This Artist's Place

Funny Old Life

2011-10-28T00:51:00.000+01:00

It has been such a long time since I touched this blog or anything else to do with my art practice. I was struck with a diagnosis of MS after having severe sight problems for months. This seemed particularly cruel for anyone creative and I wept bitter tears.

However, there are worse things and now that the dust has settled and I can see once more (a bit dodgy round the edges maybe), I am ready to pick up where I left off with a greater respect for myself, my health and going with the flow. It certainly gives you a new perspective on life.

I am currently in Australia and picked up a sketch book and some crayons the other day to 'play' with whilst I am here and have gained inspiration from gallery visits and the beautiful landscape and colours. For the first time in ages, I am looking forward to getting back into the studio and working.

Quiet Sunday

2011-03-13T17:03:00.000Z

A quiet day in the studio after a leisurely start, coffee and a walk in the sunshine. Played around with trying to transfer images using wundaweb and gave up after a frustrating couple of hours getting nowhere. Will have to rethink that one.

The image here is one of a series using collaged material, acrylic paint and oil pastels - it's quite a long canvas and I have cropped the centre for the blog. Enjoyable experimental stuff really.

in the absence of feeling

2011-03-08T20:36:00.000Z

Unbelievably, here we are wending our way through March. Despite the fact that I have been largely absent from blogging, I am busy painting which was my main focus for 2011. A week away with the laptop for company and I have been catching up with digital imagery, playing with Photoshop and trying to gather a photo collection to use in my artwork. This little image came from gazing out of a window and not being able to recall feelings that I'd had about a situation.

I notice that many of the blogs I follow are having a quiet time, so hopefully we are all enjoying a period of high productivity or complete relaxation.

Most Useful

2011-02-05T19:27:00.002Z

The Telegraph Saturday Review had a really useful list today of online archives - here are a few of them and a bit of blurb taken from the article.

www.moma.org/collection - for the most comprehensive modern archive by a single institution to date.

www.vggallery.com/letters - Van Gogh's 902 letters - £450 for the new Thames & Hudson book - or free to view at this site.

www.books.google.com - 15 million publications - I just checked out the complete collection of Life magazine - worth a look at the front covers dating back to the 1950's.

www.europeana.eu - By 2016 all public domain masterpieces in Europe should be accessible through this site. It currently has 15 million to view.

http://threadsoffeeling.com/ - Tokens; mainly a tiny piece of fabric, left by mothers to identify babies left at the Foundling Hospital between 1741 and 1760. Heart-rending.

Work in Progress for January

2011-01-24T15:39:00.003Z

mixed media & collage on canvas

I am so sorry not to have posted for such a long time. Christmas and the infections of the season got in the way. But it's back to work now and on with a plan for 2011.

In as much, as one can plan for anything, I intend to let printmaking take a back seat this year and concentrate on painting again. I did a bit of a swap over last year and experimented quite a bit with gelatin print, digital and collographs but by late 2010 I was itching to get messy and started to dig out some failed works to paint over. Less stressful than staring at a white canvas and wondering where to throw the first blob of paint!

I decided it was time to rejoin the artistic community and signed up for the local Visual Artist Network. They have a nice exhibition space and I felt it really was about time I put myself out there more.

I've also joined a photography group in attempt to improve my grasp of this weighty subject. I really feel pretty hopeless about the most basic information required to take a decent shot.

And then there's the Latin to think about...New Year Resolutions and all that:)

London Trip

2010-11-23T16:53:00.004Z

Returned last night from a weekend trip to London and a flying visit to Tate Britain. Had a peep at the Saatchi Gallery and ended the visit at The Royal Academy to see the Glasgow Boys ( http://www.royalacademy.org.uk/exhibitions/glasgow-boys/). Tate Britain was full of greatness and a joy to spend a couple of hours before it closed looking at some old favourites. The Glasgow Boys was a really good exhibition of artists with whom I was not previously familiar and whose capturing of light and colour held me spellbound. It was well-attended but I managed to see everything without being trampled underfoot.

I found most of the Saatchi gallery's current collection predictably dreary. It neither excites nor shocks any more. It was however, interesting to hear a guide trying to justify some juvenile dross to a party of schoolchildren. Despite the no entrance fee policy these days, it was very quiet, with a collection of gallery attendants who were barely civil. It all felt a bit parallel universe. But hey I'm only a punter.

Collagraph II

2010-11-17T18:35:00.003Z

A second run of collagraphs with chine colle. It's starting to feel like a race against time before the Festive Season takes hold and everything grinds to a halt for a few weeks. Although it is good to get work out at any time of the year.

Collagraph

2010-11-14T17:39:00.004Z

Been painting, making little boxes, small sculptures and working on some collographs for a change. This little landscape is a collagraph with chine colle and is headed to Australia with 3 others in the series.

I have also been working on making the studio a warmer place to work during the winter months. Last year was a battle with condensation damp getting into everything and the summer was such a non-event that I knew I was going to have to get some heat going. I now have curtains at the windows, some old underlay and carpet on the floor and a thermostat on an oil radiator to keep the temperature level. So far so good.

Book Binge

2010-09-29T18:08:00.001+01:00

Yesterday I came across a second hand book store with a table outside and a sign saying 'free to good home - help yourself'. And needing no encouragement, I came away very happily carrying four old hardbacks and some ancient engineering plans to use as Altered Books, including this poor battered thing with a very beautiful cover that I am sure can be brought to life in some way. Funny isn't it, the small things that can brighten the dullest day?

An Origami Moment

2010-09-29T17:46:00.007+01:00

I have been exploring ideas for One Hundred Boxes and have been folding paper in an origami kind of way - immediate apologies to any origami purists for this folded work in newspaper and tracing paper. A few months ago I started looking at ways to use all the bits of artwork lying around the studio - files and files of paper experiments that hadn't quite worked out. I began a journal with some of it and then the boxes were born and the focus has shifted in that direction as a way of recycling with an autobiographical emphasis.

I am finding it interesting to see where the wandering, creative mind travels and the little boxes are proving very useful in giving a structure and starting point to the work, whilst allowing free-reign to fill the boxes with whatever is developing from one to the next. The discipline of recording each one is very useful for progress. Some of them still need changes and some are on the shelf awaiting a bolt of inspiration to move them along at all.

Feel a bit more blog-happy this week - moved the furniture around and changed the decor a bit. (Blogger seem to have dumped a lot of their design templates?)

Mid-Blog Crisis

2010-09-24T10:04:00.004+01:00

It's coming up to 2 years since I began the blog. Perhaps this is the time to take stock, maybe there is a 2 year hiatus common to bloggers:). There are times I enjoy posting and times when it feels a chore and I would rather be in the studio or vice versa!

Living in a rural environment, I do feel isolated from other artists and very much enjoy looking at other artists' blogs for the inspiration and the camaraderie I miss, having previously enjoyed a city-based studio practice.

But this does not solve the current dilemma of where to go with This Artist's Place. I quite like the format on One Hundred Boxes - no dialogue and just images with media description. I don't think I gave much thought initially to blogging and it has evolved in rather an untidy way with my posting whatever I was creating at that moment - more a sketchbook of ideas and thoughts than a coherent entity.

I have noticed that many of the bloggers I follow have moved, created additional blogs, given up, been amalgamated into zines. There must be a natural lifespan to blogs with many changes on the journey. Where do all the dead blogs go?

Steve McCurry Retrospective, Birmingham City Art Gallery

2010-09-12T17:05:00.003+01:00

Called in to see the Steve McCurry Retrospective at the Modern Art Gallery bit attached to Birmingham City Art Gallery and was quite bowled over by his absolutely sensational photography. Amazing colours, thought-provoking images - check out his website http://www.stevemccurry.com/main.php or better still if you are in the Birmingham area, go see it - it runs til October 17th.

Small Object

2010-09-10T22:00:00.000+01:00

Sometimes everything goes to plan and at other moments it's an uphill struggle and this week has been the latter with a brain in underdrive and frustration levels in overdrive. I have been working on the latest small box and just can't get the composition right. I think it might have to rest on the shelf until I find out why it won't hang together.

I've been doing some camera practice today to take a break from the studio - closeups of small objects like this old tin box that houses my pins, needles and cottons for those repairs I never do.

September in Shrewsbury Town

2010-09-02T20:03:00.000+01:00

A Small Collection of Boxes

2010-08-30T20:50:00.001+01:00

The boxes now number six - although I want to make some changes before I post the latest on the One Hundred Boxes blog. The last box contains a butterfly that died in the studio resting on white painted twigs (the black box above). The box itself has a glass window and I have placed mirror card at the back of the box to catch the reflections but which looks fine in the studio but is proving problematic to photograph. I also feel that it needs something else and am not yet sure what to add.

Serendipity seems to be at work too and I am finding boxes everywhere to use - not quite a hundred yet but getting there slowly.

