Part Three
The new idea


After saying in part one of this epic blog that I'd talk about all three projects I then got nervous that if I started publicly talking about this one I may feel foolish down the line if it doesn't come off. I'd also be incredibly disappointed. However, I also felt a sense of duty to share, especially with other artists, the sheer amount of time and work it takes to try and get your own project off the ground. As I want this to result in a piece of public art the people I haven't spoken to so far maybe easier to list! 


There are many times when I've been close to throwing in the towel, especially filling in the Arts Council application form. At this stage I've no idea if I can pull it off and when it either goes ahead or doesn't I'll say more about the actual idea later. 


Regardless of the outcome I know that in one month I've met more people in the right areas for future collaborative projects than I ever would of if I hadn't have stuck my neck out and spoke about what I want to do. I've found it all quite nerve racking and realised one day that if I take my foot of the gas it all stops and everything comes to a standstill. It's quite a scary thought.


So, without particularly telling you anything I've probably said enough...I should hear in the next four weeks if I have funding or not but seeing as the project is also relying on me getting a local property there's a lot riding on the owners decision, the owner just happens to be Liverpool Football Club...

Lothair Road, L4

L5

Part Two 
L5 - 6QW


As this project is so well documented I'll send you directly here to it's own pages:


http://l5-6qw.tumblr.com/


or it's facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/l56qw

But, it's great it's back up, it was a brilliant day and now I'll start looking for it's third site...anybody know anyone with a hill???

This photograph was taken by a local woman out walking her dog in Gwealod-y-Garth who then uploaded it to the facebook page - this is  really rewarding as it means passers by are engaging with the work.

Grassington Festival, L5 and the new idea...


It's been a PROPER mad month and I mean proper and I mean mad! Three projects overlapping and shouting for attention so three blog entries coming up. Excited?!


Part One


Grassington Festival 2012 (15th June to 30th June) with Leeds Art Gallery


Just to re-cap, this was an opportunity I'd seen advertised way back in Feb/March time. The call was for artists to respond to a painting they selected from Leeds Art Galleries lending collection. The artist would have 6 weeks to respond and install the work at this years Grassington Festival in Yorkshire:


http://www.grassington-festival.org.uk/ 

We went up to Leeds Art Gallery and I chose a painting called Near Rothwell by Tom Whiteread - it's a beautiful landscape painting that I was drawn to initially because of its size, compared to the other work in the room, it was very small. Thinking practically I didn't want a great big painting as it's difficult to carry and easier to damage! I was being quite sensible for a change...I was also determined not to go for the 'obvious' choice, wanting to go against my own taste if you like...This was one of three I was particularly drawn to, I decided on this one because it was something that I felt was quite different from my own practice and very traditional. After spending more time with the painting I saw more and more links between it and my own work!! I loved the romantic feeling I got from this painting, I liked it's initial dark overtone but then on closer inspection reveals a warmth through the pink tones used in the sky. It was moody and I liked it. I was equally drawn to the structures in the landscape, industrial and alien which draws up obvious links to my work L5-6QW, a sculpture made from steel also set in the landscape.

Near Rothwell 1960-1970

Tom Whiteread

                           L5-6QW, 2011 (recently installed on Gwealod-y-Garth Hill in South Wales)




We spent the morning at the gallery in Leeds having free breakfast, meeting other artists and discussing the project with Bryony Pritchard, the organiser and we also met Ted Wilkins the curator. It was a really nice morning and everyone was really friendly and excited about the project. 

 Discussions at Leeds Art Gallery with the Grassington Gang

The following day we headed up to Grassington village itself in what can only be described as gale force winds and HEAVY rain, we didn't venture that much out of the car (seeing as I didn't even have a coat with me!) but did loop after loop of the village and the surrounding area which is stunning. I think the weather actually added to the dramatic feel of the landscape, it felt wild and lonesome and made me think about Heathcliff and Cathy from Wuthering Heights! It was inspiring and seemed to work perfectly with the painting I'd picked, similar landscapes, similar weather and after finding out that there wasn't much information about the artist a similar sense of romanticism and mystery, My early thoughts and doodles in the car driving back to Liverpool were all of objects and structures in the landscape, figures, people, ghosts. I felt a sense of freedom at being able to make work that has such a unique set of circumstances to respond to.

Initial thoughts and ideas...

There's less than two weeks to go until installation day and I'd say I was just over half way done, eek! The idea is to build a man from found wood that will stand alone in the landscape, he will be life sized. The title of the work will be The Man on the Hill. Big push now to get finished. We're set to stay at the village over the weekend and take part in their festivities including a parade! Really looking forward to it...

It's been great two weeks with a general feeling that things are a changin'. I'm going to summarise in bullet point fashion to try and save on waffle-age.

