A National Portrait

The Public Catalogue Foundation

By mid-December this year, the Public Catalogue Foundation (PCF) will have uploaded the last remaining painting of approximately 210,000, by some 45,000 painters and spanning 800 years to complete this colossal project started in 2003. During that time the PCF have been tracking down, photographing and cataloguing all oil, acrylic and tempera paintings held in the public domain across the UK. The inclusiveness of this project on a national scale is unique. Unlike other online resources, the PCF catalogue includes all artworks, the great ones and the lesser ones. As many as 80% of these paintings are normally out of sight and most of them have never been photographed before.

To make this huge database available online the PCF sought the partnership of the BBC which created the website ‘Your Paintings’ where everyone can access it freely since its launch in 2011.

'Boats and Houses' by Leon Morrocco

NHS Lothian collection

The chronicle of the PCF work over the last nine years is as remarkable as its final achievement.

The story goes that its existence was born out of frustration. While visiting a county gallery, art enthusiast Frederick Hohler was told that no catalogue existed of their entire collection, so he simply decided to do something about it. The PCF was launched as a not-for-profit charity funded mostly by private grants and donations with less than 15% coming from the public sector. Its total cost on completion will be just under £6m. Its systematic search for paintings region by region has covered not only art galleries and museums but also a lighthouse, fire stations, libraries, community centres, and of course hospitals and care homes which is how Art in Healthcare (AiH) became involved.

As one of AiH volunteers I was able to catch a glimpse of the process involved and of the dedication of those working on the project when I answered a call to go and help Elspeth Mackenzie, their collection manager, on a photo shoot for the PCF in a couple of hospitals in Edinburgh. There I met the local PCF team, Laura Walters, the coordinator and Andy Phillipson, the fine art photographer.

Laura Walters and Andy Phillipson working on site. 

Image courtesy of Iona Shepherd.

Laura, a researcher and art historian and one of 50 PCF regional coordinators, had the task of making the initial contact with the collections. As well as collecting and assessing all data, she planned the cataloguing exercise according to the artworks location. She describes the process as ‘remarkably straightforward’, a statement which does credit to her organisational skills and unflappable calm. The fun part for Laura was visiting so many different places from the residence of the First Minister of Scotland to Edinburgh Zoo, she explains: “One of my favourite locations was Brodie Castle in the Highlands. It is part of the National Trust for Scotland, and it seemed that around every corner was another masterpiece. It took 7 or 8 days in total to catalogue the painting collection there, and it was a real treat to see everything on offer.”

At the photo shoot, the volunteers were divided into two groups, one would accompany Elspeth along corridors and wards to fetch the paintings that could physically be carried to the makeshift photographic studio and the other would assist Laura and Andy with the photographic process.

Paintings in public spaces have to be glazed for protection. This creates a reflected glare which can be prevented by two people holding a length of black cloth at strategic angles determined by the photographer often perched on a chair or a table. When paintings are too large to be taken down, they have to be photographed in situ. The challenge that this presents in busy public places makes Andy even more determined to get it right:

“It always gives me extra satisfaction to get a good photograph of an awkwardly positioned artwork and one particular piece stood out when Laura and I were shooting at a treatment centre in Edinburgh. It became evident quite quickly that the only way to get the shot was to stand outside of the building and have the doors electronically held open whilst I shot back through them and onto the wall using a 400mm lens. I remember only having a few centimetres spare to get a clear shot and also a few minutes before the heavens opened and so felt extremely lucky to get the perfect photograph.”

'Testing the Breeze' by Dorothy Stirling

NHS Lothian collection

Back in his office, Andy would process the raw digital images into catalogue-ready files and forward them to Laura who would finalise the paintings data before passing them on to the PCF headquarters in London. 

Because of its inclusive nature, the PCF catalogue represents an invaluable tool for the free use of individuals and educators such as Stuart Bennett, the head of the School of Art at Edinburgh College of Art (ECA): “The PCF initiative is an excellent resource for all those involved in education or interested in the work in public collections. ECA are working proactively using collections as a way of extending understanding through curation and practice."

