My blog has moved...

I've finally got round to merging my 2 blogs into one new one - so from now on I shall be posting here Just got to sort networked blogs, link from website etc......

More small stuff...

Today I have been really, really good and have continued scanning and framing smaller works as part of my aim to have all my work logged and documented by the end of the year.

Selections...

Have spent all day sorting out a selection of 'activity' (Year One) and I.D's to print out for applications present and future. Have over a 100 of each and hoping at some point to do installation shots but my studio isn't suitable (and 'activity won't be finished for another 4 months) so decided I needed an interim solution.....

Small stuff

That time of year again...

Jerwood Drawing Prize time again. I've sorted out my drawings (marked and manipulated paper, shadow drawing and residual mark) early this year and kept it small because my sister is submitting and picking up my work in Edinburgh (Thanks Jenny). Normally it is a real chore because the nearest collection point is Liverpool which involves hours travelling to and fro (twice). As I've had an easy time of it this year I may hire a van next year and submit large drawings? Not sure because they return unwrapped and so will also need frames and packing case which makes it very expensive. I might see if other Derby/ Nottingham artists want me to submit their work at the same time (fill the van!) which would cut the cost down... something to think about.

A stitch in time - best laid plans !

On October 15th 2009 I started tracking my daily activity on the computer (using a graphics tablet/ pen and paper and carbon). Every day I tape a new piece of A6 paper/ carbon to the tablet and the just use the computer to do whatever I need to do - the carbon transfers the marks to the paper and I have a 'drawing' of that days activity. Year one of the 'activity' series is now almost half way through and I needed to start thinking about presentation. They have been stored chronologically in cellophane packets a week at a time - and look great just pinned to the wall (maybe Year 2 using transparent/ translucent paper??). However, I really wanted to present them in a way which potentially showed all 365 drawings. The carbon paper reveals the negative mark but is clearer when held up to the light so I considered joining them (one set positive/ 1 set negative) so they could be hung/ folded in a variety of ways depending on the space they were shown in, allowing for a light source.... After much testing I decided to laminate them and join with stitches (24 stitches/ 60cm thread ) so they became like a giant concertina book which could be opened/ closed/ hung etc. in a variety of ways. I did my my tests with blank paper/ carbon and all seemed fine but when I started to laminate I realised the carbon paper doesn't like heat and the marks almost disappeared! So now I shall go ahead as planned with the transfer drawings but have to rethink what I'm going to do with the carbon.....

On my wish list!

Although my own work tends to be low tech (pencil and paper) and I love writing by hand (preferably with a flex fountain pen) I'm also a bit of a gadget girl and have been searching for a long while for some way of keeping a digital sketch book. Since my original psion and through zodiacs, palms and currently smartphone nothing has done everything I want and in particular nothing has come close to replacing my paper notebooks/ sketchbooks. So I currently have lots of things on my computer (weblinks/ photos/ online stuff), a pile of notebooks and no way of effectively combining the two. Thought the i-pad might work but no stylus so no good! (you can get a third party stylus but as the i pad hasn't been designed with it in mind it has limited use) I need to be able to take handwritten notes, do quick sketches and insert anything I want from the web. Microsoft's courier above looks perfect. More info here. Not sure when it will be released (rumours of late 2010) or how much it will cost but it is definitely no. 1 on my wish list. I want one!!

Il Lee - ballpoint drawings

BL-092, 2007, ballpoint pen on paper, 65 x 51.5 inches. Courtesy of artist and Art Projects International, New York

Really interesting item from the Drawing Center here about some fascinating ballpoint drawings by Il Lee. Caught my eye because one of the things I've been thinking about a lot is the universal experience of drawing and the resulting audience understanding of the physical activity inherent in making a drawing (and because I love drawing with ballpoint pens!)

134 I.D.'S scanned

Have finally scanned all 134 i.d. cards - now about the same number of activity drawings...From now on I'm going to try to do a bit more regularly so I don't have to spend hours slaving over the scanner!

Documentation, presentation and animation

Had a really busy time lately - although I haven't actually made as much work as I would have liked. Have been doing all the other artist 'stuff'and spending far too much time on the computer (activity, 15.03.2010 above) but think I've cracked .pngs now!
A meeting with Derby Musem about my solo there at the end of 2011 last week(and looks as if I may be showing some work at deda at the same time?) has led to lots of research into presenting work - I want to show my manipulated papers in a perspex circle (similar to a very large petri dish) but looking unlikely as the cheapest quote so far is £500 each, so I think a bit of lateral thinking is needed! The exhibition also marks a decade of exclusivly drawing for me - so lots of ideas for events/ talks to coincide with Big Draw which takes place at the same time my exhibition is on.
The 6 week animation course I've been attending at Quad finished last week and I have so many ideas which need sorting/ exploring and lots of software learning still to do. Have an initial idea which is really simple but now achievable so that's going to be the first step.
Before I do that I need to work out how to use my new camera and do some documentation of my large drawings. This may take some time as I seem to have a mental block where cameras are concerned and unfortunately relying on Auto wont be good enough. I've decided I need to make this a priority though - so I am going to stop making excuses and get on with it over the next few weeks (months?)and make lots of notes as I go along.....

