27/12/10 - ten commandments

27/12/10 - a to do list for the year ahead. hopefully by leaving it here i'll remember to take another look in a years' time, and be able to check them all off.
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I) make more time for people that matter
I miss the studio - everyone is so busy and far away now. but that's no excuse. And I've spent years meaning to catch up with good friends from back home.


Same goes for the family - round of 'charudes', anyone?


II) make more time for art
I'm falling into the trap of working full time and practising less. Lots of ideas, just need the time.


III) enjoy work
-  whenever possible. I'm lucky to have the job I'm in, and the next few months will be stressful but invaluable.
Of course, there is lots of work that is unnecessary, boring, (and generally enemy of the anarchist) In this case, its important to 'work' on good things - writing, art, music, and so forth.


IV) ..moan less
I do moan. I'm not actually that bitter at all, I'm quite happy. I have just realised that moaning is an incredibly theraputic addiction.


V) make unholy noise
Drums and guitar - you will be my bitches!


VI) cook more
There are so many recipes on my to-do list. 2011 will mark my 1st vegan birthday (and 5th or 6th veggie, I lose count) and I have never eaten healthier, tastier, cheaper, and more interesting stuff. 


VII) get more ink
It's time to get that sleeve i've been planning for years.


VIII) go handmade
Zines zines zines - definitely want to make some big progress with these this year.


Also - clothes, accessories, and anything else. It seems the shops just serve up an increasingly samey, bland and irritating selection of 'fashionable' nonsense that makes me sad. 
My sister has also inspired this one - the science geek has some mad skillz with a sewing machine. 
Everyone should not look the same.


IX) read more
This should constantly be on everyone's to do list. No exceptions. There is so much still to learn, experience and share. Plus, this will also significantly help me to...


X) ...become more 'responsible'
Ethically, politically, environmentally, socially. Perhaps informed, or aware, or active is what I'm getting at, rather than just 'responsible'. 'Veganarchism' is definitely something to learn about more this year.


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This year I also plan to evolve into a twelve-legged octopus and take over the country with my massive sparkly tentacles. that is all!

18/11/10 zine library

Zine Library
I love zines! and librarys! so put them together, and you get something very cool. Craig Atkinson brings his Cafe Royal zine library to Preston, featuring hundreds of zines for your perusal.
Since I'm hoping to make some really nice quality art zines with Twigs and Apples, I find myself paying lots of attention to the paper and print qualities/formats (and can regularly be found salivating over a nice full bleed or unusual paper type) - so an exhibition where you can basically fondle the artworks was super indeed.

In my typically late fashion I'm only writing about this a day before it ends - it's on at the PR1 Gallery (UCLan) til 19th November and well worth a look.

Photo: Craig Atkinson
http://www.caferoyalbooks.com/890


A few favourites from the collection include:


Anthony Cudahy
 http://www.anthonycudahy.com/index.php?/illustration/unbearable/

and:

Ward Zwart
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ward_zwart/

Indexhibit
Whilst thinking about library/exhibit/archive-y things, I've always liked 'indexhibit' web layouts but only just properly looked into it. They are super simple, clean and neat, and translate the 'white wall' idea of the gallery really well into a web format.
Just found their list of participants which will probably keep me occupied for many hours: http://www.indexhibit.org/participants/

15/11/10 inspiration again

A quick blog as I rather like these paintings, but can't add to my own 'favourites' list on the work computer.
Plus, very refreshing and unusual - so worth a share. Great bleak palette, odd narratives and characters.

best ones here:

Edward Kinsella Soothing Figures

website:

http://www.edwardkinsellaillustration.com/illustration

10/11/10 findings

Gah! Need to make more work! My sketching muscles are feeling rusty. Plenty of ideas, not enough time.

In the mean time, I'd like to post some interesting recent finds (if only to note them somewhere myself for reference). One great thing about work is that there's opportunity to browse the web all day looking out for interesting artists!

The Roar, issues #1 & #2 (2008) - [ZINE]

http://www.myeyeisonfire.net/

I picked up a couple more issues of 'The Roar' at Manchester Artist Book Fair on 06/11/10. This colourful mini zine series (one A4 sheet folded) explores strange narratives and nightmareish characters, through some lovely penwork that's scribbly and neat all at once. 

The piece also folds out to a full A4 drawing on the reverse; and if you fold it a certain way inwards the sides match up and you get another 'panel' - this was a good surprise as I've had issue #3 for a while now and never realised! 

'Oops' - Chris Beckman, 2009 - [VIDEO]

This 10 minute experimental film takes a simple idea or 'motif' and creates something really unusual and beautiful. Using appropriated YouTube clips, Beckman cleverly edits short pieces of film together through 'camera drops' - that moment where everything becomes quite visually abstract due to someone dropping the camera.

