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artblog entry 03.06.08
Monday 2 June Varnishing Day, Royal Academy of Arts, Summer
Exhibition 2008
After setting out, in January 2007, with the objective, to get
work selected and into major national exhibitions, to be
selected for Jerwood Drawing Prize 2007 and now, in 2008 the RA
Summer Exhibition, is a fantastic endorsement of the work I'm
producing.
It was a privilige to accompany the other artists and RA's in
the traditional procession to St James's Piccadilly for the
Service for Artists, followed by the Varnishing Day Reception,
to meet so many peers, friends and senior Academicians like
Leonard MCComb RA who's work I have loved, since I first saw it
more than twenty five years ago.
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Geoffrey Rigden, Humphrey Ocean RA, and Gordon Faulds,
discussing the unquestionable merits of 'the hang' in the Small
Weston Room. |
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artblog entry 29.05.08
Appledore Visual Arts Festival 2008, Appledore, North Devon
Enter The Dance
Moving dance performance by choreographer, Sue Way and
internationally acclaimed ceramicist, Sandy Brown. This was
Willem De-Kooning done-live down Devonshire way.
Thanks also to Polly Thompson of Dora's House B&B, Appledore for
her wonderful conversation and hospitality.
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Dancing in unseasonable rainshowers, scantily dressed and
covered in clay and acrylic paint, deserves huge praise and
admiration...
despite the cries of the six year old who piped up, ten minutes
into the performance, "Mummy, what are they doing?".
Well done Sandy, Sue and Christoffer De Graal, who provided the
musical accompaniment. |
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artblog entry 24.01.08
New Hestercombe pictures
Worked through the coldest days of February 2008, to complete
paintings for exhibition at Lutyens Gallery, Hestercombe.
It’s always good having a deadline, a catalyst to propel
production. The objective, with these post-residency pictures is
to complete the portfolio of a rounded year at Hestercombe
Gardens, which will work as a publication with colour plates of
the paintings, perhaps some photographs and accompanying text
and journal entries.
The exhibition opened on Friday 22 February to coincide with
Brief Art 2008, St Margaret’s Somerset Hospice fund raising sale
of donated artworks. The weekend saw greater numbers visiting
Hestercombe over the two days than would normally be expected at
this time of year.
Some fantastic gems of paintings purchased for £25 a pop. Well
Done, Hannah Bradshaw and all the team of helpers.
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Charcoal Burn, 2007
Oil pastel on 2 Rivers Paper
52cm x 41cm
Bollocks freezing studio, February 2008
Perennial Gothic, 2008
Watercolour on 2 Rivers Paper
28.5cm x 39.5cm
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artblog entry 15.09.07
Sometime Before Now Later
Completed 14.09.07
The painting originally began as a portrait of Liz in the
Hot-tub, because I loved the way, the light, from beneath the
bubbles, reflected on her face.
I finished it in March of this year, but was unhappy with the
background, which was, originally, a neutral green wall.
In September I started to re-work it, changing the background,
adding the orchard outside, in evening light, moonlight. This
added space, depth, made the picture stronger, but I knew it
still needed something more. The expression demanded something,
I felt it wasn’t enough, as it was.
I came up with the idea of a figure, a male figure, nude,
perhaps a focus for her pensive expression, perhaps something to
shift the emphasis away, something which added more than the sum
of it’s parts, in terms of interpretation.
And the title, I changed the title from EAE, (Elizabeth Anne
Earley), a straight portrait, to the more enigmatic, Sometime
Before Now Later.
I felt this conversational, anachronism, lent more emphasis to
the relationship of the central elements in the painting, the
portrait, the naked male looking out of the window, the
reflection of the hot-tub in the window.
I love the illusion that, there is a triangle, of connection,
possible but not possible. I like the contradiction. The fact
that I have, created a fictionial reality,...
which is, only really an extension of what I have been doing
already, however, still a sizeable leap.
