Well although the repsonse was not the one I would have hoped for, at least they put me out of my misery, before my vivid imagination had me installed forever more, chatting away over a jagermeister tea, talking turpentine and getting all Teutonic...next!
Everyday I get emails from Art Jobs (from the Arts Council). I have a brief look and then carry on with what I'm doing, but on Friday I did a double take when a 3 month residency in Berlin popped up....Harro! Berlin, my favourite city, recently discovered! The last time I was there in February I really enjoyed being in the same space as creatives whose names were familiar from my college days and wandering for hours through galleries full of masterpieces like Albrecht Dürer. Unfortunately the New National Gallery was closed (my main reason for going), but on the upside this had me looking for new experiences and I saw Futura Obsura. What an inspiring exhibition - the digital elements were really engaging. The range of creativity to be soaked up in Berlin is incredible, even for a spoiledLondoner. I love to explore new places and spaces, hidden gems that the locals may not see how the visitor sees, it has become part of the backdrop. I'd love to celebrate this. It was only my 4th time in Germany and the language is still a struggle so it was all so exotic still. Berlin feels like a far away place in so many ways, but also warm and welcoming, more so than other parts I have visited. I found the people really welcoming and felt very at home in my rented apartment for the weekend in Kreuzberg and so excited to be there, I could see Alexanderplatz from the balcony and life below as the Berliners went about their routines....sigh. Such a great experience.... I digress. So, anyway, I checked out the eligibility: I'm eligible! The space is with 40 artists in an ACAVA studio building in Mitte (been to Mitte on my first "Kings of Leon" trip with Henry).
I started to dream about taking in the city over time, finding it's character and characters, from my own visual conversation and observation. I remember tree lined avenues with italianesque building 10 metres from stark, sharp edged functional, yet, still to beautiful architecture. Vast spaces and derilict buildings - the two sides too big now they are one. I imagine looking at the space with human narrative and without. I'm wondering how the city looks with and without human interaction. Stark buildings, seemed lifeless, in my memory, but the sunshine gave them such dignity as they stood proudly next to more decorous designs. With the human component they would transform. The Reichstag reminded me of a Walter Sickert in Venice painting, all dark edges. So of course I applied. I spent all day yesterday honing my statement. The competition is so tough though - last year over 200 people applied. Oh to work in Berlin as an artist: a dream come true. I'd want to learn the language and see how artists run their own spaces in the way we have been doing in Crystal Palace: turning unused commercial spaces into exhibitions, giving the space life and so far new tenants for the landlords - victims of our own success it looks like we may have to move on again in september....just when this would start. Well I have done what I can for now and will stay positive. You have to be in it to win it.
I've recently been spending some time in Dulwich Village, enjoying the timelessness of this pocket village of London and the beautiful period buildings. I was enjoying the sunshine the other day and noticed a lovely quintessential Dulwich Village scene of a woman crossing the road by the post office with a telehone box. I quite like the big red phone box and freer marks in this one. It was warm and sunny, but a bit breezy.
Another one I am working on is of a skater arriving in Dulwich. He has these fantastic bunches...not sure how this one will end up, so far the pavement is yellow grey and he is just a cut out. He may remain so...we'll see. A bit banksy.
I've had alot of interest in commissons lately...fingers crossed they will come to fruition.
Two new paintings are up in Bigger Picture Gallery celebrating the fabulous Crystal Palace Park. One is of Summertime, Crystal Palace Park and the other is of an Autumn Walk. Yellow features in an explosion of autumnal yellow and a sunshine soaked landscape.
We are playing Germany on Sunday. The World Cup just got interesting...Gallery schedule reorgansed for Sunday now.
When I'm working in my studio I cannot bear to be disturbed - it's like pressing the nuclear button. I have a note on my door saying just that, well nothing aobut WWIII, just a polite note to ask people not to come in. I want to be unreachable. It's as much for the protection of others aswell as for my own need to focus on what I am doing, be that staring at an image until it stops sulking and "speaks to me" (yellow or blue, yellow or blue? Blue dammit woman! and throw it here) or carefully spilling the reflection of a yellow house into the river Danube in Regensburg signifying the finality of an internal and external process. Even when I have the tunes on it is for focus and if you come in I will just want to throw blue and yellow paint over you. Really, I can almost picture myself doing it. I seem to have little control over feeling incensed when someone does distract me. So why I keep my phone on and look at it when it rings, then answer it covered in paint, I really don't know. I growled at Stuart, passed him to Huw, swore alot and sulked back to the room at the top huffing leaving a trail of broken toys strewn across the gallery floor. After all I didn't have to answer the phone or be grumpy with Stuart, but was very grateful to Huw for not passing the phone back and keeping it out of my reach or was it safer to stay outside. At that point I realised that I was the one supposed to be on gallery duty this morning, not Huw, so a bit mad all round on my part and in the end I only managed a whole 30 minutes of painting today, probably why so grumpy. I need to paint more and answer the phone less. Perhaps the note is really to myself. I should put a corresponding one on my side. What would it read? Better still I should suspend a big bucket of blue and yellow paint above the door...to stop me leaving or YOU don't have to act mad to work here...
Tomorrow is all about framing and running up and down St Barnabas Parish Hall. Too much time in the gallery and not enough time at the gym is starting to show...help!
For some reason I am not at all interested in the World Cup this time round. Usually I'd be joining in on all the beer drinking and come on England, but now I work for myself I'd rather be doing just that. I was invited by Dee to join the woodworkers downstairs for a couple of shandies and to watch the game on the TV perched on their huge dimension saw (the tv not us - would you need push sticks to change channel), but my brother is not a big fan and I needed to be out in the sun. It's all a bit weird, what with France out now and au revoir Thierry. It's just not right. Neil invited me to the Spotted Monkey (don't ask). Lucky me I had the choice and wandered down to Bigger Picture Gallery to meet my brother and have a little lunch at Paradou followed by a saunter in the park on his way back to Crystal Palace station. It was like the end of the world out there except that now and again on the breeze you could hear some cheering, whilst crowds of Crystal Palace crows eyed us cross the lawn. Suddenly Billy Jean joined the sound of cheering and we spotted a TT driver had parked up, door open, sunbathing by her car, Michael Jackson pumping out to remind us that we are not alone. There really is more to life than football. Yep, it's called rugby. so much more civilised. I heard the French manager would not shake the hand of his South African counterpart, how rude.
