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)

Along similar lines

I’m continuing to follow themes from the landscape but working in the studio and moving up in scale. Enjoying hardboard as a surface – I think a smooth finish suits a spontaneous approach and records brushmarks well. Painting in earnest for the Quay Arts Open as before and look forward to submitting. Will maybe look at pursuing some other Open Gallery Submissions in the region in the months ahead.

Hammie comes to town

Cloudy the Hamster has come to join our household and is the centre of attention and main source of entertainment in the evenings when he comes into his own on the wheel where he has his workout. I have always had a fascination for small mammals (mainly of the wild variety) and it is just as interesting observing the behaviours of the domestic pet. Hammie (actually Cloudy) may find his place in my artwork and is also proving to be a great stress-buster. I can tell him all my problems and he doesn’t seem to get depressed. What a great agony uncle! I can really recommend it as a far cheaper option than ‘therapy’. Do try this at home.

Going with the Flow

The past month has been a fruitful time for pursuing the landscape themes as mentioned previously. There is definitely something that has stayed with me which I can pursue through landscape but which is an amalgam of a number of experiences. I’m painting in earnest with a view to submitting for the Quay Arts Open in about a month’s time. It’s good to have a short-term focus as so often exhibitions are one or two years ahead and can be difficult to work towards without other goals along the way.

Return to the Landscape

Last week was spent cat-sitting in the village of Shorwell, providing an excellent opportunity for some sketching in the fields behind the house. I was able to station myself at one particular viewpoint with a wide vista across much of the south-west coast of the Isle of Wight. I’ve worked directly into the sketchbook and also from a colour copy (shown here). I have to say, this is something of a departure: a straight depiction and the use of naturalistic colour, but then again why not! Be straightforward for a change and as a novelty it worked for me to simply draw what I was seeing. These exercises in observation have proved fruitful in the return to the studio as I’ve been able to work onto colour copies mounted onto canvas or board. There seems to be something of a mini-project emerging so I think I’ll go with the flow and see where it leads.

So far this week…

I would say the week actually began sunday afternoon as I joined 10,000 or so walkers for ‘Walk the Wight’, an annual charity fundraiser across the Isle of Wight from East to West. I have to say I was something of a complete fraud in that I was striding it out, only doing the final 4 miles of a good 26 mile route! I had the dubious excuse of meeting my sister-in-law for the final leg. We managed to miss each other and I walked the final stretch anyway and got a clap on reaching the finish line together with the rather more weary and worthy participants. To top it all I ended up on the free bus with all the walkers sporting their medals. I mention this event in particular because it was an amazing spectacle to see so many walkers striding out along the Downs.

Monday marked a hilarious afternoon’s writing with the High Tide Poets which meet at Quay Arts in Newport. The main subject was nonsense verse and I have to say it was an absolute hoot. I really enjoyed making up my own words and then trying to make it into something credible. Look out for the group’s new website, which I will flag up when it goes live.

The studio has largely given way to other commitments this week although I have managed to finalise a proposal for a residency at Quarr Abbey, the monastery just outside Ryde. This is something I have initiated and might just be a possibility. It would ofcourse potentially take my work in a whole new direction to be based there and it is a case of ‘watch this space’ for the outcome. Whilst in the studio today I was able to take stock of some work produced over ten years ago and it was interesting to see what I was doing then. These were mainly works on paper using a combination of oil pastel, acrylic and collage. Along the way there were some circle themes in the making, which subsequently re-surfaced as a major body of work from about 2005 onwards. I have to say it’s good to look back from time to time and unearth pieces from the dim and distant past. For whatever reasons 1997 was a particularly productive year with a whole series of work containing a definite energy.

Tongues of Fire descend on St. Georges Football Grounds!

Yes, today is the Church’s Birthday and to mark this there was an all-out jamboree for the Island Churches. It was actually a lot of fun and for myself, the first time I had set foot in a football ground! I took to the shade of the stands after a round of gazebos representing churches and interest groups. From this vantage point I was able to take in a vast array of people moving about including a certain contingent brandishing Mr Whippys. There was then time for a second round of the gazebos including dropping in on Christian Aid and Traidcraft. Yes, Fairtrade is very much on the Christian agenda and Craft of the highest quality was represented. A couple of artists were present with stands and there was also the Eco-challenger vehicle, taking me back to my days on the team of the Medina Valley Centre. Personally, I can think of no better way to spend a sunday afternoon than getting reacquainted with those I have got to know over the years of living on the Isle of Wight, enjoying sunshine, seeking out the shade, some slightly over-amplified worship music and ofcourse the Isle of Wight Gospel Choir (not to be missed)!!

New(s) from the studio

I finally worked out what to do with my individual box pieces which I had been making by hand using paper folding. These have now been assembled into a group of nine after many months of adding to the collection at odd times. I have actually been doing double-sided pictures (more images to come), working onto glass and frame and removing the backing board. Good fun actually and the box art piece here is backed onto canvas so who knows!! It is a work in progress but I feel I finally made some decisions. Alongside this I have the view from my studio wall of three works which I would like to group together in this way when finally shown.