Tuesday 28 May 2013

photographic flattery .....

This was the very first artist's book I made as long ago as 1998.  It is not well made, but whilst sorting the studio today I came across it and decided to take some photographs.  Truth is, the photographs flatter the book which is poorly made and was never really completed. I called it 'Forest Floor' and it is made from a number of different papers including transparent paper - all rusted.  Yes, even back then I was rusting papers.

I am way more delighted with the photographs than the book itself and in light of my last post, think I must have been interested in the same forms and textures as Richard Serra way back!  I have sourced some very large sheets of rusted metal and hope one day to make a book which can sit outside amongst the trees .....
































Saturday 25 May 2013

a trip to the guggenheim in bilbao .....

Many of my friends and blogging friends have wondered what the greatest inspiration was in my latest travels and I would have to say my visit to Bilbao's Guggenheim.  For so many, many years I have hoped I would one day get to visit this architectural icon and this year I did. The building itself is completely remarkable and I have included some of my images later in this post.  Sublime really. 

I had a couple of hours there only and most of that time was spent immersing myself in Richard Serra's 'The Matter of Time'.  I think the hour I wandered in and out of this sculpture/installation was the highlight of my trip.  Even now when I think of it I breath heavily!   For me it was like wandering through the pages of an enormous rusted book, ones I have dreamt of making and perhaps one day will - not on this scale obviously but large.  I also had the feeling that if one could carve in slices, somewhere like Kata Juta or Uluru, it would feel like walking through the insides of those sacred, mysterious places. Though finer photographs may be found on the Guggenheim official site, these are mine, I was there, I had this amazing experience ....

For those wishing to read more about the work of Richard Serra you can go to this link at Artsy which is a fabulous site and whose mission is to make all the world's art accessible to anyone.










































The images above are all of Richard Serra's work showing textures and form.  The scale was impressive - about 30 metres long and a height of 3 to 4 metres.  You are enveloped as you walk through. Breathtaking.  And here below, are some of the many images I took of the actual building by  Frank Gehry.  































Friday 17 May 2013

totally gorgeous day .....

a totally gorgeous
crisp and bright blue day
here in Montville
reminding me of the few
cold but blue spanish days.
A few sunlit photos to remind me - 
looks like autumn to me but in fact
those would be early spring photos in 
Spain - and COLD not crisp!









I loved the deep warm reds and oranges against the metal doors.  Hope you do too.  Enjoy this glorious day wherever you are x

Tuesday 14 May 2013

100 bookmarks ..... tick

This was a commitment - but has been a bit of fun, once I decided on the format each bookmark would take, the paper I would use (Moulin du Gue - BFK Rives) , the colour scheme etc.  This bundle of 100 bookmarks heads off to England tomorrow where it will join with many other bookmarks making their way to Sarah Bodman at the School of Creative Arts in Bristol.  From there they are collated and all artists receive a full set, others are distributed to libraries, collections and other venues.  A little bit of fun - and it certainly has been good to be back in the studio.

I am firing up, more slowly that I would wish, with other ideas but first, there are a few more commitments to catch up on.  It is often the way isn't it ......  I do actually find that those things we commit to artistically, often result in creative juices flowing and that leads to further experimentation and result in the studio.


playing with colour ideas - this one not quite right


a little touch of spring for those in the north
happier with this print - needed to print 15 of these colour etchings


each print cut down into seven bookmarks - added embossing
and my logo


this and those below - photographic fun