I took the camera out for some sunshine shots of the park and think I may have a tree, bench, shadow, sunshine combo to work off, but since doing To the Sea rather enjoyed the human element in my work...so may have to go out again when there is not a match on. Coming back to the studio I could hear some rowdy singing in The Albert...really, yes it was "Let's all do the Conga"...hmm let's not. I imagined peeking over the fence to find that it was one man leaning into his pint and just a cd of strange blokey party tunes...or 50 bald headed blokes, Beryl Cook style going up and down the garden...this had me giggling and was followed by Land of Hope and Glory - which swiftly wiped the smile off. What sort of DJ have they got round there? That would have been funny to have heard coming out of the TT in the park...turn it up!
Half day in the Gallery tomorrow then painting I hope...oh yeah!
A friend of mine tells me that people complain to "info@" because they don't realise that it is you at the end of it. So they'll be lovely to your face and then are rude on email or have a go, not realising that your outfit is one and the same. I can assure you that was not the case yesterday afternoon. Double whammy of moaning on email and then coming in and having another moan...roll of eyes. I was sad to miss yoga at the gallery tonight, but hey, duty calls and promises made. I was glad to help out a friend and all was not lost as I was cajoled (you should have seen the twist applied to my arm) into another strawberry beer and tapas session in Crystal Palace. I'm loving Los Toreros in Westow Street. Step in and be on holiday....we did...Rioja, Tapas, some lovely melon type cocktail...It was a great end to a day sorting out and organising.
Another great day in the gallery, unfortunately I think the sun may have gotten to one of our visitors, but luckily I had a great volunteer to put a stop to all that and diffuse a difficult situation. When will I learn my lesson. Don't let people in the gallery after it has shut. Opening hours are opening hours! it's always when you put yourself out for someone that they turn on you, don't they, why is that. I was so supportive of this individual and then they have a complete meltdown over nothing. A control freak? A triple Virgo...hmm... I was straight in the pub for a Greenwich Meantime to calm down. Honestly. Why is it no matter how many positive things people have to say about the Gallery there's always one sourpuss (sorry cat lovers). We had an amazing weekend again so it was a shame it ended on a sour note. Met some fabulous people today, lots of fabulous feedback on our work. Focussing on the positive.
Wow, bumped into a very tall man that looked just like Stephen Fry in Burlington Arcade today. Infact it was Stephen Fry. I wished he'd seen my painting that was collecting from the RA. Roy and I saw the Anthony Gore Blimey exhibition at White Cube after, excellent. Recommend it. Those figures he had all over London have now become part of the Cityscape somehow...but downstairs...oh yeah. Love that. Just go!
I was woken up by a bouncy spaniel today desperate for a walk, but I was still caught up in my dream so didn't really want to get up quite so early after having spent all day yesterday updating various web pages, databases and the like with my new work well into the early hours. I really quite fancied another hour in bed, still nice to have a Humphrey spaniel to cuddle up to for another 30 minutes snooze, even if he does have the odd flea and is a bit fiddgety, so having settled for about 30 seconds of spaniel rest it wasn't long before he was doing an impressively advanced down facing dog off of the bed stretching out the full length of himself which had me thinking of the Art of Yoga on Monday night at Bigger Picture Gallery. I was surprised by how stressed I realised I was as we began our breathing technique and how stiff I am. Good grief, inflexible has a picture of me next to in the dictionary. Still it did help me to relax and as I did I noticed some of the work around me - #122 - David Day's The Flight of the Humble Bee - reminded me of my wandering mind and how I might try and release and relax and focus on what my body should be folded into which then had me gazing at Luce's prize winning Refuge I. I was quite uplifted by my response the artwork during the yoga, enjoyable and thought provoking. I couldn't help by try and connect as I struggled in my first yoga class for, literally, years. I'd certainly recommend it for an uplifiting and new experience in a great space. I was positively bouncing down the road towards my half of strawberry beer with Jayne afterwards, unlike this morning which was more a case of spaniel surfing as Humphrey dragged me to the park. The reward of chocolate croissant and the best coffee in town at Paradou was worth the early start, thank you Humphrey Doodles and now the sun has come out. Hurray!
Updating the websites today and seeing everything ties together across the net. I'm working in three spaces at the moment and always trying to get properly organised, images on memory sticks and work on other pcs, it's hard to keep track. Still in all the chaos I have managed to source some great new frames for my prints and they are now ready to buy online here or directly from Bigger Picture Gallery and even popped to post office to get the postage prices. Not all prints are shown, but I can print any image that has been sold and put that in a frame. If it is in stock it can be out the door within 24 hours and with the buyer in 48 more which is great. They had the smallest scales at our local post office and for one awful moment they threatened me with having to go to a larger Post Office as my work swayed precariously on the scales. I wasn't going to be doing that thanks and managed to get it to balance long enough to weigh in at 2.2kg complete with plexiglass. So you can have a framed print in 48hrs through ParcelForce apparantly, but in my experience that's only if they can find you. The very frames I ordered here they attempted to deliver twice but apparantly could not find the gallery. Given that we are the second biggest commercial space after Sainsbury's with huge lettering saying Bigger Picture Gallery, I was incredulous! Now, writing this, I'm wondering if I should not try another delivery service?
I've had an amazing response to my work from people coming in to see the Summer Exhibition and popping in to see the Founders' Gallery at Bigger Picture. This is the space at the back of the main exhibition space where Roy and I show our new work and where you can buy affordable original art and prints of my work . So many visitors are interested in having a piece of original art and discussing my work with them has enabled me to engage some more with my own paintings. As I talk to them I see, feel or realise something else about my motives and inspiration. I tend not to think too much about what I'm doing in an obvious way, but prefer to have a dialogue with myself and the work to see what is next for the work. This is why I prefer to work in oils as it takes time and because I use quite alot of dripping, pouring and splashing need to wait, patience I don't ordinarily have. Perhaps the yoga will help.
This was the case with my latest painting To the Sea Massa Lubrense, Italy. I started it this time last year after my trip to Italy. Massa Lubrense is one of the most relaxing places I have ever been to and as my good friend Huw pointed out, rejuvenating. One of the most enjoyable holiday's I have ever been on with great company.
