Art Appreciation Day.

Had quite an Art appreciation day this sunday. Firstly I wanted to see the latest Bo.Lee offsite exhibition at the Octagon. They always put interesting shows together. Also, a new Gainsborough show has just opened at The Holburne Museum. Finally, we popped into the Victoria Gallery. I do love wandering around Bath, especially on a sunny day.

Bath done with we made the journey to Lower Coleford to site number 43 of the Somerset Arts Week, the Mayell residence. A well-hung exhibition of a wide range of art work. We really enjoyed it. Somerset Arts Week.

Castles

Went for a very pleasant walk around Nunney near Frome today. The sun was shining, rabbits were hopping, the brooks were babbling. We walked across field, through woods, along a stream, then down a lane into Nunney. After refreshments we spent some time admiring the marvellous castle, wandering around the ramparts and moat.

Somerset Art Weeks

Managed to visit one venue on the first day of Somerset Art Weeks.

Kilver Court near Shepton Mallet. A very pleasant place to visit at any time, for a pot of tea, wander around the gardens a little organic shopping. Several artists are showing work here over the next couple of weeks.

Natalie Shaw-Beautiful and intricate mosaics.

Gillian Hulse-Joyful and bright glassware.

Jo Lucksted-A ceramic artist of some repute. Some very fine figure sculptures of mythic figures.

Gwen Liby-A painter and graffiti artist from Bristol. Interestingly her boyfriend had just finished creating the new Coldplay album cover work, using artwork created by the band members, apparently. She and her boyfriend also worked on the latest video for Every Teardrop is a Waterfall.

Chris Hicks-Individual and attractive bookbindings.

Angela Morley-Delicate or monumental simple forms from natural materials.

Jon Minshull-Accomplished paintings, with a lightness and freshness. Portraits and rural images.

Cornwall Holiday Scrapbook

Here are the next four pages of my Cornwall scrapbook. Firstly, a day on the beach at Lansallos, a relaxing and leisurely time. One eye always on dark clouds in the sky (where else) which thankfully never fulfilled their ominous promise. The next day we made our way to St Ives, via the Fowey Ferry, and Penzance. Some rain, but a sunny if cool evening in St Ives. Morning of the following day found us meeting up with friends in Porthleven for the best chips in Cornwall(!), then some time on the beach at Long Rock, Marazion.

As usual there is a mixture of comments and notes, drawing and sketching, and collected leaflets and pictures. Most of this done on the day.

As a special bonus I have included the front cover of the scrapbook. More pages will follow…

Evenings…and tree spoons!

This is what I get up to in the evenings! Painting wooden spoons to look like trees. You might remember I had been painting small wooden spoons which I had picked up first in cafes, and then had found some to buy. A few weeks ago I went to the flea market at the Bath and West Show ground, and what should I find but lots of large wooden spoons on a stall. I couldn’t resist them and bought a few.

So now I have made some large wooden tree spoons. Some of them I have carved into, though I found the wood harder than I expected. Two of the spoons shown here have been carved into and one is just painted onto. These are not quite finished but you get the idea.

It passes the time you know. I’m not sure whether there is any value in them outside my own interest, are they too flippant or silly to exhibit or sell? Or could they be presented effectively? I was wondering as well if I could make a similar structure; such as a flat oval/egg-shaped piece of wood mounted on a stand or cylindrical trunk. Maybe.

Felix Dennis

Just discovered the poetry of Felix Dennis. His most recent collection is quite relevant to my art as it is entitled Tales from the Wood, and is a collection of poems inspired by the natural world. I stumbled across videos of him reading his poems in a sumptuous and guttural voice with a twinkle in his eyes.

What I like about his work is the illustrative and visual quality, its directness and immediacy…and its shortness! Evocative through a richly descriptive language, playing to a nostalgia for a fading landscape, which today we can only glimpse in these times of intensive agriculture and expanding urbanisation. A “praise to trees and the English Countryside”.

The book is gorgeously illustrated, and accompanied by a CD of him reading the poems.

Old sketchbooks

Flicking through old sketchbooks is always interesting. You always find sketches and ideas that were never properly realised or developed to completion. Thought I might share a few sketches from some old books, starting with these faces, combining a sun and tree/foliate face. A bit hippy/nature-mysticism, but then most of my stuff is!

This sketchbook was completed whilst doing my PGCE, prior to starting teaching full time. Happy, care-free days!

Collecting leaves

Dog walking! It gets me out of the house and into the countryside. Whistling and skipping through the country lanes, stopping to pluck the odd leaf from it’s branch. And here is a collection which may appear in my art at some point. Aren’t they beautiful?

Cornwall Holiday Scrapbook

Thought I would share a few pages from my holiday scrapbook. I do a page for each day, usually a combination of things collected, sketches and notes and comments. Here are the first four pages of the scrapbook. Sunny lazy days get more attention on the page than dreary wet days as you might expect. Lounging around days are more productive than rushing around days. I am a compulsive leaflet collector so this gives me an excuse to indulge my  weakness. Then its a problem of what to leave out!

Bristol delights

Made the trip into Bristol yesterday primarily for the Organic Food Festival. We stocked up on our favourite produce and sampled a variety of cheeses, chocolates and tipples etc. On the harbourside market we met ex-colleague and friend Steve Broadway selling his daughters’ art work, Ruth and Hannah Broadway.

Later we walked up Park Street popping in vintage, record, book and charity shops, with refreshments at Swinkys.

A full, fun day.