Blog 39

I have been using fishing wire to hang some of my paper works and it occurred to me what would this material be like to knit and crochet with? So I have been slowly knitting with fishing wire as a tester to see it's potential. And what a wonderful, if slightly tricky, new material / object it becomes. I like the play on light, in fact a very important component to the piece, and it's sculptural tendencies. It has an invisibility, and with the right factors can play tricks with your eyes. I like the act of knitting, something I can pick up and put down. It's a flexible making process, at least at this scale...

I've been thinking, wouldn't it be a great to link up with an artist who works with light or sound and see what creations we could produce?

I'm trying to work out what is the connection to the knitting compared to other works that I make - is this a red herring or a creative side track to something else? But I can see connections between the fishing wire knitting and my mud drawings, pen and ink works and bubble paintings of the past.

Mud Drawing

Pen and Ink Drawing - detail

Bubble Painting

I want to continue making my paper yarn out of dress - making pattern paper, collecting the colours of the paper together ready to cut into strips. I found a complete paper kit for a dressing gown and cut it out as a template liking the shapes that it formed and the markings (directions) on the paper.

It then got me thinking and I decided to deconstruct a man's white shirt which I purchased at our local charity shop. It's about the shapes that the unpicking of the shirt forms and I particularly like the holes left visible where the cotton stitching once was, a neat uniformed line, a trace. 

I like the shapes of the cuffs with the slit of the button hole at one end and the puckered mark where the button once sat, and the thick part of the rectangle where there is extra material for reinforcement and the thin part where there is no reinforcement, it's parallel partner. The cuffs in particular are very like canvases. 

And I like the cotton thread that I have pulled out of the shirt, all curly and 'wiggly', a 3 dimensional line drawing. I would like to unpick the fishing wire once it is knitted to capture all it's kinks and curls, the visual of it's first making process.

I am on the look out for a second - hand sewing machine so I can stitch (and unstitch) into paper...

Taking reference from the work I saw in Edinburgh recently of David Batchelor's sculptural drawings, I have been trying to draw the 3 dimensional work that I make, but I am struggling with this, it is not something I find easy. To pursue, or not to pursue? I guess I should.

Stephen Hurrel who I worked with last year on my solo show has edited a version of the film that we presented in the gallery - I have put a link to it at the bottom of this blog. Having played the film a few times there is a real sense of calm which perhaps I am not quite feeling at the moment? The simplicity of the work I produced and presented last year makes what I am doing at the moment seem cluttered, too busy - perhaps I am going off at a tangent? Sometimes this is necessary in order to work things out. Often unexpected surprises occur which can inform your current work or help you decide what you should do next. Sometimes it is just a happy detournement! 

Next week I head off to Amsterdam to set up for a show with the group Plastic Propaganda. There is so much to be done besides the work that the viewer sees in the gallery space. From packing up the artwork securly in crates (made for me especially, thank you), to sourcing couriers to deliver it, arranging insurances, flights, accommodation, labelling and costing the artwork, providing information for catalogues, updating website etc. The list goes on... It is all part of the bigger picture of exhibiting your artwork and these last few weeks particularly have left less time for practical making.

I am looking forward to meeting the team at Plastic Propaganda and I love the process of installing artwork for show. For me it is still part of the creative process, the act of making, and the work can take on a new nuance and come alive in it's new setting. 

Here is the link to film that I made with Stephen Hurrel http://vimeo.com/67584892

Blog 38

I have just come back from a very useful research trip to the east coast of Scotland stopping at Edinburgh and Dundee to visit some galleries, take part in a professional development course and review a collection of artists' books. It was very worthwhile and my head is buzzing with ideas, thoughts, reflections.

Living on an rural island to staying in a city was an explosion to the senses, the noise, the smells, the traffic, the people, and I walked everywhere, through different districts, shopping malls, housing estates, green spaces, grand buildings. It was brilliant, although by the end of the trip I did relish the return to the island.

I've had a conversation recently regarding my location and to what effect it has on my work. At home there are few distractions, a place to concentrate on the job at hand. Visiting the city like that allows a brief intense period of focus. It was really good to be in galleries looking at the artwork on display with a fresh pair of eyes and mind and it will be interesting to see how I respond to this experience over the next few weeks and coming months.

The course I went on was about making applications and proposals. We were a broad group of creatives ranging from architects, film-makers, artists and designers and this meant the information given couldn't be too specific which was disappointing. What the course did do was ask me some fundamental and thought provoking questions about my practice, some of which personally, I found difficult to answer or am uncomfortable with.