Most day's we would pop to the harbour and sit outside Angelo's and he would come and see what we wanted to eat, no menu. Campari and orange cooled us in the heat, the pavement bleached white, we would while a way an hour or two watching life lap the shore gently. Now and again a conversation in Italian could be heard breaking the from the leathery guys working on the boats, but apart from that perfectly quiet, just the sea, the breeze and our own conversation. The hot dog lay motionless for the entire time we were there except for this one day when he moved, awkwardly like a canine coffee table down to the sea after this woman in her fabulous dress, her shoes flip flopping along, perhaps she had just been to the little shop for something tasty he thought worth following along for.
The bougainvillea sang in the sunshine and can be seen in my smaller painting of Massa Lubrense Harbour. Taking the time seems so appropriate for this work. Sigh, I wish I were there...I'm will be reluctant to see To the Sea go.
What a joy to see the delight on someone's face when you have not only given them a new painting, but have a lovely story to go with it. Newly weds Dan and Rachael liked my Fox Hill in Snow so much, they bought a painting or rather commissioned one. I finished it on Friday morning and they collected it yesterday. They were both over the moon and I sent Dan off home with instructions to mind the yellow as it was a little tacky still.
Saturday was, infact, an awesome day. Karen came to collect Tulips and whilst I was shaking her hand another couple were eyeing up To the Sea. Many were disappointed that Battersea Power Station had gone, however perked up a bit when I let them know about commissions. Commissioning me is a great way to own even more affordable art as I don't have gallery fees or need to store the work this can result in you saving 30% on an original artwork so you can still have that weekend away in Barcelona to party or Paris to propose, take some great photos and get me to create a great painting to remember it all by. Excellent. Have a look as some examples of my commissioned artwork.
207 works hung, photographed and put online ready for our Summer Exhibition opening on Saturday 5th and a celebration of The Bigger Picture Gallery Birthday. I was delighted to see one of my biggest fans Neil turned up and bought my Battersea Power Station from the Founders Gallery. It was a great night and the very busy, with lots of sales.
Then on Sunday I had a phone call from Roy to say my Tulips had also been sold, which is fantastic news. I'm now looking forward to my bespoke frames to turn up to frame up some prints ready for the founders gallery in time for the weekend.
I'm busy busy busy painting a commission of a local house for a couple recently married who are spending some of their gift money on a painting of their lovely house. I've given it a jaunty angle and hoping for a sunny, happy feel with a touch of blue sky. It's all about the wysteria! Really enjoying this and looking forward to sharing. Esther popped in the studio and had a sneak preview the other day, I was quite inspired by the positive feedback I'm getting for all the work holed up in my temporary studio at Bigger Picture Gallery.
David has kindly sent me a hi-res image for my catalogue as Bunch of Flowers was sold in March, very good to see it again. Such fantastic punchy colours and energy. I love the way the blue and the red work on this. Singing! Don't worry, you can still buy limited edition prints. I've got some great frames lined up for this image to really brighten up any room.
Once I've sorted the frames out it's off the Gallery, scaffolding is arriving todays so we can reach the heights of 2A and hang all the faboulous Summer Exhibition work
Apparantly making a list of what you have to do reduces stress especially if you list something you have already done and then can cross it off, I did this yesterday and it seems to have worked except now I have 3 lists for each work area of my life with 5 items on each and I cannot do them all in one day.
I am now stressed, because I have a great long work list, ah now is time to prioritise.
Happy to say that Volcanic Skies over Battersea was popular at the show. As usual, like buses, one couple went off to measure and as they were gone it was sold, however the first couple never came back so at least I wasn't making it up about the measuring. I picked up some leads and there were a few people that had already heard of Bigger Picture Gallery. It was inspiring and interesting to see reactions or non-reactions as people viewed my work, the response to my silent disco was very positive.
News from Bigger Picture Gallery was that the second drop of day was even busier than the first and I was sorry to miss the excitement back at base camp where we took in another 200 works during Saturday.
Still the talented Jeff and Jonny came by and were very entertaining on Friday night, alongside my clubby buddies and DJ James Edwards who inspired me to paint the view from Tower Bridge looking West
I was very lucky to be next to the very charming and talented Lilia Umaña-clarke - scluptor and very good company. Her fabulous sentinel hares keeping guard over our mini gallery. I really enjoyed how her blues picked up on mine. It didn't take me too long to remember that years ago I had picked up a card of hers.
Today I just got another rejection from a potential client based on price. This is always a tough one. I try and explain what it is I do, but most people start glazing over when I talk about headings and importance of search terms and what is the demographic of their client, what are they looking. They want something that looks amazing and can get them to the top of Google, but only have 50p to spend. Can I come up with the best possible website that will get them to the top of Google for 50p. If it was that easy, we'd all be doing it. Unfortunately in the world of the web, people think they can. Well I guess I make part of my living that way.
My prospect tells me the price is a bit of a stretch and they are going to have a go themsleves. So they are going to stop doing the thing they are best at to do something that I am clearly better at doing (I have the stats to prove it) to save money. This doesn't make sense.
Surely they would be better off investing in a decent website to help promote themsleves and spend the time in preparation with me to develop a great site and a great plan to promote that site. Templates are rubbish. Templates are not going to get you to #1 in Google. I get so frustrated.
It goes a bit like How much is a website? What do you want?I don't know?Right shall we sit down and discuss it?Okay great!....2 hours later... I have a pretty good idea of their business, spend 3 hours coming up with a business plan and website for BestCompanyInTheWorld.com. Send a proposal, explain all the processes, technology, etc. etc. Clearly not a 5 minute job. Clearly many weeks of work. I send all this to them. I get no response. I email, I beg, I plead. It's like one of those, initially, very keen love interests, who suddenly go cold.
Finally when you have given up hope, you send an email against your best judgement knowing that you are being rejected. I'm sorry, I don't feel the same, it's too expensive. ?? Oh. so you don't want BestCompanyInTheWorld.com? Yes, I do, but I want you to do it for 50p. Well you get what you pay for.
Websites are not just about look and feel, websites are not just about code. Websites are about what you want to achieve and the best way to do that. Perhaps you looking to get more people into your shop, sign up for newsletters find you on line, buy more of your product. Whatever your goal, you cannot just build a site and hope it will work for you. You need to work with a professional to come up with an intelligent solution. If you only have 50p to start with let them know and they can take you to the fun fair and you put you on the rollercoaster to take you for a ride. They can work to your budget and come up with maybe a phased approach, but with a website being the shop front for many businesses isn't it time you invested? In tough times websites are great ways to reach alot of people for not much outlay.