With only a few weeks left, the PCF team in London are pulling out all the stops to meet their deadline as well as organising the tagging programme where members of the public are invited to tag paintings on the ‘Your Paintings’ website, to conclude this most democratic and revealing portrait of the UK, of its regions and institutions.

'Red Ginger, Jamaica' by Margaret Mitchell

Art in Healthcare collection

The website ‘Your Paintings’ is compelling. It will sharpen your awareness for artworks that might otherwise be taken for granted. In the words of Andy Phillipson: “The breadth and size of the Art in Healthcare collection through hospital wards, rooms, corridors and care homes is quite staggering and I can’t imagine how these places would look without it.”

What will the PCF do after December?  First they will be completing the publication of the 40 regional printed catalogues while maintaining and enriching the website and then, it is rumoured that, funding permitting, they will be turning their attention to sculptures. We look forward to that.

Martine Foltier Pugh is a freelance writer and visual artist based in Edinburgh.

With many thanks to the following people for their time, contributions and information:

Alice Payne and Laura Marriott from the PCF London head office

Laura Walters and Andy Phillipson from the PCF in Scotland

Stuart Bennett from the School of Art, Edinburgh College of Art

Links to websites:

The Public Catalogue Foundation http://www.thepcf.org.uk/home

‘Your Paintings’ http://www.bbc.co.uk/arts/yourpaintings/

The PCF tagging programme http://tagger.thepcf.org.uk/

Edinburgh College of Art http://www.ed.ac.uk/schools-departments/edinburgh-college-art

Andy Phillipson http://www.livewireimage.com/
Leon Morrocco http://www.openeyegallery.co.uk/Open+Eye/Leon+Morrocco/
Margaret Mitchell http://www.margaretmitchellart.blogspot.co.uk/
Dorothy Stirling http://www.scottishartpaintings.co.uk/artist-dorothy-stirling.asp
Iona Shepherd http://www.ionashepherd.com

Artist Uncovered: Alison Auldjo

When I met up with artist and gallery owner Alison Auldjo, she told me that she considers herself lucky and it is easy to see why. She set up the UNIONgallery in Broughton Street, a creative and buzzing niche of Edinburgh, with her husband Rob Dawkins at a time when few would have been brave enough to do so. She brought together an impressive group of artists and three years later, she can claim a string of successful shows to her credit. 

But this kind of achievement takes more than luck, it takes hard work, dedication and passion. She works closely with the artists, she considers them more like partners than clients and she is passionate about art, she confided that she could not show something that she does not like.

The same qualities are also true of her own practice. Her oil landscapes are strong compositions inspired by Scottish sceneries typically in earthy autumn colours such as ‘Across the Water’ which is in the Art in Healthcare collection. The broad horizontal bands of strong colours take the eye step by step up to the sinuous hills in the distance where the vast tranquillity of the sky calms down the scene below.

‘Across the Water’, oil on card, 41 x 48 cm, Art in Healthcare

This duality of mood is a recurring feature in Auldjo’s work where she frequently offsets areas of intense emotions with wide expanses of stillness. In ‘Open Spaces’, the fiery tones and energy of the brush strokes in the distance and around the barren trees on the right are counterbalanced by the milky tones of the pond in the foreground and by the flat blue-grey sky.

‘Open Spaces’, oil on canvas, 82 x 82 cm, courtesy of the artist

Although her landscapes depict actual places in Scotland, often the undulating Lowlands around Bonnybridge where she grew up, they deal with more than just topography. Her style is expressionist and, with contrasting components, she reveals through her paintings conflicting inner thoughts of elation, doubt or contentment and, a desire for ‘breathing space’. Some of her compositions are inhabited by animals such as birds and hares which, she explains, represent escape and survival. She believes in safety in numbers which, incidentally, happens to be the title of one of her paintings where two birds fly upwards in unison. This motto also typifies Auldjo’s vision for the aptly named UNIONgallery.

Auldjo pushes these universal themes further still by giving some of her animals an indeterminate and primeval appearance, such as the four-legged beast which features in ‘Into the Wilderness’. This poignant creature reached its final manifestation through many transformations and gives the painting the dream-like quality of symbolist landscapes, poised as it is on the edge of darkness.

