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.