Studio cleared and ready for action!
Yesterday I just had to try spraypainting writing. I don’t have any history of spraypainting, so I feel out of context, but it’s worth thinking about. One of my (naive, perhaps) views of spraypainting is of people using it as a way to say something they cannot find another way to express. In Australia (maybe elsewhere) there are certain places in towns where it is officially allowed to graffiti, such as under particular bridges (and it brightens up otherwise dull, concrete spaces) I have breifly researched this where I live and find that very occaisionally small places are allowed to be graffiti’d, but under supervision, and apparently is no longer being done!
My spraypaint writing is on canvas coated with gloss paint and actually I’d like a glossier surface for this so I am putting 2 coats of white gloss on a peice of wood, so it’s ultra flat and smooth.
I’ve also been re-using skip-found canvas, two smallish pieces have been coated with black emulsion and I’ve written on those, using a different paintbrush on each and variably diluted white acrylic paint.
One of my paintings (larger black) from a previous project I’ve coated in black emulsion. The work underneath is highly textured and then writing over that in white acrylic, over the bumps. The ‘listening’ in my work is now taking the form of paying attention to the surface I’m writing on.
I’m keen on getting some momentum going, while I have a couple of weeks as during the summer I will have limited hours to work.
Right. Now Contract and Insurance is nearly sorted, time for some work!
Starting with a studio sort out and chucking lots away to give me space to make and think.
Reviewing what I’ve made recently and what will be my next step? What could be the most exciting way to explore listening through writing in paint? I don’t know yet, but I feel like doing layers of writing, so the surface is made up from many ‘listening’ periods.
There is an influence from my reading about Rebecca Salter in the book into the light of things.
Now is a point when I’ve had to step back from making and get on with getting an exhibition in a local business hung. This, I now realise, involves doing everything yourself. And sorting out a contract and insurance for the first time, alongside creating labels and getting them onto foamboard and ready for the wall is quite time consuming. And – even just with 6 artists- so many amendments, which leads me to think, co-ordinating an exhibition needs to be done in an ultra organised (I’ve tried!) manner.
Another two exhibitions on the horizon, in September, one as part of the h.Art Young Open exhibition in Hereford and the other h.Art but at a House 20 minutes North of the city (tbc).
So, the plan is, get the admin out of the way and get making again. (I’d hoped I could keep painting while organising, but I was wrong!!)
So – a lesson to learn here- it’s hard to reserve time for own work in middle of preparing for an exhibition!
(Though I have spent a few days at degree shows too! Cardiff CASD13 and I stumbled upon Chelsea School of Art while on way to Tate Britain)
So- I need to become better at handling distractions and prioritising if I’m going to get any of my own painting done.
Today I’m doing more preparation for an exhibition of 2nd year HCA work in a business in Hereford. I’m getting together the hanging kit (hanging on tuesday) and label making kit (making labels on monday).
More urgently right now I am deciding which of my transition and listening canvas’ to put on stretchers, attactching fixings and deciding on prices.
I’ve decided that having a list of my individual pieces, with their size/medium/date completed would be useful and so am compiling this as well. This can help me keep track of work that I have exhibited and where they have been!
