Taking the air

A very happy Christmas one and all. 
I had an enjoyable and productive day in the studio yesterday but I am taking a short break for the next few days as I am taking the air at my ancestral seat for the festive season. Suffolk is a beautiful place at any time of year and walking the Mere today with the dogs was particularly lovely, very full with all the recent rain and overflowing streams now gushing torrents; the scenery was fab and the dogs came home covered in mud, Polly was brown instead of black and spotty. The very old photo above shows the glory of the family home in previous times and my parents have the flat with the bottom 3 windows on the right hand side. Please note the church tower behind which has the church bells going as I write, they bong each hour through the night - I remembered to bring extra strong ear plugs.

curious courses

I have been fretting a bit recently having been asked by Hannah at the City Lit where I teach, to run a class. Why fret, thats my job? Why was I losing sleep?Because this course was run with a difference, students signed up for the evening not knowing what they might be asked to do. It could have been anything, poetry, stand up comedy, play an instrument, astronomy, the list is enormous.  So I had 16 brave souls prepared to have a go at anything and who made a cracking job of making a clay relief of a loved one, or worked using one of the 'celebrity' photos  from the stock  pile. It is possible that perhaps the wine may have helped a bit!  I had no reason to worry, they tackled the clay with relish and really worked hard. I quite like the idea of bringing in the loved one next time, dogs and cats in the studio, now there is a course to think about! Many thanks to Hannah, Emma, Mario and David who really made it a fab evening and all the students who were great fun. 

2 pairs of trousers

 So cold today that it was definitely a 2 pairs of trousers day. I have spent ages thinking about this piece and today I drilled a large hole to take a v large dowel. If I didn't spend so much time thinking then I might be a tad warmer.

a plan chest clears the way

Thanks to the lovely Lucy, a glass artist in the next door studio I now have a fab plan chest. Those of you who have visited the studio will know that there is quite enough stuff there already, much of it is storage from the house move last year and I am slowly (so very slowly) working my way through the 'downsizing' ( anyone need a washing machine?). This is all piled up under a tarpaulin in the corner so it makes access to boxes tricky, but I cleared a shelf of drawings into the plan chest which gave me access to a box which turned out to contain some books I have wanted to find for some time. Result!! - plan chest doing its job, 2 boxes out of the way and more space created......With any luck I shall be able to set up some private classes very soon indeed. 

Gallery views

A view of the show looking down through the lower gallery space. 

standing by the window looking towards the back of the gallery on the lower gallery

Upstairs with my small stone sculpture 'Cyttan' on the right

Cyttan

Looking at 'Cene' in the top left corner up the stairs

Cene

A few shots of the fantastic show still on The Gallery in the Royal Opera Arcade in Pall Mall SW1 

Free Painters and Sculptors

Getting excited about the show tomorrow, a varied selection of excellent work on show, something for every one. I look forward to seeing you there 

updates

Well what a week! Not a sculpture done but my eldest daughter is now married. I have done more driving than is good for me but that mileage pales into insignificance compared to Martha's sister Honor who flew 7000 miles back from Bangkok to be at the wedding. 

I have come home to find my Criminal Record Check (Enhanced) approved and I am now finally able to start work at Chelmsford College later this week. As I will come into contact with under 18 year olds, I need to be certified as 'safe' and must provide evidence of who I am now and all previous identities! I am clearly an upstanding and reliable citizen who poses no threat........!  I shall get started with a blog for  http://aa2a.biz once I have gone through all the registration process but for anyone who wants more info, check the website and find them on Facebook.

I have a number of projects on the go, including cleaning up these cold cast metal casts from a stone relief and I am looking forward to getting back into the studio to get things finished. 

It's leather time again

I have the pleasure of spending this week at Morley College as technician on the bronze casting course again. I am working with the brilliant Terry Jones and what he doesn't know about bronze can be written.......etc. Once again we have a great group of students producing some very fine work. Last time we ran it, we were pouring on the hottest day of the year, now with the autumnal cool, it's actually rather cosy having burners on for the wax and with the furnace on tomorrow we are unlikely to melt quite as much. I wrote last time with the heading ' today I am mostly wearing leather' which in my naivety didn't think would provoke the reaction it did as there have been more hits for that blog than for any other; I only hope that they weren't too disappointed. 

and the winner is.....