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Sometime Before Now Later 2007
Oil on board
137cm x 71cm
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artblog entry 26.07.07
Port Eliot Literary Festival in the sumptuous gardens of the
estate at St Germans, Cornwall.
Invited to participate in Deborah Curtis and Gavin Turk’s House
of Fairytales, a section of the festival designated for
children’s stories created by visual artists, writers, actors,
set designers and a variety of multi-talented individuals, all
coming together to camp-out for the weekends events.
My contributions;
Six word sculptures,
based on messages of affirmation or countering expectations.
"The little girl and the dream", A story,
for children and grown-ups.
Dressing like a Wizard,
aka, Mr Everybody, Nobody and yet Somebody.
A DJ set on Saturday night.
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Mr Everybody, Nobody,
and yet, Somebody...
Port Eliot Litfest 2007 |
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artblog entry 08.07.07
Completed
A large drawing of a patent Seed Sower,
which I had bought some years ago at an auction,
with the intention, at the time,
of using it for a work of art, in some way.
The work itself,
in colour pencil, a feat of concentrated observation,
inasmuch as I had already conceived drawing it in this way.
The introduction of handwriting, though,
overwritten and often illegible, like alchemical clues or
ciphers
came about, influenced, in sensibility, by visiting Documenta
12, in Kassel, Germany, last month.
The metaphor of the Seed Sower
representing my-self, male gender,
my 'expected' life’s purpose, perhaps,
but, also, sowing the seeds of ideas,
of dreams,
many textured.
The object itself, transposed into two dimensions, thus,
appears anthropomorphic,
like a mechanical angel,
or some archaic musical instrument,
bag-pipe-like.
I like the link to my earlier work,
the wall hanging sculptures from 1980
and work I did for the Wilson Hale show in 1990
This drawing, is rich and engaging as a subject.
Aesthetically satisfying. |
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Seed Sower, 2007
Colour pencil on paper
90cm x 110cm
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artblog entry 25.06.07
Cedric Christie ECM Tour – Basel Art Fair, Switzerland
Documenta 12, Kassel, Germany.
I know, when Cedric asks me to do something, that
agreeing, means opening up to the universe.
Wing and a prayer, 24 pairs of wheels.
The concept:
12 fast cars, (not the latest marque’s, I hasten to add),
sprayed up and branded, like intercontinental rally cars.
One car for each Documenta.
The branding, utilizing the names of participating artists from
each Documenta, and then applying the graphic spin, of name with
well known logo. For example, from the 1955 car, Pirelli becomes
Picasso, and so on. The photographs reveal better than words can
explain.
My part, one of the drivers, (Documenta 9, the VW Golf) with
passenger, (stepson and photographer, Alastair Brown), we set
off from Hackney at around 22.00hrs late on Sunday 11 June.
Objectives:
Cedric had'nt slept more than three hours a night for the past
ten days, at least. So he was, understandably, less than
inclined, to project-manage the route-planning or articulate any
definitive objectives, beyond getting all 12 cars to Basel Art
Fair Opening Party and then on, to Kassel for the Documenta 12
Opening Days.
The plan:
Although not scripted or even, a plan, at this stage, was, that
the long haul drives would be, through the night. This made
sense, the roads are quieter, making it easier to stay,
relatively, in convoy. The air temperature is cooler, none of
the cars had aircon, and the daytime weather was, sunny and
warm, for the best part.
The greatest challenge here, personally, was letting go of any
notions of a specific realisation of the project, ie, 12 cars
all in one place and at one time, for a photo opportunity or a
press call. Running a close second to that, was getting enough
sleep to cope with the driving. Actually the second objective
turned out to be much easier to achieve than the first.
There were hiccups, fortunately less than anticipated, the
greatest however was the Documenta Opening Party at the Schloss
on the Friday evening when, without advance security clearance,
we couldn’t get the cars anywhere near the event, anywhere that
is where they would be visible. This, in addition to the fact
that the heavens decided to open that Friday evening, which kind
of flattened the atmosphere for an outdoor party.
