Introduction

My name is Frances Prendergast, I am a keen art student and at the end of this year I hope to embark on a Fine Art degree. I have been interested in art from an early age; avidly practising sketching, card making, painting and other craftwork. I was often praised in my early school life for having an artistic talent beyond my years. I thoroughly enjoyed studying Fine Art at college and I am currently very excited at the prospect of higher education. I am keen to further broaden my artistic skills, be introduced to new ways of working and be inspired by new people who will positively direct my development as an artist.

Recently, I have started to paint and re-invent old furniture which I hope to begin selling in the near future; as well as paintings and other pieces.

As well as Art I have a passion for Film, which I took at A-level along with Psychology. These interests are an extension of my reflective, analytical nature which is present in much of my work.

In my second year of Film Studies, I made a short film entitled ‘A Bad Seed’, which explores the burden of teenage pregnancy on young people. I wanted to create a film laced with hidden meaning and ambiguity, but with an underlying powerful message. These messages and emotions are conveyed via various visual motifs, symbolism and music. The pace of editing is also intended to manipulate the mood of the film. The film is very stylised and is an extension of how I work as an artist.

Having heard Manchester Metropolitan’s art department spoken of very highly by tutors and current students, and being very impressed by the online prospectus, I noted the university as one of my top 5 choices.

I look forward to working with new people who have new and further knowledge, technique and inspiration to give. I am intrigued at the prospect of exploring themes such as ‘Identity, Semiotics and the Body’, and workshops introducing me to new media and processes. I am excited at the opportunity to have my own workspace and am particularly interested in the ‘Art and Audience’ unit, as well as ‘Studio in Context 2’ in the second year, where I will have the privilege of creating an exhibition either as an individual or part of a group.

I hope you will consider me a worthy candidate for the course.

*Please note: this portfolio is intended to be viewed in date order, older posts first, starting with 'Life drawing. November 11th 2010*

Photo etchings. Apple cart

Here I have experimented with photo etching on to solar plates. I love the striking combination of red ink and pink sugar paper in the upper print and the lovely grainy texture of the lower print created by inking onto wax crayon. 

Etchings 2

Etchings 1

These are a series of etchings using a simple sketch from my back yard. Although tricky, I enjoyed the process of etching and experimenting with different levels of ink. I particularly like the soft swirling of ink in the below prints which gives the images an eerie, haunted quality. The interesting aperture effect created by the excess ink creates the appearance of a spy hole, adding to these qualities.

'Rhythms and Cycles'

This arrangement of work is also inspired by Anselm Kiefer. Many of these pieces are part of a first year project entitled 'Rhythms and Cycles'. I chose to interpret this as the rhythms and cycles of life; the events we store in our memories, and later revisit time and time again; the cards, tickets, sentimental pieces of paper we collect and later reflect on. I am very fond of this collection of pieces and feel they emanate the emotion that was put into each one of them.

Anselm Kiefer inspired



These pieces are based on the work of Anselm Kiefer, who has been of great influence to me. I love the beautiful fragility of his work and use of colour palette, texture and haunting imagery to evoke strong wistful emotions.



Basquiat inspired large scale piece

Small scale abstract work

This is a selection of smaller abstract pieces of work. I do enjoy working on a smaller scale as this feels more intimate and personal. The bottom row of paintings were part of a project on Northern identity I produced in my second year of college. This involved representing my interpretation of life before I was born through information gathered from my parents. Particularly life as a Northerner in England. At this stage of the project I had produced several experimental pieces based on the work of Jean-Michel Basquiat, taking influence from 80's colour and fashion, and mark making within Basquiat's work. These electric colours are contrasted with stark acetate prints from old photographs of my Mother and Father. Some pieces feature written quotes from research on my parents and 1970s/80s TV ads. My final piece for this body of work was an installation featuring retro furniture, mock-retro modern pieces, photographs and a selection of my own paintings.

The other pieces here are a selection of abstract works from my 'Exploration and Discovery' unit. As I have progressed as an art student my confidence has grown in the simplicity of my work. I feel I have developed an understanding that the relationship of colours, the way in which paint is applied or a suggestive mark can be very powerful in evoking imagery, a memory or creating a mood.



'Exploration and Discovery'. Abstract work



This is my final piece for an exam project titled 'Exploration and Discovery'. I chose to base this project around the exploration of new materials and methods of working, and the discovery of new skills and outcomes. The project began with experimentation with collage, a medium I had never worked with previously, and progressed into abstract paintings. I am very influenced by the artist (and previous college tutor of mine), Letitia Thompson's work, and the idea of recording and rewriting memories represented in heavily layered abstract paintings. I use my instinct to feel where the next mark should be placed to create a balanced composition of complimenting textures, shapes, colours and mark making.

Life drawing. Oils. September 2011

For this class the model was positioned in front of a mirror and softly lit from both sides. With oils and turpentine we worked from light to dark using a limited palette of ochre and burnt umber. I very much enjoyed this study and love the warm, soft haze of ochre contrasted with the darker areas of umber.

Life drawing. Female model. September 2011

September 2011. Here emphasis was placed again on the figure in relation to its surroundings, but also on capturing light and shade. I am very happy with the outcome of this sketch especially as I found the angle very challenging. However, hard concentration and much trial and error has resulted in a well-proportioned figure. I also love the contrast between soft wall shadows, darker shading and quirky line quality in areas, for example, around the toes.

Life drawing. September 2011

September 2011. Here the model was positioned on top of several tables. This was designed to challenge our perception of perspective and was indeed very challenging. This forced us to make wise use of construction lines and to concentrate, focusing hard on angles and proportions. Overall I am very pleased with my work here and feel that with each life drawing class I am learning to truly look at what is in front of me and produce more and more accurate figure drawings.

Life drawing. Economy of Line

In this exercise we had 3 minutes (per pose) to compose a figure using only 10 lines per drawing. This taught us to really think about which lines were most important in creating the overall structure of the figure; which lines needed to be described and which lines does the brain fill in of its own accord?



Life drawing. "Look at the model more than you look at the paper"

"Look at the model more than you look at the paper"

This life drawing exercise was based on 'feeling' our way around the figure. Although these figures are technically wrong and disproportioned, the exercise was designed to train us to truly look at the figure and assess how parts of the body relate to one another. It has also produced some very quirky, interesting and abstract forms.