DAILY DOG WALKING DIARY is go!

I've started my daily diary again. Hopefully I'll keep it going. It will give me ideas for my own book about Bobo and also give me a constant that I do every morning when I get to work and something to look forward to. So here's one from last night. We all went to the beach with four dogs and it was funny. They loved it...except Harvey!

Looking back over the last two years

I was just looking back through my blog, I guess to see what other people see maybe, and the difference from when I started is fairly big! I have more of my own work on it, which makes sense as I now have a style that sits outside the commercial work that I do, which I never had before. So I've been updating my current work on my website too.

Feeling lost and incapable

I've had a month of working to deadlines on my paid publishing work, and all that time I've been aching to do my own work. But of course when you think of the results and dream about what you will create, you only think of the best bits and not the bits that you have to go through to get to those best bits! I'm in that process now and finding it hard! It then compounds into every element of your life and you feel that the whole world also thinks you are incapable! not nice but necessary to move forward and through. Anyway I've started just doing, just painting from anything and putting it down into my sketchbooks really quickly, and although they seem insignificant right now they may evolve into something via the scanning process so here is a few pages put together. Also some paintings of Cy Twombly, Robert Rauschenberg and Antoni Tapies, some of my favourite artists, that I fancied doing. My brother did some paintings of his favourite writers which were great, so I've completely ripped the idea off and again not brilliant but I do like the top one, his are actually much better...anyway, by doing many you always have one that works for you, so I'm going to do more...

The Bloody Chamber

ok so it's Sunday, Everyone else is out having roasts and long walks and beach experiences on a warm Sept afternoon and I'm in the studio working on my own work because I want to! what better reason! I'm working on a competition and here are some sketches. I say sketches because I have to scan all the bits in at a higher res at some point. anyway here it is so far... all inspired by Angela Carter and the Bloody Chamber. I finally think I've cracked this one, so I've added the text, as if it would be a cover.

This is great!...it's my paint palette.

false starts, happy endings

It's Sunday and I'm in the studio, I'd love a Drifty roast but low on pennies and really needed to crack some work out for Scattered Art next week. So, after a false start and some rubbish bits of painting I finally concentrated on the images I really felt connected to, reference pics that is, and worked from there. Ones I didn't know would work, or why they would, but started from there and the first one had no legs but I liked the way I painted it, and saw that he looked like a conductor. I liked it, framed it and voila! it's all come together! Everything I was trying to achieve with my unit 3 at college had come to it's conclusion! a hint of some interaction rather than a description which is where mine for bordering on before. So a prop is used. I have painted three and I like them but I can make them better for the next ones, less contrived and considered as these still are a bit but they are definitely closer to what is in my mind now which is great. Very exciting. Anyway here they are, cheers for dropping in...x

I have created a new blog called Number44. It is somewhere where you can find links and artists and eventually advice, but mainly those little bits and pieces that spice being a creative! Would be great for you to drop in and have a look and although it looks a little bare now I will be uploading new and exciting bits very soon. In the meantime go to it's sister blog on Facebook.

The name came from my childhood home and has always been a number that I have felt connected to, and was where all my influences were born.

letting go and spewing out!

Just having some fun and making marks... Cy twombly influence on this one I think...not sure he'd be too pleased though.

It's nice just making and not considering! I now have the confidence to work without consideration and purely excreting the inside, out. I now know that this has to happen for me to focus, crop, analyse and make sense of it all. Before, this process of throwing up all the marks in my head through my fingers, was something I did only when I really had to, and felt I had the time to do. But now I realise this is part of my process. By posting them I make sense of them, discard or embellish them. they'd be great really large but these are from my sketchbook so maybe my next new project will be large! for now I will continue with the MA project and see where it ends...if at all.

Number44

I've made a new Facebook page. It's easier on Facebook as I know so many people on there that can, and do, access it and the majority being arty friends, so can pass 'stuff' on easily! so here's the link to Number 44. Go see and 'like' if you can.

So what is it I hear you ask? Well, it's a meeting place for driving creativity in the community and basically sharing good creative links, events, artists etc! I want it to be a vessel for all the things I can't help but pass on. I have really enjoyed passing links on through the college email list and as I have finished, seems unfair to burden people still, so therefore the Facebook page where people can dip in and out when they want to.

I have also today rehung the MA work in the Museum cafe in Truro, with Truro Arts, and it looks great. Lovely cafe if you are passing, and Donna and Lucy have great plans for the shop and events etc that surround the cafe and shop, which opens in November with a big party, can't wait! so watch this space.

I am exhibiting with Alan Clarke, Rose Forshall and Amy Adele Seymour.

some new sketches!