This may also be the time for me to change how I explain my work and what people are really getting for their money and why they should choose me over someone else, especially themselves.
The pr machine kicked in this week for Bigger Picture Gallery with my design overhaul of the site as I swapped my paintbrush for a mouse. Great feedback from all the right places so far. Now they are now a Community Interest Company with an established artist about to exhibit the site needed to better refect this change in status from a group of friends in a Pop Up Gallery with a great idea to a sustainable business in a very sleek space. Exciting times.
Another Fox Hill and Woman (who is she?) on a Yellow Bench has made it's way to the RA courtesy of Paul and Laszlo (thanks guys) to be dropped off so I could get my head down on the Bigger Picture site.
Maybe this year. It's a bit like the lottery, you have to be in it to win it.
Maybe it's because it's Spring, but I love it when life kicks in and I get busy with work. Somehow I've managed to finish two new paintings of Germany this week and one for the Royal Academy Summer Show, how did that happen amongst everything else going on?
Next week is looking so busy with taking my two (finishing tonight) works up to the RA to see if I can get in the Art Lottery that is the Summer Exhibition and more marketing of our own summer exhibtion, getting information up and out for the new show...hoping to delegate that to Uncle Roy so I can get on with BPG work, never mind getting new paintings done for the BACF.
An exhausting, but exhilerating weekend so far opening the new Bigger Picture Gallery, meeting and greeting whilst hanging Roy's, Laszlos and my work and making plans for our first show with Guy Beggs (who has paintings in Tate Britain and the Museum of London amongst others) in May (eyes right everybody) for beautiful image - come and see his work. It's going to look amazing in the new space.
Keep up to date with all the bigger picture gossip on their new blog
It was great to see so many people stopping to pop in and see what we are about whilst we were hanging the work. I (hopefully) took some good photos, they are on the Bigger Picture Group Facebook Group photos.
Whilst I've been painting in the studio today some new residents of Crystal Palace wandered up to my space due to an open front door. A lucky occurance as she is an artist looking for space and he is in theatre. I was able to do my PR for Crystal Palace and BPG. All good. They seemed enthused or at least did a good job of pretending to be. I sent them to the new space to press their noses up against the glass.
I am very excited to have just booked a space in the BAC Contemporary Art Fair this May. Having visited the BAC Fair a few times of years ago I've always wanted to exhibit here.
Attracting established artists and emerging talent, the Battersea Contemporary Art Fair brings painters, printmakers, photographers and sculptors from across the UK and abroad to sell directly to the public. Prices range from £25 to £2500 at the Battersea Arts Centre. No commission charged on sales.
Battersea Contemporary Art Fair is a large, well-publicised artists' art fair which gives professional artists the opportunity to sell their work directly to the public at a major London venue.
The fair takes place in an attractive listed building which is part of Battersea Arts Centre - BAC is a well established London arts venue, and an English Heritage Site.
When: 14 - 16 May 2010 Where: Battersea Arts Centre Cost: £7; concessions £4; under 16s free Time: Fri 6pm-9pm; Sat & Sun 11am-5pm
I do hope you will be able to come along. It's just down the road from Inigo, we can go for a celebratory boogie on Sunday night...
Our excellent local magazine, The Transmitter, has run a piece about the Cinema Campaign and my contribution. Hurray!
For more information about Crystal Palace and The Transmitter go to their website
It's a great day for music and painting....brilliant. All inspirational.
Sometimes I find it really hard to get motivated to paint even though I love it, somehow I have to get to a strange boxed in place and as soon as I start I feel great.
I found this on the web by Alastair Humphreys. I have developed a not dissimilar method to get motivated to paint so thought it would be useful to post it here. 16 Ways to Get Motivated When You're in a Slump. I forget that even for quite a bouncy person I cannot be up all the time. I dislike the downtime, but have learned to rely on memory and a positive attitude has me bouncing back.
I had my handbag stolen in Brixton and my car keys were in the bag. This was over a week ago. More Than insurance company have had to tow my car as it was on a meter. Last night I thought oh well, with petrol prices the way they are, perhaps they are saving me money. At least I don't live in the middle of nowhere. There's always an upside.
I'm a bit disappointed in them, but I guess I wont be recommending them to anyone.
On the upside my SLR did come home 5 minutes before I left for Sweden. Great news. If only the Cybershot would turn up too! but that really would be a miracle.
Easter weekend is nearly here, how did that happen? House Rules have the Shapeshifters at Plan B, I wont be taking a handbag this time.
I've been listening to the Shapeshifters podcast in anticipation
Well it's certainly been a very busy start to the year and March has gone well with selling two paintings in one day, whilst I was on holiday and I'm nearly out of stock. Not a bad problem to have. So, now I'm hoping to now have time to finish up my oil paintings for our new space in Crystal Palace...which is THE very exciting news this month.
After months of negotiations and organising all the paperwork we have finally got the keys to our new Another Bigger Picture Project this weekend. It was great timing as we were able to move seamlessly from 93 Church Road to our new address of 2A Anerley Hill, Crystal Palace, SE19 2AA. Our Church Road Gallery has been sold to a photographer who passed by our space, saw our work, imagined himself in there and bought it. Exactly the response we were looking for. Regenerating the empty spaces in the Crystal Palace Triangle.
As a former SG Smith Mercedes car showroom the space has enormous potential as a creative space and Bigger Picture will be putting on a range of exciting events to put Crystal Palace on the map for Arts and give local creatives a focal point of inspiration.
The space has huge windows of which one is retractable, which will be great for sculpture and installations, that look out towards Crystal Palace park. It has high ceilings, excellent transport links, local facilities and of course plenty of creatives to fill it.
The space will again be open on Saturdays from 10.30am until 5.30pm. Please do pop along and say hello. Perhaps you have a creative idea that would fit with the new space?
In order to give as many opportunities to as many local emerging and established artists as possible Bigger Picture are putting on an open submission Summer Exhibition from 5th June until 31st August 2010. Artists will bring along their work on a couple of weekends in May. We hope to have a good response based on the feedback we received at 93 Church Road. This will be a fabulous opportunity for the local creative community to showcase their talent and network with each other.
