ARTISTS TALKING

# 7 [8 May 2008]

Well the postponed meeting that should have been on the 6^th of May was eventually cancelled the rescheduled date clashed with another festival meeting. Emma rang around every one instead, confirming if we were doing one or two weekends over the festival and which ones. Also making sure we get our house/studio photos over to Dean who is illustrating a map for the trail with all our locations, pics of house, and later a small image of our work. That seems to be about it for now we will have our next meeting in September when things should hot up a bit. 

That means that until then this blog will concentrate solely on the development of my work, and as that is largely why I am doing the trail, and this blog for that matter, it seems apt.

So what’s new on the snail front…..well it’s still going at a snails pace but the ideas aren’t drying up, just my time.I have taken some fab new snail photos over the last two weeks the best ones just the other night with some good trails. I haven't had time to sort them out yet and see how or what to do with them.

# 6 [25 April 2008]

I was going to report back about the meeting but it was postponed to the 6^th of May so I have no new info on the event.

On a personal level I am in love with spectra jell. I found an old tin, must have been from my collage days…..makes the tin 20 years old! And remarkably the contents were still ok. I like what it does to the paint and the way it handles. I will just have to watch I don’t over do it and ruin the paintings I am working on. I have also been looking at where to go next with the snail theme and how to develop things. It’s definitely about direction as I have said before, and about the trails, and the spirals of the shells. I have been playing with these elements in shells, photos and sketches but am at the moment a little unclear how to progress with the next paintings.

# 5 [18 April 2008]

Well more time passes and I think I am making some progress. I can’t beat myself up about how much I am doing. I am doing what I can, when I can.  

I have a new snail lino print that is looking promising I took some prints off, but need to cut away a little more to balance things up a bit. I also have a new snail painting on the go that touch wood is going quite well. I did a similar one last year that didn’t really come out how I wanted but this one is looking much more like it……whatever it is? I think it’s about direction they have to look like they are going somewhere it’s what interested me.

I collected some empty shells the other week and tried to paint them it didn’t work I need the snail in there I think…..I was quite worried my little muses had gone. I couldn’t find any in the garden for a while …must have been hiding from the bad weather. I saw some the other day and was much relived. What sort of gardener have I become! 

The next Artist’s open studio trail meeting is next Tuesday and I am looking forward to seeing what the next step in the planning is, and meeting some more of the Artists. I will report back next week.

# 4 [28 March 2008]

 Wow a couple of weeks slip by so quickly and what have I done….well I have just been concentrating on the snail theme, with as I have said before getting a coherent body of work together to present.

I was looking forward to getting a lot done this week as the kids were at their grandparents for some of the Easter hols…but alas I was struck with a tummy bug and spent time in bed instead and now back at work we have a deadline and they are asking for extra hrs…oh time!

Well I can’t moan about time in every blog so one brush stroke, one lino cut at a time and I will make some art.

I did make a start on a new painting and print this week and tried to finish a failing sketch I started last week (now turned to the wall). I finished a new lino print last week and did some experiments with my printer and the last lino cut which gave me some interesting results. I use Photoshop a lot in my job (computer games art) and it’s very natural for me to take work tow and fro, from photo to Photoshop, to photo of painting, and back again. I am interested in making these transitions more obvious in my work and have found Aine Scannell’s  blog very interesting.

# 3 [10 March 2008]

It seems like a long time till the open studio but I have so little time between my job and the kids I really have to get going now.

I have not yet said much about the Artist Open Studio Trail 1st meeting so here is a bit about…..I must ask next meeting if individuals mind me mentioning names as I go on.

Some things discussed at the last meeting:-

About the trail it’s self - some concerns were voiced about studios/houses not in a central position not getting many visitors. I feel a bit out of it where I live I think that unless someone is really interested they will not be just popping in. This may be helped greatly by the suggestion of having a pre festival fundraising exhibition at Bollington Arts Centre. Also the inclusion of images of peoples work and a picture of their house/studio on the trail map. I have taken a few snaps but my house (a 1960 semi) isn’t very attractive to be drawn on a map not like a lot of the village’s stone cottages! Still the map and the exhibition should enable people to select studios to visit form an interest in particular work. Buddying up was also discussed and some artists may show at the same place. Emma King who is organising the Trail for the Festival says there are abut 22 artists interested at the moment, and it will be nice to see some more people at the next meeting which is in mid April.

Other things discussed were, if we wanted to open our studios for two festival weekends or just one. If it should be open during the main carnival procession. With a lot of people on the streets for the procession if laminates publicising and directing people were put on lampposts along the rout people may drop in while they are out.

# 2 [6 March 2008]

I started another snail lino cut the other night the other night. I had already drawn the image onto the block so just settled down to cut it, glass of wine at my side. Working on small prints like this seems to suite my fragmented time for making art work at the moment. I can pick it up and put it down a bit like my mum used to with her knitting. I definitely think whittling away on a bit of lino after the kids have gone to bed at night could be my equivalent.

# 1 [3 March 2008]

So why the Snail?.... I like Snails, I like painting them and I feel I need to concentrate on at least one or two themes to have something coherent to show. I have recently been getting some images of my work collated to put on the web sight I have been building and a lot of the work looks very disjointed. The themes that are interesting me and I want to continue are the Snails, and the Oldfruit paintings I have done. Other work has been more about exercises in colour, and just getting back the feel for the paint.

I also gave myself the task about a year ago of keeping a regular sketch book again. Trying to do a quick sketch most nights before bed and some how there is a snail on each page. I am currently turning some of these quick sketches into lino block prints. So Snails for the trail it is……