ARTISTS TALKING

# 11 [10 April 2008]

Flu today but have a review of a show I co-ordinated for OAS...

http://www.theoxfordtimes.net/search/display.var.2...

# 10 [8 April 2008]

Following on from chickens and ducks with no necks. Have become fascinated by Bowerbirds. They are selected on the beauty of their compositions rather than their looks... oh if only life were like that!

The most notable characteristic of bowerbirds is to build a bower to attract mates,  into and around which they place a variety of objects they have collected. These objects — usually strikingly blue in hue — may include hundreds of shells, leaves, flowers, feathers, stones, berries, and even discarded plastic items or pieces of glass. The bird spends hours carefully sorting and arranging their collection, with each object in a specific place; if an object is moved while the bowerbird is away he will put it back in its place.  Oh nothing like a bit of OCD even in the bird kingdom!

# 9 [8 April 2008]

 Nearly forgot the good news! My friend Pat who is a poet and writer contacted me today to see if she could use some of my photographs of the allotment in the snow for her work. Pat is currently Writer in residence at Longlarten Prison.

www.poetrypf.co.uk/patwinslowpage.html

Second converstion today re: allotment photos was with Joel Cooper (Artist and Illustrator) about using one of them for one of his graphic novels. Is that a comic Joel? You really should go and look at his blog if you have a minute!

www.joelcooper.co.uk

Mmm...probably cottage pie for dinner.

# 8 [8 April 2008]

Today made a small maquette of the 'chicken,' for the allotment. Looks more like a duck with no head...not bad for knocking up in your lunch hour though.

After work found a really interesting shop called 'Silvester Stores,' and boy does he! went inside to find an aladdins cave of gardening and household bits. The shop was stuffed with everything from seeds to saucepans. I asked if I could take photos but the man running it told me it would bugger up his insurance. He then stared at me in the way the 8o yr olds do and I felt really stupid for asking...oh well.

I then spotted a man on Magdalen Street with the most amazing overclipped poodle and decided he would probably eat me for breakfast (man not poodle)

 I walk away dreaming of the perfect photo and bump into the local pervert and his dog. Avoiding eye contact and remembering that he has ‘rights’ to I do my best impression of looking like an undercover policewoman wearing a wire and head home photoless.

# 7 [7 April 2008]

The chicken sculptures for the allotment reminded me of when I was in Cyprus. I had a studio there for a month. I was making kinetic sculptures and had to sit in a chicken coop for three hours in 90 degree heat with the smell of chicken poop.

 I sat on an upturned bucket trying to capture movement. The only movement was from my stomach.

I ended up making a sculpture called, 'Chicken in the basket.' Used to be very popular in the 70's. Not sure if health and safety would let you get away with it these days...aah black forest gateau, chicken kiev and a nice bottle of Chianti in it's own raffia!

# 6 [7 April 2008]

Chickens? I know there's some laws about livestock on allotments. Seem to remember you can keep rabbits and hens? Wendy will know. Still laughing at this one but was wondering what to do about all the carrier bags I have shoved under the sink at home. Suddenly occured to me to make wire frames and cover them in old bags. Then will have my own set of chucks and they won't feeding or watering...

# 5 [6 April 2008]

Just about to reluctantly go to bed and wondering where i will get a plastic jesus for a project i am doing tomorrow. Despite tiredness I want to stay up and watch it snow. Photos are great but they can't capture feeling the sun on your face or how fresh the air was or listening to the snow melt and the sound of the water running away. Or even how it felt to be just still and not have your brain go at 90 mph...

I'm wondering if I can get away with wearing my moon boots in bed? My nephew gets away with his wellingtons.

# 4 [6 April 2008]

This morning I went for a walk to unwind. Have had a particularly busy month at work along side organizing an exhibition for the Oxford Art Society Members' show. So this is what I was thinking about...

I think that there is something beautiful about partially covered forms in the snow, the contrast between light and dark and things half revealed a bit like people and relationships really...

 I found an old chair in the snow and sat in the sun with my eyes shut. If I'd found a mattress and a duvet it would have been better. God! why am I so tired? I made a mental note to thank the person who donated the moon boots to the charity shop, of which I was now wearing on my feet for the princely sum of a fiver. Happy days.

Spent the rest of the afternoon laying on the bed watching it snow with the sun shining whilst eating a packet of chocolate fingers and reading the gardening section of the Observer. Someone was playing a flute in my street with their window open and I suddenly realised what a beautiful moment it was. If this is being relaxed I'm having some more of it!

# 3 [12 February 2008]

I sent out a link for the blog yesterday to which my Mother replied that I had not changed my way of thinking in over 30 years! My friend Angharad said the idea was 'inspirational,' and Selma wrote,

''Good on you Emma

Veggies are good! Grow lettuce they are a piece of p*ss and you will get loads.  I have a veg patch in my garden it's really good fun .Spuds are good you just leave them in the ground until you want to eat them. Try and buy some walking stick cabbage seeds someone gave me some they grow 12 ft tall and look like cabbagy palm trees then you can use the stems to make walking sticks.''

Have fun in the mud!

Love Selma

My friend Dan on the other hand said (in a Barrow accent) "I can't see what all the fuss is about and the pictures are sh*t."

No vision these northern lads...

# 2 [11 February 2008]

I acquired this spot fairly recently with the vain hope of growing wild flowers and having something vaguely sculptural within it. Instead of reading loads of books I'm 'getting the knowledge' as i go along.

Yesterday I learnt that I can grow rocket at this time of year and that finding out when the last frost is coming is key. Wendy on the next plot tells me that if i want to grow sweetpeas I will have to treat them quite hard and i imagine some kind of bootcamp with me shouting at them.

We had a small amount of flooding on the plot but at least I know where the water lays heaviest and on this I base the layout for the raised beds. So sitting on the floor drawing on an old bit of broken tile I plot out some ideas. I laugh as I realise what I am drawing...