Some galleries I couldn't find, some galleries were shut or 'between shows', some galleries didn't appeal and some galleries were an unexpected surprise.

David Batchelor 'Flatlands' at the Fruitmarket Gallery in Edinburgh was a revelation. He is primarily known for his sculptures but for this show he presented 2 dimensional work and drawings about sculpture. Here was his ideas for sculpture, as well as drawings of sculptural work unrealised or complete, often using these drawings as instructions for installation.

It was his process of creating which excited me the most and he works in series over long periods of time, 10 -15 years sometimes.

Famous for working with colour he has written a number of books on the subject of colour and the monochrome. One of his books in particular is now on my wish list, 'Chromophobia'. Because I always work with black and white I have been curious for a long while as to why that is, maybe his text might enlighten me?

At the Ingleby Gallery in Edinburgh was Garry Fabian Millar 'The Middle Place', a series of 40 photographs taken over a period of time of one place, at a fixed point with the lens. Every image was slightly different, but only ever so, and I could pick out some favourites. Each image was presented in a white frame for group continuity. I actually found the choice of display a little boring. It seems that anything as a series is either pinned to the wall, or put in a frame of equal size, style and colour. What about juggling things up a bit, ever so slightly, to create a slight blip, to break the monotony up, a little bit, yet still as a continuum?

In complete contrast was Summerhall, a creative arts hub in Edinburgh. One of their exhibitions called 'Phenotype Genotype (PhG)' has on display a collection of artworks from Summerhall's scientific past, illustrating the avant garde from dada, surrealism, arte povera, conceptual art, minimalism, pop art and the YBAs. Presented in old fashioned glass cabinets, it was a mass of the ephemeral. What struck me the most was how dated a lot of the work looked and it has made me now wonder how dated will my work look in years to come? There is looking dated as in 'a classic' (good) to looking dated as in 'naff' (bad)? I feel concerned.

In Dundee I had the pleasure of visiting the Centre for Artists' Books in the Visual Research Centre housed at Dundee Contemporary Arts Centre. With a collection of over 1300 books it enabled me a flavour of what an artists' book is or could be. It appears that generally an artists' book may contain handwriting and hand drawn imagery but is then printed by machine for publication. To connect with the viewer more personally a number of books were signed by the artist, with an original signature, and many books were limited editions. Hand crafted books appear to be a slightly different scenario and I think I prefer the sense of the handmade as opposed to the 'catalogue', hardback style design. It has certainly got me wondering as to how could I create books within my practice? I will have to try out some test samples. I think another step would be to visit an artist's book fair and see what is currently being produced, on the market right now, and what sort of prices they are.

This blog is just a sample of what I have seen, done and thought about during the last week. It has been so worthwhile, a success, and there is so much more. Being part of the wider art scene whilst living on an island can be difficult. The computer and social networking has to be key to my connection with the wider creative community but I love where I live and it is key to my daily existence. I have just joined Twitter but have yet to gain confidence in regular twittering. I have a small number of connections on LinkedIn and many friends on Facebook. 'Collaboration' was the buzz word on the applications and proposals course. Too much networking though means less time for creating and I need time for making. It's about getting the balance right.

And there is so much making to do.

Blog 37

I am piercing paper again in force developing a series of small drawings testing out blocks of pierced paper verses flat spaces, looking at how the edge of the paper curls when it is pierced, liking the rough and smooth textures of the flat and the raised surfaces, looking at relationships between each drawing.

Working small, postcard size, is a good template to test out ideas. I would like to create a series of large scale works for exhibition.

I have kept my weekly newspapers and magazines and used this wastepaper for pierced paper ideas, looking at patterns and shapes, formats.

And I have been folding sheets of paper together and stitching them together, a sort of book, but still a sheet of paper.

Larger Scale Work in Progress

I have purchased a mini starter pack of 20 watercolour paper sheets from Ken Bromley Art Supplies to see how the piercing process performs on different specifications of paper. It might be the case of simply changing the specification of paper that I use that could make all the difference. I actually like the exercise of piercing 20 sheets of paper, all in the same way, all to the same process, and I am getting different results.

In July I will be exhibiting in a show with the group Plastic Propaganda. We will be in Amsterdam, my premier showing outside the UK. I have been looking at ways to present my pierced drawings and getting costings for different framing solutions. In the ideal world I would like to present my works as they are, without any constraints at all, a piece of paper, as is, but that is not always possible, so I need to find hanging solutions that are as minimal as possible.

