Biography Jenny Cowern

1 biography

1.1 days
1.2 west cumberland
1.3 sky felt hangings
1.4 commissions
1.5 continuous improvement
1.6 death

biography
early days

jenny cowern born in worcester, england, on 20 june 1943, second daughter of artists raymond cowern ra , margaret (née trotman). in 1959, cowern enrolled @ brighton college of art, father dean of art faculty. during time studying national diploma in design produced ‘mother cutting hedge’ (1962) , ‘east street, brighton’ (1963). in 1963 began studying @ royal college of art, london, where, amongst others, studied under peter blake , carel weight, graduating painting school in 1966 award of arca (alumnus of royal college of art). @ tube station in london, met artist raymond higgs, later became lifelong partner.

west cumberland

in 1965, jenny won david murray travelling scholarship paint landscape, , used opportunity visit cumbria raymond’s mother owned row of cottages @ langrigg, near aspatria. 1 of these empty , available use, despite being derelict neither water nor electricity, cowern used base scholarship. following graduation in 1966, cowern moved sheffield, took teaching post on sheffield college of art’s foundation course. in 1968, higgs , cowern moved langrigg , no assistance , no prior skills saved 3 condemned cottages. lived , had studios here rest of life. while making cottages habitable, cowern took short-term teaching jobs @ art colleges in newcastle , carlisle , began take artistic interest in everyday building structures , materials surrounded non-art work. after working on renovating houses eighteen months, domestic architecture became dominant theme in works. several paintings of interiors followed; ‘doors , windows’ (1970), , ‘drawing on walls’ (1971/72) prime examples of thoughts during period. in 1976, works including ‘media ideas matrix’ , ‘weaving felt knit matrix’ set on path exploring textiles creative medium.

sky felt hangings

in 1979, cowern visited felt exhibition @ abbot hall, kendal , bought accompanying book, written mary burkett, entitled ‘the art of feltmaker’. although exhibition consisted in main of traditional articles: rugs, shepherd’s cloaks, camel head-dresses, , hats, cowern see alternative potential. though beautiful, not aspect interested me. mural scale, freedom, unfussiness, oven crudeness , directness appealed. show , book had profound , stimulating effect upon artist having taught herself necessary technicalities, realised immense scope medium had offer. burkett recalls: once started work felt taken out of doors – before when making patterns inside, having discovered joys , possibilities of working outside, stayed outside. working nature. cowern did not have travel far inspiration, diversity of skies on solway firth exploded outside front door, in 1981, gave following explanation readers of crafts magazine. felt skies dialogue between new medium , new subject. desire work in medium came first , skies second. excitement @ looking @ skies became foremost; integration felt became natural. in 1980, exhibited huge sky felts, wide acclaim, first @ abbot hall , later @ tullie house, carlisle. in 1981, collection went on two-year tour of galleries in scotland, venues in macroberts centre in stirling; artspace in aberdeen, crawford gallery @ st. andrews university, before crossing on orkney islands, returning central museum , art gallery, dundee. cordelia oliver writing in crafts quarterly observed.

medium unusual one, exploratory. jenny cowern painter training (and draughtsman, too, on evidence of single drawing in exhibition in essence of sky in movement caught , pinned down in dance of lines) has found outlet in potential scale, and, herself says, freedom, unfussiness, oven crudeness, , directness of creating these works in felt. home in cumbria sky omnipresent , fascinating in element flux - nature’s theatre of wind , light , water vapour.

commissions

in 1977, cowern won northern arts, arts council competition design mural multi-storey car park @ stockton on tees. using structure of existing brickwork proposed shimmering screen have made decorative mural, stockton council never realised, , remains design. in 1990, designed, again through northern arts, mural on wall behind interchange platform of heworth railway station, on gateshead sunderland line. because required permanent construction, unbreakable, washable , vandal proof, specified enamel design. no previous knowledge of media, cowern created 29 panel mural of vitreous enamel, 3 metres high , 33 metres long. theme paid homage industries of north-east of england, past , present, depicting coalmining, ship building, textiles, glass making , other related industries. cowern returned media of enamel 6 years later when received commission design , construct set of murals accident , emergency department of queen elizabeth hospital, gateshead. in 1991, received further commission produce felt triptych wall hanging, long corridor wall elderly mentally ill. (e.m.i.) department @ hastings hospital, hastings, england.

continuous improvement

after success of sky felt hangings, cowern began expand , develop media, taking inspiration natural elements found in immediate surroundings. @ heart abstract painter, explained. have found need balance observational work abstract work, developing along side. taking encouragement own garden produced hydrangea, (1986) felt later purchased shipley art gallery. return subject years later, where, using first oils , pastels produced equally stunning differing representations. indeed, flirtation varying media became 1 of many strengths; after choosing subject hopscotched between variety of media, producing watercolours, oils, pastels, pencil, enamel, tempera’s etc. interpreted geological structure of group of tide-washed pebbles; , captured spectrum of light danced through windows. in 1996 received award northern arts board , cumbria county council, allowed produce body of work inspired solway coast on cumbrian side. not satisfied encapsulating changing facets of beach , tide @ allonby, moved down coast sketch, paint , felt sandstone rocks below roman fort @ maryport. on workington study slag formed cliffs, giant boulders , rusting metal. coast demand attention number of years, explored every aspect, endeavouring improve , perfect had done. after completing commission decorate summer house on shore of windermere, cowern continued theme , produced body of work centred on own conservatory, contrasted wooden-glazed structure, hanging vines, , spectacular floral displays decaying compost. remainder of life continue recurring themes, @ bassenthwaite, isel, river derwent, bergen; , many more places , many more themes.

death

cowern died on 31 july 2005 @ age of 62. had established stature artist, , exhibitions in hungary, norway, poland, germany, denmark , france international reputation confirmed. when people think of cowern have tendency think of felt, there more felt, herself acknowledged:

firmly believe drawing, painting , observation have contributed more work in felt has medium itself, or rather have allowed me continue felt beyond point otherwise have left it, suggesting avenues of inquiry. sure feltmakers of long acquaintance know of excitement of discovery , beauty medium brings, easily, , agree balance required between allowing medium head , making wanted. argument against use of felt ‘gives’ of much, , therefore, if reliance on ‘gift’ great. work in felt becomes similar, banal. must made behave, beautifully why not, in controlled way. must fed ideas, not allowed fixed in own past. felt brilliant teacher; tells of colour mixing, tells of graduated colour, tells of collage, shows development can, if necessary take form of destruction , reconstruction. valuable lessons, many of these things can become riot of decoration. needed reason being, simple statement.




^ cite error: named reference referencea invoked never defined (see page).
^ burkett , rickerby, 2007 pages 3-7
^ crafts magazine, no 51, july – august 1981
^ burkett , rickerby, 2007 page 33
^ crafts quarterly, issue no 5, summer 1982
^ burkett , rickerby, 2007 pages 81-82
^ burkett , rickerby, 2007 pages 90-91
^ burkett , rickerby, 2007 pages 83-88
^ burkett , rickerby, 2007 page 56
^ review of sea , rocks: shore-line of cumbria. sheridan russell gallery meike dalal laurenson, ifa
^ crafts magazine, issue 155, november - december 1998
^ jenny cowern, official website