All the details on how to enter can be found on the Summer Exhibition page of the Bigger Picture website
I hope to see you in Crystal Palace very soon, come and see our space. It's amazing!
2A Anerley Hill Crystal Palace SE19 2AA
What a busy year it is turning out to be already. Lots of arty plans and party plans so it's not all work and no play. I'm off to Sweden on Thursday and do hope to have a replacement for one of my lost cameras by then so I can take some shots of some of Sweden - Wallander and Steig Larsson land. I've already found a gallery to visit Arbetets museum – The Museum of Work Which I was very excited to have worked out because of my German language learning. Gorgeous building for me to paint. My colours. Lots of dark windows. Looks like we might be going to bypass Stockholm and go straight to Norrköping and Jönköping, to hear some great DJ friends - The So Called Scumbags play at The Palace Club and then Silver. In May they'll be running Southcity again - every second Sunday from May 2010...see the movie to see what that's all about. I'm sure to be going again once or twice to wind down after a weekend working at Bigger Picture.
I'm often bouncing around the studio to them. Very much looking forward to that, but would like to see the architecture in Stockholm. Berlin feels like ages ago already. Talking of Berlin, I'm finally moving on with the Germany paintings. Sometimes they can be tough. Usually when there is some darkness associated with the mood of the work I struggle a bit and become resistant, but I changed tack and lightened up a bit and I think I may now be getting somewhere with them. One day I might even finish them. It will be a good day. Listening to Jon Edge' latest podcast really helped move them along. My big Italian work is coming along again too and I poured some delicious pink on this, a thick wall of neopolitan ice-cream anyone? Popped in to check on it today. Looking dryer than I thought it would be so the weather is definitely heading in the right direction.
I had a meeting about a commission that I would love to do in May, local house that strangely enough I was looking at only a few days ago. Spooky! and another lead for a commission came in the email yesterday. Hopefully this will set the tone for the year with lots of enquiries that will turn into art work
Great - another mix from Justin just came in ... - must remember to sort out my iPod before Sweden.
Thanks to Four Square I should be able to go to the Affordable Art Fair next month. Looking forward to checking out what's hot and what galleries are worth following up for me and The Bigger Picture.
I came across some really stunning work on my internet travels in the last few days and I'm planning to investigate them in real life. Look at these beautiful images by Eberhard Ross. I have been researching Jackson Pollock recently and Eberhard's Organic Geometry caught my attention. I'm really looking forward to his solo exhibition in May.
The Space Between: The Eastern Speicher Series 25th - 30th May 2010 at Gallery in Redchurch Street, London E2
I heard a rumour that there was a printing studio in South London, took ages on Google to find it, looks really good - Artichoke Printmaking in Brixton. Just have to save up some money and even ideas to take with me. They do open sessions so you get to rub inks with seasoned artsits. I've been wanting to try out printing for ages. Looks like the perfect place. So many times I'm scraping the oily paint across the surface and I'm thinking print print print!
I've spent this weekend on locked in my "home office" writing my artist CV and artist statement", generally getting organised and researching galleries, fairs, other artsits, exhibitions and useful resources. I've been putting the artist statment off for sometime as it's one of those chicken and egg scenarios where you don't know where to start so you have to do some work in order to understand what your work is about and it's very very hard to write about yourself. My work is visual (obviously) so writing about it is an interesting process, but essential for submissions, galleries and to help people understand what you and your work is all about. I found a great article online that guided me through the process and this would be a great group workshop. I didn't want to sound pretentious. Hopefully, I've struck the right balance. I'll pop it up soon, but right now that means a trip to the studio, so if and when it stops raining!
I came across a book on how to break into the art world by an artist - Brian Marshall White, previously in the business of the design and production of signs in Seattle, now working full time as an artist in Hawaii. He gives a few chapters away so you can get the gist of the book, all of these I'm doing too so it felt good to stumble upon his advice, which is clearly working...I wrote him an email to let him know and bless him, he even wrote back. I love the internet! Now a popular artist in Hawaii knows about our Bigger Picture Initiative in little old Crystal Palace.
I found this site today, really useful ArtBusiness.com with lots of no nonsense, concise and useful how to guides for those of us doing it for oursleves.
It was also really helpful, over the weekend, talking to Nick and Helen at some length about my work when they popped into the gallery.
I also spoke to PC Tanya today about the camera that was stolen from the gallery space on our Valentine's Late Opening. So not everyone loves Crystal Palace then...pfff. Apparantly there's a backlog of online crime reports to go through as people are reporting burglaries online, made me think of all those 999 calls from people who can't work the remote and are calling for advice or nutters. So if anyone is going around CP with my old Nikon D50, let me know. Lot's of pictures of me on holiday in Italy on there and our Valentine's opening night...
I'm painting a new local scene of the red house on Streatham Common, near the White House. It's an autumn scene with long shadows as the sun is going down. Lots of bright red and deep darks. I'd love to show you some photos of my tulips, but my camera was stolen in the gallery the other day and the other one was stolen in Berlin. What are the chances?!
Just gone midnight so St Valentine weekend is here. I've been really down with post holiday blues, stubborn cold and no spaniel welcome at home, but I've come home tonight to a new bid for 12th February of £256.00 and spent the afternoon and evening painting in the gallery I feel alot better. We had a few visitors, very interested in the work, so that was great. Another possible commission for a guy who is moving back to Jersey. That would be great to have my work spreading across the walls of the world. Someone from Hamburg came in the other week and was considering Fox Hill III. So it could go to Hamberg or Jersey...or just stay here, if it does I might put it forward for the RA Summer Show this year along with Woman on a Yellow Bench
So a very productive evening as I have now 6 new paintings to show tomorrow evening (no I didn't paint them all today) as a result of Art Zoo earlier in the month. I went bonkers with the paint tonight and I'm really looking forward to seeing how the paint looks when it's dry in the morning, then I put the last couple of hours in before setting up for 7pm kick off.
I set 6 hours of music downloading last night following my Berlin trip to keep me amused so I can revisit the Germany paintings (again!). I'm looking forward to loading up the iPod with that little lot. Some Derrick Carter and DJ Houseboat to remind me of my fab time. I'm quite happy to listen to the same tunes on a loop, it works for me in that I'm looking at the same image against a backdrop of the same music so the influences are the same - so Spring has sprung onto 6 canvases thanks to James Edwards again. Kind of makes sense as he is very full of the joys of Spring when he plays. Ah the healing power of painting and a good mix. I'll get the photos up as soon as I can, only having the camera disappear in Berln is a real pain.
