Affordable Art Fair, Battersea 2015

Delighted to show work with the fabulous fourfour gallery for the third year. Thank you to everyone who visited, and for all the wonderful feedback.

Inscape series by M Cobbin.

Inscape series by M Cobbin

fourfour gallery stand, showing work by Beth Murray, Francis Murray, Julia McNeal,  Michelle Cobbin & Elisabeth Bell.

Another piece at the Towner Gallery 2015

By good fortune I had the opportunity to show another painting at the gorgeous Towner Gallery, Eastbourne, as part of Chalk Gallery's 10th anniversary show.

Moxie, acrylic on canvas 72x72cm. 2015.  M Cobbin

Open House 2015

Pictures from May 2015 at BareFoot ArtHouse - Michelle Cobbin & Meg Griffiths.

Teaism - the way of tea

Tribalism has been defined in engaged theory as a ‘way of being’ based upon kinship, place and communication . My body of work entitled ‘Tea Ceremony’ is an ongoing investigation into various cultural traditions of tea drinking and ritual that draws upon the simplicity of the teacup as a symbol of comfort, conviviality and contemplation. The Tao says that ‘tea is a way of being’. ‘Teaism’ or the ‘way of tea’ is a term to describe the tea ceremony that incorporates a set of rituals, which are practised to cultivate harmony with nature, and to help balance the heart and mind. Teaism teaches restraint and simplicity, and finds beauty in the ordinary.

Kukicha - acrylic on canvas

Tea has been consumed in Britain since colonial times. From China, via the Silk Road, to India, Africa and beyond, each culture, region or clan has its own variation of tea and tea ritual. Growing up in England, a nation of tea drinkers, I have enjoyed cream teas, tea parties and tea-breaks. I have found comfort, friendship and curiosity in all manner of teas, from the conventional ‘builders’ teabag to first-flush Darjeeling, and fair-trade green to multifarious herbal infusions. Travelling, I have enjoyed sweet masala chai on Indian trains and sage-infused Bedouin tea around a campfire in Sinai. Through yoga and meditation I have developed an interest in the more formal tea ceremonies rooted in the Chan and Zen traditions of China and Japan.  

Bedouin Tea

Chinese Tea

Much of my work is about finding tranquility or harmony in ordinary things. I approach the making of work in two distinct ways. Both originate with an idea I wish to convey, and the ‘letting go’ of that idea and simply painting.

Sunday Morning

I allow myself to play with the paint, being spontaneous with colour and movement. These paintings often result in many layers as I work over them, tidying up to create the right effect without losing the dynamic energy.

Matcha

At other times, I respect the power of the simplest mark, inspired by my study of Zen calligraphy. These paintings may appear to have been thrown together in minutes but there is often a whole stack of rehearsed pieces left behind.

Eventually I arrive at a place where the qualities I am searching for – rhythm, form, colour, harmony – are held in a delicate balance, allowing the overall result to appear effortless.  I draw inspiration from the philosophy of tea ceremonies to express these ideas in my work.

Gunpowder

East Sussex Open at Towner Gallery, Eastbourne
4 July - 14 September

'Steam' - ready for the Towner Gallery.

I am very pleased to have a painting selected to enter the East Sussex Open this year. This is my first success with open competitions. Now all I have to do is get the work there and wait for the opening next week.

Steam, oil on canvas 100x100cm. Michelle COBBIN

The work 'Steam' is an exploration of energy and stillness in the cycle of a breath.  The invisible fullness and emptiness of breathing is represented by painting the background white so that the canvas is loaded with paint to give the impression of steam – making visual the empty space.

This abstract image of the breath resembles a steaming pan – the inhalation is contained in a pan shaped rib cage, the exhalation is expressed in an arc resembling a pan handle.

This work is from an ongoing series investigating movement and stillness, through examining the breath, and also links to another series that investigates vessels concerned with tea-drinking – teapots, cups and pans.

'Don't Forget To Breathe' Launch Party

The Foundry Gallery, North Street, Lewes  Artemis-Arts
Show continues until 8 September 2013.

Finally after months of planning and making work, the show is up and open.  We had a lovely welcome opening by the Mayor of Lewes, Ruth O'Keeffe, and a wonderful opening speech by Art Historian Marcia Pointon.  The event was really well attended, and we have received some wonderful comments. I especially like the one that says 'It's the Tate Modern in Lewes'  - thank you to everyone who made it along. The show continues until 8 September.
 

Marcia, Michelle, Jenny & Carol

viewing the films

The Visual Culturists

Expansion

The expansion I feel during the hot weather, as the warmth relaxes my muscles and soothes my bones is both soothing and invigorating. Working on a large scale feels wonderful, to reach and stretch and to work on the ground outside. May this glorious summer go on and on...

Interbeing

Aren't deadlines just great at focusing ones concentration.  I'm working on a new series of paintings under the working title of 'Interbeing'.  I had hoped to get the four that I'm working on completed by this weekend to take to Chalk Gallery for the new hang.  Actually only one was finished enough to take, so I've had to rely on my back catalogue to make up the others for this hang.  Still, the deadline does focus my attention to painting rather than gardening, painting rather than lazing on the beach...

