Artist in Residence – New Ferry Butterfly Park

Been quite busy reading and writing for my final Contextual Report and drawing too, I find I write too much so have been advised that the old adage ‘a drawing speaks a thousand words’ is one that will work well in this instance.

I’ve been spending some quality time in the butterfly park too but am slightly disappointed that there is some slight vandelism to my caravan.

Probably teenagers, how do I know, because the writing was a bit childlike and they can’t spell. Txt talk graffiti on the walls – what’s that all about?? and in Sharpie pen – permanent markers that they then stole!!

They’ve also torn one of my little artist books, just pulled out all the cutwork and ripped all the little gas lamp up, I loved that lamp :(

I can make another book and paint over the walls but I’m not sure the lamp can be fixed unfortunately.

Bit disheartening.

Wonder if I can claim on my AIR insurance, I took out the extra cover after all.

On the Plus side, we won our court case, FINALLY. It’s still a bit up in the air but basically we now have the green light to press forward with the Council for a compulsory purchase order so that the Butterfly Park can continue as a nature reserve. It’s a huge relief for all concerned.

http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/liverpool-news/loca…

As one of our Facebook followers said to the news “When the might of business comes up against the fragile beauty of a butterfly, and those souls faithfully devoted to protecting it… the butterfly will win”

I love that people are so passionate about the place, me included.

Also this week I’ve organised 3 school workshops up at the park and 2 workshops for adults.

One drawing and one photography, I’m really looking forward to seeing how these go actually. I’m not having a taught session at all, more a group of like minded people meeting up to do what they love most and then sitting over tea + cake to discuss the outcomes. You’re all more than welcome to join in, and they’re free too :)

http://www.artinliverpool.com/?p=25275#.ThIQsCfkO2…

Mapping is actually harder than I first thought and yet very therapeutic.

Mind map first, working out what I’ve done, where I did it, who helped, who’s linked to who etc etc.

It actually does help to clarify things and then as it was just boxes + lines I just had to do another one that looked pleasing to the eye. I mean, what’s the point of a mind map if you don’t like to look at it.

That done I’m now wondering whether to go further and actually colour it in, or am I just getting carried away now?

The map we have of the park now is VERY basic to say the least, I mean it does it’s job – its a map but again, not exactly pleasing to look at. However the team seem to think it’s ok and who am I to argue, it’s their park after all but I needed to do a new map for me, even if no-one else ever uses it and so I did and then as it’s just for me why not go all out and make it co-ordinate with new all singing all dancing mindmap and so that’s exactly what I did.

It’s even in scale, are you impressed?

I spent 2 days pacing out each bit of the park and re-checking. 1cm to 10 paces – that’s a scale of sorts…right?

I couldn’t quite fit on every type of insects, birds or plants we have on site, there are way too many but I managed to get a fair few of the favourites in at least.

Ok just found out this blog is in the top 10 artists blogs on a-n so now I feel guilt ridden for not updating…sorry :( Thanks to those people who do take time to read this, I always seem to forget real people read what I write. Always quite shocked (pleasantly surprised) when I receive a comment.

In my defence I’ve been up the wall busy..honestly.

However to update now, I’m busily setting up some workshops, I’d like to have a photography one but we can’t get funding to bring over the lady I’d like to have, it’s across the other side of the country and even if we charged a fee to pay her what if the people didn’t pay up or turn up.

So I’m a bit along the lines of trying to get a local photographer to run a day and then by next year if all is well with the land ownership issues, we can fundraise to do things like this and actually pay the artists a proper fee, that is my ideal.

One of our artists was going to run a paper kiln making day where people could paint pre made pots and fire them at the park, it sounded fantastic but again, he had to pull out due to needing to get paid work.

So I’m up for ideas but I’m doing some drawing days myself and a few children’s workshop days too and I think I’m going to have to realise that I’ve actually achieved quite a lot already this last 2 years and all this will stand us in good stead to apply to fund more for next year.

I have 3 school workshops set up and am trying to organise taking the caravan and/or mobile allotment to 3 local fete days just to draw more attention to the park.

I’m also mapping, Saturday will be spent pacing out and drawing a new map of the park for me to use, one that’s not quite so basic as the presently used one and I’ve been doing some mind maps too – recommended by my tutors and found it’s really helped for me to see how far it’s all come, how far I’ve come since my initial idea of producing “A” piece of work for the butterfly park.

I am obviously becoming addicted to vintage caravans, when I said in my last post that every city should have it’s own caravan artwork I meant it – now I have come across this little gem opening in June 2011.

Huttenpalast in Berlin, an old warehouse, transformed into a hotel by going vintage. Each *bedroom* is a vintage caravan or hut of some form.

http://inhabitat.com/huttenpalast-salvaged-campers…

What a simple and yet amazing idea.

I’m loving it :)

I want to build a hotel now too.

I’m not sure if I’ve posted this either but here’s a link to the facebook photo’s showing my caravan visitor centre from murky start to sparkly finish.

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.20234851…

I am loving twitter lately, found so many great people + ideas to follow. (inc @artists_talking obviously)

I tweet as @cazramsay but also for the Butterfly Park as @wirralbutterfly.

I’ve found @wearecaravan today. An Edinburgh based gallery/creative space in a caravan http://wearecaravan.tumblr.com/

With them + the caravan gallery (@caravangallery) and my own wee visitor centre caravan we are invading the art world, maybe this will be a new thing.

The caravan gallery have been going for a few years now and are really successful, maybe they have set a precedent and more restored caravan creative spaces will come out of the woodwork.

Every city should have one :)

Also discovered @allotinabox which does exactly what it says on the box – it’s an allotment (well, all the seeds you need to start one) in a box. I’m going to look into this more, would be great to be able to hand out allotinaboxes when I’m out + about with the mobile allotment, obviously only if some of the plants tie in with our butterfly/bee attracting ideal.