One Hundred Boxes

2010-08-19T20:53:00.002+01:00

Lying awake last night, it seemed a really good idea to start a new blog for the Autobiographia Boxes (?!?). I thought it would spur me into action to set a goal and see what happens along the way. So I have entitled it One Hundred Boxes. I may never actually reach the hundred but it should be a good way to concentrate my mind and build a body of work for this project.

So just the boxes, notes about the size and media and keep it simple.

Altered Pages

2010-08-18T21:37:00.000+01:00

At other moments I am using rescued books to see what will happen to them in my hands. Having been quite captivated by altered books for a while, I am gathering a small collection of old hardbacks from charity shops, the greyhound rescue stall and any secondhand bookshop that practically gives away unloved tomes.

The hardback fell away from these pages and it was impossible to make neat folds as the paper was too stiff - quite an unusual weight really. So, it acquired this pot-bellied untidy look, the folds are quite tight and has a lovely solid feel to it. Do not weep for the book, it was a horrendously pompous work by Thomas Carlyle. (Apologies to Carlyle fans).

Autobiographia Boxes - continued

2010-08-17T18:13:00.004+01:00

box, gelatin print, layered acetates, pebble, silver wire, pearl

temporary home on studio shelf with graffiti fish

It's been a busy few weeks - family visits and dealing with the high summer crops of fruit and vegetables from the kitchen garden. The studio has, as ever, taken a back seat, but I have been popping in and out when I can to continue with the Autobiographia boxes.

This box refers to childhood summers spent in Suffolk. I was put on the train alone in Liverpool and travelled to London under the care of the guard and had taxi fare to change stations for the Saxmundham train, where my aunt would meet me and then 6 glorious weeks of freedom and a bicycle to roam seashore, marsh and countryside around Aldeburgh. I was 11 when I first went on my own and although it is unthinkable these days, I am sure it accounts for my independence and lifelong lust for travel.

The quote comes from a biography of George Crabbe, poet of Aldeburgh born 1754. His children thought that on his death, "...he would fade into the sea mist and disappear before our eyes." The pebble came from that beach and I love the hole in it that has been worn away over the centuries.

A small homage to a place that will remain forever in my heart and a time when life seemed simple.

The Autobiographia Boxes

2010-07-16T18:13:00.002+01:00

I've been working these last few weeks on these little boxes as a kind of autobiography - bits of old work combined with precious odds and sods that have travelled with me over the years, collected pieces and gifts. The print is one of the little series of gelatin plates I did a while ago reflecting on the wild undergrowth in my garden and the ivory bird and bead came from an incense burner that was given to me over 40 years ago, by an uncle who had travelled to Australia in the 1920's via what was then Ceylon. He is long dead but the memories and wonderful tales he told of his life as a wandering musician linger on

I like the smallness of the work - 2inches square

Re-Post Gelatin II - For Buried Treasure Collaborative

2010-07-15T20:01:00.003+01:00

I've had a couple of entirely sensible questions about what do you do with the gel plates once you have them in your hot little hands!

Here was the subsequent post I made in October last year, which hopefully gives you an idea of how to print from them. Many of the images on the blog have been taken from straight monoprints using gelatin plates or manipulating the image using Adobe or Gimp software. (e.g., Previous Posts - Meditations is a monoprint, Bye Bye Birdy is a digitally manipulated print using the same bird template and some textured wallpaper samples I got from the local hardware store). Really interesting to experiment with paper shapes, leaves, string, paper bags etc., you do start to see possibilites all around you! And to overprint and see what happens with the combined images and colours.

Final image
Gel plate with impressions left by placed objects

First print taken
Inked up gel plate with assorted items laid on top

Just figured out how to load multiple images! Not too sure why it has loaded in reverse order but here is some of the output from the day - the gel plate (bottom image)was first inked up using water based printing inks and a roller, then I laid a variety of stuff on top of the inked plate - ribbon, leaves, bit of lace, rubber bands. I placed a sheet of cartridge paper over the top and gently hand rubbed the back of the paper to obtain the first print. No need to go mad here just a smoothing over the back of the paper really.

Then I removed the items and placed a second sheet of cartridge paper over and gently rubbed the back of the paper to pick up the imprinted images left on the gel.

I have used 130g cartridge paper for this print.

Re-Post for Buried Treasure Collaborative - Making a Gelatin Plate

2010-07-13T20:23:00.000+01:00

As part of a collaborative with New York Artist Seth Apter' and his blog The Altered Page, I am re-posting 'Making a Gelatin Plate'. The idea is to air a previous post that you particularly liked. The participating artists can be found from July 15th over at The Altered Page blog under the title Buried Treasure. A celebration of the work of the many, many online artists we love to browse.

I think it's probably one of the most useful posts I made over the year for other artists and probably the one which sparked the most interest on my blog. It was also a good point for my work, as it began to travel down many mixed media avenues and on all kinds of artistic journeys that I could not have imagined; say 2 years ago.

A week on holiday got me thinking about gelatin prints again. I really got into this last year and posted about it at the time but felt that there was more work to be done here and that I could also use the prints with my stock of digital images. There was very little information online at the time; there is a little bit more now I notice, but it was enough to get me started.

The drawback was the time it took to make the plates and the fact that the gel broke up quite quickly - you would just get to the point where you were making progress and it was getting interesting and the cracks would appear.

So for those interested in this here is the latest recipe for the gel plate shown above.

Makes a plate about 8x10 inches and 1/2 inch deep

1 Pack Dr Oetker Gelatin (contains 6 sachets)
1 pint water at room temperature

Kiddies plasticine or clay
Plexi-glass sheet or reinforced glass (not picture frame glass, far too fragile)

Newspaper torn into strips

Put water in pan and slowly add all 6 sachets one by one and stirring slowly with wooden spoon. I mean slowly! When you have added all the gelatin powder heat slowly and stir constantly to dissolve the gelatin and then leave to cool down a little.

Whilst that is cooling make a dam with the plasticine or clay on your plexi-glass. I previously used a tin tray but this is much better and you can make any size and shape you want. Just make sure it is pressed down onto the support and there are no areas that will leak.

Pour the gelatin slowly into the mould you have created and skim the surface with strips of newspaper to get rid of any scum and bubbles on the surface.

Leave for about an hour and a half in a cool place to set. ( I left it in the studio - it really does not need a fridge) Until it feels firm to touch.

Use sharp knife to cut right down onto the plexi-glass or glass and carefully remove the plasticine dam.

(This beats the previous recipe where you had do all kinds of stuff and then leave it in the fridge for 12 hours)

And the plate is ready to use...

Meditations

2010-06-03T17:02:00.002+01:00

It occurred to me that rather than constantly trying to come with something new, I already have so many disparate bits of work here in the studio and it might be a good idea to collect these moments of creativity together and see what happens.

So I am using them to make a kind of meditative journal as a beginning and just see what happens along the way. I also think it will work into Artist's books and a couple of other schemes I am hatching.

...and probably more Birdy for a while.

Bye Bye Birdy

2010-05-27T20:16:00.000+01:00

Made some more gelatin prints today using one of the bird stencils and helped myself to some wallpaper samples from the local hardware store to use for the borders - they may soon become suspicious of my constant sampling and non-purchase of a whole roll.

I have been experimenting (last couple of post images and this one) with using curves in GIMP (or Adobe) which is quite interesting, particularly when using the 'freehand' tool and throws up all kinds of nuances that aren't always obvious in the original print.

I have called this Bye Bye Birdy - its probably time to give birds a rest and move on.

Fine weather and gel prints

2010-05-22T17:39:00.003+01:00

I took refuge in the studio today, away from the heat and got down to the business of making art and a bit of a Spring clear out too - well not so much a clear out, more a shuffle. You know the kind of thing - anything to avoid starting! It's the first really warm weather we have had but I'm happier in the shade. Off to London tomorrow for a couple of days and hopefully some gallery viewing. After that I hope to have some more time in the studio and develop ideas that have been brewing since Australia. And more time for this poor neglected blog.

The image here is one of 15 small prints (10cm x 10cm) I began in February - I wanted something very simple to give an impression of looking closely at tiny seed heads in the undergrowth. I am now manipulating the images using GIMP or Adobe to see if I have sufficient for another Artist's book.

Went to collect some slumped glass from the previous week's session - it had not survived the firing and had shattered. Tried another batch with fingers crossed.

Dreamtime

2010-04-28T16:55:00.003+01:00

Back from my travels and finding it hard to get back into the swing of things - not sure what I actually want to swing from. Great time in Australia and wonderful to see art from a different perspective.

I was particularly interested in the aboriginal concept of Dreamtime and quote from Wikipedia (Fred Alan Wolf from his book The Dreamtime):-

"Aboriginals believe in two forms of time; two parallel streams of activity. One is the daily objective activity, the other is an infinite spiritual cycle called the 'dreamtime', more real than reality itself. Whatever happens in the dreamtime establishes the values, symbols, and laws of Aboriginal society. It was believed that some people of unusual spiritual powers had contact with the dreamtime."'

That sounds better than any description that I could have come up with. The little sketch here is something from my travel sketchbook. My own Dreamtime - the whole experience has left me with so many ideas and an uncertainty of how to express them just now.

