ARTISTS TALKING

# 13 [8 May 2008]

I have finally printed the actual comic! I'm so happy to have that finished! I was going to print several copies, but now time is running out I'm just glad to have one finished comic to go in the installation to make it complete!

Everything else is back on track, but I still have a lot to do and today I had to clear out my Illustration studio. It feels sad to know I'll be leaving soon, but at the same time I'm getting quite excited and will be glad to graduate. 

# 12 [2 May 2008]

I've finally started to set up my space now, although this was hindered slightly by the fact that Channel Four were filming an advert for the University in the gallery for a while, and the place was awash with media people and equipment!

Now that I don't seem to have any other unnecessary distractions I feel quite excited at the prospect of my show - positive comments from people have helped!

I wasted a day attempting to print my comic onto newsprint through a laserjet printer and have since considered other options, but at least my comic is finished ready for printing, so that's satisfying!

Yesterday I foolishly thought that helping to self publish the Illustration catalogue would only take up a small amount of time.... but I have finished my dolls (whoops - shouldn't mention illustration work here!!) and am addicted to photoshopping a storyboard for a potential Brothers Quay style animation.

The dolls I have been making are to illustrate Black Jack Davey, a folk rock song by Steeleye Span... that's another story, but once I've set up my Fine Art show, I will also be exhibiting my Illustration work a week later!!

As a joint honours student I had the choice to exhibit at one show or the other, or both; the other joint students are doing both shows as well, so we're in it together. I know how Clark Kent feels now......! 

The bad news is that A-ha themselves will not be able to attend my Degree Show, as they will be busy preparing for a gig at the Royal Albert Hall - I sent an invite to Morten's management via Facebook, but they declined. I'm sure they would've accepted if it wasn't for such bad timing ;-)

# 11 [25 April 2008]

I'm getting really stressed out about the space for my installation, as I had tried to plan it so it would be straightforward, but the disappointment of having not secured the space I ideally had in mind is causing far more potential problems than I had hoped for.

I've been thinking about how to print my comic book and have decided that screen printing it is going to be too much kerfuffle and it'll be easier to just print it on newsprint through the printer in the faculty of Illustration.

I've been working hard to get my Illustration work finished so that I can concentrate on setting up my Fine Art show. Being a joint honours student has its benefits and its drawbacks.

But most of my drawbacks last week were caused by my boiler packing in.

I wasted so much time waiting for the gas man to come and fix it, plus the stress of not having heating or hot water for myself and my children for a whole week, that I haven't even begun to think about the logistics of building a room for my installation, so the repercussions of that are manifold.

# 10 [3 April 2008]

Today the spaces we have been allocated for the degree show have been announced on the noticeboard. I haven't succeeded in securing the space I ideally wanted, and have spent some time today trying to figure out how I can set up my installation in a room that will require a lot more work.... hmph!

I've collected my sketchbook so I can carry on with my comic book work, and I've been trying to figure out the best option for my webcast, and it's all very slow, and not only that, I had to go to the local gallery to go and watch some performance art by some colleagues, which was all very interesting, but I'd rather hide away and get on with work. I'm avoiding University tomorrow for this reason, that every time I go there, there is some distraction, however I'll have to go out in the afternoon to avoid the disturbances of the gas man.

I went to see my son play in the school band this evening. I rather enjoyed it actually, made a nice change, as I generally don't have a social life anymore....! 

# 9 [28 March 2008]

I've been keeping a blog on other sites since last semester, which is why I've been able to copy the best bits across on here. There's a lot I obviously haven't included, including a trip to New York to visit the studio of the artist Luca Buvoli, so I hope this new blog makes sense...

I've spent the past couple of days creating a book cover design for a competition on the Stuart site; I was surprised at the low quality of entries on there, and decided to make my own Tracey Emin / Superstudio / Richard Linklater version for this book about a women only book club.

Obviously this counts as Illustration work. If I posted all of my Illustration work on here it would be confusing.... 

# 8 [27 March 2008]

This is the working front cover for the comic book.

An opportunity has arisen for a potential exhibition as a separate body of work, so I've been busy making a proposal for the interest of Magne Furuholmen and Paul Stolper gallery.

I have also submitted some Illustration work for D&AD. 

Several pages for the comic book have been created, but are in the process of being adjusted to fit an evolving storyboard. I will upload images when they've been converted to jpegs, but because they're still in the process of editing, they remain as photoshop files which I'm working on. It means that I can't really upload any images of the work in progress. Also, the last tutorial I had has made everything feel completely futile for me right now. I'm on my Easter break. I'm getting work ready for Art Practice And Professional Context submission - more faffing about instead of doing actual work. I got more useful advice speaking to an illustration tutor about the way the comic book will look; currently it looks a lot like a graphic novel. I wouldn't mind, but it needs to look like a comic, so I need to source some appropriate paper to print onto.

# 7 [27 March 2008]

I have conducted a mini curatorial project to see how my final show will work. It's not easy considering that I have a lot of work to do for my comic book and I'm still not getting enough time to spend actually making it...

Half my time is spent doing Illustration work, which is continuing the doll aspect of my practice, but it means that if I have to do these curatorial projects then I'm not making the comic, and the comic is the main part of the work. The comic book will become an artist's book of sorts.

In order to accommodate the comic within the installation, I made a frame to display it on, as I'm hoping to print copies for people to take away. I made a mock-up of the two pages I had created at that stage, to form a very rudimentary version.

The glass frame was one I found. I have yet to build a larger scale frame, but health and safety concerns probably mean it won't be a glass one in any case.

I've also been making a proposal for the space  for my degree show.

The space I have in mind needs to have internet connection, as I'm planning to have a live webcast of the creation of the show.

# 6 [27 March 2008]

Yesterday I dreamed myself alive again..... typical.

 Many images are being appropriated to re-create a comic book narrative in this way. Recent images of the band members of A-ha are made to look as if part of the original comic book imagery within the video.

# 5 [27 March 2008]

The Cabinet of Curiosities

I am taking part in curating an exhibition with a group of talented artists at the Greestone Gallery. This includes a retrospective piece: Perfectus Pupae et Hominis Cicatricosus (Latin: Perfect Dolls and Scarred Human Beings) 2005

Opening is 2.00p.m. on Wednesday 13th February at Greestone Gallery, refreshments will be served. Continuing from 10.00 to 4.00p.m. daily until 25 March Monday to Friday.

The Cupboard Project is a platform for artists to exhibit work in a cupboard.

The Cabinet of Curiosities is a joint exhibition to showcase the work of those of us artists/curators who have initiated this venture to launch The Cupboard Project.

The Cupboard  Project continues after its inception for other artists to use to exhibit their own work.

# 4 [27 March 2008]

For taking part in Magne Furuholmen's Scrabble exhibition (also known as "Mange Magne") May - Autumn 2007 the artist has been bestowed with a personally signed letter from Mags in gratitude for the contribution, and also a limited edition CD of the sound part of the installation. The artist reserves the right to play the CD to subdue boring conversations at will.

Magne Furuholmen is a successful practising artist and member of the Norwegian band A-ha.

He invited his myspace friends to collaborate with him to create a series of dolls of him for an exhibition at Sørlandets Kunstmuseum in Kristiansand, Norway.

I made two dolls for this exhibition which have been uploaded onto his website. 

http://www.magnef.net/dolls/'

Collaborations with Magne are ongoing.