Where does the time go? I set up my exhibition next Monday, and suddenly realised that I still have a few things to do. Nothing major to force me to stay working until the wee small hours, just lots of little things. A final checklist is in order.
We interviewed two potential members for Art Space on Tuesday. We have a number of non-studio members (of which I am one) and studio members – there are 28 studios of various sizes. There is now quite a waiting list for these, and I can envisage joining the waiting list myself.
I am running out of space in my studio at home, for both work and storage, and although I can work outside (weather permitting) or in the cellar, I could do with a dedicated ‘messy’ area. I have just painted some plinths ready for the show, and they are drying in the kitchen.
I went to B&Q yesterday (AKA ‘hell on earth’ in our house) to get some MDF to make a couple of plinths for my forthcoming exhibition. I can’t recall the exact price when I last bought some around a year ago, but I estimate I paid 40-50% more yesterday. Not a huge sum in itself, but an example of how the cost of materials is another (increasingly) major issue for the practising artist. To boot, three ink cartridges in my printer ran out simultaneously yesterday.
Incidentally, I had looked into the cost of hiring to save me the hassle of making, and then storing, my own plinths. Wow!
Time can really drag when you are waiting for something. I am waiting for materials which have got caught up in the postal dispute, waiting for confirmation of meetings, waiting for an important email, waiting for other little odds and sods that seem to be holding me up in one way or another. Things like that can niggle more than they should sometimes. Ah, well.
I realised that I haven’t written about Artspace. It was formed in 1980 by graduates and lecturers from (what was) Portsmouth Polytechnic, and is now a vibrant group of some 40+ professional artists. Based in a former Methodist church, there are 28 studios in the building. Aspex (as in Art Space Exhibitions) was founded here before becoming an independent gallery and moving to its own premises at Gunwharf Quays. Art Space has since launched a new project space ‘GASP’.
I have a solo show here later this month (the PV is on the 20th November – please do get in touch if you would like to come along).
Next year is the 30th anniversary of the founding, so we are in the throes of preparing for that.
This year saw the first Art Space International Artist Residency, and applications for the 2010 Sponsored Studio Award have just opened. This is aimed at artists based in the Portsmouth area – full details are here in the A-N jobs and opps listings.