This week has seen me at Westhope College playing with some glasswork, another area I have been wanting to try for quite a while. Making a few sample pieces before I tackle any cathedral windows.

Journal for the Trip

2010-02-26T16:06:00.007Z

I've been hunting; without success, for a good quality watercolour sketchbook and decided to make one up myself. And also wanted to continue with practising bookmaking, so it was a duel intent. Found the paper for the cover amongst some prints I made only about 8 years ago. It was worthless as a print but I'm quite happy with it is a journal cover and it has a nice heavy textured feel to it - ignorant of the ins and outs of printing ink at the time, I used acrylic paint and some linocut images layered into an abstract pattern.

I am heavy-handed with paint (watercolours usually flinch when they see me coming) and find ordinary sketchbook paper too lightweight to take a hammering.

Sydney Beckons

2010-02-25T09:36:00.003Z

I did anticipate getting some work done this week but it hasn't happened. And last week I was Grandson-sitting over half-term, so it has been a couple of weeks of best laid plans going to pot. I have stopped beating myself up now and decided to go with the flow. (Flow sounds sedate but it has been more flying around like a lunatic for last minute things).

I fly out on Monday and am gathering together what I hope will be sufficient to keep me occupied and sane during the 22 hour flight - books, pens, sketchbooks, downloads - if anyone has any other ideas please let me know:(

I am really looking forward to seeing my youngest daughter and also looking at art from an Australian perspective - I hope I return full of ideas for new work in April.

I will post if I can during the trip and of course keep up with all my favourite blogs!

Madding Crowd

2010-02-13T15:40:00.016Z

Just about finished the Artist's book using the gelatin prints of birds that I made back in October. I use the word finished loosely as I am not happy with several aspects of the piece, so this will probably be the prototype for something else. I spray painted the covers and found that pushing an awl through for the holes disturbed the paint - trying to rectify this with a paintbrush left rather obvious blobs on the surface. So lessons learned for the next one.

I have used Japanese stab binding.

The other piece is experimental, using an old gelatin print with some collage and chine colle. The text is taken from Gray's Elegy - there's not too much left of this little book! I am currently going through the portfolio to see what I can re-use with more layers.

Oh! the studio that was tidy two days ago is chaos once more.

Artist's Book

2010-02-08T16:53:00.008Z

Bitterly cold day outside and not much better in the studio today. I needed to do a tidy out before I go to Australia at the end of the month and I wanted to spend some time working on the prints I began a little while ago with the intention of making an artist's book. (I think I posted them under 'Birds on a Wire' as a working title but think that will change).

Over the weekend I trimmed the pages and worked knots into them with some very old embroidery thread - and I do mean old. They came from some my mother had during WWII. And today I looked at some ideas for a cover - the best option at the moment is the simplest one of the stencilled bird but will look at other angles tomorrow.

I am increasingly interested in the the link between women in families and their complexities. The birds have come to represent my youngest daughter leaving home and the threads represent the continuation within this family group.

Epitaph

2010-01-30T19:28:00.007Z

Experimented today with some 'failed' prints combined with collaged material and chine colle. I tore the epitaph from somewhere weeks ago and of course, now have no idea at all where it came from but never mind, I am more concerned with using the various elements together to see what happens.

I don't really want to start anything new in the next few weeks - so just being playful with odds and ends already hanging around the studio table.

(Just remembered the torn page came from Gray's Elegy written in an English Churchyard - I am glad about that, it would have driven me batty for the rest of the evening).

The Seven

2010-01-20T20:10:00.004Z

I just noticed that my lonely follower of the past year has been joined by six others and that is delightful. So hello and welcome to the ramblings.

Grinding to a Halt?

2010-01-08T20:00:00.008Z

Don't know where the last month went but here we are landed safely in 2010 - well, just about. The view from the steps of The Walker Art Gallery in Liverpool shows the city grinding to a halt on Wednesday. The wheel distorted through the window of John Lewis whilst I was warming up with a cup of tea.

We arrived for an overnight stay and so I could catch the Rothko exhibition at Tate Liverpool and The Rise of Women Artists at The Walker art gallery but the snow arrived at the same time as we did and the day deteriorated as galleries, shops and just about everything closed - buses stopped and we returned to the hotel to watch the white stuff settle quietly over everything - our room overlooked the Metropolitan Cathedral and the Georgian rooftops and it all looked quite lovely from the comfort of our well-heated lodgings. I did get half an hour with the Women Artists and slid up to the Tate the following day to see the Seagram murals but by then the pavements had become treacherous, the Tate closed early, so I called a halt to the visit and we headed for home. Liverpool had no grit and had to borrow it from the Wirral; if hotel gossip is to be believed! It seems bizarre that a city of this size is unable to react to a few inches of snow but hey, thankfully I am not in charge.

I have not been in the studio over Christmas - a combination of my back still recovering and the ice on the inside of the windows. I am also planning a visit to Australia in the next few weeks - so my mind is hardly focussed on work at the moment - a bit of personal grinding to a halt on the creative side for a while.

Plans for 2010 - continue with the gelatin prints when my place defrosts and check out art Australia. Oh, and be kind to my back so it doesn't try this stunt again!

Blood on His Hands

2009-12-12T15:58:00.013Z

In the studio for a couple of hours this afternoon, produced little of note and finished the afternoon with this small image on a page torn from Machiavelli's The Prince.

The title inspired by listening to a politician talking twaddle on the radio whilst I was working away. They always seem so oblivious to the trail of wreckage they leave behind. I did think that I should perhaps dedicate the work to the specific politician but then decided to leave it as a general award to any passing 'prince'.

I was given a load of classic title books during a visit to Hay-on-Wye last year when one of the book shop owners told me to help myself - and I did. I am not usually a book vandal!

The page was gessoed, the leaf design is an acetate stencil gelatin print, the blood red sun is chine colle and the left side panel was a strip saved from some previous gelatin work and glued down.

December and the Creative Wilderness

2009-12-11T19:07:00.010Z

Its been a very quiet time creatively. Apparently, I have done something nasty to a disc in my back and its taking ages to heal. I was in the studio for the first time in a while yesterday sorting some things out and trying not to cause myself any further bother!

I have been playing around with some bleach lift on fabric - because it has been the only thing I could manage in the kitchen and I have made up some gelatin plates today, in the hope that I can get some printing done before Christmas stops everything in its tracks.

Not the end of the world but frustrating nontheless.

Birds on a Wire Series

2009-10-30T12:09:00.014Z

Have been busy with the gelatin prints and am starting on a series with birds - tentatively entitled Birds on a Wire.

The studio looks chaotic but hopefully out of the mess some good work will emerge.

The two little birds I began with are morphing into other images, ideas are forming and I am out and about with the camera trying to get the shots that I want to develop into stencils for the work. I am interested in using the four images above for an artist's book - I have about 25 now in this series and they would be a good size to adapt for that.

The Omo People

2009-10-22T09:04:00.003+01:00

Gelatin Print VII

2009-10-21T17:36:00.010+01:00

Still exploring gelatin printing and today changed the format for the images - due largely to the fact that the gel was starting to break up at the edges, so I masked the worst bit of the plate and carried on until the cracks became too large to work with.

I have reduced the bird stencil down in size for these smaller prints and did try to get some more birdy photos this morning but Maria and Luigi - our resident crows weren't hanging around long enough for a family portrait.

At the end of the session today, I began printing onto newspaper and got some good results with that - the gelatin seems to happy to grip the newspaper, so I will now be searching for some good newspaper articles to print on.

Gelatin Print VI

2009-10-17T17:08:00.013+01:00

Really struggled today with printing second colours and ruined some really nice images from yesterday. Salvaged these two circles and manipulated the bottom one digitally to see if I could enhance the birds. The original was quite ghostly but I liked the composition and didn't want to lose it by doing another horrendous overprint! So I'll keep it in the digital library. I am still clueless about file format for the web and the bottom image looks very pixelated when enlarged - sorry!

Once the circle started to crack I cut a square out of it and turned it over to get a bit more use out of the plate and got about 20 small experimental prints out of it. And I have just about run out of paper.

Gelatin Print III

2009-10-13T17:43:00.010+01:00

I had intended to spend the day printing but my mistake over day, date and time for the workshop lunch threw that out of the window. Anyway, I enjoyed the get-together and seeing the work and managed to salvage the afternoon to myself and got about 15 prints - some better than others.

The gel is now on day three and holding up quite well - beginning to peel away from the glass plate a bit - but still viable. This is real progress - the plates I made with the previous 'recipe' lasted about 4 hours.

Pathways - Paintings from the Workshop

2009-10-13T17:17:00.008+01:00

Workshops I and II

Diptych (Oil pastel and acrylic) - Jacqueline Owen

Got my wires crossed and nearly missed the Pathways workshop lunch at the end of the workshop exhibition. However, made it and it was good to see the work inspired by the Quiet Lane project and also to see the paintings generated by the second group who had approached their subject of a walk in a forest area in a completely different way.

