We’ve been at the Mill long enough for the combination lock to jam. A locksmith sorted it but I’ve had problems sourcing a lock and hasp combination that was compatible with the door and frame. Anyway, I managed to fix it this morning with Paul’s help. It is 3 weeks to the big day…
So many good things are happening at the moment it’s just a shame there isn’t the time to enjoy them. We have been given a Trial date at short notice of 3rd Sept. Although we are employing a solicitor we still have a lot of work to do, You can’t imagine how overwhelming this feels at times. Fitting this round other things that happen in life stretches the days to the max. I am uploading a photo of my space to as a reminder of why we are fighting for the studios. It still feels a great place to work despite the dispute. Earlier this week I had an email from Mark Patterson, a journalist from the Nottingham Evening Post who was intrigued by my paintings. We had a lovely chat on Tuesday and the article appeared in the newspaper yesterday. I think I’ll grab some of his words for my statement as he seemed to articulate my thoughts better than me. http://www.thisisnottingham.co.uk/Nightmare-ish-animal-magic/story-16688460-detail/story.html
The case continues to dominate. I feel sad we are in this position, especially as we were reluctant to litigate. The other side sent a letter refusing to talk to us before we issued a claim, so we had no choice. Had we not challenged their position we would have been deemed to acquiesce. We have offered binding arbitration on numerous occasions which is far more cost effective than going to court but the factory company have refused. We are still arguing about what is recoverable through the the service charge. For example we don’t believe the lease requires the tennants to pay for the director’s own private legal fees. We have handed the case back to the lawyers as it has been getting a bit heavy. The costs are a deep concern and I know there are going to be no winners, whatever the outcome. On a lighter note I have just finished showing at Trade Gallery. Bruce made a great job of hanging the work…it was both interesting and sensitive. I had some good feedback though I’m not sure everyone ‘got it’. My work looks a bit fluffy on the surface but it’s quite dark on closer inspection.
you leave a blog the more difficult it is to pick up the threads. Since the last entry I have been to Seoul, been to court and John has had a knee replacement. We had a wonderful time n Korea, but I never saw the show which opened whilst we were flying home because of the last minute change of venue. However, Sooky managed to organise a venue pdq at the KeumSan Gallery (Seoul-Heyri-Tokyo) which is an amazing space. The organisers were v welcoming and had arranged press releases and a pv in our absence. The show will run til 5th aug. Our attempt by us to strike out the last 2 items in the counterclaim was unsuccessful. We believed these issues were not worthy of a full trial but the judge thought otherwise, so these items will proceed. It is v stressful as these items soon become a side issue in relation to the costs involved. The knee replacement was successful though there is an infection which is slowing progress. We are all helping with day-to-day tasks such as hospital appointments, ferrying to the hairdressers and shopping etc. In between, I am working towards my show at he Trade Gallery this month. I was in panic mode as I am used to experimenting and developing ideas over an 18 month period. But, apparently new graduates are used to working with small timescales. I am treating this as a challenge and hopefully I can pull it off.
So busy. I’m preparing to go to Korea on Saturday. The work has been shipped but there has been a last minute change of venue. Originally we were showing at the Art Center, Choung Ang University in Seoul but there has been an accident and Sooky has worked hard to find a new space to show. Today we had confirmation that we are exhibiting at Sungkyun Gallery. All v exciting. Sooky has also arranged for me to see a children’s book publisher in Seoul so I’ve just redone my images to make the character a bit younger. I’ve uploaded onto blurb. The book arrived last week. I’m pleased with most of it – though some of the colours are iffy and the copyright page is rubbish. But it’s a good start. Rose Camastro-Pritchett lands at Heathrow on Friday to prepare for her performance at HMS. We met Rose in Chicago where she is good friends with Mary Ellen Croteau. Rose is an experienced artist who has has performed internationally, including the Museum of Contemporary Arts in Chicago. She is fortunate her employers at Colombia College have funded her travel etc. to … and we are all looking forward to catching up again. Alison is taking care of things whilst I’m away but I will be back for the pv. I am also preparing for a show at Trade Gallery, nottingham in July. I’m making lots of quick paintings/drawings to select from. Jem is busy on drafting a rebuttal ready for a hearing on June 1st. We have gone for the strike out of the remaining issues of the counterclaim. My father in law is also having a knee op when I return so I will be staying with jems mum quite a bit whilst he is in hospital. Phew! At least I’m not bored.
Painter and studio provider.
