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.