brain about to explode.....

Location project is taking over my life. Trouble is the more I research the more I find out more things that take me off on tangents....

Have been reading "Richard Deacon" published by Phaidon and found some great quotes from Mary Douglas ...from her book "Purity and Danger". Fits nicely into my ideas for working on the theme of evil- and moving into ambiguity.she suggests that dirt, being "matter out of place"- is not only profane but ..deeply sacred... The deviant or transgressive are both better managers of contradiction and also less dependent on authority than the fanatic and may therefore be more effective agents of transformation"

... ok, I know it all sound a bit pretentious, but I'm really interested in the role of negativity/ evil/ whatever form you wish to choose, has in creating change and challenging us. (and I love the concept of producing art that people find uncomfortable, that challenges them to reconsider what they think....whether it is personal and too personal for them to cope with, or on bigger issues.

Then followed up on Mary Douglas- I knew it! Really important anthropologist died 2007. Should have studied anthropology.... Was put on to Claude Levi-Strauss by ethnomusicology lecturer all those years ago & loved that. Kind of fits in well with my twin obsessions with making bread & ceramics- my pet theory on what makes us human revolves around those 2 activities Oh well, better late than never... maybe I could pay homage to her in my next project. How about reliquaries of dust and dirt and rubbish? Glass, ceramics, laminated... sewn onto textiles, textiles made of rubbish... I think I'm getting somewhere.

See what I mean- I start by thinking about doing preserving detritus from the mill in plaster, resin and clay and then go down a totally new track....

Thoughts...

Have been reading "Richard Deacon" published by Phaidon and found some great quotes from Mary Douglas ...from her book Purity and Danger. Fits nicely into my ideas for working on the theme of evil- and moving into ambiguity.

 

She suggests that dirt, being "matter out of place"- is not only profane but ..deeply sacred...( and you know my obsession with rubbish...) 

 

The deviant or transgressive are both better managers of contradiction and also less dependent on authority than the fanatic and may therefore be more effective agents of transformation"...

 

 ok, I know it all sound a bit pretentious, but I'm really interested in the role of negativity/ evil/ whatever form you wish to choose, has in creating change and challenging us. (and I love the concept of producing art that people find uncomfortable, that challenges them to reconsider what they think....whether it is personal and too personal for them to cope with, or on bigger issues.)

I think I'm going to have to get the book......

 

Separate note- busy doing lots of glazing yesterday, including making up 2 glazes, recipes from Dry Glazes (ceramics handbook series)Also added silicon carbide into Robin Welch glaze, so hope it will help break it up and create volcanic type surface....

 

My harmony of the spheres is still drying out (now in airing cupboard) as there are so many layers all with newspaper round them, so it's taking ages..... can't wait to see how it turns out, and whether all the mould growing on it makes any difference at all to final outcome. (linseeds started sprouting, cous cous made wonderful strands of grey fibrous mould...)

 

Will put photos on when been fired!

sorry!

I've been really busy with preparing for a charity recital taking place tomorrow, so haven't really been thinking much about the horsebox this week. (we've been practising nearly every day!) Busy making cakes too, as the ladies doing teas as part of it didn't have time to make them (not as if I've got time either....)

I'm also doing lots of thinking and researching a project for art school- about a location- and I've decided to take on aspects of the old railway line that ran between what is now Cam & Dursley station and Dursley- up the Cam river valley, by the mills that were worked originally by the water power there. Ever since I discovered last year that there had been a railway, I've been wanting to do something about it. Been reading up about the history, looking at old maps, and generally mulling things around in my head. Trouble is I now have to get those vague thoughts down on paper, as a coherent moving forward project. Always the scary bit when you have to actually commit for real!

I've already had some great adventures snooping around the station looking for evidence of the old one, and the old line, walking along some of the raised track above the river, Harrison Ford style, hacking my way through the undergrowth (great fun!) and finding lots of dumped stuff on the way... (including rows of chairs- bright pink- very surreal)

I was even accused of being a gypsy (which I thought was ok, almost flattering.... but clearly the person saying it didn't think so!) when I was digging around in a ditch by the railway, trying to find old oil drums that obviously had been there for at least 15+ years...... full of water, covered in piles of ivy and brambles.... got one out- will be used as a plinth for one of my mixed media sculptures! Got covered in mud, bits of leaf, seedheads etc- must have looked a fright!

Also had a fantastic guided tour what is now a paper pulp factory making board out of recycled paper. It once was a leather mill, although so far I have very little information about it. On list of things to do.... It is a beautiful Victorian red brick classic mill, with the mill race still there.... amazing buckled iron girders where there was once a fire, and the biggest cobwebs I've ever seen!  Old paintwork, piles of metal "parts" for something.... enamelled signage, old window frames and glass, just all those little details of the passing of time which get me so excited!

