ARTISTS TALKING

# 1 [9 September 2008]

I am about to commence a year long residency at Harrington Mill Studios in Long Eaton. I am extremely excited about the coming year and cannot wait to get started.

Since leaving University in June and having confirmation of the residency in July I have been involved in exhibitions and festivals throughout the summer with barely little to time to think about my work and the direction that it is going. This has been quite unusual for me as at University there was plenty of time to do this. So the residency is a welcome focus for me. It will allow me the freedom to continue to make work but also give me an environment to think about my work again and allow me to take it in new directions.

A wonderful thing about the residency is that I am in a position to make the work that I want to make, there are no restrictions or requirements about my work. I will also be involved in leading a community art project and will be involved in some exhibitions.

My aim is to keep an ongoing blog about my work and the residency. I think it wil be really good to give other people an insight into what the residency is about.

# 2 [10 September 2008]

I found out today that commencement of my residency will be Monday of next week, the 15th September.  I cannot believe how quickly it has come around.

I shall have to hit the ground running as I have a body of work to produce for exhibition in derby and in Buxton (in the Dome). The exhibition was commissioned by the Cavendish Decorative and Fine Arts Society. I have already started the work as it needs to be completed by the end of October, although there may be an extension to the deadline as the Derby exhibition seems like it will have to be rescheduled for next year.

Thank you to Anna, Angie, Tim and Debbie at the Willowbath Mill Studios in Wirksworth for allowing me to use their studio until my new one became vacant.

The title of my exhibition will be

"Cold and warm at the same time"

My paintings are fleeting glimpses of the landscape, they are borne from countless exposure to the raw elements of the Derbyshire Peak District. They are not picture postcard recordings of any particular vistas, but more a memory of an experience, a culmination of many remembered and hidden elements of the landscape, merged together and embodying a sense of the place. The paintings act as a freeze frame to my subconscious mind, capturing little snippets of long forgotten experiences of a Derbyshire that exists only to me, that is hidden from the view of others and can only be experienced through my paintingsThe work is focused on two distinct, but totally differing areas of the Derbyshire Peak District. The Dark Peak with its gritstone edges, harsh landscape and unforgiving weather system and the White Peak, with rolling hills, limestone dales and milder climate.Derbyshire is an environment that allows me to explore the boundaries between nature and imagination. It offers contrasting elements that sometimes make me wonder if they could exist in any other place: it is a mix of beautiful yet harsh, bright and yet dark, cold and warm at the same time.

# 3 [15 September 2008]

First day of my residency started today. It was a bit of a slow start, my wife needed the car to attend a course and I had to look after my son all day. I went into the studios anyway with my son in tow (he's only 2 and he tires me out but he's great fun)

I picked up the keys and was shown all the things I need to know. The other artists that were there were really lovely, especially Sarah who made us both feel well at home.

I stood staring at the space trying to envisage my stuff in there but it's quite difficult. I took some measurements and the plan for tonight is to do some drawings of different layouts so I can get straight on with moving in tomorrow. Or I could do the usual and just turn up with all my stuff and cram it in.

I have to be up pretty early in the morning to pick up my equipment e.t.c from wirksworth, Derbys and move it over to Long Eaton.

I am itching to get settled in and start back on some paintings that I started recently.

# 4 [17 September 2008]

It's taken me 2 days to move my equipment and work into my new space. The temptation was to bring everything into the space but I resisted the urge, I'm glad as it feels a really great place to make some work.

 So much so I started painting today. I've divided the studio into two allowing me a wet area where I can lay the paintings flat on the floor and an office area where I can have a desk and lots of wall space for painting onto. Hopefully it will work well, I can be working on many paintings at a time, in various different stages.

Sometimes It's amazing how some things happen by coincidence but just fit perfevtly into what you are thinking about or doing. Take yesterday for example, I moved my stuff into the space and put all the furniture together and then realized that I didn't have a chair. It wasn't the end of the world, I've got a stool at home that would be adequate enough, but i kept daydreaming about having a chair that was confortable, something I could sit  back in and relax whilst I contemplated life. But cost was more important than comfort and sense won out over fancy as I settled for the stool. However, I couldn't believe my luck when I ventured out from the studio to pick up a few supplies and happened across the very style of chair that I had dreamt about, lying discarded in a skip!

Today I've been daydreaming about discarded winning lottery tickets without much luck but at least I've been comfortable in my daydreaming.

