Imprinted, St Albans Museum and gallery, 24th Nov till 3rd feb

Everything is Kept

Delighted that one of my 'time pieces', Holding Still 2017, is currently inhabiting one of the Keepers Galleries at St Albans Museum and Gallery.  It's part of the Imprinted exhibition with Suman Gujral, curated by UHArts, University of Hertfordshire's arts and cultural programme.

We'll both be talking about our work in the gallery at a meet-the-artists event on 9th December, between 3.00 and 4.00 - all welcome - no need to book.

My piece includes twelve of my paintings, twelve pockets of the now dried flowers seen in the paintings, and the twelve vases that are featured in the paintings - all given to me or purchased from craft stalls or second hand shops throughout my life. The paintings were made one per month on the day that I picked the flowers.  I made the paintings over a few hours, never allowing myself to go back to them once the day was finished.  They are in second hand frames that I repurposed to fit the paintings. The vases in this show were all made by other people and I hope I remember to acknowledge them where I can.  This seems a good place to start:

Here are the credits for the vases:

(From top, left to right)

January: Tintagel Pottery, 1984
February: Lisbeth de la Cour, 2003
March: Lisbeth de la Cour, 2005

April: Denby, 1930

May: Ford and Sons, Derby pattern, Burslam, 1900
June: Trident Pottery, 2007

July: Unknown origin and date

August: Stuart Crystal Vase in Cascade Fuchsia Pattern, 1999
September: Unknown origin and date

October: Kinska, London, 2013

November: Jean Knowles, Norfolk, 2004

December: Wileman bone china c1840 - 1900

The frames also had previous lives and were reclaimed from family and friends' pictures and from second hand shops.  I now have a range of prints, paintings, drawings and embroideries, emptied from their frames - they are kept carefully and I'd like to find a way of showing them one day too. 

You can find out a bit more about this piece here.

11th October 2016

Solo show this month at Artistsmeet in Rickmansworth.  Visual diary made over the past five years including books, animations, pictures and prints.Open evening tomorrow (12th October) from 5.30 - 7.00 followed by bookmaking workshop. Childrens drop-in workshop on Tuesday 25th: 12.00 - 2.00

Thursday 31st December 2015

So goodbye 2015. I've just finished my lines - started on the 1st January - one for each day of the year on a small piece of paper. Here's the process, started in my old studio at Fenners, and finished in my new studio at the Forge:

4th August 2015

Moved into my new studio a couple of days ago, happily still with Digswell Arts but now closer to home.

Keeping it very empty with no furniture - just four white walls and some windows above.  Here is a bit of work in progress:

David Batchelor

Went to the Whitechapel gallery the other day as I was nearby and was hoping to catch 'Adventures of the Black Square' again but it had finished.  So looked at David Batchelor's photographs of rectangles found in cities instead.  I liked the documented real slides on a large rectangular light box, particularly the way they were arranged in a symmetrical pattern, presumably because there weren't quite enough to fill the rectangle completely.  Found myself counting them and couldn't help noticing that there was a mistake in the way they were laid out - was tempted to surreptitiously slide two into what I think would have been a better order but luckily I stopped myself as I enjoy going there and I'd like not to be banned.

Here is David Batchelor talking about the show: