Setting up 18 studios, Long Eaton, Nottingham

It’s always a bit tricky posting a blog retrospectively but I was without the internet for the last week and I was also being blown away by my experiences in Chicago. The real world was far more exciting than the virtual one. The 15ft x 8ft drawing inspired by the neighbourhood was finished on time. Alison and I didn’t plan the work but we did make decisions about the process. For instance we didn’t want a drawing of 2 halves so we decided to swap places every 30 minutes. We masked sections so they remained clean and sharp. Making the first marks was also less daunting. The process became more and more organic as the drawing developed. We used steps to get to the top and lay on the floor to work at the bottom. As we only had 27 inches between paper and window our friendship could have been compromised. However, there was no tension and we just got on with it – laughing, discussing and getting very mucky! A failed project might be difficult but losing a friend would have been tragic. The public responded positively with taps on the window and thumbs up. Three teenagers demanded to be drawn and Alison duly obliged. Pressure! Fortunately they were pleased with the result. I used plastic animals as reference to create anthropomorphic beings which also caused amusement. Mary Ellen is keen to involved the neighbourhood so this interaction was very welcome. The preview was great. We met artists, locals and Eduardo. Eduardo was so inspired by the drawing he decided to come to the PV – his first. He came on his own and stayed most of the evening. The next day we had to take down the work and install David and Sooky’s photos. A quite different exhibition but one which HMS could be proud of. Their exhibition was also listed in Chicago Reader :)