Feedback

Great to see some stuff up and get some really positive feedback on the work in general. Lovely week so far.

Preview of work

Everything is changing in the Artspace as we prepare for a preview of work next week. Monday to Friday 25th-29th of March the studio is opening its doors in a slightly more formal manner than usual to share the work with staff from the council and visitors to the reserve -hopefully giving a fresh perspective on the residency. Finished work is gradually emerging from the flux. I'm also showing work that is still settling -still in progress. I've compiled a book of thumbnails for perusal. I've been using it over the past months to browse and find images. It's a nice change from staring at a screen. I'm interested to see how many people will want to see the process and the background to the ideas. Will it only be about the finished pieces? I'll know better by next weekend...

Behind the bubble wrap

Under the layers of bubble wrap lurks an amazing creature. I had the privilege of investigating further with my camera and am quite excited with some of the results. I will be revealing the contents of this very large parcel and more of the work I have created during a preview of some of the residency work in a couple of weeks' time. Watch this space for updates....

Sunprint

Recent sunny days have been favourable for making cyanotypes. The process has been working really well on cloth and some of the papers as well. The image shows some of them hanging up to dry. I have applied some of the same images that I was using for cyanotypes to screenprinting on a course in Belfast Print Workshops at the weekend and that was very productive and exciting. I've laid them out in lines on blank newsprint and they are stretching across the Artspace floor. It makes me determined to produce some kind of book from this residency experience that can encapsulate my recurring obsessions. I have an amazing little 19th century photo album on loan from the Museum and have been looking at the format and binding and trying to figure out how to apply that format to my work or vice versa. Everything seems to be coming back to one of the original inspirations for the residency -Anna Atkins, who created the first photographic book using cyanotypes.
Can I put something together from the host of images I have been gathering...? I hope so.

Craigavon Arts in Motion launch

Last Saturday I took part in 'Craigavon Arts in Motion' launch event in The Community Hub in Brownlow. I participated to promote the Artist in residence scheme and the Artspace. It was a great day, well attended and the public were very interested in the Artspace. I had some lovely conversations about art and painting specifically and the challenges facing artists making work in todays economic climate. The importance of organisations such as Craigavon Borough Council Arts Development in supporting the arts cannot be over stated. A number of artists took part in Saturdays event showcasing their talents and offering a drop in art or craft experience. There were also performances by local dance and choir groups.