At this point, I declined another night under canvas, and broke
ranks along with my, ever so grateful passenger, in favour of
the delightful comforts of The La Strada Hotel.
Other guests at The La Strada, here for Documenta, whom I had
the great pleasure to meet and enjoy conversations with at
breakfast, in the sunshine, by the pond of golden koi, included;
Yasmin Canvin (Curator from UK), Gavin Turk (Artist), Mark
Hammond (Artist), Jaqueline Genie (Filmaker), Deepak Ananth
(Journalist and Writer, Paris), Cheryl Lynn Bruce (Performer and
Writer, Chicago USA), Kerry James Marshall (Artist, exhibitor at
Documenta, Chicago USA ) and Marie-Christine Gennart (Curator
and Artists Agent, Brussels).
Along with Amelia, Noah and Talullah Christie and Benin Artist
Romuald Hazoumé (Artist and exhibitor at Documenta), many of
these had a part to play in the day ahead…
On Saturday the tour rendezvous breakfast was located on the
terrace of the café/restaurant opposite the Neue Galerie and
overlooking the Fulda River valley in splendid tranquil
sunshine.
An idea was mooted to drive to Münster for the, once a decade,
sculpture show that was taking place there, this met with little
enthusiasm, on my part. With a long drive back to the UK less
than 24 hours away, I passed on Münster, and as a consequence,
the rest of Saturday 16 June 2007 became a relaxed, highly
enjoyable and, transformational experience.
Resistance to the “Contemporary Art” milieu, heightened by
walking round the indulgent, near empty, expanses of white
display boards and then spang'ly, commodified aisles and booths
at Basel Art Fair, shifted, on this day, in Kassel.
Evolving into a more open, acceptance of and in some instances,
engagement and pleasure in, both exhibits and curatorial
choices, here at the Documenta.
Chairs, courtesy of China
Each pavilion had a different flavour, an individual artists
work distributed selectively and in relationship, both
historically and sometimes, also, in context to, other artists
work, nearby.
I particularly enjoyed James Coleman’s film ‘Retake with
Evidence’, casting Harvey Keitel, Beckett-like in a faux
Greek-tragedy, a monologue, in parts. It had the magic and the
scale of cinema, but read, as virtual theatre. It engaged this
viewer, where other exhibits and video installations appeared
as, ‘measured’ and less memorable by comparison.
Having met Kerry James Marshall and his partner Cheryl Lynn
Bruce, I looked for his work, the storyboard Ho-strut, drawings
in the Neue Galerie were a comic-strip fusion of hardcore
hip-hop parlance and Indian ink, his painting of a house and
garden get-together, reminding me of the Jill Scott song
‘Family Reunion’, painted on tarp, nailed direct to the wall,
banner-like, it has a flavour of the early 20th century American
paintings of George Bellows or Reginald Marsh. Truly American
Romuald Hazoumé’s work was what really swung my viewpoint.
The oil-can masks, and the oil-can ‘dream’ boat.
These struck a resonance, confirmed a dialogue. The
African Sculptures in the Louvre, visited 01.07, (nail-fetish
dog, below)
Photographs of Picasso’s collection of African masks in his
Montmartre studio. Then, the culture of resourcefulness, of
necessity, re-using objects, usefully and ingeniously, which
are, in other circumstances, regarded as waste.
Political comment, done with such abundant joi de vivre and
proficiency, the work acutely accenting aesthetic pleasure so
that the Socio-economic, Political, Cultural and Art Historical
references, hover, within the layers of meaning and imbue the
work with textural depth.
A heartfelt dose of another reality, another way. |
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Wingin' it, on the forecourt
Car #1, doubles as bed...
Christie grabs 30min on Dover-Calais Ferry
No going back!
Aristotle, Socrates and Plato debate movement of vehicles
Whaa! Münster?... Naa! |
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