Plus it is so costly to have work framed and prepared externally for showing. Along with courier services, transporting artworks abroad, getting to the venue myself, accommodation. The £££ keep rising for this show.

Artist Karla Black suspends coloured paper in a space using thread or ribbon. I have tested out clear plastic fishing wire. In certain light you cannot see it. The paper looks like it is suspended, there, in the space, on it's own. Fishing wire as a material in itself is interesting. If it has a kink in it, you cannot straighten it out, the curl remains there. I have been thinking, how about crocheting with the fishing wire and then unpicking it, capturing all the kinks and curls. That would go well with my dress making paper yarn that I am making.

Next week I head to Edinburgh and Dundee. I am on course to learn more about making applications and writing proposals. I have also made enquiries to view a collection of artists' books at the Visual Research Centre in Dundee.

Reading, research and theory all play an important part in my practice. Is there a way to disseminate this thinking to my audience that can be stimulating, thought provoking and interesting? Where do books as an object and subject fit into my practice?

I have just been interviewed to discuss my solo show and project that I completed at An Tobar Art Centre this last year and I have caught up with an artist whom I haven't spoken with for the last 4 years. They were asking some important questions. The books that I read and talk about in my blog, the place where I now live, and the physical and the intangible costs to my work and practice, what influences are they having, if any, on my work?

I am busy.

Blog 36

In my ever de-cluttering mode I have been looking at my notebooks from the last two years and wondering if I should get rid of them. They are full of handwritten one liners, newspaper and magazine clippings, sticky post-it notes and paraphernalia. Have they been useful? Yes, as I realised when I looked back at them.

I am about to do an interview which will reflect on the experience of my solo show at An Tobar Arts Centre and the year long project it took leading up to the exhibition. I certainly feel more in control with my work. My approach is more considered and I feel more confident. There is a shift and I have taken a step forward even if it is not necessarily massive. When I look back at my notebook entries they seem unsure of themselves much more at the beginning than they do now.

I am piercing paper again. There is so much more that could be done.

I am thinking more along the lines of the sculptural qualities of paper, both on it's surface and now more directly as a 3 dimensional object. For example, depending which way you fold a piece of paper depends then on which way the fold line is raised on the paper surface. Which way should pierced holes be presented - flat side up, or tear side showing? The angle or slant of the pierced holes you are making create different surface patterns. What is the relationship between a folded line and it's neighbouring pierced holes? There are many questions.

I am thinking about scale and starting to consider working in series. This will take time, and I need to think about how repetition operates within my making, as a continuous process or in blocks of pattern or motion.

I went on a book making course last month on the island of Iona which was lovely and I met some very nice people all who wanted to create books for various different reasons. I'm still not sure I want to make books per se but certainly use the connotations of what books are about, their structure, shape, content etc. as influences in my work. As you will gather I have been paper folding, and stitching, folding and joining paper together - paper, holes, thread.

One of my notebook entries from the last two years writes "... state of homelessness to one of domesticity". I have been living in one place for over a year now, but am curious as I have little idea in what context this was originally written. We keep a clean and tidy home here but house keeping is not my main activity in life. When I think about the sentence, I'm starting to wonder if for me, my making has become my form of 'domestic'? Before it has often been paraphrased as a displacement activity, "something to pick up and put down", "something physical and practical to do", I quote.

My de-cluttering objective still exists but there is more of a sense of a re-use, re-cycle, make (do) and mend feeling. I still aim to get rid of the unnecessary 'clutter' in my life though, that doesn't stop.

Many articles are written about immaterial labour and that we as a society work (generally) in a service industry. Manufacturing and manual labour is on the down turn and the power that making things has for the human, either as a job or recreation is no longer high on the list within our lifestyles. Am I responding, with my choices in life and method of making, to what is happening in our culture?

I continue to question what is the role of the artist in society and I have had two interesting comments lately that could answer some of this. One was during my show when a gentlemen, being in the gallery with my work, realized the importance of process (through seeing me making) in his work and that it is not necessarily the end result that always matters. I think he worked in social services.

Secondly, and more recently, I had a chat with a stranger who had never thought about why someone is an artist. From our conversation it seemed to enlighten them. They had never actually thought about why someone would want to be an artist. We spoke about looking, feeling, being and questioning the world, whether it is on a personal or public, local or global scale.

As I continue to make, I've been thinking about the oscillation with my work between it's usefulness and it's uselessness, yet both stance have their merits, having value, balancing one another out intermittently.

Blog 35

What was highlighted from my solo show last year is that there are five main threads to my practice:

Process, Performance, Sculpture, Materiality and Craft

and I would like to pursue these subjects in more depth.