I'm looking forward to our late opening on Friday night between 7pm and 9pm at the gallery and the announcement of our Silent Auction winner. Threre's still time to get your bid in before Friday evening.
Great exhibition looking at the work of German fashion photographer F.C Gundlach.
Intersting to see how the fashions changed over the decades and how women changed from the 50s and onwards. Intensely posed compositions of perfect models against stark backgrounds of Berlin. Helped my birthday hangover from Friday night. New York artist Christopher Milne's paintings came to mind as I went round, especially from the covers.
Weekend Club with Derrick Carter comes next as I need house music as much as I need to make art and preferably together. I listen to it when I'm painting, making, working on websites so it was out again on Saturday night for Weekend. A club at the top of what looks like an office block to hear Luke Soloman and Derrick Carter = A M A Z I N G.
We were first on the dancefloor. Really enjoyed Derrick's disco and jazz sound.
He was brilliant and me being me, I had o tell him on his way out wheeling his bag of tricks behind him, which is quite funny after reading this quote about himself. "I like to keep myself pretty invisible. You may think I'm somewhere, but I've already left." - ha ha ha is that why he looked surprised, that I'd collared him?
It's not all happy house for me and Weekend was followed by Delicious Donuts in Rosenthaler Strasse 9. There are no donuts, but there's a dancefloor with great tunes. As we pulled up in the taxi I thought we'd gone to the wrong place, but in a window was a mirror ball and you could hear music, so I rang the bell and a guy of about 7' tall appeared at a little window - I wondered what the password might be...oh no password, just 5 Euros. certainly some characters in there, mostly on their own, in corners, but the dancefloor was where I headed for a few more hours until I got chatting with a few locals.
I just had to ask DJ Houseboatat Delicious Donuts what one of the tunes he was playing was and I clocked he had real vinyl on the go (you don't see that very often) just had to know the name. Should have known there was a Kalkbrenner involved (see below). Very moving and I'll have to have this paint to.
You can't take back the pages That you've turned You can't build up the bridges That you've burned Hey no more I will say your name 'Cause lately I'm getting out of your game It's a new day It's a new dawn I can't stand still I got to walk on So keep on yearning And keep on singin' And putin' my blues Under my wing You can be certain I won't forget you It was more than i deserve I won't regret you Hold the love you gave And all the thing you have There comes a time And there's no turning back
Itchy feet and off to try and get into Panorama Bar again, again no luck and I went over on the ice for the one and only time we were there. It did hurt, but managed to keep smiling. Ouch. Then it was off to another very Berlinski and very high energy space, it was brilliant and they played more Paul Kalkbrenner! I was very happy to hear it. I don't hear it out over here.
I have two friends arriving from London in a minute. They are on the underground somewhere in Berlin...thinking of going to Futurity Now transmediale.10 today. Did lots of old school yesterday...today is all about looking forward.
After getting up a little later than I'd wished - I was quick to get ready and out for some breakfast at a local coffee shop. Ordering a coffee comes just like that, no milch. Oh well, the chocolate croissant was fab. I sat and watched the world go by next to an old guy who was commenting on the guy outside shining a torch into a bin (looking for treasure?) just outside. How sad. He didn't look particularly homeless, so maybe he was just bonkers or the recycling police, they are a bit keen here.
So then it was off in the snow to take in the great feeling of being here in the creative city of Berlin. My excitement was short lived, however, when upon arriving at the New National Gallery and pressing my eager artist nose up at the window, is was closed until Tuesday. Howl! I have just checked the website, no mention of it - pfff to German efficiency.
...oh well. I consoled myself by wandering up to the design museum and found the predecessor to the iPod shuffle in an armband radio designed in Japan in the year of my birth (can you guess what it is yet?). I did a sketch and will pop it up when I get back. It was very very quiet in there and I felt a bit guilty about breezing past so many amazing objects of importance with the eyes of the guides burning into me - I wanted to say something, but it would have taken all day. It gets a bit like sensory overload and I didn't want to fill up my senses so quickly. Surely there must be another modern art gallery around here somewhere?
Saw some Etorre Sotsass designs from back in the day and remember being introduced to the Memphis group as a 3D design student many moons ago
Afterwards I went to the Gemäldegalerie - painting gallery for medieval European masterpieces which was huuuuuuuuuuuuuge and just next door. It has over 1500 paintings. It's hard to see how some of the work is done and I was getting rather too close to one of the paintings and was told to move away by one of the guides. I even managed to say sorry in German. Well done me. Then to my right I was saw the portrait of Jakob Muffel painted in 1526 by Albrecht Dürer. Wow. I was really captivated by it's strength and subtlety. I sketched it for an hour to try and get to know it. It's such a brilliant work, the dreamy look, what is he thinking and the strong face. It was quite a magical experience. The same guide was really inerested in my work and we had a little chat and she said I could move close the painting if I would like to (what a treat!). I could feel a few people looking over my shoulder, but for the first time in years I was not bothered and felt quite confident. My time in the Art Zoo perhaps?
Nuremburg will be going on my list of places to visit later in the year (Road Trip to Germany), where Albrecht Dürer made his way as an artist.
It's been a bit odd not talking to anyone all day, especially as when they do, I am completely stuck for words - although I did manage a very limited conversation about the weather in the cloakroom of the National Gallery. I was a bit stumped at the supermarket at the cheese counter, but opted for some Moosebacher as it had a funny name. Tastes great!. Not sure what the meat is, I'm sure it will be great in my birthday breakfast sandwich tomorrow. At the checkout the women said something which I immediately understood as are you sure you want two bags? Unfortunately this was only be because I could see she was holding up two bags. "oh, Jahr" - I replied, which is quite good as although I have been practising, I get stage fright and end up saying either yes or even worse default Italian of "si".
She kept talking to me and I was just staring trying to understand. In the end I managed I don't understand you (which when you think of it, could have all sorts of meanings).
I did order some fab thai suppen at cadadia on Charlottenstrasse - the guy humoured me after I made such a massive effort to order in German. It was so good to sit down and I coloured in my armband radio drawing. A Banana yellow bendy banana item. Excellent.
