FRANCIS UPRITCHARD SURF 'N' TURF

I didn't really know what to expect when entering this exhibition as I’d never seen and of the artist’s work before. It was a single room with two crossed, sloping wooden ’shelves’ displaying sculptures made of bronze or balata (a natural wild rubber manipulated into shape whilst submerged in water). The sculptures consisted of a collection of sea and land type creatures. I really liked the presentation of the single plain white room as it felt like its own strange, futuristic environment contrasting with the mythical/prehistoric looking creatures. They looked not so far off animals we know but also strangely unknown and alien. There were also three watercolour paintings exhibited alongside on the wall, personally I didn't’even look at these for more than a few seconds each.

Looking back this makes me wonder about the effectiveness of exhibiting paintings and 3D work together as it is easy for 2D to be overpowered by 3D. I loved the subtle colours (similar to ceramic glazes? I don’t know if similar stuff is used to colour these type of sculptures) and the careful placement in the display choices.

Three dimensional work is something I would like to explore more whether with 3D printing or more traditional methods such as casting or some type of clay.
Overall I absolutely loved this exhibition and would like to look further into the work of Francis Upritchard, her work is so much fun and I found it inspiring to see.