The Pathways exhibition at Qube showing the work of the four lead artists involved has its Private View on Friday and I am looking forward to seeing their own response to the subject.

Gelatin Print II

2009-10-12T18:19:00.010+01:00

Turned first print on its side and overprinted with circular gel plate
Second print
Gel plate with impressions left by placed objects

First print taken
Inked up gel plate with assorted items laid on top

Gelatin Print - Making a Plate

2009-10-12T17:49:00.010+01:00

A week on holiday got me thinking about gelatin prints again. I really got into this last year and posted about it at the time but felt that there was more work to be done here and that I could also use the prints with my stock of digital images. There was very little information online at the time; there is a little bit more now I notice, but it was enough to get me started.

The drawback was the time it took to make the plates and the fact that the gel broke up quite quickly - you would just get to the point where you were making progress and it was getting interesting and the cracks would appear.

So for those interested in this here is the latest recipe for the gel plate shown above.

Makes a plate about 8x10 inches and 1/2 inch deep

1 Pack Dr Oetker Gelatin (contains 6 sachets)
1 pint water at room temperature

Kiddies plasticine or clay
Plexi-glass sheet or reinforced glass (not picture frame glass, far too fragile)

Newspaper torn into strips

Put water in pan and slowly add all 6 sachets one by one and stirring slowly with wooden spoon.
I mean slowly! When you have added all the gelatin powder put on medium heat and stir constantly to dissolve the gelatin and then leave to cool down a little.

Whilst that is cooling make a dam with the plasticine or clay on your plexi-glass. I previously used a tin tray but this is much better and you can make any size and shape you want. Just make sure it is pressed down onto the support and there are no areas that will leak.

Pour the gelatine slowly into the mould you have created and skim the surface with strips of newspaper to get rid of any scum and bubbles on the surface.

Leave for about an hour and a half in a cool place to set. ( I left it in the studio - it really does not need a fridge) Until it feels firm to touch.

Use sharp knife to cut right down onto the plexi-glass or glass and carefully remove the plasticine dam.

(This beats the previous recipe where you had do all kinds of stuff and then leave it in the fridge for 12 hours)

And the plate is ready to use...

Moors 'n Stuff

2009-10-10T19:07:00.004+01:00

Back from a week on Dartmoor. The moors remained shrouded in low mists and rain for most of the time but we holed up in a cottage and made the most of the rest and getting away from it all. I was brave and fearless in not taking my mobile phone or laptop and managed to survive without them. I did however, take a load of books and some art supplies (for the one sketch I made the whole time!) I pushed myself into taking 2 photos. Really though, it was very good to do nothing.

I have made resolutions to cut down computer time and ONLY use it for really useful things(blogging????). Do I really need to Tweet? Do I really need to bookmark every site I visit?

Made a couple of random purchases in lovely second hand bookshop on the way back and now off for cuppa tea.

Normal service will be resumed as soon as possible:)

September Roundup

2009-10-01T17:57:00.004+01:00

Here we are at the end of a lovely September - probably my favourite month of the year for no reason in particular. The temperature has changed - just put the fire on in the studio for the first time today. The leaves are turning and its been a busy month in and out of the studio and a good one too.

I have concentrated on experimenting with paint - oils and acrylics. Decided to leave spray paint and bitumen aside for a while to give my lungs a rest! (I do try and think 'safety' but get carried away at times and forget to grab the respirator and open doors and windows.) I spent a day this week with a group of people with chronic respiratory problems and it does give you a reality check.

It was great to have been invited to do the Pathways workshop and added to the experimental period that I had wanted to allow myself this year. When I have been away from home I have tried to catch up with learning more about digital art and how I can apply the techniques to my own work.

I also wanted to think about using a sketchbook journal again - probably allied to the fact that I have been playing around with so many different mediums and need to consider how they react together for future reference (and be able to remember it all!).

So, what will October offer up?

Been Thinking About Pathways

2009-09-29T19:34:00.010+01:00

A travelling week and mostly tied up with other things but spent some downtime looking at more of the photos from the Pathways project and thinking about what else could be done with this collection of images - all the sketchbook information and preliminary work having been left at Qube for exhibition use.

It has been good to have this time to work offline. And of course, I now have a head full of ideas but no time for a couple of weeks to start anything new - so it will have to wait until I am back in the studio. Such are the frustrations of life! But still, it helps to take the laptop away with me and be able to use the graphics creatively when you can't get into the studio. I am increasingly finding that one informs the other very nicely and brings so many different elements to my work.

The second workshop began last week (day 2 this week) - ours was over two consecutive days and it will be good to see what the participants get out of their two separated days - I know they were approaching it in a different way, with different artists leading the workshop and it will be interesting to see how this impacts on their finished work. I can't help feeling that having a week in between and time to consider the project might be beneficial. Or would it destroy spontaneity?

I am really looking forward to seeing the exhibition and how these different approaches affect people's work.

52 Suburbs

2009-09-19T09:50:00.005+01:00

http://www.52suburbs.com/

Came across this fantastic blog - well worth a peek!

Never Ending Circles

2009-09-18T09:40:00.006+01:00

I have been reviewing some of the photos from the two day Pathways workshop. Considering sensory elements to a greater degree was something that came out of the workshop for me. Of course you are generally aware of the sights, sounds, movements around you but we are not often in a quiet place where you do stop and pay attention in a mindful way and without distractions.

Colour is usually my primary concern and how to use it in an abstracted and expressive way. Sitting at the edge of the pond, I was picking up the blues, greens, umber, burnt orange, pinks from the immediate landscape.

And then I heard a couple of splashes in the water and looked up to see a kingfisher darting across the surface, leaving behind these lovely circles in the water. I was too late with the camera to catch the bird, it was long-gone.

This is only the second time I have seen one but then I don't spend a lot of time hanging around ponds.

Pathways at Qube Oswestry

2009-09-16T17:15:00.014+01:00

Day Two of the workshop - tiring but very satisfying day. What amazed me most was the quantity of work that has come from this project so far - it was quite staggering to see how much had populated the walls and floor space by late afternoon.

For work on canvas (all 12 x 12ins) Jood and Janie gave us a limited pallette of acrylic paint, graphite sticks and oil pastels to work with in order to give some cohesion to the finished pieces. Again, despite the fact that our styles were all quite different, the finished work hung together well and it will be interesting to see them as part of the Pathways exhibition at Qube in October.

For me it was good to work with other artists again and it gave me some new practical ideas to add to my own artist's vocabulary. Particularly, the sensory element of the Quiet Lane experience and how to develop that in my work.

A video excerpt below of Janie demonstrating oil pastel and graphite technique and Jood talking about oil pastel layering.

For more information check out the links below.

http://www.qube-oca.org.uk/arts/pathways.html
http://marttn.wordpress.com/

Pathways at Qube Oswestry - Quiet Lane

2009-09-15T19:48:00.009+01:00

Working on a two day artist-led workshop at Qube, Oswestry. 'Pathways - Artists' exploration of environment through creation'. This week's workshop is being run by Jood Gough and Janie McLeod. The second workshop 22nd and 29th September being led by Gill Crozier and Judith Harrison.

This morning we spent a couple of hours along the Quiet Lane collecting images and information to work on over the next two days. There are six of us participating and of course we all approached the task in different ways - sketches, photography, abstract and representational.

Back at the centre we pooled our information and began exploring the information gathered to get a sense of our 'Pathway' experience - not only visual images but the sensory impact of the Quiet Lane.

Jood and Janie led us through a variety of mark making methods and toward the development of ideas for a 'finished' work tomorrow. By 4pm there was some really good work underway and I am looking forward to Day Two.

I will try and post some pictures tomorrow - I was so engrossed today, I forgot that bit.

Colour Field

2009-08-28T08:22:00.005+01:00

After the jpeg trauma yesterday and as my eyes were beginning to glaze-over consulting the photography manual last night - I took a break and looked at one of the colour field paintings I did last week (based on the garden photo colours) and played around with the image for a while using Gimp and fractals.

There seems to be differing advice about compressing and decompressing jpegs ranging from absolute disaster to no problem - so the day ahead will be spent in the company of the printer to see what I can rescue - deep joy.

I've only had the camera six years...

2009-08-27T20:15:00.009+01:00

I have mentioned several times on this blog that photography is safe from me but I wonder if I am safe from it. Here I was tootling along taking a few snaps of this and that when the fancy took me and then all of a sudden I hit the wall of realisation that there's a world of difference in the little old 4x6inch photo, what gets posted to the webpage or what I might like to have reproduced for a larger canvas. Yes, there has been a slight niggle in the back of my head somewhere that I ought to do some research on this matter but we arty types get busy with the creative bit.

Today, I wanted to take a look through the portfolio for this year and although I have been so much better at documenting work, for a lot of it I did not save the original image only images ready for the web. This is not a problem for work I still have around the studio but for work that has gone into the world, I am left with jpegs. Not the end of the world but it means a few days now of checking what formats the work is saved in and spending evenings in the company of the photographic manuals for some basic information on file saving for nitwits!