I will get round to posting photos in due course... Now of course with modern extensions, but even the modern processes are fascinating. Loads of ideas of things to follow up....

Have ordered some merino wool as one of my ideas is to do some felting as part of a mixed media installation- creating links with the old textile mills of the valley.  I'm also busy reading about ceramics- especially dry glazes and alternative kiln firings, as I want to use ceramics as part of the project.

AND FINALLY... as they say, I've also been busy as one of my artists' books has been exhibited in UWE and some mini matchbox art is currently at Museum in the Park in Stroud, as was my contribution for Secret Artist raising money for renovating the old garden at the Museum.

And in case you missed the last posts, the Secret Postcard art did really well, and I'm going to sell the rest of the pieces at the Christmas student concert in December when we'll be raising more money for SHAPE.

So not a lot of time for blogging right now,,,,

SHAPE secret postcard art

I'm delighted that so far we've raised over £110 for SHAPE, and the figure is going up all the time... any cards left will be sold at the Time to learn Piano Christmas student concert, at which all funds raised will also go to SHAPE. I've got 2 wonderful original paintings to raffle off, and hope to have some more fantastic prizes so I hope we can make lots of money to support this worthy cause. If you have anything suitable to donate as a raffle prize, please let me know!

Fab china for retro teas

I've got some great 60s & 70s china and melamine so you can dine in true retro style at the cafe when exhibitions are on!

Take a look....

 

On a totally different subject...

This is how my poor piano (the one I had all through my childhood and got me into music college)came to live at our house!

Despite telling the removal men and writing it on the booking form, & my mum telling them when they collected it, they still managed to bring a massive truck instead of the 7.5 tonne max you can get up here....

so they had to wheel it through the horse muck, silt and mud, and dead leaves, at least a few 100 metres up what is a very steep, bumpy hill!

Thought you might be amused...

I lied

I'm so in love with the jars of buttons on the mantelpiece. Apparently Josie, (who introduced Kaz & me) told Kaz to watch me as I'm likely to snaffle the jars... how true! They're gorgeous (of course they'd be even better if they'd been collected from rubbish tips or the corners of dusty old rooms!)

And finally.. for today!

A few shots of the community project- I love the in your face lamp, the beautiful dandelion clock metal work Kaz found in Amsterdam against the shiny gloss black paintwork. Front door mat is from Wilkinsons- who would have known it- such funky colours!

Sketchbook workshops

I'm particularly excited about joining the sketchbook workshops project- for £10 you get a sketchbook, into which you make art once a month, and if you wish, attend the monthly workshops to help with developing your ideas! Any excuse for more art!

Here's Andrew busy wrapping the sketch books- isn't it always great getting a present in brown paper- sort of a bit dodgy, a bit George Smiley, as well as retro....

And here's the lovely invitation to join the sketch book project- sorry mobile phone camera doesn't do it justice!

Secret Postcard Art at White Hart Court

I'm delighted that the exhibition will take place tomorrow at Impatient Vagrant @White Hart Court in Berkeley.

Spent a lovely afternoon with Kaz and Andrew getting things ready, and this evening Neil gave me a load of publicity material so I can put together a board about SHAPE & the amazing work it does. (I'm going to be busy tomorrow!)

The postcards look wonderful- and we're still hoping for a few more!  So far 9 have been sold, but we want every single one to go.

Why "creeping out of the shadows"?

As I was driving along a Cotswold lane, one morning, listening to Radio 3, the announcer was discussing a programme of music to be played later that day on the station. He described the music as "creeping out of the shadows" and immediately I knew this was exactly the phrase I'd been looking for to describe Paul's work, and indeed him! He is very modest about his talent and doesn't like to push himself forward into the limelight, but I know that his work deserves recognition. By exhibiting and discussing his work we're ensuring that the process of creeping out of the shadows is a worthwhile and productive one for him, and will inspire him to greater things!

examples of Paul's work

Much of his work uses wax, and coloured inks, which never dry, are sealed behind and between the layers. (so don't  put these pieces above a roaring fire or leave it over a hot stove...) Paul finds that it is this "living" quality that is so exciting for him- as the ink never truly dries, there is always the possibility of change, of the art developing.

In the same way, as he makes the pieces,  he doesn't know exactly how the various media will react with each other as he lays down the layers- often he will come back the next morning to find an exciting new effect has taken place.