• visit to Suffolk and Juliet Lockhart's studio - on a farm surrounded by niceness
• two days of bliss, pottering and endless art/ideas/discussion/coffee and hotcross buns
• an awakening...a sudden burst of enthusiasm for art again and the smell of a new idea
• momentum and feel good factor increases
• jump straight on it when I get back to Liverpool and get wheels in motion
• contact local councillors, and set up a meeting
• get an email from a residency I applied for in 2009 to agree starting dates this year, Slovakia for three months from Oct 1st to Dec 31st, should be guaranteed a white Chrimbo! 
• Liverpool beat Everton in the FA Cup Semi Final
• meet councillor next to a snoring Giant Little Girl and discuss my proposal
• enthusiastic and surprisingly helpful response leads to on the spot conversations with Housing Officer and Biennial Folk
• Arrange meeting with Biennial people at a project they're doing in our local community 
• Myself and my Mum attend a meeting with other local residents where I pitch my idea (that I'd just changed in my head on the bus on the way there)
• Meeting went very well and met lots of new people all wanting to do good stuff in the Anfield/Everton areas in Liverpool and Biennial people
• Meeting arranged for tomorrow in Manchester at The Arts Council for some initial funding advice for my project
• Getting in touch with my old school to discuss working with some of their pupils on my project -  realise that one of my old teachers now runs the place - this could work against me! Oops.
• First driving lesson today - I drove - at least 7 inches - got into third gear and didn't stall
• I have a bike now too and rode along the prom, proud of my achievement of moving in a car 

Giants in North Liverpool - this was amazing and in the area I'm from and where I'm proposing my new project

So, to summarise in two weeks I've met and talked to so many people that are doing exactly what I want to be doing, they've been helpful and supportive and encouraged me to continue with my idea...so I will.

Oh yeah, I'm also off to Leeds on Saturday to start another project that involves responding to Leeds Art Galleries lending library - they actually lend art work! - so, I go up, chose a piece of work, take it away and make work responding to it, this is then part of The Grassington Festival. Really, really looking forward to this. AND L5 is finally being re-installed in May...

I'm excited. 

A pic of where things turned around...

Juliet Lockhart's studio, lunch time, with Rego the dog

New studio coming soon!

Super sound news that I'll have a studio here: http://www.wolstenholmecreativespace.com/ as of March 1st, made up. It's been too long without one. I actually don't know where the time's gone since graduating, it's like I've been in another parallel universe spent applying for the things that I could make, getting rejected (getting used to that now!) and not making anything. At least now I should be able to make stuff whilst being rejected! Ha! 


Oh yeah does anyone have a spare post-rammer, sledgehammer, drill, workbench or jigsaw? If not why? Answers on a postcard please. I'm officially on the scrounge now to build up my own toolkit for the studio (post-rammer and sledge hammer is for L5, not for use in the studio!) I've put a post up on freecycle, what a brill site that is! Well, if it works. The great studio scrounge has a officially begun!

Pretty yellow post-rammer

Wow!

I know, it's exciting isn't it! 

Apply or not to apply?

So, after finishing any intense course no matter what subject the next bit is just as huge and time consuming as qualifying...applying for stuff!

Of course I'm now going to state that applying for stuff in the Fine Art world is tougher than any other because it's my blog so I'll cry if I want too! But seriously, you spend so much time looking for opportunities then trying to write proposals (for those of us who don't have 'portable' work to enter) and then sorting out images, CV's and cover letters. A big problem is that a lot of the opportunities charge to apply, I don't know anyone else who has to pay to apply for a job, do you?  Then so much is expected in the initial stages and I for one would much rather go and chat to someone about my ideas than put it down in a formal 'proper' way. I know some people hate interviews but I'd much rather go and talk than sit for hours trying to put into words what I'm trying to say when I have a an expressive face that could be helping get the idea across! Ha!

So, there's a few things I'm mulling over applying to at the moment, maybe I should be filling out forms rather than talking here....oh but we all love a good procrastination now don't we????

Anyway, I've decided to show some older work tonight, some drawings I haven't seen myself in a while. Someone has asked me to send some images of my drawings so I'm looking through some older folders from my time at The Cyprus College of Art. So here's a few...

Done and dusted

Well then, it's all over...


I can't say I'm sad my MFA course has finished, I'm knackered! AND my wrist still isn't right. But we did all pass! I think I'll need a few more weeks settling in back home before I can reflect properly...


There was an interesting comment from one tutor about The Bed's Above My Head and I'm Tired, 2011, that it made him think about Sisyphus.


"In Greek Mythology Sisyphus ( /ˈsɪsəfəs/; Greek: Σίσυφος Sísyphos) was a king punished by being compelled to roll an immense boulder up a hill, only to watch it roll back down, and to repeat this throughout eternity. He is also found in Roman mythology.

The word "sisyphean" means "endless and unavailing, as labor or a task".

This interests me a lot as my work always ends up involving a intense period of 'proper graft'. Maybe it's to combat the artist guilt I sometimes feel...on those days when you think you should just grow up and do a 'proper job'. The thing is, you end up doing both anyway and that's the reality. Maybe I don't value my work if I don't feel like it's been a physical battle as well as mental one???

It's been busy since getting back to home to Liverpool and my attention has been taken by 'everything else'. It did strike me the other day this piece doesn't exist anymore...I think I've blocked out the smashing it up part. Crazy. All that work, ah well it's not worth dwelling on, it's not like this hasn't happened before, I really need to start making portable work!!!

still in progress at this point...

in progress...

The Bed's Above My Head And I'm Tired, 2011

The Bed's Above My Head And I'm Tired, 2011

                                 

                                     The Bed's Above My Head And I'm Tired, 2011

The Bed's Above My Head And I'm Tired, 2011

The Bed's Above My Head And I'm Tired, 2011

The Bed's Above My Head And I'm Tired, 2011

The Bed's Above My Head And I'm Tired, 2011

The Bed's Above My Head And I'm Tired, 2011

The Bed's Above My Head And I'm Tired, 2011

The Bed's Above My Head And I'm Tired, 2011

P.S 

Thanks Simon.

Thanks Tim.