I have been invited to a speed networking event next Friday to pass on my experiences to young graduates in Derby. I usually avoid these networking events like the plague but I’ve accepted this opportunity because it is focussed. I’ts busy at the moment. It’s always busy. Today we receive 215 kgs of artwork from Korea. Now, the delivery people won’t move it upstairs so it will need to be unpacked on the groundfloor and taken piece-by-piece to the first floor…. by me and others who happen to be around today. We are preparing for Sideshow. I’m taking part in 2 open studios – in Southwell and HMS. I’ve also been invited to take part in the Oldknows ‘Reunion’ show – an exhibiton by ex Olknows artists and current ones too. The group was established by Trent graduates in the 80s. It will be fantastic to catch up with everyone :)
Update HMS websitePhone the court about proceedures – recommend emailing the judge directly. Email the court – follow up with phonecall to see if received. Positive. Phone HFC company secretary re letting. We have someone keen to rent the ground floor and checked to see if all relevant documents have arrived. Positive. Make a list of food for buffet for HMS open studios and list of artists. Circulate on googlegroups – already positive response. Respond to request for rent receipt for tax purposes (for artist). Sort email for HMS Open Studios invite and send. Sort lisitngs on free websites for HMS Open Studios And today was supposed to be a painting day… oh and nearly forgot – paid business rates installment
David held a coffee morning in aid of Macmillan Cancer Support at HMS this morning. It was a lovely atmosphere with mugs of coffee and millionaire’s shortbread… and £150 for a good cause.
Have just returned from the Bathing Beauties Festival in Mablethorpe/Sutton where 7 HMS artists took over 4 beach huts at the smaller seaside resort of Sutton-on-Sea. A great weekend. There was a constant stream of visitors but… I’m not sure I managed to reach the audience which were mainly elderly with every shade, make and size of dog imaginable. Some funky mobility scooters too. I had geared my work up for children, taking along a couple of littlechairs and a low table. I also provided materials so that young artists could add characters to ones I had already created on a beach scene. Whilst there were a few under-7s yesterday they were definitely doing other things today. Still it was a great way to spend the day – by the sea and with a great bunch of people. David and Louise’s activity managed to attract more attention though. Louise had the bright idea of cutting up the wooden slats of an old wooden blind into 6 inch slices. Visitors were invited to paint seacapes which were repositioned back into the original slots and hung in the beach hut window for the public to see.
I am the bus conductor tonight collecting the return fare of £3 from Nottingham to the Fishmarket, Northampton for the pv of ‘Scale’. HMS artist Alsion Whitmore is exhibiting in the group show organised by students on the post grad ‘Connect’ course. http://www.harringtonmillstudios.co.uk/artists/whitmore/Connect%202010%20invite%5B1%5D.pdf Incidently, I was one of the first students to enroll on the course back in 1996 when the unlikely title for the course was ‘A Big Hand For’. It’s basically a business course for artists and it’s proved to be pretty useful -giving me a framework to work to, both in establishing my own practice and also setting up the studios. Talking about setting up the studios I had an enquiry yesterday from an artist looking at the HMS model. I have pointed them to the NAN bursary for funding visits to studios – not necessarily HMS as he has visited the studios before.
