposals.

Here is a couple of pages from my diary showing my application activities! I have made a considerable amount of applications over the years, and now I being asked to share some of my knowledge and er-ehm skills in the elusive art of submitting:

expressions of interest
artist responses
proposals
submissions
applications
tender documents
biographries
statements
resumes
CV'S

Water Voles on Winnall Moors.

2012-02-12T15:56:00.002+01:00

painted mdf water vole

I am continuing with a series of MDF animal cut-outs, which are created for 'The Tale of Winnall Moors'. This is a current commission, working for the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust, to create a sculpture trail on a nature reserve. These cut-outs are really going to be used on the project blog click here and also I hope in the development of a storey, to accompany the sculptures on the trail. They are not the sculptures on the trail.

A storey telling group Orangeapples will deliver a series of workshops in local schools and community groups to develop this storey, I hope the animal cuts will prove usefull in this process. I also want to use them as illustrations in the printed booklet containing 'The Tail of Winnall Moors'.

sketches and preparation

water vole numbers are declining except on
Winnal Moors where there is an increase.

If the slide show has not loaded click here

Heritage100

2012-01-29T15:24:00.000+01:00

Heritage100 The Hampshire County Council Museums Outreach Project.

The Isle of Wight has been the region we are responsible for covering. That's me and Sue Austen working in schools and community groups to encourage people to view the dedicated project website Heritage100 and deliver almost artistic activities that relate to the chosen museum pieces in some way! It has has taken us on a magical mystery tour with some very unexpected outcomes.

Here are some visuals of our museum activities on the Isle of Wight

above: Neovenator (new hunter) Dinosaur Isle Sandown
Below: Dinosaur made from marsh-mallows and
liquorice allsorts by an after school club.

above: The Ryde Paddle Steamer buillt 1937.
below: Our Ryde Paddle steamer built 2012

A model of the paddle steamer is features in the Heritige100 collection. It turned out to be one of most popular items as many people remember it when it was taken out of service and used as a disco/night club during the 70's. We took photos of it now on the mud flats where it is slowly returning to the earth.

The Ryde now on the mud flats near Newport and the model in Cowes
Maritime Museum showing crew and passengers. Our model was
made with a Primary School in Shanklin with passengers
made from plastercine

above: doodles drawn on the council miniutes by the

Borough Treasurer bound into archive volumes.

below: a doodle by a member of the public on a

table cloth in the cafe at Quay Arts centre Newport.

above: the unveiling of the Victoria
Memorial in Newport 1903.

below: staff at the Nat.West Bank allowed
us recreate the shot from the 4th floor 2012

below is a slide show of the activities and things we made inspired by objects from the museums on the Isle of Wight. These have been hade by schools and community groups.

If the slide show has not loaded then please click here

Thanks to Sue Austen my working partner, Richard Smout IOW County Records Office
and Future Creative

Kingfishers

2011-12-13T16:35:00.000+01:00

Starting work on my new job at Winnall Moors

I am enjoying making models and taking them into the landscape and photographing them. So carrying on from my Red Indian games (previous post) I have used the same technique for my new commission. This is a sculptural trail around Winnall Moors nature reserve in Winchester.

the only time I ever saw a real kingfisher was about 1982

mdf kingfishers in my workshop

my kingfishers must be about 4-5 times life size (Winnall Moors)

this photo is not Winnall Moors (much nearer my house)

A robin was totally checking me out the whole time I was there. I dont know if it was me walking along the stream in a pair of wellies that freaked him out, or wether massive mutent size Kingfishers bothered it? Either way it was following me and flew out of the corner of my vision over a dozen times.

kingfisher 'goin west'

What will a do with these now? I have used one as the banner for the Winnall Moors project blog which I just set up but have not started writing anything yet! http://winnalmoors.wordpress.com/

I have also made a slide show if it does not run then click here
I enjoyed making and photographing them and I guess they are part of a warm up process for the new project. Here is my commissioners website with more information about the site.

The Battle of the Little Big Horn

2011-11-08T00:56:00.002+01:00

what's on the artists workbench II?

