OUT & ABOUT - The Art Gallery Stores

Scarborough Art Gallery Stores

I spent a lovely afternoon yesterday in the Scarborough Art Gallery store. Very inspiring! Some little gems in there. Thanks to Karen Snowden the head of collections for talking me through the collection in depth - fascinating insight.... now what will I paint?

WORK IN PROGRESS - 3 heads are better than 1

Work in Progress Heads.

I'm busy working on three heads at the moment. The middle head is a tureen incorporating a ladle which I've disguised as a curl. I'm having fun making these... it feels like a light hearted aside. 

EXHIBITION - 108 Fine Art, Harrogate

The Death of Sainsburys and the Death of Munrow have made a little apperance at 108 Fine Art in Harrogate, along with - Qwerty Cunieform Tablet, Retro Keyboard, Curious Curiosities and PMN2 Trinket Boxes... they should be around for a month or so.

108 Fine Art, Harrogate.

108 Fine Art, Harrogate.

PRESS - Harrogate, Ripon & Wetherby

The very lovely people at Harrogate College sent my photo of the Death of Sainsbury's to the local paper. The Death of Sainsbury's will be having it's first public outing in Harrogate soon... 

 

WORK IN PROGRESS - Researching Harrogate

1923 Poster - H.G. Gawthorn.

1921 Poster.

I'm starting research on a new project. I want to respond to my time on the AA2A scheme and especially to being in a new town & environment. Harrogate is most famously known for being a Spa Town. People have flocked to the town to take the waters for generations... up until March 2012 that is, when the council responded to an EU regulation and stopped people drinking the waters and turned off the outside tap of the Pump House!

DAY TO DAY - The Departing Wheel

The Enthusiastic new owners.

I'm having a bit of a studio clear out and have just sold my kick wheel to these two enthusiastic gentlemen. It's going to have a new life on a farm... I hope they have more luck with it than I did - Think I'll stick to electric wheels from now on!

OUT & ABOUT - Liverpool Biennial

Crescent Arts Outing to the Liverpool Biennial.

All six Crescent Artists and our director Stuart Cameron headed over to the Liverpool Biennial today. Lots to see, a couple of the highlights for me were...

Nadia Kaabi-Linke.

John Akomfrah.

OUT & ABOUT - Message from Jesus

Message from Jesus, Scarborough Library 29/10/12

Received a message from Jesus on Monday via a kind lady in the library, it has lived in my pocket since then. She went out of her way to deliver this note to me - maybe she thought I needed it!

NEWS - AA2A Residency, Harrogate College

I've been selected to be an artist in residence at Harrogate school of Art & Design for the next six months. This is through the AA2A scheme. I'm looking forward to spending time there using the facilities and interacting with the students and staff. Will be starting next week after half term. I shall be blogging about my time on the AA2A Dotbiz site...

http://aa2a.biz/

DRAWINGS - Trout

I'm fascinated with the Victorian glass bow fronted cases housing collections of heavily varnished fish. They have a darkness and eeriness which I am drawn to. Something to ponder for the future.

EVENT - Harrogate College Artist Talk

Great day today at Harrogate College... My talk was well received. What a lovely bunch!

Harrogate College 17/10/12

EVENT - artULTS & Study Day

I was involved with two events this week organised by Scarborough Museums Trust as part of their Big Draw programme. artULTS took place at Crescent Arts and saw printmaking and ceramics workshops and demonstrations. The Study day took place in the eduction room at Woodend, items from the collection were made available to the general public to draw. The star of the show was George the Giant Tortoise... I've scanned an article from the Scarborough News with more fascinating facts about George.

 

artULTS, Crescent Arts.

Transporting George, SMT Study Day.

OUT & ABOUT - Cyril's Arrival

Cyril - My new buddy.

Cyril's house.

Had the quickest scoot around the craft fair in the library today, nothing much that caught my attention except for the needle felt work of Ann Creasey and in particular this little fella... I seem to have taken an instant shine to him and found myself unable to leave him on the table. He's definitely coming to a good home where he will be loved - 'Nice one Cyril'

INSPIRATION - Meissen Dog

Meissen Manufactory (German, 1710–present) | Bolognese dog | ca. 1733

This amazing piece of ceramics was posted on facebook by the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. Wowsers! It's fab, I'm very inspired by this piece... looks like I'll be further researching 18th Century Meissen.

OUT & ABOUT - Working in the Woodend Wonderland

Jade and the Giant Tortoise.

Artist Jade Montserrat and myself spent a day in Scarborough Museum Trusts stores last week. This was in preparation for a study day that will be run by the trust on Tuesday 16th October as part of their Big Draw activities. They have asked us to be on hand to offer artistic guidance.

http://scarboroughmuseumstrust.org.uk/our-venues/art-gallery/events/98-study-day.html

EXHIBITION - Soundings P.V.

A couple of pics from the Private View for SOUNDINGS at Crescent Arts last night. A group exhibition presenting a series of recordings and audio works. My contribution incorporated my ceramics & my singing, this is definitely an area I would like to explore further in the future... ceramic is such a good resonator, I imagine a choir of singing vessels with various vocal parts & specifically designed forms to enhance the resonance of the voice. Seems fortuitous then my decision to join a choir starting on Monday!

Soundings P.V.

Soundings - My Singing Eyeball.

Soundings P.V.

PRESS - Scarborough News, heritage open days

The Charmology Head currently on show in the Fears, Foes & Faeries exhibition at the art gallery featured in last weeks Scarborough News... I love the composition of this photograph!

AIM & CLICK - At the end of my street

Scarborough South Bay Beach.

Summer's almost over... the sun seeking tourists will soon deminish to be replaced by the 'Turkey & Tinsel brigade'. I sometimes take the sea for granted and forget that people travel miles to come to the beach. I enjoy seeing the beach sculptures of everyday folk, there's something timeless about sandcastles although the tide washes them away every day.... wish I had been out photographing more sculptures over the summer.

EXHIBITION - Fears, Foes & Faeries

Commissioned Charmology Head - Scarborough Art Gallery.

The Charmacy - Scarborough Art Gallery.

Wall text.

Some Photos of the commissioned Charmology Head in the Fears, Foes & Faeries exhibition currently running at Scarborough Art Gallery. There's only a couple of weeks left of this exhibition so hurry along to see the pink mustachioed charmer of a man in real life (he looks better in real life!). The exhibition finishes on the 30th September.

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!