Even the moon pieces are built up with wax and plaster and other "everyday" media. In previous work he has used matchsticks, old bin liners and so on, to great effect.

If you'd like to commission a piece or would like to know more about Paul's work, please do contact us on 07868 028246 or e-mail thegalleryattheendofthelane@gmail.com

Exhibition 21 October

This exciting, if very short, exhibition, of Paul Dingley's experimental abstract work  was received very well. It was interesting that yet another different style of work fitted in so well in the confines of the horsebox- Paul's most complex work faced you as you walked in, which created a great deal of impact.

Paul uses PVA, wax and ink to great effect. I believe that this work is very "sellable" and would sit well in all types of properties. It's also the kind of work that you could quite easily commission to fit with a certain colour scheme, fabrics etc- so we hope to pursue this line to ensure his art becomes better known.  Obviously the pieces exhibited were of a limited size, but, again, I am sure that they would look really dramatic, on a very large scale, in anything from a modernist tower block to a minimalist loft space.A few examples...

Secret Postcard Art- update!

I'm so happy (yes, happy!) that I'm still getting people asking to do some artwork for this show and sale taking place on 9th November.

For every piece of work we sell, we save the lives of perhaps a whole family, from the killer disease, malaria.

So if you haven't offered to do some art yet, or would like to take part in the sale, let me know! So far we have a wonderfully eclectic mix from photography, to computer art, printing and stamp making, watercolours, mixed media, stitching and needlework, oils, mosaic, pencils, stickers etc, so why not do something really different to help this good cause?

Help create an installation! Celebrate our industrial heritage!

On 20th October, as well as showing Paul Dingley's exciting mixed media work in the old horsebox, we plan to link in with National Wool Week, and celebrate our local industrial and cultural heritage, by producing an installation or work of art made by YOU, the visitors to the exhibition!

Please bring scraps of fabric, wool and other fibres suitable for gluing, weaving, knitting etc and be willing to help out create something really exciting! We are based in the rural hills where sheep have grazed for centuries, and the local valleys, in Cam, Dursley and Stroud and Nailsworth spun fibres, wove and produced the cloth that was shipped all round the world.  We want to celebrate that heritage, and what better way than through a community event?

If you bring some knitting or crochet you're working on, you'll also get a free cup of tea!

(but bring money to buy some scrummy cake to eat with it!!!!)

Please tell your friends about this project, ans we need lots of contributers to make it really worthwhile.

See you on 20th!

Posters for next exhibition

If you can help with distributing posters for our next exhibition, "Creeping out of the Shadows" mixed media art by Paul Dingley, please contact me!

All the work being exhibited will be for sale, so we hope for lots of visitors! Paul's work is very easy to live with despite his unorthodox creative methods!

Please tell your friends and family too; remember there will be retro teas available again, for sale at very reasonable prices!

Every cloud has a silver lining

Due to the change in date and venue of Secret Postcard Art we can now fit in another very short exhibition. Entitled "Creeping out of the shadows", it demonstrates Paul Dingley's exciting, experimental mixed media contemporary art you can hang on your wall. (I own a couple of pieces by him so I know they are great to live with!)

His exhibition will be on Saturday 20 October in the afternoon. Of course retro teas will be available for very reasonable prices along with his art works.

change of date and location for SHAPE Secret Postcard Art

Due to some technical hitches and probably lack of space, we're going to hold the SHAPE fundraising Secret Postcard Art exhibition on 9 November at the new White Hart Court Arts Centre in Berkeley. This will be a fantastic opportunity for you to network with other people interested in the the community participating in the arts so please do watch this space for information. By the way, I conduct The Skylarks Choir on a Tuesday evening, which is part of this community arts project- so do come along! It's a wonderful experience and we all feel amazing afterwards! Singing should be on prescription!

Remember, postcards of original art work, some by well known local artists, are on sale now at £5 each. You will be allocated a card depending on the number on the ticket you purchase and will be able to collect the card after the exhibition.  All in a wonderful cause (see links below)

More interest in the gallery

A friend who is a governor at Archway School has spoken to one of the art teachers, and they're keen to get involved with the gallery. This is exactly the kind of thing I envisaged when I decided to set it up- so hope to speak to Archway next week!

Any other art groups, schools, playgroups, colleges etc interested in getting involved and holding an exhibition?

Secret Postcard art

First postcard art has been returned- awaiting more!

Next event 5-6 October

Secret Postcard Art exhibition and sale

We're hoping to have at least 70 postcards of original art for sale at £5 each - by paying £5 you also gain entry to a party on 6th October to include one drink and nibbles (more drinks will be for sale)

All money raised from sale etc to go to SHAPE, a charity set up by a local GP to promote health care, anti malarial protection, education etc in Africa. See website (below) for more information.

