The Inishlacken Project and others

This is a postscript really. Just thought I would add an image of one of the drawings I am going to put in the show in Saffron Walden next week.

Its a few days since I last wrote an entry to this blog and I find myself preparing for the return visit to inishlacken. In between packing bags and making sure I have the right camera equipment with me, I have been planning the artists forum that I am holding in Suffolk as part of a project supported by a NAN bursary. It is going to take the form of a ‘Mad Artists Tea Party’ and have some references to Alice in Wonderland. Subject to a conversation with Rebecca Weaver, the arts officer from Ipswich Council I am hoping it will be held in the centre of Ipswich in the Town Hall Galleries in October. Its open to all artists living in Suffolk, so if you are one of them you will be very welcome. More details to follow…..

Back to the suitcase and the mounting excitiment at the prospect of visiting Ireland again. Will this trip shatter or enhance my memories? I will only be on Inishlacken for one day and in ireland for just three days altogether. I am anticipating a very different landscape with the autumn weather. Less swimming this time, more fleeces and gloves!

Rosie has received my proposal for the February show. She is happy so I send it off to the gallery curator. The proposal contains a couple of ideas, well, three to be more precise so I am hoping the gallery director of Galway Arts Centre will relate to at least one of them. Writing it has made me realise that there are many potential works that could develop as a result of my Inishlacken trip. I have arranged to return to the island in mid october to complete the third memorial piece that was curtailed by the weather. This time my husband will accompany me. He’ll stay on the mainland while I am on the island and then we can spend a day afterwards exploring Roundstone.

The proof invitation arrived in the post today for the Saffron Walden show. It looks ok but I wish I was better versed in typography and graphic design then I might feel more confident in making a judgement. Nevertheless I make some suggestions and edits and return it. It will be my public face when it gets sent out so fingers crossed I have made the right decisions.

Its in the post
Far from being one of those excuses you hear when people are late with a delivery or payment, today this statement means that I have cleared some of the backlog of paperwork, completed my Galway proposal and as a result have a clear head. Strangely the proposal came all in a rush together with a fully formed idea for another application I have made to a festival called TULCA – which also takes place in Galway. The next stage is, of course, the waiting to see how ideas are received. I dont think about things too much once they have gone off in the post, I am out of control then, nothing to do so might as well get on with other things.
I spoke at the AIR event in Colchester on Monday PM. Alex Pearl, another [an] blogger also talked about his future plans as did David Kefford. They had interesting things to say. We had all been asked to speak about ‘Key issues for our practice in the future’ and there was a lot of overlap in the three presentations. It seemed we all knew that networking was important (although some did not like the term networking) and that we needed to find our own way to work effectively. I like to be in my studio and also out and about whereas David spends as much time as poss in his studio and Alex prefers to work from home and uses the web proactively to raise the profile of his work. By the way Alex, if you read this please correct anything!
The audience were really involved, it helped the evening discussion flow. In fact I think it could have gone on a lot longer as people had so much to say.
The next thing on my agenda is a solo show I have in early October in Saffron Walden Essex. I am showing some new work – very different to anything I have done before, so there are a few nerves creeping in as the date of installation gets closer.I am planning to show some drawings. They are quite large, about 1.5 mts x up to 5 mts. Its strange really because I feel more nervous about showing these than doing a live performance piece. I guess it all about what you are used to

Back into the normal routine now, its been several months since I left the island. I have so far managed to stick to quite a few of my resolutions, in particular the reading, drawing, looking and walking. I have made some new work and am still distilling the Inishlacken experience. I have to write a proposal for the forthcoming show in Galway Arts Centre that will showcase all the artists who have been on the island over the past eight years. At least I think this is correct. Rethinking it, I guess not ALL of the artists will show work. My proposal is late – it was requested three weeks ago – but I have only made a tentative start to date and knowing my way of working this is because the ideas are not yet fully formed in my head and like all good things they will happen when they are ready and cannot be forced.

Am I making excuses? probably …
Could I write the proposal now? Yes, but it would not be as detailed as I would like.
Should I get on with it instead of writing this Blog?
YES