Me - I won!! I am the recipient of the East West Award sculpture prize! I write this now so I can check in the morning that this really is true. I am sooooo chuffed and expect someone to tell me it is a mistake any minute. Many thanks to Mr Morito and all the staff and judges. 

No cars at all

The East West Award show looks stunning! A real mix of work from across the globe, amazing photos from Sweden, great paintings from Japan and my work in the middle of it all! Greeted at the door with a badge and offered a drink, definitely needed and as it turned out, absolutely essential as we were asked to speak about our work. I thought e were being gathered for a photo but then I realised we were being asked to say a few words, I was called out first. Actually with hindsight this was ideal, no time for nerves and I just had to get on with it.  I had some really good compliments and it was a fab evening with outstanding work, the award evening is tomorrow night, I am going for the fun of it. 
I have just returned from a great evening at the Royal British Society of Artists, the 2 recipients of the Brian Mercer Fellowships, Kate McLeod and Halima Cassell, gave excellent talks and I had a good catch up with chums. 

The good the bad and the smelly

Good news, I delivered my sculpture Sny to La Galleria this morning, no hitches and all straight forward. http://www.ewaac.com. By the looks of the other work being unwrapped it will be a stunning show and I am in very good company! 
Thankfully my sculpture was completely unaffected by the smelly car. I had collected some piping from my sister which I think I can use and I thought that we had managed to remove all the traces of dead squirrel that was on it but it appears that I was very much mistaken. When I put it back into the car for the final trek to the studio I realised just how wrong I was and drove the few miles down to Stratford with all the windows down, the sun roof open and my head hanging out of the window, my asthma pump at the ready. It wasn't raining all that hard and it was infinitely preferable to the stench. The puddles in the footwells should dry quite quickly. The lovely RAC who had to come out to change to tyre for me, one nut wouldn't budge, was very polite asking that the doors and the windows  were shut after he kindly lifted the old tyre into the back of the car, he did have tears running down his face and I don't think it was the exertion, I decided not to try and explain dead squirrels in case he called the RSPCA. Used car anyone?

I am delighted......

Have just had a letter from The Royal British Society of Sculptors informing me of an interview for the Brian Mercer bronze casting residency!! This is amazing opportunity to spend 3 months - three whole months - in Pietrasanta Italy. My maquettes often start life in paper and very often end up with a life of their own and I would love to work these paper sculptures into bronze.  The 2 below are about 90 cm wide and hefty; the paper almost ends up as wood again it is so thick. 

 I shall keep you posted, watch this space .......... 

a general update

Apologies for a lack of postings lately but being back at college has made life super busy. As usual though, I have landed on my feet with excellent students and all of them are making good progress. I teach sculpture mostly at the City Lit in the middle of London and a couple of other courses in the year at Morley College in Lambeth North. Both carving classes are full, the regular wood carving group on Tuesday evenings has lots of 'old hands' making ambitious work in all styles and they really keep me on my toes and there are a few new people dipping their toes for the first time.  The Saturday woodcarving group is mostly new people, again getting stuck in with interesting work. With students permission I shall post some photos soon. I love my new class at the Royal Hospital Chelsea with the red coated pensioners, lovely men with amazing stories (I was regaled with tales of Antarctic explorations yesterday)  working with paper right now but we start carving soon - a daunting prospect because the place is pristine. 
I really ought to set up some classes in my studio but it is so cold there in winter that I think students will end up with hypothermia. 
I have just been asked to teach a mystery course at City Lit in December, students sign up for a course but have no idea what they will be letting themselves in for! Brave souls. I promised not to tell anyone what it might be and I cannot be bribed........
I am, of course, still writing applications and right now I am in a bit of a tremble with the EWAA exhibition next week. http://www.ewaac.com. I shall let you know how I get on, for the moment I am just really happy to have been selected. 

