The Surrey Open Studios are on now and I am attempting to make work at the same time, which is something of a juggling act. I have some work to make for the launch of the 'Art in the Surrey Landscape' project. This is to be a temporary intervention on the bank of the canal at Woking next to the Lightbox Gallery. I am also coming to the end of my set of workshops there as part of another project so need to ensure that the children have all had the chance to make what they wanted to. My own work for that project is having to take a bit of a back-seat right now and I am looking forward to being able to re-engage with it.
Week 7. Book-binding was the focus of the workshop today. The sheets of paper are being put together in their final form with much decision-making about different types of binding and thread v string dilemmas. I took some photos of the work I have been making as part of the project in to the education rooms because the hard thing is having to communicate the process of making without the work being there to see. It made me realize (again) just how lucky I had been in my last project where the making of artwork had been much more evident. Although I am enjoying the work that is emerging from this project.
Earlier in the day I had a very interesting discussion about a future project where I would have more of a curatorial role. It's a development that I find exciting. Watch this space!
Week 6.
A really rainy day. I'm getting my stuff together to go off to the Lightbox for my workshop. I thought I'd post a photo of one of the pieces we have been working on over the last few sessions.
The week went fast. It was good to stand back from the workshop side of the project for a few days and assess things. I really enjoy working with people but it's hard to give enough attention to your own work while the teaching side of things dominates.
I have been preparing for the Surrey Artists Open Studios, putting a small display in the window of Waterstones in Guildford as part of the 'Street Gallery' initiative. That was fun actually. It's interesting seeing things in another context. The Open Studios is a lovely way of meeting people but I don't aim to use it as a money-making, career promoting activity it's more of a wild card kind of thing.
Other artists from SAOS, Angela Thorne, Lisa Pettibone, Martyn Perryman and Faye Campbell are showing work in other windows around Guildford. More details from the Open Studios website.
http://www.surreyopenstudios.org.uk/
Tomorrow I am back at the Lightbox with my group of kids. We are going to be concentrating on self-directed work using any or all of the techniques we have gone over since the sessions started and the next week we will start to assemble the books they have been making.
Brilliant news! The Lightbox Gallery, where my current project is based, has won the Art Fund Prize. This prize formerly the Gulbenkian Prize is an extremely prestigious one and well deserved in my opinion. The Gallery is not only a beautiful new building but also has a team of enthusiastic, positive people working to establish it as a much needed art resource in an area without much art provision. It has a good local history gallery too and always seems to be full of school children and local visitors as well as those from further afield.
http://www.artfundprize.org.uk
This week, being half term is a break from my papermaking and recycling workshops too, giving me a chance to continue with my own project within the project. Coming up soon is the Surrey Artists Open Studios and towards the end of the week I am installing a small selection of work in the window of Waterstones in Guildford to publicise it. So another busy week.
http://www.surreyopenstudios.org.uk/