‘Into the Wilderness’, oil on canvas, 93 x 78 cm, courtesy of the artist

Alison has now sold all the paintings from her solo show ‘Gone to Earth’ a year ago and is already thinking of her next show in 2014. She is planning once again to throw caution to the wind and despite the widely held view that in times of difficult economic climate, you should use a bright palette, she will follow her inclination which serves her so well and do the opposite. We look forward to it.

Martine Foltier Pugh is a freelance writer and visual artist

Credits

With thanks to Alison Auldjo for her information, the use of the images and for the tour of the gallery.

Links

About UNIONgallery http://www.uniongallery.co.uk/index.php

About Alison Auldjo’s artworks http://www.uniongallery.co.uk/index.php/Artists/Artist/alison_auldjo/

About Alison Auldjo’s painting in the Art in Healthcare collection http://www.artinhealthcare.org.uk/gallery.php?product_id=1458&page_number=1

                                                                                                                                     

Art in Healthcare’s quick response to QR codes

You will have seen them in magazines, on bank statements, food, clothes labels and business cards. The black and white square QR codes are appearing everywhere. You might find their two-dimensional pixilated look intriguing in a way that the linear one-dimensional bar codes have now ceased to be and you might be wondering at their purpose.

QR (Quick Response) codes started as a tracking device in the automobile industry and today can be accessed by anyone with a smartphone equipped with a camera and a code reader, a free downloadable app for smartphones. All you need to do is click the barcode reader app, point your phone at the QR code and that's it - immediately the encoded information appears on your screen. There is no need to key in a long website address and you can do it all while on the move. You can even create your own code and download it on printed materials or online.

Here's a short video explaining how to use a QR code.

Art in Healthcare was prompt to recognise the benefits of this technology for their art collection displayed in hospitals and care homes and earlier this year, they initiated a large task that involved several of their staff and a dozen volunteers. Artworks and artists were researched and the information was uploaded to the artworks' webpages selected for the new Royal Victoria building at the Western General Hospital in Edinburgh. There are more than 50 artists with artwork in the Royal Victoria including Elizabeth Blackadder, Alan Davie and John Houston.

Abi Allsopp, the AiH Media Manager, explains: “When a label is scanned by smartphone, a webpage for that specific artwork is opened and the viewer can find out all sorts of information including descriptions and details about the work they're looking at, the life and work of the artist who painted it, and other pieces which are similar to it. The project at the Royal Victoria building was generously sponsored by Laing O’Rouke building contractors and match funded by Arts & Business Scotland. Since starting the project in June we've had almost 100 page views per month.”

The number of views mentioned by Abi confirms the opinion generally held that QR codes are more than just a passing phase. The benefits to the patients, staff and visitors are obvious, the QR codes enrich the experience of the artworks and of the moment by opening a whole world of ideas and information in just a few seconds.

If you have not tried it yet, why don’t you have a go with the two QR codes below.

Martine Foltier Pugh is a freelance writer 

and visual artist based in Edinburgh

Artist: Chris Bushe

http://aih-art.com/gallery.php?regno=P776

Artist Uncovered: Henry Kondracki

Born, bred and based in Edinburgh, the city features prominently in Henry Kondracki’s work, often depicted in dark and wintry nights. But his paintings are not dystopian visions of the modern metropolis. On the contrary, they are lyrical cityscapes, full of poetry and emotions where his brushstrokes playfully distort the lines of buildings to conquer their daunting mass while at the same time remaining true to their identity and features as in this view of the east end of Princes Street entitled ‘The Wellington Statue’.

‘The Wellington Statue’, oil on canvas, 133 x 150 cm, courtesy of The Scottish Gallery

Here we can see how the artist has offset the pervasive greyness with many touches of bright colours and placed the focus on the people’s resilience as they go about their daily lives despite the inclement weather.

Henry Kondracki trained at the Slade School of Fine Art in London in the 1980s. He has won many prizes throughout his career and is represented in many collections and galleries. Art in Healthcare has four of his works.

