ARTISTS TALKING

# 59 [11 February 2010]

I've been vaguely contemplating how to engage with international artists and create collaborative projects, whether I need to apply for additional funding for that? I have contacts, but don't know how I would initiate such a thing. However I have an ambitious idea in mind, somewhat distracting, and would ideally like to do something around April time, but I suspect that might be too soon.

The Lincoln Artist's Network are getting excited about the Alice In Wonderland Exhibition. I however have only two weeks left to get my animation together for my piece. 

I've had a lot of events happen personally that have adversely affected my work. It has just been one thing after another. But fortunately, the LAN are still working together, and we're now taking over the Artist's Markets in Lincoln this summer. We're looking for artists to get involved in this. More details here: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=44932174666&ref=ts

One of the problems with having other stuff going on, has meant that I sent the Arts Council Grant proposal later than I wanted, and it wasn't successful. I have no time left to re-apply now in time for the Alice exhibition, yet despite this, everyone is still working towards putting on a good exhibition, as the opportunity is not worth giving up on. I plan to make a separate funding application for the LAN as soon as possible, with a potential collaborative project in mind. 

The animation department seem all over the place, with two trips arranged one after the other, so I'm not getting as much out of the AA2A scheme as I'd like either. Hopefully I'll get in to finish my animation over the next two weeks, otherwise I won't have work of my own to exhibit for that and I want to have something to display. However, the LAN have some exciting opportunities upcoming, so we continue to work on these projects.

# 58 [21 January 2010]

We're really pleased with how we managed to pull off the Christmas Market, considering in the end it was a last minute arrangement. We sold some work, although others seem far better at selling stuff than I, I feel the networking was worth it, but as usual will have to wait to find out whether people who said they might want to commission me get back in touch.

Lincoln Christmas Market is the largest in Europe, and we have plans to make it bigger and better for next year.

I now intend to focus solely on work for my residency for the next four months.

Unfortunately, it's been slow getting back to work following my father's sudden and unexpected death just before Christmas. The funeral was in the new year, and I have thought of little else than spending time with family, obviously. Luckily, the LAN folk have been keeping things going and things are starting to come together. However, on top of this I have been having to cope with some financial difficulties to do with becoming self employed as a lone parent. 

On another note, Magne is doing a project that continues on from the doll project I collaborated with him for back in 2007, combining that with his other project Apparatjik, something known as Pupparatjik:

http://www.kit.ntnu.no/en/node/612

I hope he'll be able to expand that further and take it international, another collaboration perhaps?? I can live in hope!! 

# 57 [4 December 2009]

The Christmas Market is going well, especially considering that we only found out we could do it about two weeks ago, and have had to get organised really quickly. Plus I was slightly distracted by that commission opportunity that turned out to be not quite what I thought it was....

We're selling some work!! Which never happened before at the artist's markets, and is rather good!

I made a large batch of traditional Norwegian pepperkaker (gingerbread) Christmas biscuits, two of which went to a visiting Norwegian!

We have a Viking re-enactor directing people to our stall, all things Nordic, but also nowhere else can you purchase Christmas cards with The Red Arrows vs reindeer designs! 

I finally found time to have some mulled wine and can have a break. When we did the Christmas Market during our degree, I only had to help with the stall for one day, and contributed some illustrated cards. I was rather glad it was mostly organised by my good friend Fiona, because I couldn't do as much with the kids. Now I just take them along if they're not at school - my youngest made himself £9 selling Christmas tree decorations!

Tomorrow will be the busiest day, so I hope we'll make a substantial profit.

# 56 [30 November 2009]

The LAN are taking part in Lincoln Christmas Market, so this is a flying visit just to make a note of that, and to share some news - I received a very interesting illustration commission to illustrate the cover of a book about A-ha due to be published next year, so I've been busy/distracted negotiating the fee/contract for that most of last week, checking the details with the AOI, and it's looking very good indeed - I will start work on that early next year alongside other projects.

Apparently the authors have seen my work and exclusively wanted to commission me for the work - praise indeed!

I've also been working on finalising ideas for the residency, for the work I intend to create - I'm getting cross - inspiration from elsewhere - it's all coming together, but I won't be able to start working on a storyboard until after next week.

Details for Lincoln Christmas Market are here: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=132377977252&index=1

# 55 [22 November 2009]

I've now had over a week to reflect on two recent exhibitions, and Wednesday's Air Open Dialogues event in Nottingham gave me an opportunity to discuss the thought processes that I have gone through more recently with the group of people there. 

