Caroline Dear
Isle of Skye
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Caroline is interested in the natural world and how we relate to it. She likes to encourage a fresh engagement with specific aspects of the natural world, recently with particular plants. Her work results from research into the subject and place, with the final piece or pieces being a process of distillation of the many disciplines of information gathered. Caroline's work often encourages a physical engagement with the piece; looking, touching and smelling or actually interacting by moving parts around. Sometimes it is a more passive engagement, but still with a physical reaction; of mood, contemplation or enquiry. She is interested in our changing engagement with the physical landscape and how this affects the inner psyche. Well crafted and finished, her work uses many different processes and materials, creating both 2D and 3D works. She has used the materials of the land (plants, peat, stones), digital photographic work onto various substrates including, paper, alluminium, perspex as well as making both temporary and permanent outdoor works. Projects are often recorded with an artist's book or limited edition book. The method of work she enjoys the best is to produce a body of work which is the result of a period of research, working on her own but in relation to others, liaising with specialists both for the final production and throughout the research. Her work is subtle and delicate and often needs space both physical and mental to be viewed correctly. Living on the Isle of Skye since 1986 when she moved there from France she has developed her practice using skills learnt over the years. Her initial training was as an architect, she has worked both as an architect and as a landscape architect and this has been helpful with the approach to work and commissions. She has received many awards including from Creative Scotland, ATLAS arts and the RSA residency award. Residencies have included Saari manor in Finland, Cove park in Scotland, Canada and Norway. Recent exhibitions include flora in Wales following a residency, A Layered Land in Timespan, Scotland and Vassen Susar in Finland.
EXHIBITIONS (selected)
2016 flora - National touring exhibition curated by Oriel Davies
Liminal, Cupar Arts Festival, Scotland
Vassen Sussar (Whispering Reeds) Korpostrom and Kuusisto manor, Finland
footfall - Llantarnam Grange Arts centre, Wales
2015 Aika (Time) - Kuusito manor, Finland
Clothed by plants - Pittenweem, Scotland
Naked Craft - Burlington, Quebec, Halifax Canada
Frog pound plop homage to Matsuo Basho, Cairn, Pittenweem, Scotland
Vassen susar (Whispering reeds) Eckerö Post and Custom's house, Åland, Finland
The power of ten - SIT select, Museum in the Park, Stroud, England
We are all basketmakers - Installation The barony, West Kilbride, Scotland
2014 RSA open RSA Edinburgh, Scotland
Out of bounds - Borders, Boundaries, Bindings Dartmouth, England
2013 The Fabric of Time – Hartington Road, London (solo)
Convocation – Glasgow School of Art, Glasgow
Fate – Cupar arts festival, Cupar, Scotland
Encircled by gold; under Brigid's mantle – Scottish Storytelling Centre, Edinburgh (solo)
Changing ground, land and art – Barony centre, West Kilbride, Scotland
Kirsebaerkurv 2013, Kerteminde, Denmark
SSA 116th Open exhibition, RSA Edinburgh, Scotland
2012 Interactions – Inchmore Gallery, Inverness, Scotland
Drawing from the Landscape – Royal Scottish Academy, Edinburgh, Scotland
Suainte – Sabhal Mòr Ostaig, Isle of Skye, Scotland (solo)
2011 Fire and Fibre – Collins gallery, Glasgow, Scotland
Drawing attention – Cupar arts festival, Cupar, Scotland
Making progress craft spotlight – touring Highlands, Scotland
Belladrum festival – sculpture installation, Scotland
Turned and Twisted – Highland council IMAG, touring Highlands, Scotland
Entwined / suainte – Inverness Museum and Art Gallery and SNH HQ, Inverness (solo)
Conserving Ecologies – Craft and Biodiversity, Royal Botanic Gardens Edinburgh, Scotland
2010 Heartwood10 sculpture trail – Blairgowrie, Scotland
Shoot – An Talla Solais, Ullapool, Scotland
All wired up – SDC Gallery, London, England
Contemporary Gallery Croissant, Brussels, Belgium
2009 Heartwood 09 sculpture trail – Blairgowrie, Scotland
2008 Scottish Photographers Northern Cell – Inchmore Gallery, Inverness, Scotland
Wall Works – (commission) Eden Court Theatre, Inverness, Scotland
2007 Highland Makers at The Scottish Parliament, Edinburgh, Scotland
Rich and strange – Book art, Newport, Wales
Sealladh 5 – An Tuireann arts centre, Isle of Skye, Scotland
East weaves West – Collins Gallery, Glasgow, Scotland
Homeroom – Inverness Museum and Art Gallery, Inverness, Scotland
6 Cities design festival (commission) - Inverness
2006 ECO-EGO – Kawaguchi city, Saitama, Tokyo, Japan
Pushing the boundaries – Inverness Museum and Art Gallery, Inverness, Scotland
Structure – The Gallery, West Kilbride, Scotland