The Battle of the Little Big Horn
(under construction)

I have had a few days where other projects have not got off the ground yet. So in this small window of time I have have found my self making some Red Indians out of plywood. For some time a graduall swell in interest been accumulating, and not long ago a friend of mine posted me a small parcel. Amongst other items it contained a feather, which has finally made me make this series of figures, as I associated the feather with these Red Indians or First Nation Americans .

what's on the artists workbench? Red Indians made from plywood

So my plan was to take them off the woods and photograph them, as I did with the Highland Cattle and Konic pony painted cut outs. It all links together now the Konic Ponies are really wild horses and the Highland Cattle are the eqivellant we have for a European Bison. It all leads to the plains of N. America?

This could the Ogla-La Sioux re-enacting the Battle of The Little Big Horn.

these Indian Wars I ofen played out as a child. But my battles, even
'Wounded Knee' the Indians almost always won

So that's playtime over...and tommorrow I start work again with a meeting with my new working partners at the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust. Talking of the Isle of Wight I have also just started a Museums Outreach Project on the Island .

If the slide does not load to see more Indians click here

The Wildart Trail

2011-10-18T14:57:00.001+02:00

Raptor

The Wildart Trail was officially opened with an event called Trail Blaze. Bringing what must be about a year long residency, (probably a little longer) towards an end. Its been fantastic. I have worked closely wih the Kent Wildlife Trust and people with art / craft skills to create this trail. It has been designed to highlight idiginous species within Thorden Wood, both animals and plants. The focus is on biodiversity and habitat creation, it is about highlighting what is already there. Its not an Art Park, more like an introduction to woodland wildlife. The trail forms a small part of the much wider Blean Project.

Heron (willow)

Totem Post (routed chestnut)

Highland Cattle (routed Chestnut coppice stump)

Insect home (detail the wood shed)

One of two Totem Poles forming the Entrance Feature
from top to bottom: Highland cattle, Tawney Owl,
Dore Mouse and Chestnut Leaves

arch: naturally curved pine tree cut lengthways and installed to walk under

The Drover walking along the Radfall to Canterbury (willow)

The entrance interpretation panel showing the features
on a map of the trail

The team for the delivery of this trail:

Rob Turner: Artist in residence

Kathryn Barton Community Engagement KWT

John Wilson Blean Warden KWT

Alan Sage Willow Weaving

Roger Day Chain Saw

Soverign Forestry Services for installations

I expect the slideshow below has trouble loading so here is the link to see whats on the trail.

http://s213.photobucket.com/albums/cc3/robturner/?action=view¤t=3cfadb04.pbw

Thanks to the funding partners as well.

Sadley my website does not like the TAP funding logo, but the arts outreach at Canterbury City Co. enabled the project to start.

Getting Paid: How to sustain your practise as an artist:

2011-10-09T12:04:00.003+02:00

I will talking along side Emily Speed (a fellow a-n blogger winner) at this event. I'm looking forward to meeting her and think that the evening will be very interesting. This is a massive topic if you want to really provide useful info for other emerging artists, it's a case of what do I leave out as the slide show I am preparing would be way too long, with two presentations I dont want too make people glaze over with info overload!

Core Gallery

Getting Paid: How to sustain your practise as an artist:

Thursday 13th October, 6.30- 8.30pm

Joined by Emily Speed and Rob Turner

Still preparing for this today. I hope things stimulate a valuable disscussion afterwards poviding motivation for the way forward for some people.

Here is the link for more information below

http://www.coregallery.co.uk/getting-paid

Core Gallery
C101 Faircharm Trading Estate
8 – 12 Creekside
Deptford
London SE8 3DX
Tel: 020 8692 2783

http://www.coregallery.co.uk/contact/

Wildart Trailblaze

2011-09-30T23:50:00.000+02:00

This is official opening of the Wildart Trail. This is the cullmination of something like a year working with Kent Wildlife Trust on their Blean Project.

I had a conversation in the woods today with a dog walker who had walked his dog for ten years in the woodland. He said there was a noticible increase in people using the woods, you know for leisure walking, school trips and wheel chair special needs organisations bringing group outings, this increase in the last couple of years. He also said he'd seen a lot more animials recently, slow worms, more spieces of birds, lizards and even snakes! I hope this guy comes to this opening event and tells the same storey to Kent Wildlife Trust as that is the whole point and their aims fulfilled. I am delighted to have played a role in project.