When you watch it, you can imagine it's just one camera that's somehow travelling through space and time. 

 Just watch it, you'll see what I mean. (The underwater and flying bits are best!) 

Watch it here:

http://www.creativereview.co.uk/cr-blog/2010/october/oops-vimeo-awards-film-beckman#feedback

Willy Verginer [SCULPTOR]

http://www.verginer.com/eng/index.php

It's always good to be assured that traditional creative practices haven't died out in the digital age, and Verginer's sculptures are an awesome example of this. He makes life-sized figurative wood sculptures; strange silent figures all partaking in somewhat surreal stances, whether stood atop a dog(!), swimming through the floor, or just holding an uneasy gaze.

What really makes them stand out is the blocks of colour applied across the faces and body; often from the ground up or head down; they remind me of rising water or some kind of submersion, drowning or suffocating.

I love seeing evidence of the process in fine artworks too; the chipped away creases in the clothes are really great.

'Death is the only Certainty in Life'  - Sebastian E, 2009  [PUBLIC ART]

http://meetsebastian.com/index.php?seccion=1&proy=27

Simply put, this piece involves a plane flying across the sky with the message 'death is the only certainty in life' displayed across the banner. 

The dark humour in this really appeals to me - I hate how anything about 'death' is too often brushed off as being a bit overly grim/morbid/depressing - I think the only healthy attitude is to accept these things and have a cheeky sense of humour about it!

Worth reading the short bit about censorship of the project - just goes to show how daft people/organisations can be.

ps. 

Work brain says to plug work project:

'Current: An Experiment in Collecting Digital Art' - an exhibition, acquisition and public debate. The open call offers digital artists the chance to exhibit at the Harris Museum & Art Gallery (plus a fee of £1000) and possibly even be acquired for their permanent collection (monies: £10,000!)

www.current-experiment.org.uk

[All images (c) of the owner and borrowed graciously from the mentioned websites/Google Image!]

19/10/10 hello real world

Jobbishness! :)

I now work for: Folly - a Lancashire-based digital arts organisation, which "presents an artistic programme that provides creative interaction and collaboration between artists and the wider public"

I work as the Project Assistant for 'Current', a new experiment which celebrates new media art, and investigates the process of collecting such artworks into existing permanent collections. It's a 6 month position which ends with an exhibition, acquisition and debate at the Harris Museum, Preston.

 I have swapped my pencils and paper for an office and a desktop...full time dole-ing / 'government sponsored artist' for a short commute and 9-5 days. It may take me a little while to get used to sitting still all day, but my office building is a beautiful old Mill by the canal, I'm finally off the dole, and this project looks to get pretty hectic/exciting!


So, hello real world. Or....considering I'm in digital arts now....goodbye real world?


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Have a look at some Folly projects:

Love Culture (bit like facebook, but dedicated to art. I'll also be working on the Preston section)
AND Festival (latest one has just finished in Manchester. Wish I saw more of it)

NW Arts/Folly Questionnaire (go on, make yourself useful and do it. If you've read this far I presume you have nowhere better to be)

venues 08/10/10

A Short update with some new drawings to keep the blog alive! Local venue illustrations for the aforementioned 'Harvest Preston Festival' zine. (on ace manilla paper. The colour/quality has gone a bit odd and lighter on uploading, though..hm) Planning to do lots more building drawings as a break from figurative stuff!

Also working on personal website, zine collective website....and not to mention getting ready for my new job! (by getting ready, I mean catching up on exhibitions, a little bit of stress, plenty of excitement....... and probably preparing lots of sandwiches and biscuits to battle the 9-5!)

I'll be working for Folly, an arts organisation based in Lancaster, on a six month project in connection with the Harris, Preston. Definitely an exciting and lucky break after a short stint on the dole!

zines and zines 28/09/10

- Twigs and Apples issue 3 zine

I have a thing about ice cream vans and ambulances, there's a weird sort of dark humour there that I explored in my degree work and will probably continue. Structurally they're really similar, (and good to draw) but in terms of purpose......well, you wouldnt want one to turn up when you were expecting the other!

Here's a recent one, in pencil, that runs alongside a short piece of fiction by Christine Dugdale in Twigs and Apples 3 (a collaborative zine project).
This issue is published and available to buy for two shiney pounds!

