Gallery Selections
Visitors to local galleries this summer may have spotted the work of two of our latest crop of art graduates, Amanda Hunter and Michael Flood, who have wasted no time in exhibiting their work which was selected for display in shows in Batley and Leeds. We caught up with them to discover the ideas and inspirations behind these pieces.
BA (Hons) Art and Design graduate, Amanda Hunter, has had three pictures on display, selected from over 200 pieces of art work for Batley Art Gallery. She was delighted to earn praise from critics who expressed special interest in her work.
Amanda explained, “I am particularly interested in the emotional effects of crime on the victims of crime, due to being a victim of crime myself. Initially I viewed this as a personal project, an exploration and expression of the emotional distress caused by crime.
My future plans are to continue practising art, exhibiting my work and maybe look into working in other artist's workshops. I am currently working on a contemporary painting/ illustration of a local landmark, Castle Hill in Huddersfield. I'm much more figurative myself though after researching this subject there are strong possibilities. This is fascinating as I'm interested in some of the myths/history surrounding this estate. A devil is said to live beneath the tunnels guarding his treasure. Wormcliffe, the name of near by land, is said to have been named by Anglo-Saxtons (wym meaning dragon). "
BA (Hons) Fine Art graduate, Michael Flood, had a Darwin inspired piece Those of Us selected for display from a vast number of entries for Leeds Art Gallery’s Open Show. Michael said, "It is really good to complete your degree course and have some immediate recognition. Those of Us was created as part of my final degree show, celebrating the 150th Anniversary of Charles Darwin’s book Origin of the Species
and Darwin’s 200th Birthday. Darwin put forward the theory that natural selection was the mechanics of evolution, but because he lived during the Victorian era he was only able to deal with the successful selection of the human species as the extinction of man was a taboo subject.
Those of Us features the landscape shortly after the natural selection of man for extinction. The weather extremes have created huge glaciers, which are apparent in the background. Because of man’s previous harvesting of natural resources an American Bald Eagle is forced to adapt its diet and chooses a frog for a meal. However, the enigma in the sky behind the Eagle signifies the hunter as becoming hunted. In the picture the shift in the food chain has reduced the Bald Eagle from a symbol of power to a link in the food chain. Perhaps the spectator may consider the view as denoting a ‘Wonderland,’ but the frog leaps away from the stepping stile as if to suggest 'If this is a wonderland you can keep it.' Those of Us connotes those people who have a lot of questions about the state of the natural environment, but do not have any answers. As a statement Those of Us is neither a question nor an answer, but it connects and affects us all.”
Michael has always been proactive about finding an audience for his work. As a mature student on a two year access course when he began his artistic studies, he found success and encouragement for the new direction he was taking when he won a College competition to produce art to refresh the meeting rooms with a new body of visually exciting, thought provoking and positive images of Bradford as a way of inspiring the decision making process. His striking view of Bradford has been on display in the College boardroom since April 2006.
Michael added, "Those of Us is a digital print but I am currently concentrating more on my painting. I am continuing my studies with a postgraduate Fine Art course starting in January, while developing my professional work as a fine artist."