::October Days::

In my effort to get back into creating, making & generally being inspired and motivated as an artist I have a new project in mind. So, here's the plan.... as in from the 1st day of October I am going to do a drawing a day! This may sound like no mean feat to some, but there are some days when doing the dishes or making it into work on time feel like an achievement, other days it's all just a breeze & I could spend all day drawing, painting, cutting, gluing...and on and on. Although initially my plan was to try a drawing a day for a whole year! I always get ahead of myself out of pure excitement. After thinking it through a bit, I decided that a month would be more manageable. Perhaps if successful maybe go on to do a season, and who knows even a year, but first things first...I have yet to do one, so lets not get ahead of ourselves!!

::jerwood drawing prize::

I took a trip to see this years Jerwood Drawing Prize. I had planned to enter it myself...this was not to be, as the last day of entry was the take down day of my degree show & I had wanted to enter work from that. There just wasn't enough time to get the 2 pieces I had planned to enter framed. Sometimes there never seems to be enough time no matter what!! I hadn't framed them for the degree show as I wanted there to be a delicate, tangible quality about them, but for the JDP it was stipulated that all entries must be framed. Anyway enough deliberation. Perhaps next year!
A friend of mine entered and was shortlisted, which was very exciting. But alas, when I went to see her piece it said that it was temporarily unavailable due to realigning the frame. Call me biased but I do think having seen an image of Jane's work that it is certainly one of the highlights of the show. I will go back, I'm determined to see it hang on the wall of The Jerwood Space!
The piece that stood out for me the most was by Chudya Ikeda, Lost in Translation, Departure. From a distance it looked like a pen & ink drawing of sorts, but as you approached it you saw it was made up of thousands of tiny cut out pieces of paper all pinned separately. It was so labour intensive, must have taken a steady hand and a lot of patience. This is the kind of work that really interests me. Work that becomes so involved as you are doing it that all else seems to fade away, even when looking at it.
The show is definitely worth a look at and once you've feasted your eyes on the creative works, head to Borough Market to feast on some good food! A morning well spent...you won't regret it...promise!!

111

This is my 111th post!

As a mini celebration, I thought it deserved a post all
to itself...that's all folks.

End of the summer holidays

Since my graduation I have been feeling quiet a bit of pressure to create and produce some work... I'm not even talking about making anything of worth or value, just something...anything! The thing is, I was very inspired when artist Mark McGowan spoke at my graduation ceremony. He set a challenge to begin a new project, not to wait, but start on a new one the very next day. He said if we took too much of a holiday it may turn into months, years before making something. Apparently he has been involved in something like 75 different art projects since graduating 4 years ago. Obviously some projects were smaller than others! I initially came away feeling very inspired & motivated to begin my new found freedom as a professional artist & not just a student of art. But it soon became obvious that as the days began to merge into weeks that it was not going to happen like that for me. The thing is, I was thinking about it constantly and was feeling pressure as I had done nothing. The only one of course that was putting me under pressure to perform to this notion of creating straight away was me myself & I. It seemed like the more I thought about it the harder I was finding it to feel any kind of inspiration to create. As the end of the summer drew nearer I began to realise that I had to begin at some stage, but that it had to be in my own time, in the way that I work. Once I started thinking like that it was as if the juices of creativity started to seep back into my mind...right down to my fingers and toes. So, I have picked up pen and paper again...hurray! I have had a good long break and it's time to begin again, my sketchbook is beginning to bulge...no pressure though!

a little detour

Whilst sauntering & dauntering (is that a real word..if not is should be?) around Rye I saw something that made my eyes light up. It was a poster advertising an exhibition of two artists, Ashley G and Drew who work in collaboration with each other. I'm a fan of their charming work which I have only seen previously on the internet. I thought I was seeing things, I didn't think they would be known in these neck of the woods, as they both hail from Portland in the US. So on our way home from Rye we decided to take a little detour and go see the exhibition in St Leonard's on Sea....it was on opportunity not to be missed. When we got there we were very pleasantly surprised to find Black Lark Gallery ....a lovely gallery, which was small but perfectly formed & oh so friendly. We had missed the private view, but the exhibition was still up and running. It was so good to see the work in the flesh & up close and personal. If we hadn't spent all our coppers on cream teas, I would have left with a print under my arm.

Reassessing in Rye

R & I got a chance to get away for a few days to escape the hustle & bustle of life in London. Rye is such a quaint little place, I know that sounds so American, but now I understand what they mean...cobble stone streets, Tudor houses, cream teas, it was perfect. Although, the average tourist was around 60, so needless to say there were no mental nights clubbing, but I was very happy to stay in a sleepy town & come evening time sip wine at the bar. Over the summer months we had plans and hopes for a couple of things that didn't quite turn out as we had wanted. So it also gave us a chance to reassess and chill out. We seem to have been doing quiet a lot of that recently...planning and reassessing that is. Some hopes & dreams are just that, others are put on a shelf for another time...the right time I suppose. The weekend after we got back we both started into new jobs, which we are very excited about...so there's a lot of change going on in other areas. I'll be working part time for a major gallery in London & also keeping on the studio to fill the rest of my hours with creating master pieces....! I haven't had much inspiration, but hopefully the creative & artistic environment will inspire me. But somewhere deep down there's also a part of me that still thinks I'm returning to college after the summer. I'm just so used to heading back to study after the summer's over. Janey mac, am I in for a shock when it finally settles in that student life is no more & I have to work off my own steam! Maybe I should book a return trip to Rye for some more reassessing.