Friday 27 January 2012

Things popping up




Things have gotten busy.
Firstly, I forgot to mention all the hard work that Alex (Pearl) put in to get Caddington up and running. He lovingly painted the trompe l'oeil around the door of which I am particularly proud.

Last week's review of (NTWB) Telling: Caddington Hall was a fantastic surprise. As usual, I was expecting to have to get a magnifying glass out to find it but I was absolutely stunned to see it take up 3/4 of a page. So stunned in fact that I immediately shut the paper without reading and got out the cafetiere to arm me with my usual caffeine intake before doing anything else. In reading, I appreciated its careful and beautifully written prose. I have already thanked Zoe Pilger for this fantastic opportunity to get a review in the National Press.

Onto other things. I am currently working on some pieces for a presentation to be hosted at the University of London at the end of February and I am in need of getting the text ready asap, so that it makes some kind of opaque sense to me. Maybe tomorrow.

I am still waiting for Liz's story and the glass for new work as well as hearing back about the filming. The film is going ahead, I just don't know when and where.

Next week is the last week and chance to catch Caddington Hall and the works at a la ronde and then (NTWB) Telling will be over.

I have a couple of other talks/lectures to prepare for too as February has suddenly filled up with lots of new and exciting opportunities. I am also teaching for the first time at West Dean College in the half term and I am particularly interested in looking more at the fascinating contents of the house after I stayed over last weekend for a tutor seminar. I will be part of a 'paper' week, so we will have to see how that maps out. I am expecting it to be pretty intense but I am looking forward to the new teaching challenge.

I am continuing to work on my new Empire works, but this appears to be sporadic at best with all of these other things popping up.

Thursday 19 January 2012

Piddling on the topiary and tippexed eyebrows (Now that would be) telling


So (NTWB) Telling: Caddington Hall PV went well. It was pleasantly busy from around 5.30pm starting with a visit from the next door neighbours of the gallery space who brought along their charming rescue dog who I instantly fell in love with. One moments panic was when the dog particularly looked keen to cock his leg up to urinate over the topiary but thanks to the eagle eyed owners of the beautiful hound, all was saved.

A while before I had arrived at the space to mop floors and tidy but Cathy had pre-empted this chore as she explained that someone from the Independent was paying a visit to chat about the show and look at the work. This, as promised happened and I was introduced to the lovely Zoe Pilger, who I later found out to be studying for her Phd at Goldsmiths on Romance; so this show was of particular interest to her of course. I saw her return later to be part of the PV, which was very nice indeed.

Many guests travelled from near and wide and I was flattered that so many of them had turned out on such a dark, chilly night but it all added to the fun and I met several people that I had only known previously through the internet, a nice addition. I found myself at one point particularly attracted to Paul Kindersley's eyebrows which he promised were not painted with Tippex as I has previously thought but instead were safely embellished with left over makeup from friends that had historically stayed over at his flat. What a relief!

So all was well, my tunes from love story, romantic harp ensembles, Klaus Nomi and Barry White entertained us through the evening and the candles that burnt so brightly were so efficient there wasn't even a drip spilled as we had hoped. I was impressed by the question posed by Cathy Lomax. Just where did all that wax go then?

Onto other news. I have been approached by a film company this week to make a film about me and my work (more on that at a later date) and I have arranged for some more hand made convex glass to be made. I have been writing all this week on and off which has swallowed up a lot of my time but I will be keen to get back to things properly very soon.

And so I wait nervously to see the review in the Independent tomorrow, maybe I will get my new pencils out in anticipation?

Thursday 12 January 2012

In my head


Tomorrow I head to London for the PV of NTWBT Caddington Hall at Transition Gallery
http://transitiongallery.co.uk/htmlpages/telling.html
Firstly I hope to catch a couple of shows before I head over to tweak, polish and mop. I am eternally grateful to Catherine and Alex Pearl for helping me out last week otherwise the preparation would still be happening. I hope people can come as there are a lot of things out there opening on that night and it will probably mean another trip up soon to catch the things I miss.

New work is accumulating again, which is good but a practical nightmare. I have currently in my small home studio the work from the four past shows until I can get to Wysing to drop it all off and reassemble the disorder. So, it is here, in cramped conditions (a slight understatement) that I am attempting to write and work on new ideas which are centred around drawing, watercolours and small experimental collages.

I am planning to contact a man in Worcester about making more glass for me as the obsessive nature of my personality wants more.

The story for my film project is growing nicely with Liz sending me a rough synopsis earlier this week. I hope the process isnt too painful for her as I am really excited about it all so far. Until I get it in its completeness I am unable to visualise how I will attempt to direct it, but I cant wait until I do as it should be great fun!

I am experimenting with sound again, which will be part of the empire project and I have spent many hours working things out in my head. I should also be starting work for a travelling show in May in the next week or so, the images are not yet there but the materials are, so it will mean more experimental stuff to play with.

It was nice to hear this week that Ceri Hand Gallery will be showing some of my work from her inaugural show in a vitrine at what will be the last show at her gallery in Liverpool. Very sad news for Liverpool indeed, but exciting for the artists she represents and for the future of the gallery. I wish her well with everything and in a really selfish way I am quite pleased as it means that I will be able to get see more on the shows on a regular basis. I would have loved to have been at the PV tonight but with the opening of CH tomorrow night, this will be impossible. If you get the chance, see Henny Acloques show there 'Lugar De culto', which runs until 25th Feb http://cerihand.co.uk/

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