Edinburgh Fringe 2024
Craw Caw
Blackflowersstudio
Genre: Exhibition, Visual Art
Venue: Venue 426
Festival: Edinburgh Fringe
Low Down
Jordan’s art is non figurative and towards the abstract sometimes using objects and resources from her collection of fabrics, paper, wire and wool (among several) to create her striking 2D and 3D pieces. The pieces in this exhibition are “a fusion of bird, animal and human.”
Review
Irene Jordan’s show is about her art – her drawings, paintings and sculptures. Why might we talk about art at a fringe festival? In fact all the arts, whether performing arts or visual arts are often included in fringe festivals. Think of visiting an exhibition at an art gallery listed in this year’s Edinburgh fringe as a welcome change of pace, a time to breathe and contemplate, to clear our heads.
Craw Caw is artist Irene Jordan’s new exhibition and her bijou Black Flowers Studio opens on specific days when she welcomes drop-in visitors. This showing follows up from her last year’s exhibition Under A Lime Sky and includes new works. In her studio/gallery you will enter two small crisp white walled rooms with wooden floors. Jordan herself welcomes us personally and introduces us to her work.
She is fascinated by crows and their significant meaning in mythology and her own thoughts on life and life’s passing. Jordan is ready to talk more about her work when asked and we are left to wander at will to contemplate her zest for bright colours, as well is limited palettes of tonal greys and earth hues.
Jordan kindly explains the mythology of crows and their meaning in Scotland as she is an Edinburgh artist. Her materials state that she “absorbs influences from Ted Hughes “Crow poems” and the manifestation of Crow within Scottish culture, such as in the poem “Twa Corbies.” which is the inspiration for one of her collages in this exhibition “With his Hawk, his Hound, and Lady Fair.”
Jordan’s work is non figurative and towards the abstract sometimes using objects and resources from her collection of fabrics, paper, wire and wool (among several) to create her striking 2D and 3D pieces. The pieces in this exhibition are “a fusion of bird, animal and human.”
One is immediately struck with the passion of this artist and her continuing verve to express herself through her imagination and creativity. Jordan’s art has gravitas as well as observations of nature and humanity. Several pieces are centred around fabric, which is a moving recollection of her mother who sewed and created clothes when Jordan was very young, and although she did not sew to the same extent as her mother, Jordan found herself being drawn to fabric in her art.
Examples of her pieces in this exhibition: Craw Caw, a mixed media sculpture suspended above a wood shard; Madonna and Child is a bright coloured painting with collage; “Animals ” and ” The Visitors are mixed media drawings; all works have their own symbolism and messages emanating from them through Jordan’s expressiveness.
Think about stepping away from the theatre and into an artist’s studio to view their work in between venues. Like me, you will appreciate and value such a detour!
