Well, so I am doing more painting in the hope that I can only get better at it. This is work in progress ….
I’m trying out new materials including aquabord for the Japanese watercolours, which I love using. Frida Kahlo apparently painted flowers to keep them alive – these tulips were definitely on their way out so maybe I’ve rescued them.
Just had a great Christmas art – market at the nearby River Garage studios with quite a few sales, including 2 larger pieces as well as loads of cards. I knew nearly everyone who came which makes me realise that one’s first clients are people one knows and who are local and can get to you easily – they are the people who believe in you enough to buy (sometimes). Surprisingly this includes my accountant and someone now back on my radar from a while back.
The event was fun, even if we had to hug the radiators at times. Lots of good conversation and warming mulled fruit punch.
So with now no cards etc. to make, I am back to serious editing of my Russell Gardens film Watercress and Daffodils. (blog here on aa-n)
I’m taking advantage of stuck-at-home time to archive my work …. and actually though it’s taken ages and I still have a (gradually reducing) backlog, seeing all my work together is really good and it means I’ve been documenting more systematically. I might have just tucked this drawing away somewhere otherwise.
An advantage of the online system is the ability to quickly make a selective inventory file – up to now I’ve had to spend ages re-finding measurements etc. so fingers crossed I will save time in the long run. The inventory facility has already proved useful and I’ve also been able to direct someone who wanted an overview to the portfolio.
I still like being able to sort work by project and context on my website though….
Well, I almost never paint. It makes me nervous and I am in awe of the tradition of painting and the discourse around it. But I kind of wanted to have a go again. So here is the result.
To put my mind at rest I am quoting this from @frieze_magazine on Twitter:
‘If women’s work is often read through their biographies, then perhaps Wilke’s challenges us to see things differently: insisting that art is not born of overarching narratives, but lives lived day to day.’ Caroline Marciniak reviews Hannah Wilke at @Alison_Jacques
So, this is part of my everyday at the moment, with my limited ability to get out and about, though I do get out and about in good weeks when my energy levels are up. But for a lot of time, I am at home, with flowers brought to my by my husband. There is something cheering about engaging with the world through the domestic environment.
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.