Laura from the erewash Borough Council came to visit me today, she is wonderful, so enthusiastic and encouraging. We went through the contract that laid out all the requirements and responsibilities for the residency. I'm looking forward to a varied and enjoyable year ahead. 

# 5 [22 September 2008]

I was in the studios early-ish this morning at 7am. My paintings had dried over the weekend and I was really happy with the way they looked.

I have a commission to produce at the moment for exhibition in December, but before that I have an open studio event on the 24th, 25th and 26th October. For this I will have to use standing work as I will not have enough time to produce some new work as well as the commission. I do have plans to modify some of my existing work and should that go successfully then I will show these.

I go for a meeting on Friday with all the people involved in my Cavendish (NADFAS) commission. We meet at the dome in Buxton, which is one of the venues of the exhibitions. Hopefully we will get all the finalised answers regarding the exhibition details.

I should be next in the studios on Wednesday, this should be long enough for this latest layer to dry. I'm really looking forward to applying the final oil paint layer to both of them.

I realised today that I am low on materials. I've left it a little late for ordering so it is going to be a bit of a wait until they are delivered.

 

# 6 [24 September 2008]

It's so frustrating at the moment, I'm itching to get into some serious work at the studio but it seems like events are conspiring against me for the last 7 days. Every time I plan to have a lengthy visit to the studio something important crops up. I've been in for 3 hours on Monday and 2 hours today but I need a full 5-7 hours to make headway in my latest paintings. I'm not going to be able to make it in tomorrow but will get a few hours on Friday, fingers crossed.

If only there was some funding available to allow me to get on with my painting and relieve the worry of work and earning money. Life after university is definately different and it's taking some getting used to, having to juggle many committments at the same time is proving extremely tiring.

In my 2 hours today I stretched some linen onto a stretcher frame. I know it shouldn't take that long but I still struggle when stretching linen. It only wants to stretch one way and when it is all stapled it decides to relax a little more and I basically have to take most of the staples out and tighten even more. I don't get this problem with cotton duck, it is so much easier to stretch. Anyway I finally managed to stretch one of the stretcher frames with another still to do.

Yesterday I was with my son (2 years old)  whilst he was doing some painting. I gave him some blank greetings cards and asked him to do some paintings on them. The idea is to use them as thank you cards for friends and family who sent him his birthday presents last week. I thought it was going to be carnage but was amazed, he took each one seperately and told me for each one what he was going to paint, they were all obviously Thomas the tank engine orientated but i was fascinated by the simplicity in his painting, he picked a colour/colours with a quick drag and then a quick unlaboured twizzle with the brush gave some beautiful brushtrokes that I only wish that I could translate into my paintings. I was really proud that he was enjoying the act of painting for what it was without a worry for what it looked like.

A lesson for us all could be taken from that maybe?

# 7 [25 September 2008]

After my moaning of yesterday I woke to find that I would be able to go in to the studio today after all.

I was in around three and a half hours and managed to get a decent amount of painting done. I'm not quite sure about the results, I will have to mull over the painting to see what I do with it next. It doesn't feel quite right yet, but I don't quite know what to do with it yet.

I find it quite interesting that as artists we look at a work of art, visually judge it, sometimes we can say if a particular part is exceptional or poor or even bland. But from my experience of my art and talking to other artists, most artists instinctively know if something is right or not, even when there aren't any parts that prove these feelings, our brains instinctively recognise it and respond accordingly.

It's really weird at the moment being fresh out of university. I've become accustomed to and a little reliant on feedback from lecturers and fellow students, in fact anyone involved in art that you come across. But ever since leaving there are very few people around to give an honest opinion on my work, some artists are quite reluctant to and others will only speak about the good and the flattering. I am quite confident that after a while I will have developed a network of fellow artists whos critical feedback will help me invaluably.

The studios of my residency are fantastic, they remind me of the old studios at Derby University, but clean and warm and more space. It's great to have other people moving around and getting on with work and generally being involved in art. It is quite encouraging and reassuring to see other artists being artists. I have yet to meet alll of the members at Harrington Mill studios but the ones I have met so far have seemed really nice people and their work is of a really high and honest standard.

We have an open studio event at the end of October, if anyone is  in the area please come along and see our work and the wonderful studios. I will be at the Private view and be around most of the weekend and I love to chat.