The small canvas above is one of the 'Fired Earth' landscapes in spray acrylic paint - hand manipulated to give it texture. This was the last of a series I started late last year and finished last month.

Garden Photos IV & Other Stuff

2009-08-26T12:20:00.009+01:00

Blustery day outside and a couple of hours to spare before an appointment this afternoon. The garden is starting to look August weary but still lots of colour to be found out there and I am busy collecting as many shots as I can before autumn sets in and the perennials die back. The sunflowers above are just about to 'go over'.

I have been using the colours of the garden to paint some simple 'colour field' works on canvas and paper and enjoyed not particularly thinking about anything other than the juxtaposition of the colour. Will photograph and post later - nothing particularly fantastic but a joy to have the opportunity to simply play with paint.

On a more serious note - for me anyway! I reluctantly made a decision not to take up the option of the Professional Printmaker's programme this year. I had to stop last year for family reasons and although I badly wanted to start it again this term, the 'family reasons' are ongoing and would just make something that should be a rich and invaluable experience, a major stress. I've had the tears and tantrums but feel relieved to have made a decision - for this year at least! The Print Centre is such a vibrant place to work and the output is of such a high standard that it has been a difficult decision but I will keep up with printmaking in the studio here and catch up with the Print Centre workshops through the year.

I am feeling more relaxed about workload now. There are things I want to do with my own professional practice this coming year which will be easier outside a formal educational framework.

The Garden Photos III

2009-08-14T20:43:00.010+01:00

A busy family week and in between visitors and travelling, I have been pressing on with the garden photos and thinking about using the images. I am enjoying grabbing the camera and getting a few shots as the flowers appear and its good to do something positive when I just don't have enough time to spend in the studio.

I like the fact that flowers are so unfashionable in the artworld, naff, twee, kitsch and all that stuff. Sometimes, you get sick of 'the concept' and sometimes you just want to see what's going on under your nose and not have to explain the 'outcomes' and intellectualise everything.

I'm not in a bad mood - honestly.

The Garden Photos II

2009-07-31T09:34:00.006+01:00

I have been getting some quite good results with the garden photos and if it ever stops raining might get out to take some more. I am experimenting with layering and building the image from the base photo.

The Garden Photos

2009-07-30T09:14:00.010+01:00

Spent the evening looking at more of the garden photos that I have collected over the last few weeks and playing with them digitally to consider as many options as possible. I am not a photographer but I do find it really useful as a 'sketchbook' tool and love what you can achieve with digital imagery. I like the fact that you can explore ideas and often see so much more in the dull photo you started with. Sometimes it is just a dull photo - I do have limitations! My main aim is to consider ideas for printmaking with the garden images.

RSI stops play

2009-07-29T19:17:00.008+01:00

Its been a wierd summer thus far. I've been struggling with painting on a stop/start basis and trying to carve time out in the studio when I can. To add to the interruptions of life, my wrists have succumbed to repetitive strain injury making computer-use a pain - literally that is.

So it is is through gritted teeth...

I am back with the flowers, the garden is summer-full and is such a rich source of colour and form. Photographing, manipulating and researching other media.

That's what I'm up to right now - less time online and more thinking about work but hey that might be good for the soul and output!

Playing Around

2009-06-26T21:09:00.005+01:00

It's been a more productive week and I have lots of bits drying tonight. Just been playing around and getting back into work mode and thinking my way through a few ideas. Finished this pot made from garden magazine pages. Kind of daft but seemed a shame to throw these high definition pages into the recycling bin.

Think I will play with the image digitally and see if I can have some more fun with it.

Regional Print Centre - Print Out

2009-06-19T10:02:00.008+01:00

Private View last night for the Print Out Exhibition at The Regional Print Centre, Wrexham. It was great to see the work of all the artists showing. Although I have to declare an interest - I began the Professional Printmakers' programme last year but had to put it on hold due to 'stuff' beyond my control.

The six artists had produced mature and innovative work - each piece held its own place individually with no weak links and some nice sculptural work from Frances Carlile. It is well worth a visit if you are in the area. Ends 14th July.

It was also good to catch up with the artists and chat a bit about how the year had gone. I am hovering over what to do about continuing with the programme. The standard of the show and the relaxed pleasure of the artists was evidence enough that this would be time well spent and an opportunity not to be missed.

Kinetic Sculpture

2009-05-06T09:49:00.003+01:00

Came across this amazing kinetic sculpture through a Twitter contact. It's magical.

I will try and find out who the artist is.

Work in Progress

2009-05-01T20:29:00.012+01:00

Eventually got into the studio late today. I have some building work about to start on the house and that needed some preparation but the fog began to clear this evening and I've been working on some ideas for prints (one shown here).

I was interested to see an item in the newspaper today about David Hockney using digital imagery for his new work and particularly his iPhone to 'paint' images. It is something I have become increasingly fascinated with, in preparing images for the website or blog. "The Computer is a terrific medium..." said Hockney and I have to agree. It is becoming an increasingly important tool for my work. The ability to keep pushing the boundaries of an image and also to retrieve the original when it goes horribly wrong is brilliant and it often gives me the courage to try something new and different.

Hockney says he messages his iPhone paintings of flowers to friends.

Talk to the Hand

2009-04-09T09:15:00.011+01:00

Still thinking about hands and gathering images and information for a possible project. This pic of a falling cup nearly hit the bin - after lots of shots failed to produce a useable photograph. I eventually managed to get something to work on in The Gimp. I still haven't figured how to save images for the web using this software, so apologies if its a bit blurred.

I think it is quite dramatic now and sufficiently interesting to store in the project folder.

I am going to be travelling for a couple of weeks after Easter, so posts will be thin on the ground for a while. I hope I can use any free time to research. That's the plan anyway.

By the way - No cups were injured in the making of this work.

Trapped?

2009-03-30T08:40:00.014+01:00

A sketch, two pebbles, one hand, a photo, Adobe Photoshop, a print, scan, and Gimp -there that tells you everything you need to know.

The pansy image I have been working on in recent months began life with the text 'trapped' - I took it out for the finished piece but decided to resurrect it on the pebble trapped in my hand and with the rising image of the pansy between my fingers. The scanned hand is a bit blurred and there is some kind of halo effect going on, so that needs some work.

The pebbles were collected from the Suffolk beach where I spent all my childhood summers with my aunt and are imbued with memory and emotions. They are so very tactile and beautifully coloured. The original image derived from a difficult personal situation and continues as a self-portrait.

I think I might carry on with this theme and see where it takes me - I am very keen on mixing media and re-using images, so this will tick all my boxes .

Voyage Round My Camera

2009-03-29T08:18:00.004+01:00

I cast a wry eye on this family of signs - they looked like father and son defending what looked like a mound of sand. Why two signs? What does the new sign say? If you've taken the trouble to buy a new sign and peg it to wood, why didn't you take the old one away?

New Horizon?

2009-03-28T09:48:00.012Z

I am at the tail end of one project and have been scanning the horizon for inspiration. This has been going on for a while now, too many ideas tumbling in and not really settling on one thing or the other. I still feel a bit split, with interests in, painting, printmaking, mixed media and anything else that passes under my nose in a creative kind of way. I don't think I have yet been able to tie the different disciplines into one coherent working practice.

After a severe self-bashing, I took the camera for a walk yesterday and spent the evening working on some photographs and then cropped and manipulated the image I use as a Twitter profile picture. I like the way the reflections in the sunglasses have made interesting abstract shapes.

It may be that a few more voyages with my camera might unblock the brain and jog it into some useful action.

Wolverhampton Art Gallery

2009-03-25T14:52:00.012Z

Went up to Wolverhampton to see the Art Gallery there for the first time. It was a bit 'between shows'. Andy Warhol Paintings, Posters and Screenprint exhibition starts later this month and was in preparation. Another gallery was closed for some reason, so there was nothing in any of the lower galleries. I seem to have a knack of visiting galleries between shows - my most famous trip was to New York specifically to visit MOMA to find it was in the middle of refurbishment and closed for the duration. I know, I should look these things up before I start out on the big adventure.

The upper floor had a hands-on sculpture exhibition that was crawling with school children making the most of the sign that said all exhibits can be touched! After fighting my way out of the melee, I found the Utmost Fidelity exhibition featuring the work of husband and wife artists Adrian and Marianne Stokes. The Madonna and Child (1907-8) by Marianne Stokes (above) is famous for having been chosen as Christmas postage stamp in 2005. I particularly liked the fact that they had no children, a private income and were able to travel widely. My own 'lead weights' keep me busy and poor! However, envy apart, I enjoyed a lot of the work - more Marianne's for the luminosity of her subjects and the gorgeous costumes and colours- many were Hungarian villagers from the area they stayed on their painting travels and looked as fresh as if they were painted yesterday. It is a portrayal of an idyllic world, rosy-cheeked children, young women sewing their wedding outfits but the quality of the work speaks for itself and it all felt a refreshing change from the surfeit of gloom-laden, hand-wringing, politically correct and on-message exhibitions that are de-rigeur at the moment. Some days you just feel grateful to rise above the misery.

