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.

All ages enouraged to participate

This included making signs and decorating the fence (see previous) and Josie's idea of getting everyone to tie ribbon (thanks Scrap Store) on the fence to record visitors and for me to enjoy the passing of the seasons as they degrade and drift away (I'm a bit of a degrading materials freak for those who don't know me!)

first exhibition

It all went so well. People dropped by over the afternoon- never too many, including the photographer from the Gazette (so keep an eye out on Thursday!) and we could enjoy the natural environment, the stunning views, relax over tea and cake, make new friends and catch up with old ones, and use the gallery for its purpose- to bring art to people as part of everyday life, not as something in alienating anonymous cubes in busy cities far away from here.... just because we live in a very rural area, why should we be cut off from contemporary art, from new ideas, methods, challenging concepts...?

Official Opening of The Horsebox as The Gallery @ the End of the Lane

Today it really happened. 2 months of hard work, hard graft, feeling as if I was bankrupting myself for no reason.... it came together and we had a fantastic time!

The first people to roll up were a couple I'd only met last week, through Freegle (thanks Freegle!) when I picked up some violins for one of my projects I'm working on- to set up an orchestra for children who can't afford to have music lessons at school or privately... (so if you'd like to donate to that one, or can help in any way (I have a pile of violins that need fixing!) please let me know!)

Back to the main plot line-

We had a good mix of local people and friends from college, from orchestra- all happy to spend time sitting around drinking tea, eating scrummy cakes and take a look at Ed's wonderful photos.

Danielle Jones, Pam Bowden and I also exhibited an eclectic assortment of mixed media, photography and printing.

So many people commented on the very special atmosphere in the horsebox- it's cozy, still and calm- one visitor described it as if in Narnia- you step in and everything feels a bit different.

I made some amazing new connections with old friends- we hope to get Archway School involved through my orchestra friend, Alan, who is a governor. I'm hoping that my friend Lori, from an art class a while back, will come and exhibit- and good luck to her in getting an apprenticeship in tattoo art (she'll be amazing at it- her designs are great) I'm hoping she'll exhibit some time next year.

Anyway watch this space for more news....

Exhibition set up

Pam and I had fun curating in the semi darkness last night- aren't the nights drawing in? By 7.30 we had to borrow my son's torch to read the exhibit labels!

But the horsebox feels so good with art in it.. we really hope everyone who visits this weekend picks up on that cozy comfortable vibe....

No photos because we were too busy and it was too dark! But hopefully lots today.

See some of you later...

tea things

Marie has found the perfect retro tea set- can't wait to see it. Might not have it for this weekend but hopefully for the following exhibition!  Please do send pictures of retro stuff you see around.... unfortunately miss technical nonwhizz can't work out how to download from photo message- otherwise I'd share it with you! (so please send e-mail!)

getting some help with the project...

Some smaller people are getting hooked on the project- they started chalking the fence today (they plan to cover it all!) and they've made a great sign too!

there's something beautiful about white...

I was painting some bits of board this afternoon, that we'll be able to mount pictures on for the exhibition. They'd been sitting outside and had a bit of damp, mould etc on them. What stunning effects when you paint primer over all that, rather than cleaning it off... pale greys, greens, slight yellows even, and all under the cover of white. Plus the odd bit of grass, seedheads, stone chips etc add to the texture...

Maybe I should just leave them as they are- a statement to purity, of the lack of it, in the world?

Secret Postcard

Have handed out some postcards already- only need to get about another 90 on board. So if you enjoy making art in any media (needlework/textiles/ mixed media/paint/drawing/collage/printing/experimental art/life drawing/still life/ etc etc etc... we would love you to give a little of your time to create a tiny piece of art work.

contact me if you can help out!

Plus if you'd like to buy a piece of art (or two or three...) and to come to our evening exhibition and party, tickets to include a secret postcard art work, a drink and nibbles are £5 each.