First month 2010, first drawing 2010

Despite a lot of external factors which have prevented me getting into my studio during January - I have managed to finish my first drawing of 2010. Alongside my 'touch' drawings I am also exploring residual marks - unconcious/random, vs. conscious/ intentional. Lots to think about, lots to do....

Testing, testing, testing....

test1
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drawing residues 2007 - 2009

Negative Activity

Busy day at the computer - 31.09.09

Activity (Computer 31.09.09)

End of the line in Bristol - and Drawing Dialogue Debates?

Just back from Bristol - visiting 'The End Of The Line: Attitudes in Drawing' exhibition at the City Museum and Art Gallery. (Image above by Mark Brandenburg) - stayed on for the Drawing Debate last night. Particularly wanted to stay for the debate because it's something I am considering initiating as an extension of my Drawing Dialogues idea - but in a public arena. Occasional discussions - where a small panel of artists give a short presentation of their drawing practice and then a discussion/ debate is provoked. Each session would have artists who employ drawing in a different way - from exclusively drawing-based practice to sketching ideas in preparation for executing in a different media and everything in between. I particularly want to aim it at other artists and it will have no references at all to business models, self-promotion, creative engagement, accessibility or money - it will just be about discussing ideas around drawing. Not sure what, when, how or who yet - but part of my current 'if you want something and it doesn't exist, stop moaning and sort it out yourself' frame of mind. Watch this space - but don't hold your breath, could be a long term thing...

Dimensions Variable

Started to run out of wall space for my i.d. cards - at least if I wanted to hang chronologically - so I've transferred to a drawing board. In the studio I'm going to display ('uncut') to match size/ proportions of my current large drawings but the aim is for them to be really flexible and this has led refocused my thoughts about display/ presentation, selection/ curation and audience/ encounter and how one can affect the others.

Perspex plinths

Perspex plinths finally arrived. Want to use them for residues of drawings - test tubes/ bottles and pencil shavings (above) but also going to leave ongoing marks from handling the plinth itself on the surface. Might enhance with finger print powder and/ or etch on the surface too?

Deliveries, delays and drawing dialogues

Very excited today as my silverpoint supplies were delivered. Not sure how large I'm going to go - still have a lot of experimenting to do - but think the subtlety of mark will be really interesting. All the research I've done so far says how long drawings take using silverpoint - but can't believe it takes any longer than drawing with ballpoint pen!
I realised last week that I had completely underestimated the time it would take to finish my two aliminium panel pieces and have revised to end of October at the earliest. Actually not that suprising when I checked back - I expect them each to take at least 350 hours each and I didn't start them until April. Still on target for 4 large drawings this year so all good. Feeling very chilled and positive after a bit of a wobble.

Looks as if 'Drawing Dialogues' (see previous post) is all set for first meeting at end of September. I'm setting first text and have decided on 'Museum of Touch' by Susan Stewart - have Lesley Bricknell to thank for this (link to her blog 'Surfacing Art Journal' on right). Came across it on one of her posts - and title fitted perfectly into my thoughts on presentation, encounter and other issues of 'to frame or not to frame'. Still haven't read properly but that is the whole point of 'Drawing Dialogues' isn't it?

The Reading Room revisited

I've been trying for a while to organise my reading - without much success!! Have a stack of books I want to read, but never seem to find the time to actually read them. If I do start reading, I then get distracted by my own thoughts and go off on a tangent. Still haven't got past the title of Deleuze's 'Difference and Repetition'! One of the things I found really useful about my M.A. was that deadlines etc. were imposed for reading/ writing and dialogue. Have been talking with a few people about organising some sort of regular meetings to discuss our work, particularly in relation to drawing but it hasn't really got anywhere yet. Recently came across a website about Hinterland, a group in Nottingham and part of their programme is The Reading Room which seemed such a simple, but brilliant idea - a text is selected and each member of the group receives a copy to read before meeting to discuss. Of course, reading groups have been around for a while - but for some reason I had always related to literature rather than art. Seems to me it would be really good to set up a small group, where each member takes it in turn to select a text or writing which has some relevance to their current work and use this as the basis for discussion about the text and the work? It would mean access to a variety of reading material and provide a structured basis for dialogue about the work itself?