My relationship to the studio has changed completely! Taking the computer out of it means that I spend time there completely differently. This week I began working on the glittered door again after a break of possibly nine months. I spent a few happy hours sitting with a paintbrush, binding agent and glitter, filling in tiny blank spots where the white ground was visible. It was pleasantly labourious. I (think I) can see a difference between the area I worked on the rest of the door. While I am at Mejan I am going to take the opportunity to ask for advice on glittering. I wonder if I will have to rig up some kind of door-size ‘shaker’ to get an even coating … on the other hand the ridiculousness of working by hand is quite appealing. The process minded me of some of the other labour intensive and optically challenging things that I have done; the patch-working, the sewing-up of white shirts with white thread in white rooms. It is hard to focus on the glittered surface and sometimes even then a reflection of the ceiling looks like a blank spot … or a slight tilt of the my head reveals glitterless patches where there appeared to be none.
Yesterday I met with Amanda (Newall) my project supervisor at Mejan. We had a good and wide ranging discussion, and I left feeling motivated to get on with making. We talked about the year being a period of experimentation (and space for failure) with critical feedback and support – Brilliant!! This is exactly what I need. I noticed immediately how we talked about my ideas without me feeling that they required explanation or justification beyond that the idea intrigues me. I have a starting point and that is the most important thing right now, what happens after starting will to a large extend be determined by the work itself. Or rather by my feelings about it – in discussion with Amanda. The lightness of this is both frightening and delightful. I have the feeling that this is going to be a very interesting and rewarding year!
Last weekend I had the pleasure of being at Liz and Kjetil’s wedding. They are a truly lovely couple and it was as if no time at all had passed since I was staying with them and making the “Brief Encounter” piece for their gallery. A couple of days before the wedding Liz put me in touch with another couple who would be travelling over and staying in the same cottage as me. Via email we arranged to meet at the airport and share the cost of a hire car, and despite both our planes being delayed we met up and started to talk as Debbi effortlessly embraced driving on the right in the horizontal rain of a very dark Norwegian night. We spent most of the weekend talking about being artists and all that that entails – it is amazing how sometimes it feels as though you have known strangers all of your life! Debbi’s name seemed familiar to me and at some point during our conversations we worked out that we were both in the Pilot 3 project and attended the opening in Venice. We did not say more than hello then, how fantastic to meet again six and a half years later in another country at the wedding of artist friends! A wonderfully inspiring weekend that reminded me how important it is to stay in touch with like-mined souls!
This morning I collected my overalls (bought when I was at Dartington) and the shadow sketches. They are now in my locker at Mejan just waiting for me to meet with the tutor who can help me construct some kind of plaster lathe for turning the solid forms from which I will make some moulds …
Now I am going to have coffee with Leah Capaldi who I met at her presentation at Mejan yesterday.
My world is moving very fast at the moment ….
http://www.debbielawson.com/index.html
http://leahcapaldi.com/index.html