I would have liked an exhibition book but the £35 hardback in the shop was prohibitive.

Gelatin Print

2009-03-17T11:38:00.011Z

Working today on a gelatin print I made a couple of months ago. I used powdered animal gelatin to make this and want to experiment with the vegetarian brand to see if there is any difference in the setting properties. I have been using GIMP to change colour and testing some of the filters - this is very slightly manipulated using IWARP. I like the fluid quality of gelatin printing. It is very gentle and floaty. You need a fairly solid gel and water-based printing inks. (I will get around to putting some techniques on the site asap - if anyone needs any information before then give me a shout).

Lunch and then some painting.

Change of Scenery

2009-03-17T08:10:00.008Z

I have had a couple of comments about a black background being difficult to read, so I have changed it to something neutral for a while until I can decide on a new hex code. I had hoped to give the blog and the web(black theme) the same style but would rather people were able to decipher my blurb - so here we are in f6f6f6 (hex not swear word).

I appreciate the feedback and it is important to the growth of the site. Now back to work...

Start The Week

2009-03-16T06:59:00.008Z

A weekend with The Gimp has been entertaining. So far so good. I am reluctant to get too excited about it as I don't have a graphics background and it might disappoint the expert? But it has far exceeded my expectations and I will continue to use it. I do have some Adobe experience and that has been useful in finding my way around but I also found helpful tutorials on Youtube. So really still a fan.

Because I have been away from home and studio quite a lot over the last few months, it has been good to have software in place to manipulate images and consider taking it to other areas/media but I am hungry for new work and that means back to drawing or pouring paint this week. I began some paint exploration last week and that is propped up in the studio, so that's a good start to this week, even if its a decision to bin it.

GIMP

2009-03-12T21:35:00.011Z

I picked up a copy of The Guardian Tech pages at Starbucks this morning and found an article about Open Source software. I already use and like Open Office and was interested in GIMP, the Open Source answer to Adobe. As I am on a borrowed laptop and without my lovely Adobe software to play with, thought it was worth a try.

It was easy to download, has a user-friendly interface and some nice filters - I quite liked the paper scroll shown here. And if you can't afford Adobe then its worth giving it a whirl. If I have any problems I will complain loudly here.

The site can be found at www.gimp.org

Otherwise, I got into the studio this afternoon but more of that later when the paint dries and the dust settles.

Sentinel

2009-02-18T16:28:00.009Z

Looking at some of the images printed yesterday. This one started as a photograph taken a couple of weeks ago. I like the way the print changes the character of a pretty ordinary photo and gives you so much more. I have faced the fact that the world of photography is safe from me! I had the idea that this single plant looking out over the frozen field is a sentinel waiting for Spring.

From one photocopy, I am getting maybe one decent print and two for the bin. Some of the lighter images may be useful to keep as background for something else.

Coming Up Roses - Part II and Dead Birds

2009-02-15T17:40:00.023Z

Spent the day experimenting with gum litho lift. The image on the left, that I was going to abandon a week ago; photocopied in black and white and re-printed, has taken on a new life and the separate elements are working far better now.

It was a mixed result today with quite a few surprises. The little pansy image did not work out well at all - I know I promised to post the outcome but it wasn't strong enough to scan, so will do some work there to see if I can improve it.

Some of the best images were from magazines, the dead birds came from a National Geographic magazine - this might be the print quality, sharper images? I quickly ran out of photocopies , each one had a short life of maybe two or three prints before it started to degrade and there was probably one good one.

I am finishing the day looking at other suitable images to take to the photocopy shop tomorrow.

Photo Lift

2009-02-14T21:10:00.010Z

A photo-collage showing the end of the working day in the studio ...and its looking a little more normal with bits of paper and images that I am currently working on strewn about.

I have been experimenting with gum litho lift today. That is the coating of a Xeroxed photcopy with gum arabic and using the lithographic theory of oil and water not mixing to produce prints. I think that's it anyway. Oil-based inks rolled onto the coated photocopy attract the ink to the darker photocopy ink and is resisted in the lighter areas.

The results were variable - and are hanging on the line drying. The first few were poor and then I began to see some interesting developments, which I can build on.

I do like printmaking in that it often opens the option to take images that have not worked well in one medium and develop them in an entirely new direction.

Gin & Tonic?

2009-02-12T19:56:00.016Z

Having spent the last couple of days clearing the studio out; the spider breeding programme was going too well, I thought it would be a good idea to post a couple of photographs whilst the floor, table and sofa were not piled high with paper, journals and sundry other essentials.

It is amazing how much stuff you can hide under a table. It will look this pristine for the next couple of days and then revert to its usual chaos.

I snapped these this evening and when I uploaded the photos, was amused to see that I had left the gin & tonic on the paper cabinet. I am rather fond of the gin & tonic end of the studio and its where I do my thinking - and take the odd siesta.

One of the main reasons for the clear-out is the decision not to paint for a while and concentrate on printmaking - so here goes...

The Gum Arabic Arrived

2009-02-09T17:27:00.020Z

After a severe bout of internetitis in the last few weeks, I have finally recovered enough to get on with some serious print work.

Yesterday, I moved on with A Sense of Place project, after experimenting endlessly with the bottle in the window idea I found it kept running into a blank wall and came back to this little image of the pansy - I really like its simplicity. The initial scribbled drawing began before Christmas and has been rumbling along in various guises since. The combination with the pansy leaf seems to work well.

I am now working with hue changes in Adobe and have run off a series with subtle changes and on different papers. I will experiment with printing onto canvas this week.

And back to the title of the post. I have been meaning to get around to some gum litho lifts for ages and at long last got around to contacting the suppliers. That is the plan anyway. I think I will see what happens to this little image during gum litho lift and report back with the image - good or bad!

Too Much Art?

2009-01-21T10:38:00.027Z

"Art does not die because there is no more art, it dies because there is too much". Jean Baudrillard

An interesting and probably increasingly important question - no, not because I just asked it but because I wonder about my place as an artist and where all this self-expression is leading me/us? I believe art is a power for good in a social context, life enhancing, embracing, worthwhile for society and should be valued as such. Without the 'arts' we lose the the best that we can achieve as a civilised society.

The article (link below for full text) by Matthew Nash is I think, as relevant to students and artists in the UK as anywhere else. The making of art may well be deeply satisfying but often a frustratingly lengthy process from concept to fruition and artists like everyone else need to survive, have bills to pay and student loans to think about and that is increasingly difficult in a saturated market.

James Elkins states:

Art department fliers... usually list the famous artists who studied in their department or school. It might be more honest and thought-provoking to go ahead and list famous graduates in the college brochure, but to preface the list with a disclaimer - something like this:

Although these artists did study at our school, we deny any responsibility for their success. We have no idea what they learned while they were here, what they thought was important and what wasn't, or whether they would have been better off in jail. We consider it luck that these artists were at our school.

In general we disclaim the ability to teach art at this level. We offer knowledge of the art community, the facilities to teach a variety of techniques, and faculty who can teach many ways of talking about art. But any relation between what we teach and truly interesting art is purely coincidental. Such a flier might add, in the interests of full disclosure:
We will not discuss this disclaimer on school time, because our courses are set up on the assumption that it is false.

James Elkins is a professor at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago

I dropped in to see the Waterhall Modern Art Gallery in Birmingham yesterday on the way back from Ikon. It all seemed a bit disconnected. Some of the work was very good and some not so good. The comments left by visitors echoed this impression. It all seemed a bit hit and miss in a major city gallery. The Art Market is a big puzzle to me!

http://www.bigredandshiny.com/cgi-bin/retrieve.pl?issue=issue48&section=article&article=IS_THERE_TOO_4175731

Review - Ikon Gallery, Birmingham

2009-01-21T09:06:00.008Z

There are two Ikon Galleries but one is closed until the Spring. A good excuse for a further trip.

I thought New Zealand Artist Darcy Lange's exhibition of 'Work Studies in Schools' was going to leave me cold. A room full of school desks with video screens showing a picture of school life in Birmingham of the 1970's with recordings of lessons and feedback from pupils and staff. His studies of Oxfordshire schools (1977) compared art, history and science teaching in private and state schools.

However, as soon as I sat at one of the desks and put the headphones on I was hooked on many levels and enjoyed flitting between desks to catch the next class and assess whether the member of staff was Mr Nice or Miss Nasty. The link to your own education is obvious and any comparison is made from that social, historical and political opinion. The digitally reworked videos are a great social history of the area and documentary film-making as a genre. It was interesting to see teachers' own opinions or political views being stamped on young minds with the eyes of an adult and the realisation of how much good or damage can be done to our children, often unwittingly but also by design. Fascinating stuff.

The Roumanian artist Victor Man's exhibition 'Attebasile' required a lot more serious reflection and I felt quite lost at first in the stark space containing untitled artefacts, black and white with shades of grey . The paper handout made little sense of the exhibits and I found it annoying trying to match one with the other. The work had a sense of darkness and was embedded in a cultural context that was at first difficult to interpret. Roumanian folk art, politics and fear expressed through lovingly crafted little sculptural pieces. It was helped by the curator-video tucked away at the back and I revisited the work with a different perspective. I couldn't help feeling that I needed to see this work in Victor's house - it was more personal narrative than commercial venture and although the curator was keen to tell us that he had developed a close working relationship with the artist, I left with more questions than answers.

