Finishing the BA, showing work in London and looking for work

The summer show in London was very succesul, as I manged to speak to new people to create new connections that can help me to improve my work. Coming home from London my new focus is on finding work and getting ready for events such as the White Horse Hill exhibition opening in September in which a handful of my images are being used in. I am also looking forward to working with the community project in Bodmin to do with St Lawrence's that will introduce me to a wide range of people to do with the hospital and it's history

My work on display

Showing my work in such a large space has lead me to think about how I would like to carry this project on, as I want to photograph more people to create a larger body of work that emphasizes what I am trying to say. Through exploring new ideas and getting a range of feedback I am confident that I am able to create the work that I need to create an even better exhibition that could be shown in Bodmin for the people of St Lawrence's so see.

Who to Invite to The Summer Show in London

As I have made new connections and gained new experiences, the main group of people that I wish to invite will be organisations such as Plymouth City Museum and Gallery which will be showing the work that I have contributed to the White Horse Hill project, the Records Office, the Cornwall Records Office, people from the National Trust who I've worked with and possibly the National Portrait Gallery. I want my work to be seen mostly by people with interest in history and portraiture as my current project is about the history of St Lawrences, with portraits of the people who used to work there telling their story. This can also relate to people who have worked in a similar environment that has been demolished or converted, with memories of that place still relevant to them.

I will also be talking about my landscape work as I have put some of the images from my last project in the catalog that we have made to show what I am interested in photographing, as I am enjoy photographing historical landscapes and visiting new places with a strong story behind them. By doing this I am showing that I can shoot portraits and landscape, that means I am diverse in how I can show my ideas as although I enjoy historical landscapes I can still show the history of a place through the people that are still connected to it. It is important for me to show these pieces of work as it is something that I am passionate about and hope to carry on through possible funding and confidence as I challenge myself more to do new things that are out of my comfort zone.

More of my work is visible here at my newly furbished website lrundlephoto.co.uk

Laura Knight Portaits - Plymouth City Museum and Gallery

In this exhibition that is currently showing at the Plymouth City Museum and Gallery there is a wide range of portraiture that depicts a large amount of people in different scenarios. The images have been painted with the smallest a lot of time and skill going into each piece. Due to the amount of detail within these images, a few look like photographs with the focus drawn to the many elements that make up each image. 

Ethel Bartlet, 1914, Laura Knight

By researching into different practitioners I was intrigued by Laura Knight's work as the focus is on the subjects in their own environment showing how they work and what their craft could be in such paintings of the dancers and women working in the factory. She has captured aspects of people that the viewer might not see if the subjects were painted in a different way for example having them in a studio environment without any objects that could hint at what they are interested in.

 Ruby Lotus Screwing a Breech-ring, 1943, Laura Knight

Laura Knight first started painting in Cornwall in 1907 when she moved there, where in 1908 she had an exhibition in the Newlyn Gallery. In 1913 Knight her first nude painting was shown which was a self portrait that at the time was scrutinized by the public but has since been seen as a key piece in the story of female self portraiture and symbolic of the wider female view. She later went on to paint WW1 and Circus folk in the 1920's, her most dominate work is that of WW2 focusing on the people and where they worked in such images as women working in factories and pilots in aircraft. One of her most prominent pieces from the war is the image The Nuremberg Trial.

Nuremberg Trial, 1946, Laura Knight

"In that ruined city death and destruction are ever present. They had to come into the picture, without them, it would not be the Nuremberg as it now is during the trial, when the death of millions and utter devastation are the sole topics of conversation wherever one goes - whatever one is doing" - Laura Knight

In Laura Knight's later life she painted dancers, dignitaries and well known people such as Jean Rhodes the 'Mighty Mannequin' that lead to further portrait commissions. Knight died on the 7th of July 1970 aged 92 3 days after a large exhibition of her work was to been shown in Nottingham Castle Art Gallery and Museum.