Лаура Крамер, художник из Бристоля
Получила письмо от любимой Лауры, прекрасной самобытной художницы, живущей в Бристоле. В давние годы, учившейся русскому языку вместе с Вибене в Копенгагене, а живописи у Юрия Коваля.
Он бы ею гордился, уверена.
По ссылке передача BBC о моей подруге. https://community.livejournal.com/suer-vyer-/319505.html?nc=4#comments
Dear Irina
I hope this email finds you well and safe as we get used to this 'new normal'. Self isolation is not a particularly different way of life for an artist, as so much of our time is spent alone in our studios either planning or producing new work.
The last 6 weeks has been no exception and despite current events, I've been working to a tight deadline to produce five paintings for a design agency in Hong Kong. I'm looking forward to sharing details of the project with you once the paintings have arrived safely, so I hope you will feel encouraged to tune into my next update for the big reveal.
It got me thinking though about all the other commissions I've painted through the years, and I realised so many of them were quite unusual - life sized in fact! And it's those I thought I'd summarise briefly in this update. I'm hoping they might even bring a smile to your face and be a welcome distraction during these trying times.
Stay safe and I'll look forward to being in touch again soon.
Laura x
Don't Feed the Gorilla
2011 - 'Wow Gorilla' as the project was called, was the first of many successful public art projects in Bristol raising money for the Children's hospital and raising awareness for the endangered status of the gorilla in the wild. My design proposal was to paint scenes of Bristol on both sides of the Gorilla, and I was commissioned to do just that, with the added challenge of carrying out the work in the foyer of the Radisson Blue Hotel, cordoned off with a sign asking the public to 'Respect the Artwork, and Don't Feed the Gorilla'
2013 - Gromit Unleashed - the phenomenally successful second project raised in total £2.35 million for the Bristol Children's hospital and I submitted two design proposals:
The first was 'Vincent van Gromit' - with scenes of Bristol painted through the eyes of the great Dutch artist himself. Plotting a cityscape on a three dimensional form is not that easy, so it required constant revision to ensure the final painting would be positioned correctly. At this stage, I simply used a rag to outline the scene before going in later with brushes and more detail.
The second design called 'Five a Day Dog' was a gentle reminder to children of the need for healthy eating especially when recovering in hospital. He was purchased by Simply Health insurance company, and lives in the foyer of their Bristol HQ.
Shaun the Sheep - 2015. Two years later, both Bristol and London were to see 80 Shaun the Sheep sculptures grace the streets in yet another family oriented trail and fund raising opportunity, but this time I worked as the charity's artist co-ordinator, assisting a team of artists beavering away to bring their two dimensional designs to three dimensional reality. All the while, being commissioned to paint three sculptures of my own. This one was called ' Lily' - a 'Monet' inspired Shaun referencing his iconic waterlily paintings so universally loved.
After 'Lily' came 'Sherlock Holmes' - complete with deer stalker hat and references to the iconic stories of Arthur Conan Doyle.
And finally my 'London' Shaun - with the iconic city skyline on his tummy and references to the Gherkin on his head and legs, with his tail referencing the beautiful ironwork on Tower Bridge. He spent the summer of 2015 in a small public gardens beside St. Paul's Cathedral.
I have gracefully stepped away from public art projects such as these and leave it now to younger artists with stronger backs! In total, my sculptures raised over £60,000 for the Wallace and Gromit Grand Appeal, and it was a privilege to be part of such a worthy cause.
I hope you've enjoyed this trip down memory lane and that you will tune in again to hear about my most recent commission currently on its way to Hong Kong. Nothing animal shaped this time, just good old fashioned 2D paintings but with touch of vineyard about them.
I would be thrilled if you would forward this to someone who might be interested in my work.