How to Blog: Seminar at the Core Gallery

2011-09-17T22:27:00.000+02:00

I have been invited to make a presentation and talk about blogging at the Core Gallery in SE London. This is set up in conjuction with a-n The Artists Information Company who host a large range of artist blogs on a section called 'Projects Unedited'.

wild flower seeds from my
blog 'Walking with Cosmo'

Here is the link to their home page
http://www.a-n.co.uk/artists_talking

here is the limk to the artists blogs
http://www.a-n.co.uk/artists_talking/projects

I have several blogs on this site. It is a very interesting place for insight into artists working in more disciplines and mediums than you can shake a stick at. Over the years a strong online community has evolved and it is always exciting to meet someone whose blog you know and, then speak with them at an event like this.

DIY Educate

Talks, Workshops and Crits

Nuts & Bolts: How to Blog

Thursday 22 September, 6.30-8.30pm, £9.50 / £5 for DIY Members
Chaired by Andrew Bryant, Online editor of a-n Artists talking. Joined by Rob Turner and Rosalind Davis (award-winning Artists talking bloggers 2009) and Jane Boyer.
Sponsored by a-n The Artists Information Company
Social networks and online communities such as blogs, Facebook and Twitter can be an essential part of developing your profile as an artist and can be utilised to create networks and opportunities. To reserve a space and pay for your ticket please go here

Core Gallery
C101 Faircharm Trading Estate
8 – 12 Creekside
Deptford
London SE8 3DX
Tel: 020 8692 2783

http://www.coregallery.co.uk/contact/

What's on the artists workbench?

2011-08-30T00:14:00.000+02:00

A Totem Post. I am calling these short totem poles 'totem posts' and there will be four placed along the Wildart Trail. This one is the final one and we have very recently installed it. Each post dipicts images by different primary school classes. This one on my bench is the Philip Haward Primary School Herne Bay.

Totem Post Philip Howard Catholic Primary School Herne Bay

These posts are really a collection of woodland experiences by school pupils, depicting fauna and flora of the local woods. I see them as a directory of speices living in the woods, though some species are more popular than others. The highland cattle a big favourites, beetles and spiders surprisingly popular, with wild grasses and flowers featuring less in their design work. I have tried even out the balance and show as much as possible. Though I particularly like the horns and shape of the head on the cattle as well. They remind me of aurochs in cave paintings which some how have a powerfull attraction.

highland cattle

stag beetle

The Wildart Trail has generated much interest and I will busy working on it over the next few months. Rather than repeat myself on here I have included the link to my 'Wildart in Blean Blog' which has followed the progress of my residency in Thornden Woods, it also shows the Wildart Trail grow as new features and events are installed.

the last post now installed

tawney owl

Totem Poles : Entrance Feature to the Wildart Trail

2011-08-07T22:29:00.002+02:00

I have been working in the woods on these totem poles. Two Douglas Firs 5m long, each weighing probably a little over half a ton each. Roger Day has brought my designs to life with his chain saw.

Totemism is a method of organising and reasoning for a society, it is a very old system but still used today. It defines reality and mankinds position within it by providing order and meaning to the surounding world. These poles depict indiginous species to Thornden Wood and show what could be described as a 'historical landscape'.

So when I walk with Cosmo my dog in these woods we are part of the handiwork of the ancestors !

I am the artist in residence at Thorden Wood: see my Wildart Blog and work being done with the Kent Wildlife Trust.

Calender showing the changing seasons using wool wrapped around some sticks

2011-07-20T01:04:00.001+02:00

I have included the link to this slide show as it never seems to have loaded when I look?
click here

Every month for a year I took four sticks from Thornden Wood, wrapped them with wool as a responce to the changing seasons took them back and photographed them. The result is a kind of calander, I also kept a blog for the year as well called Blogging the Blean

That was the third year long project I have set myself, and I have one ongoing one at the moment. I dont really know what the outcome for it will be? For the moment it seems about just collecting data. It's quite difficult to keep disciplined enough to keep to the rules I set myself while other stuff is going on.

Nomination for the Cultural Awards

2011-07-17T01:46:00.001+02:00

Starting with some great news then

A certificate of merit for nomination in the Cultural Awards. Though it has my name on the certificate, I am working in partnership with the Kent Wildlife Trust and won some funding from Canterbury City Council for the creation of the Wildart Trail. I would like to thank both organisations for their support.

And Congratulations to the winners