Here are some sketches I did really quickly at End of the Road festival at the weekend. I had such a great time and travelled up with the very funny and talented Shayne House and his two kids. They were ace and we all had lots of fun and not much sleep! I loved sketching and was teaching the kids how to draw by not looking and the sketches they did were ace! It was lovely too as some people we got chatting to recognised me because of my drawing in the crowd on a few occasions! ...we also met up with the Squire family too ( who are all very talented bunch!)

so anyway here are some!

MA SHOWS UCF

If you fancy coming along, it's on til Sat 5pm I think? and here's a link to more info....cheers all x

It's up!...AND I'M FINALLY DONE....almost!

...just the cards to cut and some small prints to get ready for sale and wrap up some originals to sell too.... The ones that didn't make it to frame. So here is the final final show with cup in place and book in place too!...I'm really excited now and one more day of work ( commission) and then I'm on my holiday until Monday. Great stuff! Hope everyone can make it to the show and see it all in the flesh. It's going to be a strong show with lots for everyone! and lots of books to buy.

It's up!

the show is mostly up! I have to take the sketchbooks out to hand them in and add my finished book and cup and saucer at some point....but the majority is done and looking great.. really pleased. Not amazed but will be great when the other bits are added! will feel like a huge achievement! Everyone else's looks great too. so lovely to see it all up and doing its thang!

yet another post!

I've been working on this show, for what seems an eternity. I was getting quite grumpy at the start as I couldn't get on and do anything because I didn't know what it was i was doing or why. Doing the essay has been a huge help and generally reflecting over all the successful marks and choices I have made. Preparing artwork for the show has been a real eye opener and how I did some work in enough time but at the last minute changed it all and created new work, and then deciding to frame the sketchbooks. So I really am working right up to hand in date and hanging tomorrow hopefully! My wall has a stain on it I have to rectify and yet to curate the wall. I'm enjoying doing it all and writing these notes really help to work out what I am doing and why. My worry is getting the shelves put up in time and getting the right ones too. I'm currently hand embellishing all my cards and extra small prints for sale. There will be all the originals that weren't quite right for framing for sale as unframed paintings too, so hopefully something for every pocket.

ceramics and decals...

Today I've been in the studio all day again but I did take a trip down to Bec's studio in Hayle to sort out the ceramic tea cup, with a decal of mine to fire, to put in the show. The pots she made for me were over fired but they are fine for what I need, I just hope I do them justice. Here are some pics in progress. I'm really excited and hope the kiln works ok? we'll see.....I'll know tomorrow evening when they come out of the kiln. It has inspired me to do a small course in ceramics where I can do my own illustrations and create my own one off pots...

Binding!...

...and then there was the book!...I went up to Tom's Studio, Little Egret Press and binded my book. Tom was amazing and so patient, it was great to do and so lovely to have such a lovely product at the end of it.. I could make it a whole lot different and better...as always but i loved doing it and love that I have made my own book!...here's a few bad pics in progress. I have now got to wait for the embossing plate to arrive and hope that it looks ok and then do the deed and drive back to the studio, add all the painted bits then hand in before 5pm! a busy and long day!

Seeing clearly again

...Well after a month of not really feeling very positive about my work and tightening up, I've decided to frame my sketchbooks for the show. They are the marks that are fundamental for my practice, and for any movement forward. I constantly have to revisit the marks I make in them, so thought it essential to have them in the show. I am painting right up to the last minute with work to go up on the walls as I'm not 100% sure about the quality or message I am conveying with what I've done so far. I can do better but not sure I can in the time. So I have to step back and do the best I can and believe that my best work is yet to come, and this is only the start. I have a lifetime to create the work that is in my head! I have made a great start and now I can put the work out in the world slowly, on my terms and in my own time. Very exciting but hope I don't let myself down with a poor show. Less is more I guess! x

Books...

aaaand the final, final book pages for the Royal Beasts! at last! including a link to my big bro's new book, under his own press, Speaking Volumes.

work for the MA show!

I've been in the studio all week doing work for the show. Not amazing but framed up and on the walls I think they'll look ok but possibly a bit twee which is what I'm trying to avoid? These are sketches really but I'm really quite excited now! can't wait for it all to happen. I'm beginning to tighten up again which I need to watch. Especially if I compare this latest one with the first one I did ( without the bear?) It's just a better shape. One thing I am learning is that my first marks are the best!..... these have been touched up since scanning so may look a bit different.... I like these in the frames but because they're tighter they look like they should be more correct, ellipses etc which I don't want to spend time doing. So I think I need to loosen up again so they don't look so 'incorrect'? do them even more quickly. So I need to redo them all! I can maybe put these in as unframed originals... ok orff to work to continue the essay!