In ‘Autumn on Arthur’s Seat’ the city is seen from above and occupies most of the composition but, in complete contrast with ‘The Wellington Statue’, it is bathed in golden colours. A small figure is seating in the foreground, facing away from us towards the familiar landmarks in the distance, in harmony with nature, the city and the sky.

‘Autumn on Arthur’s Seat’, watercolour, 77 x 94 cm

In ‘Miles and His Kite’ we recognise Kondracki’s theme of the solitary figure connected physically and spiritually with nature. This powerful Expressionist painting is set on an idyllic and deserted sandy beach and the artist has imbued the diminutive figure with the same determination displayed by his city dwellers as Giles takes control of his kite by the mere suggestion of a string.

‘Miles and His Kite’, oil on canvas, 141 x 153 cm

I went to see this painting in the Royal Victoria Building at the Western General Hospital. It has pride of place in the common room where patients eat and relax and it felt right that it should hang next to a glass wall with panoramic views towards the Firth of Forth. I enjoyed its depth and intensity. All Kondracki’s paintings are drawn out first and these marks soon disappear under many layers of paint that he applies with meticulous brushstrokes until he feels the work is done.

The two remaining works in the collection are both monochrome prints which illustrate the artist’s mastery of line and sense of humour.

‘Shipwrecked’, screenprint, 63 x 81 cm

In the course of our conversation, Henry pointed out that the fishing line in ‘Shipwrecked’ and the string of the kite represent continuity and connect not only the earth, sky and water but also time, nature, history, all the great issues which guide our transient lives.

He also explained that he is always aware of the dichotomy permanence vs. impermanence and that although his works suspend a moment in time, that this moment will last an eternity or at least several generations and will be on somebody’s wall for all that time. This is why the thought is never far from his mind, except when he is absorbed in the work, that his paintings should be as joyful, uplifting and healing as possible.

The elderly patient in the Royal Victoria common room certainly seemed to think so.




Further information: 

The Scottish Gallery will be showing Henry Kondracki’s 'Works on Paper' from 8 October till 3 November 2012. http://www.scottish-gallery.co.uk/artist/henry_kondracki

The Scottish National Gallery in Edinburgh is currently showing a breathtaking selection of Expressionist and Symbolist painters in the 'Van Gogh to Kandinsky' exhibition until 14 October.
http://www.nationalgalleries.org/whatson/exhibitions/van-gogh-to-kandinsky#.UD8wpcFlRKM


Credits:

With many thanks to Henry Kondracki for his time and for sharing his thoughts during our telephone conversation.

Thank you also to The Scottish Gallery for the use of 'The Wellington Statue' image.


Martine Foltier Pugh is a freelance writer and visual artist based in Edinburgh.

Carterhaugh and Forest Pitch, A Tale of Two Ba' Games

In the middle of the Olympic Games, I went to see ‘Playing for Scotland. The Making of Modern Sport’, the exhibition of sporting paintings, photographs and memorabilia now showing at the Scottish National Portrait Gallery in Edinburgh. I counted twenty four different sports in total, some of them hundreds of years old and many still practised today. Football is particularly well documented. I learned that it all started with the ancient tradition of the village ba’ game which incidentally is still played today in certain Scottish towns, when whole communities or parishes got involved behind two opposite sides, the ‘uppies’ vs. the ‘doonies’. 

One particular ba’ game still stands out today from the rest. We are reminded of it by a small etching by James Stephanoff entitled ‘Lifting the Banner of the House of Buccleuch at the Great Foot-Ball Match on Carterhaugh’. The epic encounter between Selkirk and Yarrow took place in December 1815. Volunteers from other parishes joined the two sides until their combined numbers reached the hundreds and all marched to the site of the game to the sound of the pipes. The military feel was reinforced by the display of the Buccleuch Banner, a relic of past wars. The Duke of Buccleuch in person supported the Yarrow side while Selkirk was championed by its Sherriff, none other than Sir Walter Scott whose literary works spread his positive portrayal of Scottish identity across the world.  Scott was greatly instrumental in the organisation of the contest.

