Category: Exhibitions

Art trail time again

Art, Exhibitions, Studio practices, Uncategorized

I am yet again taking part in the annual Chichester Art Trail. I am right on the outer limits of what is a very large trail so tend to get fewer visitors than those venues clustered together in Chichester. I open my working studio to the public and unpack all my stored paintings to turn our house into a temporary gallery. Its a huge amount of work so I am glad to see visitors. This year my messy studio has the honour of featuring on the trail guide cover and the poster below.  More details can be found on the  trail website: http://www.chichesterarttrail.org

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Starting with a cold engine

Exhibitions, Uncategorized

I haven’t posted here for ages. I finished the Marathon that was ” The Mavis Diary” book illustrations, then Christmas and New year – the result I haven’t touched a paintbrush for months. I always find starting from a cold dead stop really hard. I think I need to do some serious messing and sloshing paint around not worrying too much about the result until I get creatively warmed up again. In the meantime I have some paintings of Hotham Park where I am Artist in Residence in a mixed exhibition at The Oxmarket Centre of Arts in Chichester until Feb. 12 2017.

alkyd oils on natural linen canvas, 70x70cm

Hanging day

Exhibitions

In my last post I mentioned the difficult job of hanging my paintings in a space without walls. They will be suspended from hooks in curved beams. What can possibly go wrong? I have put long strings from D rings only fastening one end so that the height can be adjusted in situ. I have tested how they hang by suspending one from  a bedroom curtain rail. An additional complication is that the cafe does not have car access so we will  unload onto two flatbed pull along trollies at the entrance  carpark. This brings back memories of dragging a cart of wooden bricks along as a child. Down the main path, past the clock tower and boating pond then round the corner to the cafe where we will have access at 5pm. Then for an hour and a half all mayhem will break loose to get everything in place by 6.30 and attempt to look as though I have just stepped out of bath, rather than been dragged through a hedge backwards, to greet guests and the Mayor. No worries really!! Photos of the event will follow.

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Nightmare hanging

Exhibitions

Don’t get me wrong I am not about to put a noose around my neck but I do have a problem with hanging of an exhibition in Hotham park cafe on October 24. I am delighted that Arun District Council have arranged with the cafe for me to have a one night exhibition to showcase the work I am doing as Artist in Residence for the Park. Whats not to like? Well I have exactly one and a half hours to get the show up before various dignitaries start to arrive and the cafe reopens. “It can’t be too difficult to put a few paintings up.” I hear you  say ….weeeell yes, fine if you have a wall with hanging fittings, but I will be hanging them from hooks in the beams holding the cafe roof up. Again not too hard, except that the beams are curved with one end about 15 inches higher than the other.  Entails hanging each picture with a difffernt length string to get them level. After much agonising I have devised  a system which I THINK will work, the trouble being there will be no practise run! The whole thing will have to go like a military operation (and we know what can happen with those!), if I am not to be up a ladder looking hot and bothered when the Mayor arrives.  Wish me luck with that one!