When I graduated and started this blog I was keen to move in a new direction with my work, and was trying to initiate a doll-themed body of work. However, more recent exhibitions were suited to revisiting The Unreal God theme again to explore how that works in different contexts.

Maybe it's my illustrator's mindset that makes me work towards creating a definitive work that has a deadline, and then move onto something else. I don't always think the same way as other artists do, or even other illustrators, because as soon as I start to think of myself as an illustrator, I will immediately come up with something more conceptual in contrast to that. 

In any case, it was good to be able to share a discourse with others, both Lizzy and I gained a lot from it, it was nice to meet fellow bloggers - I found Andrew's insights resonated for a lot of people, and of course it was good to receive some positive feedback, especially with regards to how I've set up the LAN.

It's good to see that others recognise that as the achievement that it is, especially considering that I have so many plans both for my own practice and for the group that it's easy for me to think that I've only just started and haven't achieved anywhere near my overall goals for any of it!!

I feel that my thought processes have now solidified into a definite course of action for the time being, and for the body of work I wish to create as part of my residency. The dolls will have to wait now, as further discussions with the animation dept have cemented the idea to focus on an animation that merges Take On Me with Alice In Wonderland. I feel that to try to animate dolls at this stage is far too complex, or even to combine dolls with animation, and I've taken a step back and decided to work towards following on previous work because it's now timely to do so - next year is A-ha's 25th anniversary of Take On Me and the band are retiring.

I want to explore the juxtaposition of Take On Me with Alice In Wonderland in the form of an illustrated Take On Me animation but without so much dolls.

This will enable me to work on a small side project alongside this.

# 54 [8 November 2009]

My Degree work has now come full circle. It all started with an accidental Take On Me style animation, then I took a banner to A-ha's gig in Liverpool and for a joke edited myself in the video imagery.....

so began a chain of serendipitous events that more recently led to me exhibiting a banner upon the Fourth Plinth in Trafalagar Square.

This wasn't really the final chapter for me yet. That came on Wednesday 4th Nov, when I took the smaller banner with me to go and see A-ha live at the O2 in London, where I met up with many friends, and from the fourth row from the front, not only did I have a very good view of the band that never fail to inspire me in so many ways, but towards the end, when the lights came on before the final medley, we exhibited the banner for the band to see, and it was of course greatly appreciated (especially by Magne!).

Magne himself of course had to go one better and doodle a digital Mona Lisa with some kind of hand held device on the large screens behind.

The following day I finally went to see his exhibition proper at Paul Stolper gallery - Alpha Beta is a series of printed letters, following his usual Kurt Schwitters inspired stuff.

http://www.paulstolper.com/

I decided that after hours of carting the banner everywhere, and seeing as he likes it so much, that I'd leave it there for him, and had a lovely chat with the ladies there - hopefully he'll get his slightly belated birthday pressie the next time he's there.

A-ha are finishing their career as a band next year, so I already know that I will be distracted trying to catch them as often as possible for that last chance encounter.

Magne also has some work at a gallery in Boston - his career seems to be really taking off as an artist (I wish mine would follow suit!).

So my installation space was exhibited for the band, and the t-shirt I wore with another image from the comic was exhibited in the Tate Modern and everywhere I went in London, and apart from missing out on meeting the band, the trip was another success!

I was going to consider this the last time I follow up the work and move on to other things, however, I'm starting to consider making another one for next year, as it's their farewell tour.

I got back home and went for the missed meeting for the AA2A scheme. Plans for the LAN are going well.

# 53 [30 October 2009]

Last night I was invited by Beacon to attend an event at The Hub in Sleaford, a follow up to Melissa Bliss's Hinterland project for SEAS.

Initially I was interested in the SEAS project, but a job interview was unsuccessful, and I became busy with One And Other and The House Of Bling and never quite got round to going to Skegness, as I was told; "in the hope I could meet the artists there". I didn't want to meet the artists. I wanted an opportunity to work and I felt fobbed off, it was patronising. I went along to catch up last night because I was invited and there was a free coach.

My antipathy wasn't changed much by having to watch a talk by an artist from outside of Lincolnshire, telling me all about my own cultural heritage, stuff that, being a Lincolnshire born artist, I already know. It's in my genes.