AA2A

I think I have to pinch myself that the AA2A scheme is real. I went this morning to meet the other artists - there are 4 of us altogether- and to look around the department. It is all brand new with masses of fabulous equipment, I am deliriously happy! My original project may well be somewhat expanded so watch this space. The department and the other artists are really friendly and I feel a highly productive year coming on.....
The other two artists are -: www.billiebondart.com and www.sarahcrowe.co.uk

happy days in Chelmsford

I am delighted to accept the AA@A award (http://www.aa2a.org) from Chelmsford College! (http://aa2a.biz/pg/profile/chelmsford) This scheme offers artists the opportunity to use the facilities in a college and a materials grant! Brilliant-I shall be making full use of the kiln. I am off tomorrow to have a look round and see what's what and I shall keep you posted.

Used car anyone?

Note to self-: remember to shut all windows, doors and sunroofs of the car when it is parked nearby where I am working with the chainsaw and arbortech.  However this did at least create a huge pile of wood shavings and sawdust and have the advantage of being useful in soaking up the vomit when the dog was sick on the way home. Strangely, the car was not stolen overnight despite forgetting to lock the door. It was a productive day nonetheless.  I do not think posting photos is appropriate. 

catching fireworks

Deborah Henry-Pollard is one of those amazing people that artists need! She can do all those things that need doing-:  finances, organising, arranging, encouraging, all things 'arts' giving artists time to do their thing. You can find out about all the spectacular things she gets up to at her 'catching fireworks' website and for good measure she is asking artists the same 5 questions each month and you can read my answers 
http://www.catchingfireworks.co.uk/blog.html

At last.

I have decided to stop and take Lee Kumutat's head to be fired tomorrow.

 This has been huge fun and I have really enjoyed it. So much so I think I am keen to start another portrait soon.....not entirely sure that there are any other willing souls out there but I  shall find someone. 

Radio journalist Lee with the lovely smile, the date is not accurate, I haven't updated the camera. 

clean floor

It may seem strange  to show the studio floor but I want people to know it exists! 

With muscle from the lovely Mr f. I have managed to clear a vast space in the studio. Boxes are stacked, wood is piled, sculpture is stored and all is right with the world, my studio anyway. I shall now go and invest in Radox. 

Mark of Beauty

My fabulous chum Jenny Page reminds me that the Union Gallery in Edinburgh are showing the Mark of Beauty exhibition until 9th September. Trevor Jones put the show together, a slideshow of images by many different artists. Links to the gallery and to Jenny are below. If anyone gets to Edinburgh, do let me know. 

http://uniongallery.blogspot.co.uk
http://www.uniongallery.co.uk

http://jennypage.wordpress.com

 www.jennypage.net

http://jennypagefineart.blogspot.com

East West

SnyI am delighted that to be shortlisted for the East West award and will be showing at La Galleria, Pall Mall, London in October with 'Sny'. http://www.ewaaward.com/artists/judges/index/1743/page:1

studio dog and more

  Trumpet fanfare, drumroll.....this is the new studio dog Polly, a 10 month cocker spaniel with extra large ears. I found the huge gap that Betsy left when  she died earlier this year too much. Polly needed a new home, I needed a dog, it seems like a good solution. She seems entirely unruffled by noise and even slept through the chainsaw, I have checked she isn't deaf, she is just 'relaxed'.

 I thought I would go easy on the chainsaw for a while and I am still gluing up clay, a quiet activity that doesn't disturb any one. 

spaghetti

I have spent quite some time threading a sculpture together, a great deal of dedicated radio , in order to go from a heap of spaghetti, above, to.....

......organised, threaded, completed small sculpture. There is so much 'spaghetti' it doesn't wobble either!

surgical proceedures

I am keeping my promise and getting on with some work at home while my studio is inaccessible. I started a portrait of the radio journalist Lee Kumutat some while ago. See above A great start was followed by both of us being too busy with other things. I am now back on the case and today I felt ready to prepare the head for firing. Below is as far as I got before I  cut her in half and started hollowing out. Lee has complained of a headache.