Mark Hearld, Shetland, 2016

Collage, Pigeons and Platters is Mark Hearld’s first solo exhibition of new work following his critically acclaimed curated exhibition The Lumber Room: Unimagined Treasures which opened the recently refurbished York Art Gallery in 2015.

This exhibition continues to explore his love of the British countryside, a recent trip to Shetland and Orkney and his continuing curiosity for objects with a magpie approach to collecting. Included is a new collection of collages, lithographic & linocut prints and hand-painted ceramics. There is also available a rare, steam-rolled, linocut print which is Hearld’s most ambitious print to date measuring at 1m square.

Mark Hearld studied illustration at Glasgow School of Art and completed an MA in Natural History Illustration at the Royal College of Art, London. His work is based on observations of the natural world, influenced by mid twentieth century Neo-Romanticism and the gaiety of 1930s Modernism.

COLLAGE, PIGEONS & PLATTERS

“Collage as an approach is at the core of my work. It enables me to pull together a whole range of surfaces and textures to dynamic effect. It is inherently abstract; each bird silhouette is also a cut out piece of paper and the paper profile is very important to the overall effect. My collages owe a lot to the work of John Piper and Julian Trevelyan in the 1930s who used off cut patterned papers as a visual equivalent for clouds in the sky, newspaper the sheer face of a cliff. These too in turn, took their inspiration from Picasso and his synthetic cubist papier collee. Collage is quite simply an invigorating process, where wallpaper, marbled paper and the flotsam of everyday life come together with drawing and paint in creative spontaneity.” Mark Hearld

The Forgotten Plot, 2016, mixed media with collage on paper, 40 x 60 cms

“Each evening at dusk a walk with my dog provides the opportunity for quiet reflection where I look at the nature around me - allotments literally across the road and up the street are teeming with life. I have enjoyed watching a growing fox family and the delightful raucous colour palette of the blooming gladioli and ripening apples. There is something about the allotment, its organised ramshackle built up of reused materials and old posts that makes it an endless source of bramble-hedged inspiration for me.” Mark Hearld

Cockerel I, 2016, mixed media with collage on paper, 40 x 60 cms

Cockerel II, 2016, mixed media with collage on paper, 40 x 60 cms

Gladioli & Plastic Chair, 2016, mixed media with collage on paper, 75 x 75 cms

Sparrows, 2016, mixed media with collage on paper, 30 x 35 cms

Small Holding Dovecot, 2016, mixed media with collage on paper, 56 x 56 cms

Scarcroft Fox, 2016, mixed media with collage on paper, 56 x 75 cms

French Partridge, 2016, mixed media with collage on paper, 40 x 40 cms

Discovery & Netted Kale, 2016, mixed media with collage on paper, 56 x 75 cms

Leveret, 2016, mixed media with collage on paper, 56 x 75 cms

Guinea Fowl, 2016, mixed media with collage on paper, 56 x 75 cms

September, 2016, mixed media with collage on paper, 56 x 75 cms

Heron, 2016, mixed media with collage on paper, 56 x 75 cms

Goats, 2016, mixed media with collage on paper, 44 x 54 cms

Grey Partridge, mixed media with collage on paper, 40 x 40 cms

Gull’s Nest, mixed media collage on paper, 21 x 30 cms

SHETLAND

The Shetland Times, 2016, mixed media with collage on paper, 56 x 75 cms

“This August I ventured north of Inverness for the first time. The journey to Shetland was via Orkney - an adventure with my friend and artist Alex Malcolmson. Our intent was to rescue an old boat which had been left to rot and this is to become part of Alex’s sculptural work. The trip was a wonderful opportunity to draw inspiration from the islands. The Pier Arts Centre in Orkney and the Stromness Museum set a fantastic visual tone for the start of the visit and the brief impression of the rest of Orkney means that I will certainly go back. There were so many beautiful images to take in such as the sight of at least 50 swans on the lake.

