Mache Brown

Mache blue

Portfolio (Plaster Scans)

Portfolio (Screen printing)

Portfolio (Photography)

Portfolio (Paper Mache)

Portfolio (Graphics)

Portfolio (Life Drawing)

Portfolio (Screen printing)

Portfolio (Digital Photo/Monoprint Collage)

Screen prints

Personal Statement

Folk stories were and still are mostly told by word of mouth and have withstood the test of time. This has proved to be extremely effective as most people have detailed preconceived ideas about mythical creatures. By combing photography, digital image manipulation and printmaking I have produced images inspired by Irish Folk stories. I am particularly interested in environments were you might expect see something supernatural.

Common themes run through Irish Folk tales, for example Fairy folk (the Sidhe, pronounced shee) consist of Leprechauns, fairies and Banshee’s. Mostly these creatures reside in the Otherworld (which is believed to be underground) and are portrayed as cunning, mischievous and even evil (the Banshee).

The Otherworld is also thought to be the realm of the dead and I produce images with this definition in mind. Depending on a location (fairy thorn) or the time of year people and creatures can move in or out of the Otherworld. I used images of areas which have a closer connection to the Otherworld, e.g. grave yards, forests etc. Some of the images subtly suggest that mythical creatures are trying to break through to this world.

The new black

Impressions set in stone.

The Otherworld (Fabricated Memories: Visions of Irish mythology)

The source of fairy beliefs was that a race of people had once lived in the Celtic nations and British Isles that were driven into hiding by invading humans. They came to be seen as another race, or possibly spirits, and were believed to live in an Otherworld.

The Otherworld in Celtic mythology is the realm of the dead or the stronghold of spirits and beings or right alongside the world of the living, but invisible to most humans or
described as existing underground.

Faerie folk:

They are generally portrayed as humanoid in appearance and as having supernatural abilities, various animals have also been described as fairies. One popular belief was that they were the dead (ghosts), or some subclass of the dead.

Leprechaun

Leprechaun, a type of male faerie, they usually take the form of old men who enjoy partaking in mischief, with a mind for cunning. If anyone keeps an eye fixed upon one, he cannot escape, but the moment the eye is withdrawn he vanishes. The leprechaun originally had a different appearance depending on where in Ireland he was found. Yeats, in his 1888 book entitled Fairy and Folk Tales of the Irish Peasantry describes the leprechaun as ‘dressed in a red coat with seven rows of buttons’

Banshee

A Banshee, in Gaelic means, "fairy woman", is sometimes described as a ghost or as a harbinger of death. She is said to be an old woman with long hair that she combs as she cries. If she throws her comb at the person she appears to and they catch it the live, if not they die.

BLAST FROM THE PAST, PgDip work, the Giants Causeway animation test, work from the last assessment.

I have finally worked out how to post a video on to You tube (yeah), I have even turned down imaginary Friday night drinking invations texts, I now have my video in every file format possible but I’ve learned so much and got there in the end. This short animation test was produced for the PgDip stage of the course, some elements of it were successful (i.e. image making used to produce textured backgrounds) and I’m now developing these further in the current MA stage. My general view is that it’s not the worst thing I’ve ever seen and I enjoyed producing it, have a look and see what you think of the Giants Causeway. The music used is from the swamp thing and Braveheart in case you were wondering (sorry the picture quality isn't that hot because of converting it for web use).

This work was influenced by childrens illustrated books,
I was also looking at graphic novels but any influences
they had on me aren't obvious here.

Fabricating Memories.

The images below are all based on an Irish Folk Tale.

Once there were two rival giants, a huge Scottish giant called Benandonner who loved throwing boulders as far as he could.

One of the boulders hits its target, the other smaller giant, Finn Mac Cool, in Ireland.

Benandonner hollered across the sea demanding a strength contest which Finn agreed to.

To make the competition possible Finn decides to build a rocky causeway across the sea connecting the two countries.

After hours of working Finn is exhausted and falls asleep.

Finn Mac Cools wife Oonagh, a giantess, hears thunderous sounds.

She sees the gigantic Benandonner crossing the finished causeway while Finn sleeps.

She couldn’t wake Finn and quickly covers Finn with her blanket because she knows he will be no match for the Scottish giant.

When Benandonner finds them he peers down and mistakes the sleeping Finn for a massive baby.

Panicked Benandonner thinks that the father of a massive sleeping baby must be enormous and doesn’t want to wait around to find out.

Benandonner hastily retreats back to Scotland destroying the causeway in his wake.

PgDip