£5 pays for a bed net which can keep one family safe from malaria spreading mosquitoes for a year. You get a piece of art (would look good framed- we may have frames for sale on 6th October- or you could turn it into a special card perhaps?) and you directly save the lives of at least 4 people. How good is that?

If you'd like to buy a ticket to the sale please contact me via this blog.  If you'd like to make a piece of art work (any materials, any style, any subject matter) please let me know so I can send you a postcard.

Been thinking about things

I'd love some more feedback about what you think works and could be improved about the horsebox. So if you visited or helped out at all at the weekend please do leave some comments here for me. Plus if you have any photos they'd be gratefully received,too!

I've been thinking about what my goals were in setting this project up and whether I have succeeded so far.

I wanted to create a small, personal space in an unexpected venue. Why should you have to travel to towns and cities, possibly pay to see new art?Tick- definitely worked.

I wanted to challenge people's preconceptions about what an art gallery should be. -yes definitely done that!

I wanted people in their everyday life- taking a dog for a walk, doing their Duke of Edinburgh hike, etc to experience art as part of normal life- not something elitist in any way.

I like the idea of creating a instillation within which we can live a few hours- so creating a retro cafe in the garage was a bit of fun, helped raise some funds to pay for costs of doing the conversion, and helped sustain visitors with cake! Plus it gave an opportunity for people to take time out of busy lives, meet new people, talk about whatever they like, and look at the view ("time to stop and stare" perhaps?)

I wanted to create a space where unknown, young and local artists including those at Stroud College, could exhibit, get experience of curating etc. Definitely working- Ed is at Cirencester College- he doesn't really think of himself as an artist- and sold 3 photographs! I'm talking to local schools about possibly exhibiting, I'm having a meeting today with another local artist... so things are already starting to happen.

I'd love to know what you think!

Back to "normal"

Yes, the box is empty, it's been shut up until the next exhibition. But can it ever be "normal" again? What is normal? There was a very special thing about emptying the space. It spoke differently now it had been filled with photographs. It spoke of all those people, friends, relatives, those we'd never met before and those we know well, whose feet have taken them into a different world, a magical special place where you are removed from reality for a few minutes. Sounds are muffled, the sloping floor is slightly confusing (disturbing?) some people feel a little sea sick... or just lightheaded. (perhaps the equivalent of a couple of strong G&TS?!) OK, it's not ideal- if money were no object I would have made the box road legal and levelled the ground but we had limited time and I had very limited resources. Actually, I really like the fact it's beaten up and knackered, rusty and won't last for ever, and I really like the wonky floor (other than when you're trying to hang things up- should they be straight/parallel, and if so, what with.....?)

When it was empty the ghosts of those visitors are still in it. Their footprints have left something behind. The space will never be the same again- it has humanity and warmth and love and support that the old horsebox never had. You really can imagine camping out in it now - it feels like a home from home- all it needs is a pile of blankets and cushions and it would be wonderful!

any takers for a camping out project?

Spot the red dot.... Ed did brilliantly and sold 3 photographs. I feel so privileged that he was our first artist to exhibit- it sets the tone to support young students and up and coming artists- although I'm happy if anyone famous would like to exhibit!

Wonder if Josie is for sale or already sold!

A box within a box- or is it a village in a garage?

Josie brought her box project today so we could take it into college- Josie is SO talented- her art tells stories, takes us to places- she is a born illustrator. Her village in a box is a wonderful example of this! If only you could see it for real..... The children were spellbound by it. I was particularly taken with the  telephone wires!

Keeping tabs on people visiting

Josie had the great idea of getting people to tie ribbons to the fence to record their visit. Once again the Scrap Store came up trumps with a multitude of fabrics we'd collected in our junk sprees at the SS. As will be vouched, I am the very worst person at the Store- I can think of things to make with practically everything I see..... hence massive load of junk at home!

