Diary of an artist writer online

Following my video "The Singing ghost" about Craig-y-nos Castle in Wales the BBC web-site have asked me to write a piece for them on the book I am researching about the time this was used as a TB sanatorium for children. Hundreds, maybe thousands of children passed through Craig-y-nos, many died, yet there are no records of this in Welsh history. I was there for 4 years as a child. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nYBE2saRm7M

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,585-2487919,00.html Hope this link works to Grayson Perry's account of the Turner Prize at the Tate gallery.(links not working today…help webmaster where are you?)

Attended an evening seminar yesterday in the CCA, Glasgow organised by the Cultural Enterprise Office.([email protected]) It was excellent! It focused on building confidence and developing skills. Called"Looking back, looking forward – with confidence".
Voice coach Hilary Jones, who trains actors at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama, gave a highly informative talk on how to use your voice when making presentations/pitches.(including some interactive demonstrations and a spot of Tai'chi – learning to relax through proper breathing etc).Did you know that a public speaker is judged on 50% appearance, 7% on content and 38% quality of ther voice?
Lynne O'Neil took us through goal setting techniques. Instead of telling us how useful they were she made us do it! While I have read many books on the subject I had never actually put pen to paper and completed any of the exercises. She made us take 5 blank pieces of paper and write down :(1) achievements for past year (2) things we want to leave behind (3) Wild dreams(if you could wake up tomorrow morning and your dreams would be fulfilled what would they be?) (4) goals for next year and (5) things you want to bring into your life.

Making web movies is a bit like gardening. Once they are up on the internet you tend them carefully, doing a bit of viral marketing if they are slow to take off, or some good old fashioned physical networking like yesterday when I went to an exhibition in a private house and discovered that the Brigadier of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders had just purchased a number of paintings for Stirling Castle and he was a personal friend of the family. I happened to mention that I had filmed the Argyll & Sutherlands last historic march through Stirling in August and its proving to be a great hit on the web. So they suggested I drop off a copy of the dvd for the Brigadier. It would be great to have it in their official archives.

Sometimes you get fed up sitting in front of the computer, well quite often actually! and you feel in need of seeing some exhibitions. So have been into Edinburgh to see Peter Howson at the City Arts Centre and Douglas Gordon at the Royal Scottish Academy.

Both are ex graduates of Glasgow School of Art and they were a few years ahead of me- I only graduated in 2001 ( as a very mature student).

In fact all the major exhibitions taking place at the moment in Scotland are ex GSA students – Christine Borland ( Turner Prize runner up) has just opened at the Fruitmarket gallery in Edinburgh and David Shrigley at the Centre for Contemporary Arts in Dundee. Must be something in the Glasgow air….

Found Howson's exhibition stimulating and it was great to look at paintings and drawings again. Douglas Gordon? well I am not so sure. Have seen all the work except the elephant piece which is magnificent, before.

When you are dealing with digital conceptual work it does raise the question: do you really need a huge gallery to show it? why not show it on the internet?

Just discovered lots of Peter Howson's paintings on e-bay!….