The series is about interconnectedness of things, both in the process and materiality of painting, and in how I experience life. It brings me back to my 'Emptiness is Form' series and contemplations of impermanence. They are taking a while to produce, lots of layering and contemplation. Colour is important, and finding the zing where the colours buzz and yet rest comfortably together. I look to Patrick Heron, the master of colour zing, for inspiration.

Interbeing (acrylic on canvas) 40x60cm approx 

So, there is another six week until the next gallery deadline. Time to do a little pottering in the garden before the tension of a deadline pulls me back into sharp concentration in the studio and I finish layering these embryonic paintings.

Unit 4 Commission

Unit 4 Yoga & Natural Health Centre, Brighton

I was asked to make a painting for studio1 to cover what was once a hatch between two rooms. The dimensions and situation of the piece were determined – approx 100cm x 140cm, otherwise I was given free rein with the work. 

Initially I thought I would paint it as a mural in situ, but realised that the studio is too busy for that, and I therefore cut a piece of MDF to size, and have had it on my easel, on and off, for the past six months. 

This was my first commission and site specific piece of work, and was a more challenging project than I envisaged. The main challenge was my familiarity with the studio, I’ve taught a yoga class there for the past several years. I am aware of how the room is lit by sun and artificial light and how the painting is likely to be seen from the yoga mat at varying angles in the room.  All of this is a help and a hindrance – the hindrance, my self consciousness and concern about how the painting would be received by Pete, the commissioner of the work, and by the numerous students.  I found it difficult to bracket this information and just paint, I kept wondering how it would look in situ and whether it would be liked. Each Monday at my yoga class I would look at the space and try to imagine the painting there.

Over the months it has had many, many coats of paint. Many attempts to create something that would sit well in the studio and not appear incongruent with the nature of Unit 4.  It had layers of floating colour – very Rothko-esque but not right, it had drips and misty colours with circles floating – very lily pad Monet, definitely not right, it was taken into the garden and sloshed with calligraphic marks and shed loads of water, but still it wasn’t right and I feared all the water would warp the MDF. Eventually I settled on an abstracted anatomical theme and predominantly monotone colour scheme.

The result is called Acetabulum  which was installed yesterday with the help of Richard and Peter M with the drill and hammer and lots of support that all would be well and look fantastic.  Hoorah! It hadn’t warped too much and was easily fixed in place.  A smaller series of five works to complement Acetabulum have been made for the hallway, and were also hung yesterday.  

Acetabulum  102cm x 136cm, acrylic on MDF 2012

I’m delighted and relieved to finally install the pieces and complete the project successfully.

.

Epicondyle 70 x 50cm acrylic & charcoal on canvas

Sacrum 60 x 40cm acrylic & charcoal on canvas

Favourite Artist Series - Soulages

Pierre Soulages

Since I first stumbled across the work of Pierre Soulages in Musee Fabre, Montpellier,  I have been totally transfixed and in awe. Unctuous black textural images that reflect light and colours, are a wondrous study into the depth of black. Sophisticated and elegant these monumental images are quietly imposing and very inspiring.  I was influenced by Soulages investigations into light through using only black, to make my Singularity Series.

Cobbin. Untitled (Singularity Series) mixed media on canvas 2010. Sold

Soulages. 55x46cm Jan 1960

Mel Gooding wrote:

'A painting by Soulages:
expresses nothing,
describes nothing,
refers to no object outside itself,
has no subject but its own nature
It is not about something,

it is something.'













I am very excited that in 2013 there is a Soulages Museum opening in France, that will showcase a large body of his work, donated by the artist. I will definitely need a study trip to France next year.
Musee-Soulages 

After BareFoot ArtHouse May 2012

It's all over far too quickly and I'm gradually taking down the work and wrapping up all the sold pieces ready for collection, and storing the others ready for another show.  It has been great engaging with so many people about my work, and seeing so much of it up on the walls for a month. Huge thank yous to all who came to see, who left me comments, sat with me and made me tea, and those who smiled and loved the bath, - and thank you all for taking off your shoes and walking barefoot. Thank you.

Now I want to find ways of getting the work seen outside of BareFoot ArtHouse, in Brighton and beyond. 


I'm also eager to get back into the studio to finish off the Unit 4 commission over the next week, then start a new body of work.

 

Midway into Artists Open Houses Festival

I'm half way through my first AOH (artists open house, brighton) and all is well.  Actually all is very well. There have been some lovely visitors, genuinely interested in the work, and some very nice compliments. I was genuinely concerned that I would find it all a bit too much, having the public trampling through the house each weekend, but actually, the reality is fine. People have been very respectful of taking their shoes off - this is the BareFoot ArtHouse, and just opening for the afternoons has been very managable. If you're considering opening your own place, I'd recommend going for it! 

After St Ives Gouache on paper. 2010. Sold

AOH website