Yesterday, a second quick painting of an archaeologist in the trench. At last I am beginning to paint with the same direct approach that I have for drawing. A shame the dig ends next week, just as I’m getting […]
A small piece of flint with a sharp edge has been found in Trench X. It doesn’t fit known examples of flint tools; but, like yesterday’s ‘crayon’ has an indentation for a finger or thumb that facilitates a good grip. […]
I promised two new drawings for a show at Brew in Folkestone in September and suddenly realised that time is getting short… So yesterday I went out to the Lower Leas Coastal Park to get one of them done. There […]
Rain today provides an ideal opportunity to review material collected to date. I’m not sure why I’m collecting small bags of crushed stone but no doubt a reason will eventually emerge. Rain also prevents any drawing in the trenches but […]
As this is a long term project, it can feel overwhelming in its scale and complexity (like the dig itself). Despite the fact that archaeology is rooted in the past, my residency is about bearing witness to the human activity […]
Porthole — We murder — Friday 11th August 2017 Uxbridge – Grand Union Canal – chalk marker pen on glass
There are some pieces of stone which have been uncovered and now the parts with iron layers are rusting. They are difficult to draw and paint because I’m not interested in just rocks and prefer people. My project is about […]
One of the supervisors is feeling that he hasn’t accomplished much in his trench, because it is not only complex but confusing. There is a balance to be achieved between working fast through the midden, to get to the structure of […]
Yesterday persistent rain and mud making an abstract painting on the floor of the supervisors’ hut. Today, bright sunlight creating sharp shadows and the ever present wind blowing clouds into many shapes.
I murder my own drawings. I don’t mean to do it but I can’t help myself. I either work them to death or I lose faith in them and they die of neglect. Either way, most of my time seems […]
Today I discovered micromorphology. Samples of soil on site are cut and put carefully into small tin boxes or, if larger, wrapped in clingfilm. These are then sent away to be suspended in resin, from which very fine slices are […]
My involvement with, The Museum of Object Research, is giving me the chance to explore how an object works within my own art practice. I wanted an object that would relate to previous work, and fit in with the idea […]
Projects from a-n members selected from a-n’s busy Events section, including an event in Birmingham celebrating the band Sleater-Kinney and exhibitions in Medway, Pembrokeshire, Shrewsbury and Oxford.
The boulder has been taken out of the entrance to Structure 8, and they are removing stones and roof tiles that fell in – to get down to the main slab. Apparently, interesting things are found in doorways. It has […]
Yesterday, halfway through my painting, the sky on the horizon went black with rain and a small twister. It was too late to alter the sky, but I think it may show in the way the foreground picked up the […]
Yesterday, halfway through my painting, the sky on the horizon went black with rain and a small twister. It was too late to alter the sky, but I think it may show in the way the foreground picked up the […]
Changeable weather again – so what’s new? Chris, who makes carved stone balls using neolithic tools, has suggested composing a still life of them. Why does Chardin come to mind first, when I empathise with Cézanne’s approach. Chris agrees we […]
An amazingly still day – hardly any wind, which is so unusual. Voices carry across the trench. Huge cotton wool clouds moving very slowly. Some rain on the far horizon. The sky is so big. The trench is huge when […]
Trench tour for the many specialists working with the Ness of Brodgar makes me feel in awe of the complexity of the dig. Put in parallel with my project as Artist in Residence, it shows up the bewildering nature of […]
