Gold ☥ White Life: Royal Ulster Academy of Arts, 123nd Annual Exhibition

Last year I went to several exhibitions, one of them was at the Ulster Museum in Belfast. Here is some comments in some of the works, and photographs of the exhibits. I saw really amazing paintings, prints, sculpture. Overall it was a very nice exhibition

Avenue, source: personal archive

Brian Ballard

Oil on canvas, 150x120. In this painting Brian Ballard created a forest scene. Trees on the left and right side of the painting give the impression that there is a path between them. The colours which have been used are blue, green, yellow, purple and they suggest that the scene took place during the twilight. The lighter colours on the painting seems to be like the rays of the sun during the sunset. There is a texture due to use of palette knife.

There are blue lines on the ground suggesting shadows but also it reminds me of souls traveling, or little fairies playing around the trees.

Making News, source: personal archive

Paul Seawright

C Type Print 3/6, 127x152. In this photograph Seawright presents a TV studio, with lights, cameras, chairs, a desk and one person in the middle.The studio in this print is like a theatre, lights on the top, the news caster in the middle of the scene finished his act. The body language suggest that the news have finish for today and the “actor” - news caster feels relieved and relaxed. Also the title of the Print “Making news” brings up an antithesis of what we think about news and what really are.

Sea, source: personal archive

Barrie Cooke

Oil on canvas, 77x77. This is an impressionist painting. According to the tittle the painting is about the sea, the white colour suggests waves, and the green and purple the sea and rocks. In fact this painting doesn't seems to present the sea but snowy mountains and green meadows. A nostalgic painting about the beauty of nature.

Moss Side, source: personal archive

Elizabeth Magill

Oil on Canvas, 170x140. A green forest with white and yellow lines across the painting, Some threes are higher than the others and they have foliage only on top. It's like a snowstorm but also it looks like a magic forest with many little fairies and fireflies flying throughout the trees under misty sky.

Bouquet , source: personal archive

Sharon Kelly

Pencil and watercolour, 80x65. The mediums that have been used shows a minimalistic view of the bouquet and very good skill. In addition to that this minimalistic view doesn't reduce the volume of the drawing. One of the roses is painted with a pale pink watercolour, it could symbolize hope, or loneliness, or even an inner alienation.

Synaptic Spark, source: personal archive

James McCullough

Paper Sculpture, 66x114x13. A tribal sculpture in a frame, made by rolled magazines. The idea of using rolled paper to make things or art it is not new or even original. Some examples who use rolled paper to create art are the artist Nava Lubelski and Amy Eisenfeld Genser.