Thanks to a Twitter conversation with Andrew Martyn Sugars, fellow a-n blogger, I am starting a blog to track progress over 2018. I am not sure how I am going to measure progress but am going to give it a go and if I manage to spend more time in the studio this year, then that will be progress of a kind.
I had a great but tiring day at Canterbury Cathedral last Monday (25 April)*
The talk gave a good general background to plants at the Cathedral and beyond and I was so pleased to see the historical global connections for sources of plants emphasised – i.e. North American species in Britain from the 13thC. The Cathedral have a nice project to build up their herbs garden and have started a collection of magnolias, including rare ones. There was also a nice emphasis on the importance of sharing. Gardening is a wonderful metaphor for the values we need to highlight now, in these conflicted times.
A visit to the archives has given me a prompt to visit again if and when I get my funding for gardens and the ecology of care or “What should we do but tend?“. It was mainly medical men who created the early Herbals (guides to herbs), which fits nicely.
In the afternoon I joined in the printmaking session and it was good fun. Not only did I learn something about getting the ink onto the plants neatly, I also got to catch up with workshop leader and printmaker, Dawn Cole, who I usually have to wave hello to at crowded events with a promise to catch up soon. So 1 year later we actually did.
*Programme:
Join us for a day exploring gardening history at Canterbury Cathedral and developing print-making skills with a local artist. In the morning, the Cathedral’s Head Gardener, Philip Oostenbrink will give an illustrated talk on the history of the Cathedral’s gardens. This will be followed by a visit to the Archives and Library to enjoy collections relating to plants and gardening. After a two-course hot lunch in the Refectory Restaurant at the Cathedral Lodge, Dawn Cole will lead a print-making workshop inspired by the Cathedral’s collections.
Due to popular demand, there is another date on 29 July
So this is my last post for the 2018 “progress-tracking” blog (I know it is already 2019).
I am still trying to re-connect with painting – there is something of my 15-year old self in the new work, which is either a step backwards or forwards depending how you look at it. Somehow, being ill makes you slough off a load of stuff that gets in the way – I’ve become much more myself, whatever that means – allowing influences and thoughts to flow without worrying so much about what it is all about.
So here we go, a rather odd watercolour painting with layers put on and wiped away. Am going to do more of this with more erased layers.
Piggies on upcycled envelopes with origami paper
So Chinese New Year is coming up on 5 Feb and I’ve decided to be more efficient in my card making. The collages take so much time and cards probably only sell for so much, a bit like ceramic mugs (back in my ceramics days and doing a few markets…).
So I’ve gone for Lino cuts – great fun, hence the title of this post and actually quite attractive and seemingly in demand.
My video, It was already too late, has been selected for this:
Clare Smith's mixed English/Chinese heritage informs her perspective on issues of identity and categorisation. Her nomadic childhood and early adulthood have meant a somewhat ambivalent relationship to place, reinforced by the sense of ambiguity that comes from her mixed identity. Smith works with drawing, print media, collage and moving image to investigate this ambivalence, with references to craft, the importance of labour and the handmade. Through her choice of materials and approaches, she creates work which attempts to create a sense of unity, an interpretation of Homi Bhabha's "Third Space" - seen as a space in which different parts can come together to challenge dominant ideas of wholeness. Collaboration is part of Smith’s practice and she is also co-founder of Dover Arts Development (DAD) together with painter, Joanna Jones. This involves working with many different artists, curation, organisation, event management, creating networks across East Kent and influencing the public realm in Dover. Clare works from a studio in Dover. She has an MA in Fine Art from Central Saint Martins and has exhibited nationally and internationally.
