So What?

This is by way of conveying a bit of attitude! I have now moved away from the boxes which were actually leaving me a bit boxed-in and am freely working on paper. The attitude of ‘So What’ prevails in that I’m questioning what art is all about and reflecting on the workings of the artworld. Don’t worry, not planning to get too heavy on all these weighty concerns, actually feeling quite light and free with my bits of paper and the word play that was anyway a theme running through recent work. I’m attempting to produce bad work that is raw and immediate, yet satisfies me aesthetically. What a total contradiction but then I am an artist!

That ever burgeoning collection of boxes!

Yes, this has been my main focus in the studio and I’ve been working towards applying for a competition Open exhibition at Holton Lee in Dorset. I developed whole collections of themed boxes including bird drawings and paintings all of which gave birth to the idea of an installed piece (shown above). Inspite of this stint of studio activity, I’ve also enjoyed getting out of the studio for anything from rambles to bird watching and botanising out of season. I quite enjoy seeing what is still in flower at this late stage of the season and also spotting the occassional butterfly on the wing, most notably the Red Admiral. Anyone got particular sightings to add to the list? Looking forward to hearing from nature lovers out there. Can you identify my fictitious birds from their drawings? I have a few ideas of my own as to what they might be but could also do with some help from those with a keen ornithological eye.

The charm of Autumn

I’m arrested by the transition from Autumn into Winter which we now seem to be experiencing. With consecutive clear days there have been some stunningly moody skies. I have had to exit the studio for my mid-week excursion which took me through muddy woodland tracks and then steeply up on to downland at the site of the Worsley monument, which if you don’t know it provides views across the whole Island from East to West. It was a steep ascent, which put me in a seriously bad mood, but the exhilaration at the top soon put me right together with the simple pleasures of a picnic lunch. Last week provided a photo opportunity along the south coast to witness bracket fungus, in this case growing out of a decaying bench. I thought this image summed up something of Autumn, with fungi and ivy growth both at their best this time of year, both of which don’t shout about their presence but are nonetheless integral to any rural scene.

I got to Quarr Abbey this afternoon, which I alluded to earlier in the summer. I had hoped a residency might be possible, however that was not to be. All the same I can enjoy the peace and tranquility of this unique location and the light and shade of late afternoon, together with the chatter of jackdaws and the charm of the Glocester Old Spot Pigs snuffling about (eventual porkers!).

Latest Reflections

I wanted to flag up something current, which is the landscape piece currently showing at the ‘LOCATION’ Open exhibition at Quay Arts on the Isle of Wight. I have blogged previously in the run-up to submission and here is the finished piece. It relates to a part of the Island where I have made regular visits and on reflection is about ‘a sense of place’. I was over on the east coast this afternoon in fading light at another familiar location, St. Helens Duver and again got a real sense of this theme. Perhaps it is the Isle of Wight as a whole which gives me this sense and as I move around between different areas there may well be more paintings to come.

Back to the Studio

Following on from the Amber workshop I was keen to get back into the studio and see where that left me. I’ve been able to leaf through my sketchbook and odd scraps of paper for images that say something about the process of making jewellery as well as the themes I adopted during the week for my designs. Birds are still very much a feature of the images I’m currently producing and have resulted in further box art pieces that I have since been able to bring together. Here are the boxes in their ‘raw’ state prior to being rearranged, reassembled and generally transformed into other works.

‘Brooching the Subject’

When the lights are on ‘Amber’

 I have actually spent today cutting and carving into Amber stone in it’s natural state. Actually quite soft to cut and shape by filing and sanding, followed by endless polishing to a high shine. Hopefully all will be revealed at the end of the week with my finished piece, more a ‘neck-piece’ than a pendant with the way things are going. Making the dreaded bezel should be interesting tomorrow. Precision never my strong point but here goes.

Apples of Gold in settings of Silver

‘A word aptly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver’. This is one of the few proverbs I know and it comes to mind after day2 of ‘Working with Amber’ which involved setting stones. If anything were a precise art then this is. There isn’t any margin of error and making jewellery has on the one hand the highly crafted dimension but on the other hand, what amazing creations are possible along the way. It has to be well-made because otherwise it just looks ugly and today we were striving for that professional finish.

What was I thinking of!

It was with some foreboding that I set off to the Jubilee Stores (in conjunction with Quay Arts) this morning, having enrolled for a whole week of jewellery making and most definitely moving outside my comfort zone. The relatively minute scale we are working on is such that I can’t quite see what I am doing at times (having developed long-sightedness with age). We were, however in the capable hands of Sophie Honeybourne, an experienced jewellery maker who very patiently helped me in spite of failing eyesight (must remember glasses tomorrow!). I actually think that working in a different medium, with different tools and as a class activity will be quite good for me and may actually inject my own practice with something new. I already have a little seagull motif which has emerged unexpectedly and takes me back to my numerous trips along East Cowes seafront with the many squawking Black-headed Gulls. Lets see where this all leads. Setting stones tomorrow. Watch this space for the breaking news. By the way, the course is entitled ‘Working with Amber’.

Cowes Week Special

You may think we have come to the end of Cowes week, however, today, saturday, the racing continues albeit in the rain. The rain confers certain advantages as the crowds were dampened down and there was actually room to ‘walk’ along the High Street. Alas, no photos to show here but I have a visual impression to convey of boats in the misty rain this morning in very subdued tones and looking very inspirational for the marine artist in me which is just not emerging. I did a bit of sketching from East Cowes seafront earlier in the week but went so far into abstraction that I abandoned the view and headed back to the studio. There are hints of a paddle steamer in the work but not convincing enough to show. In the drizzly rain returning to the Floating Bridge it was good to hear the screech of Sandwich Terns. They are fairly distinctive size-wise and larger than Commic Terns which are also around. Anyway, hope everyone enjoyed the fireworks last night. East Cowes comes alive at night all of once a year for this momentous event. Great entertainment from the local band whipping up true community exuberance and a bit of dancing along by the seawall. Never quite heard that version of Van Morrison’s ‘The Brown-eyed Girl’! The more distinguishable bits were good to sing along to though. Thanks to all involved for making it happen. (Photos courtesy of Richie Mair)