Harrington Mill Open Studios 2008

Private View - Friday 24th October 2008 - 6pm - 8.30pm (This will be opened by the mayor of erewash)

Open Studios Sat 25th - Sun 26th October - 11am - 4pm 

# 8 [29 September 2008]

On Friday night was Derby's 'Feste' event to celebrate the opening of the new Derby Quad.

It was a really good, entertaining night. The highlight for me was Sarruga who are a Spanish street art company. I missed them when they performed for the opening of the local shopping centre when they paraded huge Dragons through the streets in celebration. This time they created wonderful insects. There was an ant, black widow spider, a huge praying mantis and more. With music blaring and spectacular lighting of the insects and even the spraying of steam above the audiences heads. It was quite an amazing spectacle.

The Quad building itself was quite dissapointing. To me it just doesn't look big enough. However it was very busy and extremely hard to get around to look at things so I will reserve full judgement until I can visit again at a calmer time.

The commissioned exhibition Spiteful of Dream by Jane & Louise Wilson was interesting. Quad said they wanted to comission something spectacular but in my opinion this is far from that. It is however very interesting and relates to the history of Derby. I liked the fact that it left me feeling a little light headed because of the effect of all the little parts of the images moving slightly in different directions.

I look forward to seeing more at the Quad.

I was in the studio on Saturday and had a really good day. I progressed my two current paintings into a nearly finished stage so I need to allow them to dry for a few days before I can touch them again. I would get on with other work but I am waiting for materials to arrive at the moment. I hope to have received delivery by Thursday at the latest so fingers crossed I will be in the studios then.

# 9 [3 October 2008]

Earlly start again this morning, up at 6 and in the studio just before 7. It's a great time to be in there, a quiet time to reflect and consider what needs doing. I'm lucky, the sun rises directly in front of my window and it streams into my space in the early morning.

The next guest exhibition has been installed ready for the open studios (24th/25th/26th ) October. It's by Flore Gardner, a French Artist from Avignon I believe. The exhibition is called "Embroideries" and it is really good. I spent ages this morning just studying the collection of work and it is really fascinating. Flore will be doing a performance piece alongside the exhibition at the open studio event. If you would like a sneek preview of the work then have a look at Jacqueline Berridge's blog on Artist Talking, she has a few photos of the work.

I have 16 paintings in progress at the moment, all in different stages, it's great having lots of space to spread out and being able to get on with other things whilst the paint is drying. Not all of the paintings are successful, I think a few of them are going to be scrapped altogether, it's really frustrating when a painting just doesn't seem to be going well and just seems to be unrecoverable but it is also a good thing, a chance to learn what not to do.

I spent a good 2 hours mixing paint and cleaning brushes today. It's not a particularly interesting job to do but an important one. I've always been really bad at cleaning and mixing, always too eager to get on with the painting and have always regarded it as a process that stops me painting but over the last 6 months I've forced myself to take more care and more time on these processes, it really does affect the quality of the work and i also find it forces me to think more about the work I am making so I am clearer about what I want to do when I paint.   

# 10 [8 October 2008]

I kindly received word from the cavendish group saying that it was perfectly fine for me to display their commission work in my open studio even which is great news. Visitors will be able to see my latest work instead of the older work I was going to display.

I had some fantastic news this week too. I have been selected by Visual 08 Arts and Business East Midlands region for them to represent my work and me for commissions and sales to businesses. I am really happy and hopefully things should start happening in a few months. I also have recently signed a contract with a London based Gallery and representative called Heafford + Hall who have a fantastic little gallery just off Clapham common.

I haven't had the chance to get into the studio in the last few days. I have been busy applying for things and doing paperwork e.t.c. I wrote an application for exhibition at Deda in Derby. I am exhibiting as part of a group show in the first part of next year. The group is called Morph Creative Dynamics in Derby. I also sent out loads of e-mails inviting as many people as I know to the open studio event at the end of the month.

Hopefully I should be able to get into the studio soon so I can continue with my current work.

 As part of the residency I give Erewash council 5 working days as part of community arts projects. I am really looking forward to this and I am just mulling over at the moment what age group I want to work with. I am undecided at the moment, the problem is that I don't really have any experience in this field so I feel like I would liket to work with as many age groups as possible. I am thinking of proposing this and offering Erewash borough council a lot more than the 5 days so that I can increase my experience.

I saw a few friends from University last week and it was great to see them, even if for such a short while. I am missing the group of people I was at university with and it does seem strange at the moment not seeing them and discussing stuff with thm. I must make more of an effort to e-mail them