Up your street – The Dick Institute, Kilmarnock, Scotland
2005 Bookmarks lll: Infiltrating Kontakt Centre for fine art research UWE, Bristol
Annaid – RIAS Gallery, Edinburgh (solo)
2004 Merging Cultures, Merging Arts – National Gallery of the Cayman Islands, West Indies
Annaid – An Tuireann arts centre and Sabhal Mòr Ostaig, Isle of Skye, Scotland (solo)
2003 Sea Words – Kilmore quay, Wexford, Ireland
Fifth open – Street Level, Glasgow, Scotland
2002 Plant weave – Royal Botanic Gardens Edinburgh, Scotland
Natural Elements – Scotland House, Brussels, Belgium
Continuum – An Tuireann arts centre, Isle of Skye and Inverness Museum and Art Gallery
Fresh – Gold Gallery, Edinburgh, Scotland
2001 Five countries – Furniture Co., New York, USA
Marks – An Tuireann arts centre, Isle of Skye, Scotland
7th Wexford Artist's book exhibition, Wexford, Cork, Derry, Ireland
Sequence, space, form – Portree library, Isle of Skye (solo)
2000 The space between – Three Camuslusta, Waternish, Isle of Skye, Scotland
Small works – Taigh Chearsabhagh, N.Uist, Western Isles, Scotland
On the edge – An Tairbeart, Argyll, Scotland
COMMISSIONS, RESIDENCIES, AWARDS
2016 Commission - ATLAS arts Landline // Five walks on Skye
Residency at Kuusisto Manor, Finland
Residency, exhibition part of Flora: Oriel Davies, Llantarnam Grange Art Centre, Wales
2015 Commission - Working with Hanna Tuulikki on Women of the Hill performance, Isle of Skye
Residency - Kjerringøy Land Art Biennale, Bodø, Norway
Residency - Burlington, Ontario, Canada
Residency - Eckerö Post and customs house, Åland, Finland
Grant - ATLAS Skye and Lochalsh Talent Development Award
2014 Commission – Working with Alec Finlay on Memorial:remembrancing at RBGE, Edinburgh
2013 Residency - Isle of Raasay as part of Colm Cille's convocation
Grant - Creative Scotland professional development grant
Purcell paper prize from SSA at 116th Open exhibition
2012 Commission – Sculpture in private garden, planting and seat, Wiltshire, England
2011 Residency - Grez-sur-Loing – Paris, France
Residency - Cove park, Scotland
Grant - Royal Scottish Academy Residency Award at Edinburgh Printmakers
Grant - Making progress, Hi-arts award and exhibition
2010 Residency - Saari residence, Finland
2009 Grant - Scottish Arts Council Creative and Professional Development Grant
2007 Commission - Moray Highlands and Islands enterprise
Commission - The Lighthouse, Glasgow for 6 Cities Design Festival
2006 Commission - Imagining the city, Inverness Public art commission
Residency at Brahan Estate – Inverness, Part of Big Willow
Grant - Hi-arts grant towards production of work for Kunst-hand-fest, Germany
Commission – Skye and Lochalsh Local Enterprise Company, Food Link award
2003 Commission – Woodland Trust Scotland, Uig wood, Skye with Ian Stephen
Commission – Sluggans woodland park, Portree, Isle of Skye
Grant – RIAS Millenium award towards research and development of Annaid
2002 Grant – Scottish Arts Council, visiting Venice Biennale 2002
2001 Commission – An Tuireann, Isle of Skye, towards piece for exhibition
PUBLICATIONS, ARTICLES
2016 Dark Mountain Issue 10 - uncivilised poetics
flora - Oriel Davies three part publication (exhibition, residencies, commissions)
Gathering strands - reserach publication (ATLAS grant towards this)
2014 Nine stones - book to accompany exhibition Out of Bounds
2013 Encircled by gold – book to accompany exhibition
2012 Northings arts journal - Review of RSA Drawing from the landscape exhibition
2011 Entwined / suainte publication marking the exhibition and some of the ropes
2008 Northings arts journal - Review of Wall Works at Eden court and Scottish photographers at Inchmore gallery
2007 'A Lorg ar Lorgan' publication documenting project with Staffin Primary school working with Ceumannan (Staffin Community Trust)
'Betula' Publication documenting sculptural works during residency at Brahan estate
2005 'Stone Boats', West Highland Free Press by Ola Wojkiewicz
2004 'Annaid', Teachd an Tir by Mary Carmichael
Broadleaf, Woodland Trust magazine Uig wood project
2003 'hearting' with Ian Stephen, book and CD documenting Uig wood project
2002 idFX magazine
Look-Look CD, Scottish and Baltic artist's exchange
2000 The World of Interiors magazine
BIOGRAPHY
I studied botany in Dublin before moving to architecture and qualifying as an architect. I worked as an architect and landscape architect in Dublin, Utrecht (The Nederlands), Oslo, London and Paris before moving to the Isle of Skye to work in 1986. I have developed my artistic practice in response to being in this particular landscape. My work explores our changing relationship with the natural world around us examining the link between our inner selves and the outer physical landscape.
I speak French fluently and have been learning Gaelic. In 2013 I received a Certificate in Field Botany from the Royal Botanic Gardens Edinburgh.
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