Crikey ! Very crikey!
One of the A-N’s 2009 blog of the year!!!!! To say I am really rather surprised and humbled is an understatement. I thought it was just me and the dog that read it and the dog is not even real….more a vegetarian taxidermy! Thank you A-n!
I am celebrating right now with a glass of merlot and complimentary cashews!
The first Core Gallery meeting occurred in the last few days too which was super interesting. Many ideas cooked up by 3 of the 8 or so gallery committee as they shall be known….however even getting 8 people together is nigh on impossible so I am having several meetings as some sort of liasing gal…. There is another thing that has popped up that has been playing on my mind- we are likely to have to move studios…..ours is going to be smashed up for new development housing…what the hell are we going to do is the first thing?
As one artist put it, we take the legacy of this gallery idea with us but still, very difficult….the hub of Deptford artists workshops is going to change rather dramatically as everyone now sees an opportunity to make money on this overseen space. Darn…….let me know if you know anywhere we can move to- a collective- at least 10 artists, somewhere…….
I am afraid I have been rather lax on the blog front.
After my show with Julian Hartnoll I hit a slump and my body melted down along with my weary head. I always marvel at how these things; paintings and exhibitions can both exhaust and of course invigorate you.
The show with Julian was great. Julian Hartnoll is a charming man and we even got a piece in the financial times. Hurrah !
It has been 12 months of huge change, artistically a miasma of development and opportunity. 12 exhibitions, overlapping and clashing and finally a studio where I can be enlivened and thrive in as well.
I am now though, thirsty for new research and visual stimulation and I am slowly emerging from the marathon of last year.
The studio/ gallery idea is to be put back into the forefront of events. There is a lot to do: planning, programming etc. I am not sure how any of it will work…but I think it will. With some elbow grease and vision and people working together……all very exciting.
Next week I am in the London Art fair with Long and Ryle Gallery and have been working on another large painting of Elephant and Castle for it. and then….time for research and planning
I am afraid I am empty of words right now..so here is a review of my show at Julian Hartnoll Gallery by a spectacular artist Enver Gursev, who kindly sent me this after seeing the exhibition:
‘ “I Am Yours” by Rosalind Davis consists of a series of small paintings on patterned textiles, which are embellished with delicate stitching.
The subject is consistent; deserted landscapes mostly urban, with buildings sitting majestically under floral skies. The impeccable stitching sitting on and in between the forms, evokes sensations of desperate care, as one might feel for a dying relative. It is almost as if by carefully underpinning the abandoned scenery, Davis is trying to rescue the memories they are imbued with from impending demise. The work exudes a quiet sympathy for these places and the people that once inhabited them.
Among the many works, ‘I Am Yours’ and ‘Thawing’ depict intricate yet disconcerting fairground environments. ‘I Give to Thee’ and ‘Belong to Someone’ are beautifully worked compositions, teetering on the edge of abstraction. ‘Belong to Something’, dwells on the grim landscape of the Kidbrooke Estate in South East London.
Visually vibrant and intellectually moving, this show shines massively in the tiny confines of the charming Julian Hartnoll gallery. ‘
I recently was very honoured to be asked to write about my choice blog on A-N. I chose Susan Francis
You can read what I wrote here.
www.a-n.co.uk/p/587497/
Very tough to choose someone as there are so many interesting stories……I really like it when people have a few images of what they are doing…..of works in progress , of finished works, of things they like….it puts it into context..
My show with Julian has opened. It looks great. A solo show in the west end! I never imagined…… Pop along if you are in Piccadilly/ Green park;
I am Yours
Rosalind Davis Solo Show
Until late, 24th December 2009
Julian Hartnoll Gallery
37 Duke Street
St James
London
Sw1Y 6DF
www.julianhartnoll.com
The expectation of commercial success weighs a little heavy on me though, the fact someone believed enough in what I do should and does make me feel fantastic and I know Julian loves the work whatever happens but what if nothing sells….. ? The fragility creeps in, the self doubt, the anxiety……
And I have a painting to make for London Art Fair for Long and Ryle Gallery who I shall be showing with. I hope they hang it as I am going to be busting my weary soul to get this done for them…( theres no guarantees) So no sitting on my laurels. Or sleeping much still……This is a rather lacklustre blog today, I apologise but it felt necessary to write…..
‘ Every work of art is aggressive. And every artists’s life is a small war or a large one, beginning with oneself and one’s limitations. To achieve anything you must first have ambition and then talent, knowledge and finally the opportunity.’
Carlos Ruiz Zafon. The Angel’s game