So how and where do I go from the work that I made for my solo show, that is the big question for me having made something so big, so 'spectacular' and for so long (1 year)?

The first port of call was to take a look at Mark Rothko, the painter who my work has been referenced against a few times. I love the black pigment that I have been using but it is extremely messy and can be difficult to work with. How could I 'contain' the material whilst still retaining it's powdery quality? I mixed up two solutions of paint, one oil based, one water based, as samples to try, but the powdery texture seems to have been lost. I think I was more excited by the dust that collected on the paint surface whilst it was drying! What did come out of my investigation is that I should work in series, using small sections to make a large work, and continue to retain an overall blankness in initial visuality which on closer inspection is full of life (as my work does).

On the craft side I have been experimenting with crochet, having purchased a bigger hook which has made my samples a bit more successful! I am looking for a process that doesn't involve the formality of sitting to a table, something I can pick up and put down, and perhaps can be making when watching telly or taking a journey for example. I don't want to make clothes and I want to remain within a fine art context, but there are times when I like to be using my hands, 'fiddling' about. My drawing at the table can make my arms and hands ache and I need other methods of making to alleviate this from time to time whilst still enjoying the act of making. My crochet samples aren't that brilliant but I found the process very comforting which was a surprise. Perhaps it is a form of mending rather than the destructive process of piercing holes in paper?

From the crochet samples that I made, I traced their patterns onto paper and have started a large embossed series from one of them which I am still working on. I like the visuality of the patterned marks I have made and I need to think how to highlight some of these marks, bring them out, perhaps with graphite dust or ink? I don't want every mark to appear and I don't want every repetition to be exactly the same, but I would like to bring out some of the marks by the processes I employ, at random, like a trace, from the original embossed drawing.

The tracing template that I have used from the crochet sample could perhaps be plated up as a collograph, mechanical drawing verses hand drawing?

I also moulded another one of the crochet samples around a bowl as an exercise to see the potential of the crocheted material as a sculpture. The shape of the object produced isn't brilliant but it shows the possibilities for sculpture.

My work is usually repetitive, as process can be, but has always been as one whole piece. I have never worked with blocks of repetitions. I have read a new publication called 100 things not worth repeating: on repetition edited by Marianne Holm Hansen. Repetition can appear a negative but it can also be a way of working something out, learning something, an emptying out. What was interesting is the suggestion to what is happening in the gap between the repetition? And when is a repetition complete?

At some point in the future my partner and I hope to head out on the road again to travel a while and we have been talking about our possessions and what to do with them and what to get rid of. I often talk about the idea of de-cluttering and this is an ongoing 'project' of mine. I was reading about the artist Abraham Cruzvillegas in Art Review this last month who describes how some Mexican families build up their homes bit by bit, over time. It feels like I am taking my home down, bit by bit, material wise anyway, which actually is very refreshing.

When researching how to crochet, I came across how to make yarn from recycled materials. I love the idea of 'make do and mend', especially in these difficult economic times, but the concept of recycling, I suppose I'm thinking on the home front, feels problematic to me as it seems you just take one object and convert it into another object, and the object still remains, just in a different format. You still have all this 'stuff' and clutter.

I've had a go at making yarn from newspaper, tissue paper and then dress - making pattern paper, which I have carried around with me for the last eight years. I tried knitting with paper yarn which was disastrous as it kept breaking and had no 'give' at all. I had a rage and threw it on the floor!

I'm wondering if crochet and knitting are not the way to go forward in terms of art making, although the process has fed into some of the drawings I am making. I really like the look of the dress - making pattern paper yarn, but it feels complicated by it's subsequent knitted process. My work is simple, for example, a pierced hole in paper. What could I do with the yarn itself, as a material to look at and play with?

Finally, whilst making my paper yarn, I have been questioning how does or how can, or where, does (my) 'performance' come into this? I have learnt of the artist Ivano Vitali who will sit in a gallery space knitting on a gigantic scale, and another artist, Emma Noble who is currently at Aspex in Portsmouth, where she is sewing in the gallery cafe, producing new work as part of her exhibition. There is also John Court who exhibited and performed last year, sharing his drawing processes, at Spacex in Exeter, and Ralph Macartney who filmed himself drawing a banana, the film presented at the Jerwood Drawing Prize 2006. I'm sure there are many more examples to be had.

Next week I head off to the island of Iona for a bookmaking course. I don't necessarily want to make books per se but I am keen to open up the possibilities of paper, form and text, and take part in the opportunity to create in a new environment.