I guess it's the Yellowbelly in me. We can be very defensive at times.

But hey, all my plans this week have been skewed by my youngest son being ill and missing a meeting, plus the fact that most people don't seem to realise that it's half term and I'm having a week off. The only important thing for me was the Enterprise inc meeting earlier today.

I'm glad the a-n forum is going well - I hope that this blog will revert back to being professional, instead of me moaning about how work tries to infringe on my "holiday" period - I can do that elsewhere!

# 52 [22 October 2009]

I've finally received some belated bursary funding for the LAN!!! My bank account no longer looks like a black hole where all money disappears forever!

I seem to have loads of events to attend all at once at the mo - I have an introduction to the AA2A scheme meeting next week, an Enterprise Inc meeting, and plan to attend the Beacon / Melissa Bliss Hinterland thing in Sleaford the following week - Beacon very kindly put on a free coach, so apart from having to take son with me, it should be good to go....

I've got all my plans together to attend AIRTIME and Air Open Dialogues next month. This has taken me a lot of logistics considering that AIRTIME is from 3-5p.m. which is a bad time of the day for parents, and Open Dialogues is later, and I live an hour away from Nottingham...

This is the plan. My eldest will go and hang out his friends, my youngest will go to Kids' Club after school until 6pm (this will cost me childcare fee) then will go home with his friend Ollie until I get back.

This will be approx 9.30p.m. - a bit late on a school night, but it's only a one off. 

Melissa Bliss Hinterland event is 7-9.30p.m. - another child-unfriendly time....

I've just set up on Twitter - never saw the point in it, but I'm hoping it might prove useful to synch all my networks....... 

# 51 [16 October 2009]

So last night I couldn't make it to the private view for Magne Furuholmen's Alpha Beta Exhibition - not on a school night!

Luckily some people did go and have shared stuff http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lh8naCH_KU4&fmt=22

Guy Berryman buys a lot of Magne's work - that's him there. 

Tinged with the surprising news that A-ha will retire next year, we can't get rid of them that easily - it means that Magne will devote more time to his other projects and his art, and I do hope to be able to attend his next exhib.

I will still go and see his work, just won't be until next month though.

# 50 [15 October 2009]

I was just browsing through the comments on the One And Other website, now that the Plinth is sadly empty, when i received a phonecall to confirm that I've been accepted onto the AA2A scheme, so now I'll be able to (legitimately!) go into University and access facilities to create a body of work, get some costs covered, and this will also enable the LAN to have a presence, a point of contact instead of having to hold random meetings - excellent!!

I'm starting to feel as though I'm getting somewhere - i just wish it hadn't taken so long!

It seems odd to go on the One And Other site and see instead of someone there, a red square of text instead.

I was asked by BBC Radio Lincolnshire about artists such as Damien Hirst selling expensive work in galleries, how the Plinth compares with that..... there is a shift away from capitalist art, but I'm not so adverse to what Damien Hirst and Tracey Emin do - they make a very good living from what they do, just far more than what some people consider justifiable. I just wish slightly that applied to artists other than the YBAs....... I wouldn't want things to go too far back the other way, where artists are being taken advantage of and expected to work for nothing..... there needs to be balance. But I do like the way art is engaging with audiences, becoming involved with the community, it's something I want the LAN to achieve, and something the community should invest in, instead of arguing about money being put to better use elsewhere. Is it possible to meld the YBAs and Gormley? Or would that create a monster??!

What I noted on reflection about the Plinth was that it engaged with people that otherwise wouldn't experience art, or be interested in art. I read comments from many people from America and Canada, who'd been watching the plinth from across the pond - where else do you get an opportunity to exhibit work globally?? I knew that although there weren't all that many people in Trafalgar Square while I was there, the audience stretched as far as Broadband.

But I haven't received a rash of emails offering me commissions yet. My Redbubble account hasn't yet made any sales. Nor have I experienced some kind of SuBo effect and had to go into rehab for my new found celebrity status!!! No one stops me in the street and says "hey, you were great on the plinth!" They ask if I tell them, or if they knew anyway I was taking part, but otherwise no one seems to have noticed much!! Which suits me fine, because that wasn't why I did it - I did it for the experience, yes, to promote my work, and because I'm a fan of Gorm! Most people agree that the Plinth will never be the same again. And I wonder if the words "plinther","plinthing", "I plinthed" will be added to the dictionary??