-  Harvest Preston festival zine
Also have been busying myself with the Harvest Preston Festival zine - a twigs and apples publication for a Preston based creative festival of sorts.
It happened over the weekend, so a little late to document it now, but this blog is here to archive such stuff.
Ups and downs to the festival.....Ups mostly including:

- Pine Barrens (ace fast noisy noise!),
- Mystery Tea House ('chai funk'. good good!)
- Bill Orrick (like a mini Jeff Buckley)
- Crafy Creations of Carriemariah (buttons and crafty things from a fellow twigs and apples-er!)

30/08/10 mothman vs zombies

So, I planned to update this blog frequently, say once a week or so, but that's already fallen through (as expected) as I seem to have been too busy doing things rather than remembering to blog/archive them!

It's been a busy month with graduation and house movings, and my productivity has fluctuated massively, but the main project of late has been a contribution for the Liverpool 2010 Biennial.

It's a short comic book piece for Tony Knox's 'Mothman' project; I was asked to do a story about zombies taking over Liverpool, and the Mothman's failed attempts at heroism.

Here's the first two (of four) pages. The full comic will be available, for free, at selected galleries and shops across Liverpool during the festival, and it contains contributions from about 4 other artists/art groups, too.

Parts of it were really fun to do, but it was odd attempting a comic book format and having to work a clear narrative into the images.

I also think i need to take a break from zombie type drawings; as fun as they are its all i seem to get asked for...time for something a little less grim!

Next up... Twigs and Apples Issue 3, and hopefully some solo zine/card stuff.

11/07/10 the international 3

A few photos from the International 3 exhibition 'How it All Worked Out', which opened on Friday night. A group show featuring emerging artists from UCLAN (my uni), Manchester Met and Salford Uni. 
Was a good opening, very busy, and I sold three pieces on the night. That's my first proper sale, and it feels good! Always a little sad to see work I like go, but that's totally overidden by how awesome it is to have someone give them a new loving home.
I was really chuffed to be picked for this, many thanks to awesome curators Laurence and Paulette!

As soon as I sort out my life (i.e. a home and a job) I hope to make some lovely fresh new art and get posting. 

01/07/10 twigs and apples

No new work as such to post yet (apparantly in the real world you need to look for houses and jobs and the like) but a little about a group project of mine: the 'Twigs and Apples Publishing' collective!

http://twigsandapples.blogspot.com/

As an open collective, the content ranges from art, illustration, politics, film, culture, rants, sports writing, vegan recipes and more! We're always interested in contributions (and distributors).

We started last year and have two awesome issues printed; a 120 brick of a first issue (sold out, but available to flick through online at http://twigsandapples.blogspot.com/) and a slightly more sensibly-sized 60 page second issue, out now (£2.00, how very very reasonable).

In addition to the main zine 'Twigs and Apples', our collective members and contributors have plenty of ideas for side projects, so we've set up as a publishing collective to get lots of stuff out there under the Twigs & Apples name!

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Now; to find out how to find more followers and followees(?) so that this is more means of communication/networking and less of a diary!

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Oh, & off to Manchester tomorrow to hand in work for a show at International 3 Gallery :) ('How it All Worked Out' 10th Jul - 30th Jul). awesome!

25/06/10 part II (dead birds & good tunes)

Same day, different topic post. Wanted to blog two bands I enjoyed live recently (Ear Whacks #10 at the Continental, Preston).


Winters in Osaka: http://www.myspace.com/wintersinosaka1
(brain-pleasing sound-scape textures/noise. I need to find out how to make stuff like this)


and; Al-Thawra: http://www.myspace.com/althawra
(loud anarcho punk type stuff, who can strum so fast their hands cannot be percieved by human eyes..)


Got no pictures of said bands; instead have posted a nice/grim picture of a dead bird I saw on my (last ever) trip home from the studio. (a trip which takes about a minute - aah student living). RIP bird dude.

25/06/10 BA (Hons)

Got my degree results (first class) and an offer to show my work in a Manchester gallery (International 3) in the space of two days. Good times! Here's some pictures of said work:

(untitled degree show piece, 70 cards, mixed media, on themes of Absurdist philosophy, existential consciousness and anti-theism)


Unfortunately, 5 pieces were stolen during the degree show, so I'll have to remake them. Can't get my head around someone being so disrespectful, but I guess if anything its weirdly flattering. After all, I wanted them to be tactile and desirable..


Hopefully going to build a proper website and figure out this blogging deal (would help to get some followers? ha) within the next couple of weeks. Time to be a real 'person'...or a real 'artist' at least! 

hello

obligatory first hello/welcome post!
I'm Steph, artist/'existence detective' - just graduated BA Fine Art (time will tell what grade..)
I shall be filling this space with drawings, photos, zine stuff, links, and whatever else may tickle my fancy. I have a feeling this blogging malarkey will turn into an addiction, or be forgotten about in a matter of weeks.