ARTISTS TALKING

# 1 [7 January 2013]

Studio Visit in Feb from Deb Robinson, Head of Exhibitions at New Art Gallery, Walsall.

Mentoring beginning soon after a meeting with Lara Ratnaraja at The Custard Factory on Friday. (Wow, Lara is dynamic). 

Joined ESP (Extra Special People, Eastside Projects) today.

New collaboration with Ken Eastman. My drawings from a series called Estuary Eulogies with Ken's white sealed ceramic cubes. We are also investigating ready made white ceramics such as sinks, plates etc.

Estuary Dialogue film being shot in March with Rick Goldsmith. 

Lots to do. In the meantime, some thoughts on Mr Diebenkorn and ditches...

Richard Diebenkorn the American painter was fascinated with aerial images of landscapes. In a book on the artist 'The Ocean Park Series' were some fascinating photos of an aqueduct running through central Arizona and references to his involvement in an art programme in 1968 where 40 artists viewed the Salt and Colarado Rivers and valleys from a promontory and a helicopter. These early works by Diebenkorn influenced his famous Ocean Park Series. 

I've always loved his work since a drawing tutor on my degree course introduced me to it. The proportions, dynamics of colour and gridlike layout of the images are so visually compelling.

It was timely picking up the Dibenkorn book as I've been thinking of the water filled ditches that criss cross the Thames estuary marshes in Kent. On my last site visit I took an unknown pathway towards the sea wall and could not navigate past one of these ditches. It was frustrating but also a reminder of the interventions made to reclaim the land from the estuary waters. I want to begin some drawings exploring the pattern of these waterways.

The allotment is under much black plastic. Yesterday I installed a wire container to gather old mulberry leaves for leaf mould. Weeded around the strawberries. Pete dug over some of the plot. Some seeds sown (onion, sweet peas and tomatoes).