Not surprisingly, the arts were part of the proceedings and the 2000 spectators were handed out verses by Scott and James Hogg, the poet and novelist. The pitch was over one mile long with the Ettrick Water and the River Yarrow for goal lines. Selkirk wore twigs of fir and Yarrow, sprigs of heather. The game lasted more than four hours and remarkably, humour and good behaviour were maintained throughout even though betting money was at stake. Eventually it ended nil-nil, such was the athletic fitness of the men.

Almost two hundred years later, another football event is currently being organised in the Borders with the patronage of the arts. ‘Forest Pitch’ is the creation of Edinburgh-based artist Craig Coulthard and was selected to represent Scotland in the London 2012 Cultural Olympiad. The project which is supported by Creative Scotland, involved felling spruce in a commercial plantation in the Borders to make the pitch. The trees were then recycled into changing rooms, goal posts, seating and fencing. 

 

Craig Coulthard in front of the pitch

picture by Angie Catlin, courtesy of 'Forest Pitch'

 

Two matches are to take place bringing together four amateur teams, two male and two female with many of the players having recently arrived to Scotland from various parts of the world and all will be wearing strips designed by schoolchildren. After the event, the pitch will be planted with native trees as a lasting reminder.

 

Forest Pitch strips with their young designers

picture by Angie Catlin, courtesy of 'Forest Pitch'

 

Coulthard’s inspiration evolved from his memories of playing football as a boy in a forest in Germany where he grew up. He has been closely involved with the games and the players but will not be taking part in the matches and, as a keen amateur footballer, finds it difficult to resist kicking the ball when watching the practice sessions. He explains that although he was aware of Scott and Hogg neither men nor their work have a direct influence on his work and that the Carterhaugh Ba’ just happened to be a wonderful coincidence. I see in what similarities there are between the two, a heartening sign of the continuity of the Scottish spirit and identity. 

The Cultural Olympiad got under way in 2008 and like the Olympic Games it has involved and inspired millions across the UK. ‘Forest Pitch’ is a celebration of Scotland’s cultural diversity, its passion for ball games and the spirit of amateur sport.  It also shows that when the arts and sports come together, anything is possible!

 

For information:

The ‘Forest Pitch’ games will take place on August 25 and tickets are available from the ‘Forest Pitch’ website. www.forestpitch.org/

The Buccleuch Estates at Bowhill are considering a re-enactment of the Carterhaugh Ba’ game in 2015 to mark its bicentenary. www.bowhill.org

 

Martine Foltier Pugh is a freelance writer and visual artist based in Edinburgh

 

Credits:

With thanks to Craig Coulthard for his information and images and to Matthew Shelley of ‘Forest Pitch’ for his images.

 

Links:

The National Galleries of Scotland, ‘Playing for Scotland’ exhibition www.nationalgalleries.org/whatson/exhibitions/playing-for-scotland#.UCD1sGFSQlw

Craig Coulthard www.craigcoulthard.com/

‘Forest Pitch’ www.forestpitch.org/

Creative Scotland ‘Cultural Olympiad’  www.creativescotland.com/explore/2012-2014/london-2012-cultural-olympiad/forest-pitch

Buccleuch Estates at Bowhill www.bowhill.org

Artist Uncovered: Damian Callan

For my second blog, it is my pleasure to ‘uncover’ the artist Damian Callan.

The human body in motion is a constant source of inspiration for Callan. He often depicts his own children, in groups or singly, by the sea or swimming pools as they paddle, row, run and sometimes simply stand still or sit down. But even when apparently motionless, the body is not inert and Callan’s consummate knowledge of anatomy illustrates this paradox with mastery. His paintings and drawings convey all the fun and happiness that children find in physical pursuits. They exude health and well-being.

The two paintings in the Art in Healthcare collection are early works from Callan’s degree show at Edinburgh College of Art in the mid 90s and both are set in swimming pools.  They are quiet studies. In ‘Boy with Armbands’, there is no splashing about, no shrieking with fear or pleasure, rather the artist has chosen to describe the motion of the bodies as they wade slowly through the water, feeling its weight as they push their way through.  As in most of his work, the figures are rendered broadly and details are kept to a minimum. This simplification is deliberate as it emphasises the subject’s movement and the dynamics of the composition.  

