THE FAMILY - Inheritance, the family ceramics

Been spending a couple of days this week with my sisters trying to sort out some space in our storage area of potential inheritance. We seem to have a rather large collection of delightful Royal Doulton Ceramics... although maybe not the type most would imagine! One of the parents many business ventures was a builders merchants in the 1970's... this lasted a few years (until the business partner ran off with all the money), we were left with all the stock which we seem to have lovingly never parted with since! There were some fab colours in 1970's bathroom ware (maybe not the avocado however)... I love these pedestals although my sisters nearly killed me when I piped up that I would like to keep them to use in some sort of installation someday...

1970's sink pedestals.

Small section of sinks.

Small section of the 1970's cisterns & Pans.

WORKSHOP - Busy Students

It's great to see the studio busy with activity & creativity. Lots of lovely things made on this day... all drying out & waiting to be fired, then returned to enthusiastic students.

A busy studio...

OUT & ABOUT - Shandy Hall

Shandy Hall - Coxwold.

DO or DIY exhibition.

The Shandy Shop.

 
Day trip to Shandy Hall in Coxwold, the house is owned by the Laurence Stern Trust and is where Laurence Stern lived when he wrote The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman and A Sentimental Journey Through France and Italy. DO or DIY one of the current exhibitions on, is situated in the gardens and offers an introduction to the concealed history of do-it-yourself publishing. The other exhibiton, Found in the Fields by Carry Akroyd, includes a slection of hand drawn lithographs incorporating quotations from the poems of John Clare, the nineteeneth century 'peasant poet'. Shandy Hall frequently works with a variety of different artists in residence.

http://laurencesternetrust.org.uk/ 

AIM & CLICK - Crow on Valley Bridge

Crow on Valley Bridge, Scarborough

The walk to and from my studio takes me over Valley Bridge. I love the iron work of this bridge... Mr Crow didn't enjoy me following him along trying to get a good image as he tried to hop out of range.

AIM & CLICK - Sunderland Echo Stand

Sunderland Echo News Stand - Blandford St.

I'm seemingly completely obsessed with all news stands nowadays! I couldn't resist snapping this little setup last Thursday as I passed... I particularly like the aesthetics of the poster being stuck on with parcel tape & possibly a tatty magnet. I'm a little perplexed as to why the Thursday has a '-1' following it. It can't be a reference to the date as it was Thursday 9th, maybe they edition the headlines throughout the day... if anyone can enlighten I would be very much grateful.

EVENT - Saltburn Arts Fair

Great day today at Saltburn Arts Fair as thousands of people flocked by... Lots of lovely conversations & sales. It was a bit rained out at the end of the day as all the stallholders dashed to get their wares packed and away before they got drenched!

CHARMOLOGY HEAD II - Debut

Karen Thompson - Charmology Head II.

Sorting out what to take to the Saltburn Arts Fair on Sunday... Think it's about time Charmology Head II had an outing. This was a spare head that I made for the Scarborough Museums Trust Commission to give an option over the lurid pink, moustached head, or in case of breakages. So far this little fella hasn't seen the light of day! In a way I think I prefer him to the one that's currently on show in Scarborough Art Gallery.

OUT & ABOUT - The Great White Huntress

A Curious Assemblage.

                      

I found myself confronted with these creatures today amongst many others.... Fascinating bunch! They're to be found in the stores of Scarborough Museums Trust. An interesting tour today with Shirley Collier explaining the history behind the collection of taxidermy & also a little about the man who hunted them - John Harrison. Pygmies, weapons, musical instruments & Armadillo baskets also cropped up. Inspiration Ahoy!

DRAWINGS - Sarah & Adams Wedding Guests

The lovely Sarah Terry & Adam Moore got hitched on Saturday in a very foggy Robin Hood's Bay... They asked me to draw some portraits at the evening bash - some lovely faces there were there too. Congratulations guys!

PRESS - Dig Yorkshire Review

A great review of Farm World on the Dig Yorkshire website. They've also highlighted the exhibition! Thanks guys....

http://www.digyorkshire.com/HighlightDetails.aspx?Article=1477 

Dig Yorkshire Highlights Review.

OUT & ABOUT - Maija Närhinen @ PSL

Maija Närhinen - Field.

Managed to check out the Pieces of Eight exhibition at PSL in Leeds before it finished... I Loved this installation of paper stones by Maija Närhinen.

OUT & ABOUT - Historical Beverley

St. Mary's Church, Beverley - Minstrel's pillar 1524.

St. Mary's Church.

Coronation Garden.

 
Was in the historical town of Beverley today. The stone carved faces around the doors of St.Mary's lured me in... inside I found the minstrels pillar, a surprise treat! The church had many carvings of musicians due to the medieval Northern Guild of Minstrels being centred in Beverley. I also loved the coronation Garden and all the random paintings dotted externally around the town. 

DRAWINGS - Book Launch

Book Launch - Bar Street, Scarborough. 22nd June 2012

A captive audience... both them and me! I was more captivated with this couple than the chap whose book launch it was... oh dear. It's been a while since I've had the chance to draw a few folks on an evening out. I'm feeling the urge to do a lot more drawing & painting at the moment.

