I've been spending a lot of time on the studio making a piece for a show later this year. It's an English Pieces patchwork made from two second hand shirts. Unlike previous patchworks this one is going to be a cylinder – that means I've had to work out how many 'blocks' I need to maintain the pattern while allowing it to join around itself 'seemlessly'.
There's something quite satisfying about the pages of isometric grid paper and tracing paper that are mounting up.
I want the the top and bottom of the cylinder to be flat. This has led me to make a shape I haven't thought about since 'O' level maths – the trapizium. Laying out combinations of hexagons and trapiziums gives me an inexplicable sense of pleasure. What is it about this jigsaw-like activity that makes me smile so much?
The Enquire Artists' seminar rekindled my interest in the possibilities for artists in education. I'd gone very sceptical, after getting really burnt out and tired of projects that had less and less relation to my own practice. I noted that the most interesting work was being done outside of London. Projects in both Liverpool and Manchester seemed so much more collaborative, while one in Brighton was specifically concentrating on continuing professional development for artists. It was really refreshing to hear about projects where the artists were 'partners' throughout the project process (as opposed to the situation where I used to find myself agreeing to themes, materials and timetables arranged by schools and galleries without any real discussion).
I have to thank Barbara at Enquire for giving artists the rare chance to get together and talk about the stuff we need to talk about. And thanks too to all the artists who I met and who assured me I wasn't alone in my concerns about the demands put on freelance artists working in schools. Now if we could only get some kind of association or 'trade union' going ….. !
