The Cooper Gallery

Oil on canvas. This painting depicts a young woman in a golden and yellow hue dress that is elaborately with floral patterns, lace, thrills and ribbons. In her hand is a book that is open she is perched on an ornate golden pink stool and sat next to a table draped in a rich green table cloth that has the appearance of velvet. Her foot is rested on a small red foot stool on the floor behind the woman is an ornate furniture on the right and a window on the left. The window shows a garden scene on the table is a collection of glass ornaments, this is quite a contradictory image as the open book gives the impression she was just looking at it in the process of reading however the setup and the stage position that she is sat in indicates this was a staged environment for the portrait designed to show intellect and opulence

This painting is of flowers in a vase the vase is stood on a stack of books. To the right is a long orange curtain and to the left is the edge of the window frame. The window is the light source for the scene. The vase is burnt orange almost red in colour and the floral arrangement contains a variety of pastel colour flowers and two darker ones including a darker red flower at the front. This red flower almost resembles a poppy. In contrast to the red vase the book the vase is standing on is green as is the windowsill to the left, this makes each other stand out. In the background the wall reflects a wash of the pastel colours depicted in the floral arrangement. This is a still life picture which demonstrates the detail and beauty that can be observed in the everyday by taking a closer look.

This huge shaped textile with its rich colours and various textures cries out to be touched. The different threads and techniques used in each section would each feel quite different. The image itself is abstract from suggests a face or possibly a mask. The shape of the piece reflects this being rounded at the top and narrowing to the base. There's a shape at the top of the piece which resembles an eye coming from this are loose long strands of wool which partially makes the piece look like its melting but could also represent tears. The rich pallet of colours, yellows, blues, greens, oranges together suggest life and action

The background colours in this image divide it into three sections; the top has a dark sky, the centre is much lighter but features black, foreboding representations of buildings, and the bottom representing the pond, is also very dark. Reaching up from the bottom left hand side, climbing out of the darkness are spikey red plants and grey trees with sharp, spiked branches that are quite aggressive and violent. In the bottom centre of the image, in the foreground, is an old fashioned, upside town pram that appears to have just been thrown away into the quarry pond. The sharp lines used to represent the spokes on its wheels look spikey and dangerous, like the trees, and certainly don’t represent the warm, friendliness that we’d expect from something used for babies. The use of mostly black, white, grey and red in this painting, along with the anger and feelings of fear created by the use of spikey lines, makes this picture feel quite oppressive and depicts that the quarry pond is dangerous. You wouldn’t want to be in there and you wouldn’t want to touch anything.

A round textured ceramic piece with a small round opening at the top that appears to have been pinched upwards. This is a hollow vessel. The overall texture of the piece is quite rough with large dents and markings on that resemble small craters. To touch this piece, it would feel like holding an unpolished rock or stone. Some of the marks are darker and look almost like burn marks. Most of the piece is a warm, pale brown colour. Finally, in contrast to the heavily textured areas, white glaze with a smooth texture has been poured over part of the object from the top, leaving it to trickle towards the bottom.

This short, round vase has a slightly shiny blue glaze that is the same colour as the sky in summer. The vase has a short neck on it which stops it detracting from the shape of the vase, which is its main feature. The vase itself has five ridges circling it horizontally. These look like the ridges that are formed naturally in the process of throwing a pot on a ceramicist’s wheel. The overall effect, combined with the blue glaze, is one of the waves moving in a warm sea.

This ceramic vase is round, and taller than it is wide. It starts narrower at the base and slowly gets wider before quickly narrowing at the neck of the vase before fanning out at the top. The top of the vase flares out and consists of six scalloped edges. The vase has vertical ridged stripes that travel from the top of the vase down to the base and follows a sequence of one wide ridge, three thinner ones, and then another wide one. This pattern is repeated six times around the vase. The ridges stand up from the surface of the vase and are a neutral cream colour. They contrast the rest of the vase’s deep khaki green finish. The overall effect of the vase is like a seed pod, with the contrast in colours being reminiscent of a sunflower seed.

Shopping. John Leech. Pencil.

A pencil sketch depicting a woman in period clothing wearing a bonnet under her chin with a ribbon. She is at the centre of the image sat pondering dress making that is being shown to her by a male sales person on the right hand side.On the left hand side of the sketch a young, probably adolescent boy can be seen in smart dress including a top hat carrying a shopping basket on his arm. The way that he is standing near to the woman looking at the direction of the interaction between the woman and the man suggests that he might be carrying the basket for her. At this time children went to school at a young age and could possibly be her servant. The image is a line drawn sketch and has different levels of detail at different locations. For example we can see the expressions on their faces but detail on the clothing is missing. The mans hand is stroking the fabric giving the impression that the feel and texture of it is part of the appeal. In addition the sketchy line work suggests how a bustling crowded environment might feel

This painting depicts the body of Christ being brought down from the cross following his crucifixion. He is the central figure, nude except for a loin cloth, and is being supported in his descent by a white cloth. The cloth is being held by 8 figures stood or knelt around him; 4 are stood on ladders to give them extra height. The clothing that the figures are wearing display a wide array of finishes and textures; the woman knelt on the ground in the bottom left-hand corner has a satin like sheen to her clothing, the man above her and to the far left appears to be wearing rich velvet, the man to her right is wearing courser, orange material. These depictions of different fabrics could be symbolising the different levels of wealth and life experiences of the group. The cloth supporting the crucified figure is being held in the hands of the group and, in addition, is being held between the teeth of the elderly man in the top right. The prominence of hands grabbing and holding, as well as the feeling of the cloth between the man’s teeth hold a strong tactile sense in this picture.

This video uses a mirror-effect such that each half of the screen is a reflection of the other. A single figure dances and moves around  against a bright orange background in costumes that suggest different genders and cultures. Sometimes the mirror-effect makes the character appear as strangely fragmented, floating body parts and sometimes as two reflected, interacting figures. The title suggests these are twins rather than a single character and its reflection. The soundtrack is upbeat and the whole piece feels joyful and irreverent.