I've even helped a few Germans find their way around the City so far with my handy map. A guy on Postsdamer Platz agreed that it was very cold, but thought a taxi after our encounter would get him to where he wanted to go, not my directions.
Wow - this has just come up on the news £65 million for a giacommetti. Incredible. Have a look on the BEEB
Film reviews for Berln Calling
Oh wow, how such little things can make me happy. Last year I was introduced to this DJ - Paul Kalkbrenner. He has made some music based on the sounds of this City. One of them samples the doors are closing warning on the train from the airport. Huge smile on my face. Made my day.
Well I'm in Berlin for a few days of Kunst and Kultur and will try and see/do as many arty things as I can in between enjoying the night life, whilst I'm here. Looking out of my apartment window I can see the TV Tower, making me feel at home, just like Crystal Palace...perfect.
I have already infiltrated the mysterious world of fresh fruit having met a man from Honduras on the underground who is here for the second biggest Fresh Fruit produce expo in the world. He is the commercial manager for melons in his company. Apparently at Easter, Honduras is the only country in the world supplying melons - they have a 4 week hold over the market! Who'd have thought. Anyone who's anyone in the world of fruit is here as we speak...I asked him if the man from DelMonte was here... I'll let you know if I see him.
I'm going to see a Francis Bacon tomorrow. My old art teacher's favourite Bacon... Portrait of Isabel Rawsthorne Standing in a Street in Soho - 1967
If you have any favorite pieces of art/design/architecture here, let me know.
tschüss!
Laszlo is on his own today as I have to go into to The Big City and see a woman about a website. It's like one of those real zoos where there are never as many tigers out for you to see as you'd like or they are all hiding out the back in behind a rock or an easel in our case, or in fact escaped to the corporate world for a day....and in L's case he'd wandered off the White Hart when I got back, he'd done well though and finished a couple of small canvases (see top photo on the left of me with the boys).
On my own today as Laszlo is otherwise engaged - secretly glad I have the only spare chair though for when I need to log in and check my emails. Got a bit stuck on mixing the right green, but I could hear Michael Ajerman from my time at his classes and knocked the garish back with the naples yellow and Bob's your Marley, it worked...happy point where I can feel myself freeing up a bit now I'm past the block and happy with progress.
Put a nice wash of that lovely blue on the leaves as the more I look at them the more they scream we have blue, we have blue in us...the colours sort of put their hands up. "Pick me, pick me!"
Laszlo arrived with Molly the dog in tow at about 10am and we set about getting a simple still life set up. I suggested a mannakin head of sorts so see what L would be up for, but didn't fancy that young lady so we set up a couple of my tulips in one of Laszlo's silver tankards (50/50 split on subject matter) no arguments there, so far so good. As L works at a particular height we balanced a small table on two chairs and placed the tulips on that lit from the angle poised lamp he had brought along. The tulips opened up after an hour which was quite handy for a nice contrast of stamen to yellow and red petals. Job done.
Usually L would have a box to cancel out the ambient light, but as we wanted passersby to be able to see what we are doing in the Art Zoo I asked if he could on this occasion do without. Luckily he was agreeable, so off we went. A couple of missing items later we were set.
Despite a bad night's sleep again with all my projects going round my head and not enough coffee in the house this morning to cancel it out, I had a surprisingly pleasant day's painting with good company and it felt warmer, with 3 bodies in their with Molly in the gallery. I had to chuck Laszlo out a bit early as my trying to update the website wasn't working for me, but to be fair the light is not good enough later in the afternoon. A good start.
Laszlo is painting in oils - so far a black background in contrast to my bright red and blue, which I've borrowed from last week's work.
It's good to work with someone else, but we need to sort out the stereo with some more tunes, clean the windows and get hold of a kettle.
As I was painting away at the gallery I got to thinking it would be interesting to see if Laszlo Gyorik fancied coming and painting up here in the gallery. Another local artist, his work is very different from mine and I thought it would be intersting to see how he would paint the same set up as our styles are very different. Anyway, I've put the idea to him and now we have paint date on Monday. Do please pop by during the week to see our different approaches. Press your noses up agains the window, but do not feed the artists, they work better hungry.
I've moved some of my painting equipment over to the gallery space this week, so you can see me working if you come past. It's me with my iPod (Hopefully no one can hear me singing in my silent disco) and some tunes painting a number of different sized canvases in preparation for Spring and St Valentine's Day.
I've been mainly listening to this: James Edwards January Mix.
I've got some small red tulip paintings already on the go in there from yesterday afternoon to get into the subject matter and will be starting some bigger canvases today.
If your would like some flowers that last beyond St Valentine's Day get them on canvas.
When the canvases are finished I'll be popping them on here and on the website for you all to see. I'd love some feedback.
Well it's been a bit of a slow start to the year as we've all been snow bound and sickly with a very nasty cold (poor me!), but Fox Hill finally went to it's new home making room for more work.
Here's Matty and Molly, pile of pooches. This is a commission for alternative family Christmas present and was well received. Fox Hill III is still up at the gallery if you fancy a trip to The Palace
It's certainly been getting very much colder and I'm now having to layer up, thankfully I have some protection with my new polytunnel wall, which makes working up here bearable. The Gallery is going really well I have sold Church Road and many prints in frames. Christmas cards have also proved very popular, I'm now working on a couple more Fox Hill paintings and a commisson of a pile of pooches...very cute. I'll put the images up when I'm allowed. I've been amazed at the repsonse to my work this year and I am genuinely moved and motivated to keep going. I'm hoping always to have a space in The Triangle to put my work, not quite sure how yet, but have a couple of ideas.
We are having late opening in the Bigger Picture Gallery in Church Road. Brilliant new work by Roy, has really freshened up the space. Looks so good.
Last Wednesday I was talking to Guy Beggs and he asked me if I knew of Peter Doig. I remember going to a Saatchi exhibition and saw "Orange Sunshine" - 1995-6, Oil on Canvas, 276 x 201 cm and fell in love with it. So beautiful and haunting. It really inspired me. I painted my Fucking Yellow Tree after that and have been painting ever since. Thank you Peter Doig, my inspiration. I also use photos in my work as an entry point into the process. I would really like to do some screen printing and combine the painting and the printing.