Oh, and there's a nice little Spanish Restarant/Cafe in the gallery.

For information:- http://www.ikon-gallery.co.uk/

Star Blog for Colour Lovers

2009-01-20T20:57:00.008Z

I have been checking out some addresses that I've been Bookmarking to add to Favourites and this one is a real gem. Amazing...

I have added the home address for the site in the sidebar but the link below is very interesting. Colour inspiration from artists (Pollock, Picasso, Matisse, Van Gogh, Warhol and lots more) . The site is a great tool for artists, website and blogsite designers - anyone really who is interested in colour in any way. Absolutely packed full of information, palettes and patterns and additions from 'Colour Lovers' adding to the blog.

http://www.colourlovers.com/blog/2007/06/20/color-inspiration-from-the-masters-of-painting/

A Sense of Place

2009-01-19T20:42:00.021Z

I am taking a sabbatical from college for a couple of terms but will continue with the collaborative project A Sense of Place, as there is quite a bit of work already, so I should be able to manage without a problem. Also, having started it, I am more than a little curious to see where everyone's journey has taken them based around this theme. It is very loose, so where the threads will go is anybody's guess. There are some examples already on the a-n Artists Talking, Project Blogs,The Regional Print Centre at Yale Wrexham - A Sense of Place.

http://www.a-n.co.uk/artists_talking/projects/single/489034

I have posted the initial line drawing of the view through the window on a-n blog and the bottle and roses image . I think it will be a good idea to wait and see Kate's image before I move on now with another piece.

Review - New Art Gallery Walsall

2009-01-12T08:55:00.019Z

I visited The New Art Gallery in Walsall recently, which holds a really impressive collection in a great space. Road signage is good and parking in the town is easy (pay & display).

The gallery holds the Garman Ryan Collection - given to Walsall in 1972 by Kathleen Garman, Jacob Epstein's wife. It includes work by Van Gogh, Lucien Freud and Picasso. Until 14th October contemporary artists' work has been added alongside in the 'Fresh Out of the Box '- exhibition with Martin Creed, Christopher Le Brun, Marc Quinn, Gavin Turk, Hew Locke and Catherine Yass, amongst others. The whole exhibition was well-curated and the additions to the standing collection were sensitively placed to enhance but not intrude.

The top floor held an exhibition (until 25th January) of 'Outsiders' art- those artists working outside the mainstream. 'Post-graffiti' art is the description in the gallery guide. Conor Harrington's vast mural work painted onto the gallery wall is monumental in scale and questions the spurious nature of men's power. The transience of the work makes you consider your own attitude to work - why you make it, what you do with it once it is finished, ownership in general and the overblown value of much art in the market today. What happens to it at the end of the exhibition, is it painted over? Street Art is by definition left behind for the public to admire or tut at, depending on your standpoint. Selfish or selfless? And what does it become as it moves into the mainstream and gallery space and no longer 'Outsider'?

(Link below to Conor Harrington website. Try Google search for his blog - it does not appear accessible through his website.)

www.conorharrington.com/

Change for the better?

2009-01-11T11:20:00.007Z

After the tussle with the layout of the blog last night, I decided to change things around a bit. I wanted a stretched view so that I can make more use of the sidebars. I am not sure if I like this layout as much as the earlier version but think it will work better for me and as I have a very limited audience(!) now is a good time to make changes.

No doubt there was an easier way to do this but as usual, I did not find it.

The rest of the day will be spent in the studio and well away from this machine - it and I are barely on speaking terms right now.

Fabulous New Work

2009-01-10T20:35:00.011Z

I wish!...there was an inch of ice on top of a bowl of water left in the studio during the week. After attempts to heat it up and several layers of additional woollies, I managed a couple of hours in there before I gave up for the log fire - so no fabulous new work today.

I have started experimenting with the images that are accumulating for 'A sense of Place' - to mix using Adobe Photoshop - printing them out onto various supports and adding paint to see what - if anything came up as a 'good idea'. I have become quite fond of this little image and it prints out quite well. Some were disappointing when printed when they look great on screen. Lots of recycling for other projects - again.

And then I thought I might change the blogsite around a bit - huge mistake - it was not happy. The header image that I thought was a bit too large vanished and refused to re-load nicely and we had this big row. It is back but something is not right, I will let it have the last word for the evening - I give in.

Happy New Year

2009-01-02T20:24:00.010Z

...and so we arrive in 2009. And thankfully, back to creative work.

The piece shown here has a working title of 'Someone to watch over me'. It has derived from the 'sense of place' project and is the combination of images - a winter walk, frost on trees, an iced cobweb on the car and statues on a building.

I am increasingly driven by the sense of time passing and how art functions as an expression of this - giving voice to what you feel about your own small place in the world, an expression of self. How you feel aesthetically, politically, emotionally etc. Otherwise there is no point to it really. Obviously, I have started the New Year with nihilistic tendencies.

Was that 2008?

2008-12-31T18:38:00.010Z

I had intended to post throughout Christmas in a not to be defeated kind of way but I took a reality check and like everyone else sank under the event.

Moving along with the 'a sense of place' project, I am investigating layering images. Photographs of my sketches and paintings, images worked on computer software combined with digital images of local landscape. Trying to keep the project title in mind, with so much imagery on hand has been an exercise in self-restraint; one which I have frequently lost!

More than anything this has been a good way to look at old work with a critical eye and move it into other dimensions. Turn it upside down, find useful ways to use it with new images.

Now, what to do with it next...

Christmas week and all that...

2008-12-22T21:34:00.009Z

The Collaborative Project

2008-12-19T19:12:00.008Z

Met up with my collaborative 'other half' for coffee and a chat. It was a good start, we are both friendly and outgoing, full of ideas and opinions and we ended the meeting by going to look at a gallery space with a view to making an exhibition of ourselves next summer.

The idea of the 'A Sense of Place' project is that we each produce one piece of work. Show it to the other person at the end of January and then make a further piece of work moving on from these initial pieces. Four pieces in total.

We each discussed our working practice and decided to work in camera until the end of January and then reveal a piece of work and discuss where we go from there. Kate has more of a printmaking background than me. It is always interesting to see how a central theme is translated by individual ideas and disciplines. This should not be too difficult to progress with just two pieces of work each.

The view from my bedroom window is my starting point. I wake and lie looking out of the window. It is an ever-changing scene. Not only in terms of the external and seasonal but my internal life - days of worry, sadness, anger, thoughts of family, work, happiness, excitement of the day ahead, hopes and dreams and all those random thoughts that pass through our heads. This place sets the scene for the day.

Oh! The frustrations of the average blogger

2008-12-18T23:39:00.005Z

It's been a bad day. I decided to remove the test video - it was too awful to survive(family opinion proved very powerful), until I can make something a little less tense. RSS Feeds - well they just didn't want to feed or link or whatever it is they do and every other 'good' idea turned into a nightmare. Links that opened on my computer wouldn't open anywhere else.

That's it - I'm abdicating...some you win, some you lose.

Start sketching for project

2008-12-17T21:31:00.010Z

Busy this week with Christmas stuff, making adjustments here and there to the website and a major studio tidy up. Always a great idea when things sink to the bottom without trace. All of which has taken much longer than expected - as these things always do. I am currently doing quite a bit of driving up and down the motorway and everything is getting a tad crowded and of course I am not the slightest bit irritable.

I have been working on some sketches for 'A sense of place' project - simple line drawings, one here and two on the website. They are a response to the view from my bedroom window framed in the squared panes of glass.

A web and blog- free zone

2008-12-13T07:05:00.007Z

After the traumas of the last couple of days, the tears and tantrums of setting up the web I am retiring from the public stage for the weekend and declaring an internet-free zone.

Reality check here. I need to spend the weekend thinking about the two projects in the pipeline. Sketch some ideas out and think about how I can get down to serious work next week.

Website

2008-12-11T16:35:00.007Z

I have the bones of a website up and running today. The blogsite has given me the impetus to create a few basic pages and the links appear to be in place and functioning. I tried adding a gallery to the website but the images were poor and have removed it until I can solve this niggle. I'm a little tense but you can't see me and you can see the website, so that's ok. Let's pretend that I look calm and lovely and that swear words never passed my lips. It should be linked in the 'Of Interest' bit but otherwise www.jacquelineowen.com

It has been a quiet week for both painting and printmaking due to travel and other commitments but it has been a useful time to get to grips with the technological side of promotion and also to have time to consider how to move forward with some of the print ideas that are currently in the pipeline.

My work over the last couple of years has been primarily landscape. I did not realise how much until I started to document images for the blog. It started with the Borders series, which started with a Meadow series and has recently moved into the darker side of landscape with work leaning towards the wild side.