PRESS - Scarborough News Coverage

Ah... my favourite obsession, Scarborough Evening news - or as it's known now after the changes Scarborough News. My second appearance now... woo - I've made page 70 this time! I'm still a bit disappointed that it's become a weekly paper so the headlines no longer come out daily... I've collected the headlines on & off since I got to Scarborough and now have a great collection of non-headline news. I'll do a project with them at some point...

EXHIBITION - Farm World, a few snaps...

I've uploaded a few snaps of the Farm World exhibition. I'm hoping to get some professional photographs taken soon... in the meantime these will do...

Karen Thompson: Farm World Exhibition 2012.

Karen Thompson: Farm World Exhibition 2012

Karen Thompson: A Poultry Life - Ceramic & Metal(Farm World).

Karen Thompson: A Poultry Life (detail) - Ceramic & Metal (Farm World).

Karen Thompson: The GM Reaper - Ceramic (Farm World).

Karen Thompson: The Human Milk Cow - Ink & Watercolour (Farm World).

Karen Thompson: Earth to Earth - Photographic print (Farm World).

EXHIBITION - Farm World P.V. Photos

A couple of pics from the Private View for Farm World... Was so busy chatting to people throughout the night I only managed to grab a couple of quick opportunities when there was a lull to take some snaps... was a busy night... and the bar proved popular! Thanks to everyone who came down.

8th June 2012 - Farm World P.V.

Farm World P.V.

Farm World P.V.

FARM WORLD - Just Giving Page

 
I've set up a JustGiving page for my Farm World exhibition so people can make donations... I also have a collection tin in the Gallery which has received £10 worth of donations so far! Great, please contribute to a very worthy cause!

Text donation: text code KTFW55 followed by amount £? to 70070

http://www.justgiving.com/FarmWorld

WORK IN PROGRESS - Glazing The GM Reaper

The GM Reaper covered in transparent glaze - ready for the kiln.

I have been trying not to give too much away about the work for Farm World... I liked this photo though and I thought it doesn't really resemble the way the finished piece looks... I glazed this piece out in the courtyard with a commercial transparent glaze sprayed on with a compressor (first time I've used the compressor in a year and a half... should use it more often!).

UPCOMING - Farm World Exhibition Preview

The Private View is this Friday the 8th June... 7.00pm - 9.30pm.
If you're in the area pop in and check out the exhibition, have a glass of wine and say hello. (Crescent Arts, The Crescent, Scarborough, YO11 2PW - below the Art Gallery).

WORK IN PROGRESS - A delivery from the farm

Straw Bales.

Took delivery of a few straw bales today... the gallery certainly smells quite authentic now! Didn't help with the smell that some of the bales arrived in a trailer during pouring rain. Also got the dilapidated metal shelves sorted today, they're in the gallery now too... Thanks to Jade & Carl for all their help.

STUDIO - A cautionary tale

The roof of the kiln.

Broken element.

As a student you hear cautionary tales all the time... I think every ceramicist lives in fear of the kiln breaking down on the run up to an exhibition! It won't possibly happen to me!! And then... pop! The roof of the kiln lifts off & an element breaks! Not what I need right now but hopefully someone can come & look at it in Friday (regretting my lack of element changing knowledge)... all other kilns in town seems pretty booked out due to North Yorkshire Open Studios... Ho hum....

WORK IN PROGRESS - The countdown has begun

GM Reaper legs - Work in progress.

Just under two weeks until the Farm World (work in progress) exhibition now... have a couple of GM Reapers assembled and painted with underglazes (gone for the underglaze with transparent glaze option over coloured glaze with on-glaze enamels), should be able to get them in the kiln this week. I'm currently focusing my attentions on "A Poultry Life", don't want to give too much away about this piece yet... except to say that I'm currently on a slip casting spree!

STUDIO - Unwitting victims

Michelle James "Not more mixing"

Oh how I appreciate days when unwitting victims offer to come and help me out in the studio for a few hours!! Oh Great!! Casting slip opportunity... it's just like making a great big cake says Michelle!

STUDIO - Random things

Things to send to Random-things.co.uk

Took a little moment today for a quick aside... have been thinking for a while about what I could send to Scott at Random-thing.co.uk. Had these 3 heads hanging around the studio from various casts of the man in the 'Trilogy of Deaths' series. I had beheaded them all and fired only the heads as the casts were no good as they had dried out before I had managed to do the necessary work on them. I also have old inner tubes lying around the studio for holding my plaster moulds together... a blue latex glove and some elastic bands. Let's see what http://www.random-things.co.uk/ will make of them and how they will be photographed!
 

WORK IN PROGRESS - A mouldy old time

The moulds that make up the GM Reaper.

At last I have all the moulds ready & dried for the various sections of the GM Reaper. I'm busy rapidly pressmoulding a few copies at the moment. I'm a bit behind to be honest and it's going to be a push to get them dried, bisqued, glazed and on-glaze enameled in time! Fingers crossed nothing goes wrong! I only need one but am making a few to choose from....

EVENT - Happy 10th Anniversary Resonance FM

With Dexter Bentley.

With technician - Natasha Dutt.

It's 10 years today since Resonance 104.4fm first took to the airwaves!! I have fond memories of that time and found myself in the position of being one of the first engineers for the station. I remember engineering on the first day of broadcast! They were exciting times and it's great to see that Resonance FM is still going strong... May they continue for many more years.
Photo credit - The hello Goodbye show

http://resonancefm.com