                         'Boy with Armbands' Damian Callan, oil on board, 1995, Art in Healthcare collection

Another of Callan’s skills is his use of back-light and shadows to create an atmosphere. It comes as no surprise to read on his website that he admires Edgar Degas, the Impressionist grand master of light and movement, famous for his studies of ballet dancers and horses and for his dramatic use of ‘contre-jour’. In both paintings in the Art in Healthcare collection, Callan has captured to great effect the particular luminosity, a mix of artificial and natural light that saturates swimming pools.

Following a commission by Sports Scotland to produce a series of paintings for their head office in Stirling, Damian Callan has been, for the last four years, in tune with the nation’s Olympic mood and working with divers from Edinburgh and young gymnasts from Lasswade. With oil and charcoal and also, for the first time, with stencils, he has pushed the process of abstraction further still. 

                                         

                                   'Handstand' Damian Callan, oil on canvas, 2012, the artist's collection

He has clearly enjoyed the experience: “It has been a treat to work with all the movement in these disciplines as well as the colour in the swimming pools”. But he also confides that he has missed not working with his children. Even without that personal element, I feel assured that he will have grasped the essence of his subjects and as one of his ex-pupils, I know that he will have made them feel relaxed very quickly and helped bring out the best in them.

Martine F Pugh is a freelance writer and visual artist based in Edinburgh.

www.damiancallan.co.uk

Volunteering with Art in Healthcare

My name is Martine, I started volunteering for Art in Healthcare (AiH) in January this year and have been involved in five different projects since. This first blog allows me to look back and reflect on my experiences over the past six months.

AiH has a large collection of high quality contemporary artworks which they place in hospitals and care homes all around Scotland. My first job was to promote this service to care homes and explain how it can improve their patients’ quality of life. It was a revelation to me. I learned as much about these homes and patients’ care as they did about AiH’s services. The length of calls varied between a few seconds to 20 minutes and I am grateful to that manager who took the time to educate me in the needs of her patients.

'April 1997', Barbara Balmer, currently at the new Royal Victoria Hospital

Next I helped with the documentation of AiH paintings for the Public Catalogue Foundation, a national project which will eventually make available online every oil and acrylic painting in the public domain. Led by the collection manager, the AiH team of volunteers went to track down all such relevant paintings hired out to hospitals and homes. Eventually each artwork was taken down, photographed and rehung.  A considerable achievement made even more interesting wherever the description on ‘the list’ had become somehow disconnected over the years with the actual painting. We met some wonderful hospital staff as we searched around. Somehow, when put together, the words ‘art’ and ‘healthcare’ seem to make people want to talk and share anecdotes.

I also met up with another volunteer and shadowed her as she gave a talk in a care home about two paintings hired from AiH. I was able to see for myself the positive impact this carefully planned activity can have. At the end of the talk, some of the residents who had appeared disengaged at the beginning were chatting with her about the paintings and reminiscing about their own experiences.

'Energy is Delight', Alan Davie, currently at the new Royal Victoria Hospital

Next I became involved with the QR (Quick Response) code project. AiH are gradually encoding each of their work on display in hospitals and I was part of a team tasked with writing up reviews for the paintings going to the new Royal Victoria Building in Edinburgh’s Western General Hospital. I found this opportunity very enjoyable and it allowed me to put into practice my training in art history. My list of artists included some prominent Scottish painters such as Barbara Balmer, Elizabeth Blackadder and Alan Davie. It was a pleasure to research the artists and to correspond with some of them. It was also enlightening to consider their works from a healthcare perspective and the effect they can have in a nursing environment.

Finally I was asked to write the introduction to the NHS Lothian art collection for the Public Catalogue Foundation mentioned earlier. AiH were recently appointed to develop and implement their arts strategy. As part of my research I visited the Chaplain of the Royal Infirmary who has an encyclopaedic knowledge of the collection. He gave me some fascinating insights into its history and the logistics of displaying works in hospitals, an exercise which can provoke strong reactions, positive and negative, from staff and patients.

When I started to volunteer for AiH I never imagined the range of activities they are involved with or the variety of tasks that would be opened to me. It has been, and still is, an education.