I love the concept of the ribbons hanging there, moving in the breeze, as people, dogs, horses etc come past and wonder what these fabric strips are there for, what do they represent, who tied them there, when did they tie them? I also am intrigued to see how long they last for- they are made of manmade (mainly nylon) fabrics so it will be interesting to see how they degrade in the cold damp frosty air we get up here in the winter. will they be shredded into nothing, or perhaps not change at all?Reminds me of the prayer flags you find in Tibet and Nepal, high up in the mountains, flapping in the breeze. not quite as poetic here... but still holds meaning- it demonstrates that people have been here, have experienced something they would not have done otherwise. This little patch of the world has been changed for ever.

mini evaluation forms

I made some really crabby looking (stained in tea and coffee grounds, expert at jamming up photocopier, pretend cross between Continental style and old crone handwriting (yes, obsessed with typography, too!) mini questionnaire to find out about people's reactions to the gallery. Most were very helpful, kind and supportive. I think some people just "don't get it"- it's not about 100s of people passing turnstiles and making a fortune- it's about quiet change, finding art somewhere unexpected and low key, relaxed and calming rather than frantic queues, hectic city life and impersonal spaces (not, of course, that all city galleries are like that!) I'm happy if 1 person turns up and sees something they've never thought about, before. It's a success. Even if they don't like it, it's still a success as it's challenged their preconceptions about what an art gallery (and for that matter, perhaps what art) is.

 (PS see the fancy apron of mannequin in background? Also the ribbons to tie onto fence draped off her!)

Here's Caro filling one out for me- really appreciated how many people travelled quite a long way to visit!

Cool shirt, huh? (mannequin looks quite good looking in it!!!)

Today at the gallery...

It was lovely seeing some more friends, both old and new, coming to support the gallery. I missed some of today (busy conducting a new children's community choir!) but Pam held the fort and did a fantastic job being in charge- so thank you so much, Pam!

When I got back, it was wonderful to see everyone in the "cafe" (aka the garage)- it brought it all to life so vividly- and truly was living in a box! Modern living is all about being contained and enclosed- but somehow, having tea and cake in a garage, done up with retro fabrics and crockery, crepe paper and tea bag paper drapes, today, the male torso in an original England 1982 football shirt, the other mannequin coquettishly in pretty apron and panda T shirt (do not ask me why!) is so delightfully surreal, there is a Mad Hatter's Tea Party feeling to it- and my lack of sleep and continuing bombardment of ideas makes for a slightly lightheaded view of the world....

What makes this space so special?

This is something I've been thinking about over the last couple of months. As soon as we cleared out the "horsey" stuff, the atmosphere in the box changed. The soft creams of the internal paintwork, the slightly rusty blue and black of the external, the setting against a bank of wild (and I mean wild!) Joe Pie weed (Eupatorium purpureum,I think) that can grow 6 feet high in a season, buzzing with honey bees and heavily scenting the air, mingled with vicious brambles (with the most delicious blackberries come autumn), nettles, ragwort etc, the coppiced ash and hazel in the wooded area above bursting forth since their number 2 hair cuts a couple of years ago.... the faint rumble of the M5 when the wind blows from the west, the clouds piling in up the River Severn, and yet often never reaching our secret hideaway, for that matter the mist and low cloud billowing over the top of the escarpment.... the stunning sunsets, the dark gloomy mornings, all make for a secret special place.

There is something about going into a small confined space that our brains tell us is unwise.(must be the caveman or woman in us all- is there a wild animal lurking in the depths, or is it safe...?) And yet the horsebox draws us in, irresistibly like Alice or Edmund and Lucy in those far off children's books. And once we are in there, outside world sounds are muffled, the gentle curve of the roof somehow comforts us and puts us at our ease, the pale walls and natural light flooding in (or not) create a restful, calm and tranquil setting.

It was fascinating that when we had our "dummy run" in the summer after our art camp days, we just all wanted to sit in the box, and look out, and up at the art, the protective shell around us. We could imagine bringing in cushions and old kelim rugs, cozying around with hot drinks, our fingers clutching our mugs in the winter... perhaps with tea lights flickering outside on the ground, like glow-worms flitting around in Mediterranean climes (dream on some more) It was a reaction we all felt- strongly and powerfully. Is this some Freudian thing going on- we've climbed back into our mother's womb, or our Earth mother's womb, our collective womb? Or is it sanctuary from the wild excesses of 21st century life? That we can still make ourselves shelters (ok, I know from something already manmade- but don't spoil the concept, pleeeeze!), that we can protect ourselves from the busyness, the hectic lives, the rushing time passing us by, by creating a haven, a quiet, calm  haven that we can fill with whatever we like, however we like? Is it an adult's tree house, wendy house, or den in the woods, that we all dreamed of as children, even if we never actually had anything more than a sheet over a table.....

I would love to have your thoughts on this- please do comment!

Special thanks to...

Dani, Josie, Dizzy and Pam for all their help today. And to everyone else who has contributed to making the day go so well. We hope that lots more visitors will enjoy Sunday's opening.

Ed the perfect picture of the artist

Ed Bowden looked totally at ease discussing his photographs with visitors. I was really impressed by his mature attitude and hope that he is only the first of many young people who use the gallery.