The magic of arriving by overnight ferry in Shetland was wonderful and I was soon scrutinising the rocky shores, distant islands, not to mention the geos, voes, creeks and inlets. Highlights included a night in a baronial hall on the island of Vaila, reached by an aluminium salmon fishing launch at full tilt; watching the intelligent antics of ravens in Lerwick harbour and painting wooden pigeons on the rocks by the sea. The trip was just what I needed and I came back with small sketches; eyes wide open and a head full of collages in waiting.” Mark Hearld

SHETLAND

Vaila Sheep, 2016 mixed media with collage on paper, 56 x 75 cms

The Shetland Ewe, 2016, mixed media with collage on paper, 56 x 75 cms

Raven, 2016, mixed media with collage on paper, 56 x 75 cms

Lera Voe, Clubbf Pier, 2016, mixed media with collage on paper, 30 x 42 cms

Stromness Harbour, mixed media with collage on paper, 40 x 60 cms

Bonxie-shore, 2016, mixed media with collage on paper, 40 x 60 cms

Farewell to Stromness, 2016, mixed media with collage on paper, 40 x 60 cms

“The ceramics featured in this exhibition are made at Stoke-on-Trent in collaboration with Anthony Wright who runs a small production pottery. I modelled the pigeons which were then slip cast in earthenware. Each were decorated individually in the pottery. The range of both figurative and abstract earthenware platters were decorated by hand with underglaze manganese, cobalt and pewter glaze.” Mark Hearld

All Pigeons are hand-painted ceramic, H:19 L: 32 W:19 cms

I.

II.

III.

IV.

All Pigeons are hand-painted ceramic, H:19 L: 32 W:19 cms

V.

VI.

VII.

Goose Platter, hand-painted ceramic, D:38 cms

Forest Platter, hand-painted ceramic, D:38 cms

Sea Bird Platter, hand-painted ceramic, D:38 cms

Flying Bird Platter, hand-painted ceramic, D:38 cms

Hawk Platter, hand-painted ceramic, D:38 cms

Bengal Cats Platter, hand-painted ceramic, D:38 cms

Exotic Bird Platter, hand-painted ceramic, D:38 cms

Flight Platter, hand-painted ceramic, D:38 cms

Menagerie Platter, hand-painted ceramic, D:38 cms

Parakeet Platter, hand-painted ceramic, D:38 cms

Vaila Ewe Platter, hand-painted ceramic, D:38 cms

Abstract I, hand-painted ceramic, D:38 cms

Abstract II, hand-painted ceramic, D:38 cms

Abstract III, hand-painted ceramic, D:38 cms

Abstract IV, hand-painted ceramic, D:38 cms

Abstract V, hand-painted ceramic, D:38 cms

Abstract VI, hand-painted ceramic, D:38 cms

“This summer I have produced my most ambitious linocut to date. At one metre across, Bird Tree was truly an epic undertaking. It was made as a design for a screen printed children’s quilt for the new enterprise Sessions and Co. I was spurred on by the opportunity to print the lino with a steam roller at Ditching Art and Craft Museum’s Big Steam Print event in Brighton this year. This print is one of a very few hand burnished proofs.” Mark Hearld

Hawk-Eye, screenprint, 59 x 75 cms, edition of 75

Bird Tree, 2016, steam rolled linocut, 100 x 100 cms, artist proof from a total edition of 5Higher resolution image available to view at: http://www.scottish-gallery.co.uk/markhearld

Lapwing Nest, screenprint, 38 x 50 cms, edition of 100

Pigeon, linocut, 42 x 60 cms, edition of 75

left: Shoreline, single colour linocut, 64 x 32 cms, edition of 75above: Fauna, linocut, 42 x 60 cms, edition of 75

This month we are raising money for Direct Aid, Edinburgh who are currently raising money to help Syrian refugees with provisions as winter approaches.

Each one of Mark Hearld’s Private View cards are a limited edition print of just 2250. Each print has been letter pressed by master printer Martin Clark (left) at Tilley Printers, Ledbury in York.

This print will be available in the gallery for £2 cash. All donations will go to Direct Aid, Edinburgh.

Find out more about this charity at: http://www.edinburghdirectaid.org

Mark Hearld has a stunning collection of wallpaper & fabrics available on St Judes website. Please visit

www.stjudesfabrics.co.ukfor more information

St Jude’s makes and sells unique printed fabrics, cushion covers and wallpapers, working with an eclectic range of artist designers including Mark Hearld, Angie Lewin and Emily Sutton.

Their fabrics and wallpapers are printed in short runs in Britain, and are currently available by mail order from their workshop in Norfolk. Many of their fabrics are also available as ready-made cushion covers.

Published by The Scottish Gallery to coincide with the exhibitionCollage, Pigeons and Platters5 - 29 October 2016

All rights reserved. No part of this catalogue may be reproduced in any form by print, photocopy or by any other means, without the permission of the copyright holders and of the publishers.