I anticipate an experimental few days with print and will report back with anything interesting.

And I am hotly investigating the pros and cons of webcameras to make demonstration videos for this site or the website - not sure which yet. Any advice would be helpful...so I can continue talking to myself.

A sense of place and Stuff

2008-12-02T21:33:00.016Z

And so here we are in December. Amongst other things there is a new project afoot entitled 'A sense of place'. This is a collaborative project with other artists. Interestingly, my artist's book for the Manchester Book Fair had the same title and thus a useful place to start...I mentioned in the last November post that I was excited by the little sculptural box encasing text or other items and this was a natural progression from the concertina book box. I am interested in using the printmaking medium in combination with other fine art areas and think this project will be a great way to experiment with some of these initial ideas.

During the college year, my main project for consideration is tentatively entitled 'Stuff'. The things we accumulate and what my stuff means to me. The downside of consumerism has recently (in case you hadn't noticed) turned into a highly political global phenomenon and that was not my focus when I wrote the course brief- politicians of all hues cause a gnashing of teeth and I wanted anyway to approach this subjectively. As this has become a hot potato I have had thoughts about changing the brief but it is already written and logged and so I will have to continue down this road and see what happens.

Print work since October; and the start of the course, has really been experimental and I expect that by January I will have refined some of these outcomes into more clearly defined work and be looking toward some ideas for finished pieces. That is Plan A anyway.

Review - Steffan Jones-Hughes Exhibition

2008-11-30T16:57:00.020Z

Link below to the review written for a-n artists journal for Steffan's exhibition 'I lie awake at night and listen to the birds singing' at The Oriel Gallery, Wrexham

http://www.a-n.co.uk/interface/reviewers/single/60206

Work in progress or do I have any briefs?

2008-11-18T16:21:00.007Z

When real life isn't getting in the way and amongst other things...I am working in paint on canvas (100 x 70 cm). I began it earlier this year when I had not painted for a while and have been using it to throw just about anything at since. It must be on layer 6. It has had spray paint, acrylic paint, enamel, had tissue paper glued on, has been scorched and bubbled..anyway I am having fun with it amid the usual frustrations.

I have been unable to get down to printmaking this week - so whilst the aforementioned painting is settling down and I have some time to look at it and see if it will make it to layer 7 - I want to consider some ideas I have had on the boil for my print project for college.

Steffan - our Course Leader (apologies if this is not an official title but I did give it upper case initial caps), mentioned that we needed briefs. We could have several briefs or just the one. Linda our other lovely tutor (I think she belongs to us anyway) showed us her briefs to make it all easier and I am now the proud owner of my own briefs and ready to start. Good, I hope that clarifies everything you need to know. I think the project deserves a post to itself and that will give me for time to look at my briefs and think of something smart to say.

The Work

2008-11-16T18:55:00.021Z

A mention here of past glories... I began using household paints when I moved into the Liverpool studio. As is often the case, there was a load of paint left behind from previous artists and it seemed a waste to chuck it away - lots of lovely colours and I really liked the fact that the paint had a bit of history. I enjoy the freedom of not being fussy with small tubes and paintbrushes drive me crazy. I usually work on the floor laying the canvas flat and pour paint, working into it with hands, screwdriver, bits of card and anything that comes to hand. I am happier working on the floor than on an easel for some reason. I am able to pick up any corner and manipulate the canvas. Cleaning up is a bit of a nightmare.

I also like the work to emerge from the poured paint and let it start a life of its own. The hardest thing is the beginning, after that it is a series of decisions based on what has been put down previously. These works were completed very fast - each in a single session and I do like them. I sold most of this series but I did not want to part with the first Poppies (160 x 120 cm) and it hangs in my studio. It has shown at The Institute of Directors in Manchester and Cheshire Fine Arts Gallery, Chester.

New work... is more moody and melancholy I think. I seem to be taking more time now with paintings and they now emerge over several months and layers. I suppose there is a natural evolution in work that won't be forced or rushed and this is where I am up to today. I still prefer working in household paints but also use spray paint more. I do like the speed of coverage over large areas with these often less manageable paints and find them exciting to work with.

And the prints - these are really still in the embryonic stage. I am experimenting with some fundamental techniques to start with and get a feel for this very different way of working. This is a medium that requires far more preparation and consideration for each way of working - relief, intaglio, screen etc. I do want to try and maintain the two disciplines together but this might be difficult - that will depend on the demands of the course. Printmaking is obviously something which has appealed to many artists in the past and I am really looking forward to finding out where I can take it in regard to my working practice.

The New Work showing here is a mixture of paint on canvas, monoprint in oil and water-based gelatine prints on paper.

Biographical Bit

2008-11-15T16:36:00.015Z

A bit of background might be useful here to introduce myself. I was born in Liverpool when I was very young but escaped early to take a gap year or 30. Marriage, divorce, children, travel, work - not in any particular order. I then decided I was mature enough to go to Art College and having had a passing interest in art which was overlooked for Latin during my formative years, it was time to introduce myself to some smart tutors. They of course would recognise my latent genius and I would be propelled to fame and fortune.

However, as is the way of the world. I had trouble tapping into this talent and the tutors had trouble spotting it too - I am still awaiting rich rewards and accolades.

After college , it seemed a 'good idea' to set up in a studio, which I did back in Liverpool. This proved my lunacy, as it was nowhere near my home and the exhaustion induced by travel was an excellent excuse for not producing my major work. I did however, meet some interesting people on the way and I am very grateful to those who have helped me progress. If you don't like my work, I can always say it was their fault for encouraging me.

After many distractions - as many as I could find, I did produce work which people wanted to buy and galleries wanted to sell. Yes, I thought it was amazing too. And then just when it was all going well, I thought it was time to try rural living and move to a house that would offer studio space at home. Staying during Capital of Culture 2008 would have been too easy and I have never been one to shy away from the difficult option.

So after a year of the rural idyll and preparing my little shed - I can produce work of the same calibre as the vast converted Victorian warehouse studio space in Liverpool - it's just much smaller scale. What next? I tried a couple of art classes/workshops and then a friend mentioned the open access at The Regional Print Centre, Yale Wrexham and I liked the setup and the friendly atmosphere and here I am embarking on a two year Professional Printmaker's course.

I do feel rather fraudulent as I am a painter and know diddly squat about printmaking at this moment in time. However, this is the fault of previous Fine Art tutors who were primarily painters and felt a day or two of lino-cutting would cover the requirements of the course. My sculptural outing was constructed in straws and thankfully just survived for assessment. That's a long time ago and the nightmares have subsided now. Hopefully, at the end of two years I will feel a confidence that has currently deserted me.

I have set up this blog really to steady my nerves and take advice from any passing stranger. I should also bear in mind the comments on a school report, "Frivolity will get you nowhere in the examination Jacqueline." How right she was.

Postscipt: October 2009 - I have been unable to continue with the Printmakers' programme for the time being but carry on painting and printmaking in the studio.

First Create Your Blog

2008-11-14T15:03:00.005Z

I was going to begin my blog with an impressive post. However, I got carried away with the setup and at least the blog has a skeleton now and something to work with. It is not the setting up but the tweaking that has taken time. I have spent the day battling with Picassa to produce a slideshow of new work and it would not 'feed' for some reason. Now, if I had known what these technical terms meant earlier, it would have been very useful. Look guys, I am an artist not a nerd, (with apologies to nerds). The work showing is a mixture of print works and paintings. More about the work in another post...

I am sure the look and feel of the blog will change over time as I settle in with it and discover what it is capable of. I can see that it will be a useful promotional tool, a good way to talk to other artists and print colleagues to discuss ideas. And it is always good to have a forum to show your work - whatever stage its at. Try it out on an unsuspecting public.

A few words about the work then... The image here is called Judas Leaves. I have been working with gelatine and using some leaves from the Judas tree to make imprints. The Judas tree being the tree on which Judas Iscariot was thought to have hanged himself after betraying Jesus. I think that's the story anyway, the leaves are a lovely heart shape. There is a limited scope here, as I can't remember which walk I went on to find the tree.

The gelatine has been interesting to work with but the results have been very variable. The last batch was far too fluid and lacked any good definition. I have been using water-based inks. Like everything else in art in will be a case of trial and error and time.

Artist's Books, Manchester

2008-11-13T18:46:00.007Z

I attended the Artist's Book Fair in Manchester on Saturday as part of the Professional Printmaker's programme at The Regional Print Centre, Yale College, Wrexham. We had an exhibition table and it was such an interesting day. I sold the smallest of my pieces, a boxed concertina book entitled 'a sense of place'. It was based on elegy for places I have known - the idea that you can never really go back.

The work on show was both exciting in concept and beautifully made. These undervalued treasures are beginning to gain a higher profile in the Artworld. The hall was buzzing with activity all day and the visitor profile was wide and they seemed appreciative and enquiring. Everyone involved with our stand sold something. I was pleased with my sale, as this was a completely new venture for me. Those of us who began the course in October had a short production time and the output was therefore pretty impressive.

Photo supplied by Don Braisby