Blythe Plenderleith
Winner
Royal Scottish Academy New Contemporaries: Selected Artist
I want to be a better craftsman. I want to be as skilled as a Shaker; a craftsman, an inventor, a perfectionist. I don’t think that passion will ever be fulfilled because I will always strive to be better. My work is always a result of my need to make an object well because I believe one should want to, not because one has to. I don’t always seek to make functional objects but I do intend to make an object/sculpture/artwork that explores and challenges the importance of craft and materiality. My aim is to create an outcome that encapsulates my love of making but also questions its materiality or structure too. I relish precision. I relish structure. I want my work to either showcase this or work in comparison/juxtaposition to the space around it. Therefore, the space and location my artwork is situated in, whether that be a gallery location or an outside environment changes depending on context.
Bed of Hails
777 cast plaster Marys, installation and performance, 2m x 1.4m, February 2021
Fatal Symbol Flies
charred larch, 2.4m x 1.2m x 20cm, March 2020
One Small Step
polyester resin, 1.2m x 45cm x 60cm, November 2019
Rise
wood, broom corn, 2.4m x 40cm, April 2019
Roses or Nails
charred pine, 2m x 1.5m, May 2021