Studios are open again this weekend. It's your last chance to meet the artists working here at Gipsy Hill Studios in Crystal Palace.
Open studios last Friday was excellent with a catwalk designed by Adam Higman and men in kilts as well as Annette's designer wear and Pete's amazing jewellery which has such a wow factor, wait till he tells you how it's made, amazing.
Rick Reimann was a legend and DJ'd for over 5 hours during which time I earned a terrible hangover and bought rather a gorgeous top from Annette's label Urban Buzz from her sample rail...beautiful bargain.
We even had a real stripey cat on the catwalk; an annual occurrence.
Last year we adopted a ginger cat for the duration, might have clashed with Adam's floor though. Hmm.
I'm working on a commission at the moment for Dee, her two dogs plonked on her studio chair. There's still time to me for a great Christmas gift if you are quick.
It's your last chance to see Fox Hill at The Bigger Picture Gallery (93 Church Road, Crystal Palace) before it goes to it's new owner at Christmas this month.
Pisarro did get there first in 1870 with his Fox Hill Upper Norwood and I'll have to find out if the two houses are those one's there on the right in his painting. It really snowed and snowed earlier in the year and Huw got some excellent pictures of Fox Hill in The Snow. I absolutely love these two buildings and they looked so magical at night covered in a blanket of white, the snow still falling gently.
I've had such lovely feedback and it's been a real talking point for people looking at my work. I'm already thinking what Crystal Palace view to do next.
I've made some Crystal Palace cards for Christmas, although as they are not actually printed inside the Fox Hill ones can be used all year.
I am selling these online or buy direct from me at the gallery or open studios on 5th/6th December. There's still time to buy!
Prints are also available now the original has gone.
I hope to see you this month. Come and do your Christmas shopping in Crystal Palace!
No less than four more paintings finished recently. One from my trip to Spain in May and one more from my Massa Lubrense trip, a celebration of all things snowy in Crystal Palace this year and a commission for a birthday.
Pisarro did get there first in 1870 with his Fox Hill Upper Norwood and I'll have to find out if the two houses are those one's there on the right in his painting. It really snowed and snowed earlier in the year and Huw got some excellent pictures of Fox Hill in The Snow. I absolutley love these two buildings and they looked so magical at night covered in a blanket of white, the snow still falling gently.
Official Christmas cards this year and Fox Hill in The Snow is also available as a print.
They are now showing in The Bigger Picture Gallery in Crystal Palace.
My first trip abroad to Estepona in Southern Spain. Along the coast is The Laugna Beach Club. It was very quiet as the season had not yet started properly.
It was the last day and the very last of the sunshine on the last day of our trip. Light and dark, night and day, happy and sad. Always the opposites that make for interesting dynamics in images as in life, the more interesting relationships. The dark is creeping across the pool to take the last of our sunshine, whilst that group in the corner have their backs turned. With such unpredictable summers in London we appreciate just a square of sunshine anytime. In the morning the night, though, will inevitably give in to the day.
The sun rises behind the town so down by the sea, at the bottom of steepness you have to wait for the sun to come up and over the back of the town, leaving the harbour in shade first thing in the morning. It is
Whilst waiting for the paint to dry I've been pootling round the interweb for inspiration and entertainment. I live with two spaniels right now, but used to live with cats. Look a these fabulous animations.
Another fabulous spaniel, so full of joy at just being. You cant help but cheer up with "The Doodles" is around.
Humphrey is pure joy and it shows in his whole being. Only 10 months old he embraces all that life has to offer a puppy.
Together with Croydon Enterprise we have been successful in securing a great new space for the Bigger Picture Project in Crystal Palace.
Thanks to the generosity of S G Smith Motor Group we are looking forward to transforming this space at the top of Anerley Hill into a vibrant creative venue.
Our aim is to draw attention to the space for S G Smith, revitalise this corner and provide a space for local creatives to use for exhibitions, workshops performances etc. This will bring new life to Anerley Hill and should attract the attention of all those drivers and passengers pulling up at the lights. The space is quite daunting, but also means it offers tremendous scope.
A bit of Jack the Cat here I think
You can now buy limited edition prints directly from the website via Pay Pal. All digitally printed on quality A3 Archival paper and priced at £40.00 (including £5.00 post and packing).
These are also available to see at framed at The Bigger Picture Gallery
This was the first affordable art sale and a house party, which brought together two different types of event and creating something unexpected and random.
Two cars were painted live by some of the best graffiti and illustration artists in the UK, great food and drink, affordable art and the opportunity to discover new art from Britain and abroad.
Lucky me, I was invited to particapate. Here I am looking very summery next to my work.
Ibiza Town, shown on the wall has now sold (see below)
Let me know if you are intersted in coming to any future events.
The project is going from strength to strength, but we are still looking for other local artists to exhibit and look to be securing another venue soon.
Local art lovers continue to discover us since we opened on 6th June. We have had a great opening night and late opening party, we'll be having another one soon. If you don't want to miss out on a great night with some excellent local DJs then sign up for our mailing list at The Bigger Picture Gallery.
The Bigger Picture Gallery is open most Saturdays from 10am until 5pm where you can come and see my work and have a chat.
Following an excellent time in Ibiza, despite the rain, I managed to do some preliminary work for a new view of of Ibiza Town which is good as I sold the last one I did just before I went away (eyes right).
I'm still finishing off one swimming pool painting from a trip to Estepona in June...all yellows as the sun is starting to go down. The process slows down as the image progresses for me as I need to spend time contemplating my next move.
I still have three paintings on the go from my Masse Lubrense trip in June, but have finished two of these and this project is going well.
A couple of trips to Germany for the first time this year had me visiting Berlin to see Kings of Leon (amazing) and Regensburg.
Regensburg (north of Munich) is very pretty with an ancient stone bridge crossing the Danube. It's a beautiful city and I have two paintings in the early stages with two more to come. One is a view from the bridge and the other a square with the cathedral towering over the buildings optimistically.
The harbour in Hamburg at night is in the early stages: cobolt blue. The view is from a boat on the water looking towards a bridge with the warehouse light up along the dockside. Yellow triangles and square windows very bright against the night sky.
I'm looking forward to starting a new commission to do another canine portrait for a family Christmas present along these lines:
If you would like to commission me to do a contemporary painting for a Christmas present now is the time to let me know so that the paint has enough time to dry.