Abby Butcher

I’m going to try and produce regular blog posts to run alongside the creation of the sketchbook so thought I’d start with an instagram photo or two (find me on instagram @drinkingmilk). Here’s one from when I first got the sketchbook through and was rather excited!

Some more work that I have done since graduation, again all were done in biro but these were all personal work rather than for commissions. The bottom one is something I posted on my instagram (before throwing my iPhone down a hole in Malham) and was reposted by inkreview. It went on to receive over 1000 likes!

Ballpoints are definitely my favoured medium at the moment, I can't get enough! But I would like to be doing some more conceptual artwork as opposed to family pets etc. Not that I'll ever complain about having to do commissions, just wish I had the time to do a little of both!

I think starting to work at University within the Art, design and Architecture department has made me realise how much I miss having the freedom to make my art. It will be tough finding the time to make but I'm determined to start again, all be it rather slowly!

An online portfolio of my most recent work to run alongside my blog as a professional artist website. 

The black rubber clinging to the inside of the cocoons, although initially accidental, reflects some of the theory I have been looking at in terms of human failure in both the natural world and artistically. Again it contrasts the organic look of the rest of my work, echoing scenes of spilt oil and thick black tar.

Following on from the completion of the physical structures I am hoping to create a subtle sound piece that can be played in the background at the exhibition to compliment the context of the work.

Dr Seuss, The Lorax (1971)

A park in Bradford is taken over by Ermine Moth Larvae in May 2011. Wish I'd seen it!

The display and lighting of these sculptures is something I will need to think about as the exhibition draws closer. As you can see from these images the light comes through the paper quite softly so I would like the cocoons spotlit. I have also been considering using metal pipes to create some sort of framework and display area for the cocoons. This will play with the ideas of human failure, natural vs man-made as well as contrast the frailty and subtlety of the paper forms.

I've been trying to figure out over the past couple of weeks what I can use to anchor the silk thread to the wall in order for me to create the webbing effect I'm after. The obvious choice is little tacks that I could just nail into the wall however we appear to have super strong partition walls in the studios that I can't hammer anything into without causing damage. Because of this I needed to find something which could be glued on and painted white to blend into the background a little. After a lot of searching I came across ceramic baking beans. Although they are a little bigger than I hoped, I think once everything else is up around them they should work perfectly well!

Now I have a decision to make! As much as I like the crumpled on the floor style cocoon I actually think it might work better hung up. I'm going to make 2 more latex cocoons but keep a little more of the black rubber stuck to the inside of those so they aren't all exactly the same and then take them into the photography studio and play around with ways of displaying them alongside my paper cocoons. I think seeing them outside of my rather messy studio space will set them in a different light and throw up new ways in which I could show them in exhibition.