Go on an artistic journey at Teesside

The many journeys we take in life provided the inspiration for artwork created by Fine Art student Lesley Brewer.

Lesley’s Landscape Journeys project takes over the floor of a room in our Constantine Building and can be seen during the Design & Fine Art Exhibition held duringCreative Arts Week.

Lesley, 21, of West Drayton, Middlesex, used satellite images, maps and photographs to form timelines to map out journeys, which she organised into irregular marks to create artwork. Her mum Jan Brewer lives in Coulby Newham, Middlesbrough.

Lesley said: 'I’m just enhancing what is already there, with my work representing landscape and technology and how they work together.'

She also placed large pieces of canvas in a butcher’s shop, a steel fabricator’s warehouse, a park and a classroom, where they were stained by everyday life at each location. 'It was about losing a bit of control over my work and letting outside influences directly affect the finished result,' said Lesley.

Her part-time cleaning job at a primary school has also led her to be involved in an exhibition at Middlesbrough Library, with cloths she has used for cleaning inspiring a display based on a contemporary look at books.

'While I was cleaning, the markings on the cloths were visually interesting. It led me to think about using the cloths to create a book with the markings representing a journey or a story,' she added.

Lesley, a former pupil of Evelyn Secondary School in Uxbridge, plans to stay in Teesside having joined forces with other artists to set up a studio in central Middlesbrough.

The tutors are amazing She said of the degree course: 'We get so many visiting and international artists coming to talk about their work, which is really great to experience. The tutors are amazing.'

The Design & Fine Art Exhibition can be seen on the second floor of the Constantine Building, off Borough Road and Athena Building, Woodlands Road. It is open to the public from Tuesday 12 May to Friday 15 May.

The exhibition is taking place as part of Creative Arts Week which highlights the work of students in the School of Arts & Media.

For more details on all of Creative Arts Week events call the School of Arts & Media on 01642 384019, email arts@tees.ac.uk

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