News (will be coming soon)!

So have been waiting... and waiting... and waiting...

To be able to tell you the next step for my Rock House Residency. 

And now I finally can!

Except... I have a 'day-job' and I have to go to work now...


Come back? I promise not to keep you waiting so long this time....



In the meantime... here is a mixed media collage what I have been working on. 

Everyone seems to dislike it! 

Except me... 

Sneak Preview...

So before leaving Rock House today I had a quick look at the flats being built on the upper floors.

I have been having a bit of a play with the photographs, muting some colours and adjusting the contrast. See what you think...

To be continued...

So.. I have stepped through the hole for the last time in this residency and have packed up all my things.

Despite being quite miserable in the space sometimes, I am really going to miss the space. So I am in talks with Kate (director of the New Independent Art School Hastings http://www.niash.org/) about hopefully continuing working within Rock House in some way... fingers crossed.

For those who couldn't make the exhibition here are the main pieces of work that I created whilst there. I mostly consider them works in progress. But some are more finished than others.

N.B I struggled to maintain the blog whilst in the space as I couldn't blog from my mobile phone (I have terribly fat fingers!) 

But I kept notes whilst in there and I plan to write these notes up and post retrospectively. So give me a few days and these will slowly appear.

Many thanks to all those who came along to the show or supported me via the internet. Being an artist can be a terribly lonely business so thank you for stopping me from feeling like I am just shouting into a void!

To be continued...

Lovely quiet Sunday in Residence

Had a lovely, chilled day today.

Think I am finally starting to relax in the space. (Perhaps partially because I was alone in the building for much of the day - so was happily singing away as I painted!)

I was relaxed enough to play and experiment again. Some of these experiments will lead to more finished work.. some won't! But I am really enjoying just seeing what happens.

That said, I had some visitors to the Art School today and I am still really anxious showing people this work. I think because I don't normally show my experiments... I just show my finished, polished pieces. 

This residency is really pushing me out of my comfort zone. 

Day Off

Being alone in the space, I started fretting.. and stopped enjoying. Started 'working' instead of playing. 

So I have taken a day off from the residency. 

Instead I have been looking at some other artists to steal some of their ideas for inspiration. These are my current favourites...

Ramon Irwin Bonilla

Terry Greene

Francesca Dimattio

Edward Coyle

Stephen Nolan

Ross Walker

 

Awful photographs of quite nice collages!

So I was back in Rock House Art School today after spending most of yesterday in bed recovering from a home invasion by assorted neighbours, fireman, paramedics, red cross and electricians from 1 - 5am.


I had an interesting day. 

I had hoped to create paintings whilst in the Art School space. But the painting I was working on this morning was just not doing it for me. So for most of the day I played around with my images; making large, but simple, collages. These please me greatly! But they are not what I expected.. 

I seem to be really interested in the hole in the wall and putting it into different contexts. But my eye is now also being drawn to circles everywhere. Which links to an interest in road furniture and markings. So I may wander around tomorrow with my camera.

Though I am also really keen to have another go at painting. 

I guess I will see what takes my fancy on the morrow.

Have started residing!

I have started residing in the Art School! I managed to get in early to give me a chance to settle... which is just as well.. I took residence yesterday and was frankly miserable! 

When I planned this residency I imagined it would be warm and bright in the space. I imagined taking breaks on a sunny fire escape and working with window wide open. I worried that I have no painting clothes cool enough for summer!

But how horrible is this weather?! 

I suffer from seasonal affective disorder and so really struggle with bad weather. And with so little sunlight the space is a teeny bit too dark to paint in for me. So was a bit forlorn yesterday.

Today I bought a light... who I have named... and once he was up it perked me up no end. (Though I admit I nearly cried trying to put him together without a screw driver and spanner!)

Now I just have to create some work.. wish me luck? :)