Tickets are already on sale, so please do contact me if you would like to participate!

tea installation

This is going well! Have been digging out all kinds of retro fabrics to use as tablecloths etc- and friends are finding cups and saucers etc. Got 70s style hostess trolley off Freegle (what would we do without it?)  So slowly coming together for next Saturday and Sunday.

Now time to start baking cakes!

Any orders for particular flavours- let me know and I'll bake it!

Secret Postcard Art -up and running!

Collected the postcards from the printers today so now I need at least 100 mini pieces of art!

Each will sell for £5 so that means we could raise £500 for charity- and the reality is that's saving the lives of 500 families.

Conservative estimate 4 people in a family sleeping under a bed-net- that's at least 2000 lives saved from the risk of malaria.

You can't go wrong helping this worthy cause! Make some art- donate it and then pay £5 to buy another piece of original art AND attend the party all for a measly fiver that you're not going to miss.

Come on- we can do this!

Please contact me if you can help in any way!

yes we have cups

Thanks Diz for offering to lend her 1970s/1980s lovely retro china for the retro tea party. At least we can now serve at least 12 people at a time, and still have time to wash up (and you can even have a pot of tea with a delicious slice of home made cake.)

Still on the hunt for things to make it more in style so if you can help out, please contact me.

In the meantime planning how to exhibit art pieces as well as photography, and need to turn garage into den of iniquity or something like that - need to paint some panels and get some lighting to make it suitably atmostpheric!

Delighted that my piano student Daniel was concerned to know that piano teaching is my job but art is my hobby. Explained that as far as I was concerned I was an artist- so making music and art is on the same continuum (didn't use that word, I promise!) and if I sell art I'm a professional just like I am a musician!

What do you think? Is it what you make money from or what you do that defines you? Do let me know your thoughts!

And finally... as they say...

welcome to our first follower, who goes way back into my history! hi Ruth!

Retro teas

Good news is chocolate cake recipe has gone down a storm so definitely making a stack of them for the gallery opening! (will be trying out some more flavours etc over the next week- so come round if you want to taste test)

Started hunting down retro gear for teas. Nice to be recognised as I rummaged in charity shops in Stroud- thanks Stroud Life for the coverage- really appreciate it!

So far some teapots, a 70s  tea tray, some fabric for tablecloths and some melamine white flowery tea cups, plates etc. I REALLY want some of that orange/mustard cups etc sets that I remember so well from the 70s when I was a kid. Surely someone out there has some we can beg/borrow etc...?  Need lots more though... if everyone turns up and brings at least a couple of friends, who says they will, we'll be inundated (can't think of anything better!)

So keep telling every one about the opening, and have a rummage in your aunty's old kitchen cupboard to see if there's anything we can use to create that shabby low key slightly tacky retro feel!

Official opening exhibition

Things are hotting up for the opening.  We have decided to do teas and cakes as a bit of a fund raiser but to make it more exciting, the plan is to offer them as an installation...

What do I mean?

Well I plan to turn the caravan retro- with 1950s-1970s style crockery and tablecloths etc, hoping to have a 1970s hostess trolley... perhaps we'll be wearing clothes (or at least aprons!) in style.... doilies anyone? If you can help with lending anything suitable (melamine? teapots? old curtains?) please get in touch!

I'm hoping to create some "troglodite" dwellings as well- perhaps for this opening and definitely for the SHAPE postcard art party on 6th October!  Old big tents magically changed... fairy lights, cozy corners to chill out with a glass of wine and some yummy morsel to eat, with good company! Sounds like fun (well that's the idea!)

Why just have a party when you can create art?

Looking forward to seeing you all there!

Thank you!

Lots of people are helping out to get the first show on the road. We'll be serving teas and home made cakes, to raise money to fund the gallery project, and hopefully, to donate to some local worthy causes.  So thank you to everyone for the great ideas and for offering to help out! Thanks to Cotswold Marketing Co in Cam who are working to print the posters for me, and produce the postcards for Secret Postcard Art, our October exhibition. And thank you to everyone who has offered to help with lending equipment, gazebos etc! I know there'll be lots more thank yous before we're finished!