This October sees me take up an artists’ residence in orchard Square – a retail unit in Sheffield. The residency will be open to the public, and as such it provides a means to develop my body of work and add […]
As this is a long term project, it can feel overwhelming in its scale and complexity (like the dig itself). Despite the fact that archaeology is rooted in the past, my residency is about bearing witness to the human activity […]
There are some pieces of stone which have been uncovered and now the parts with iron layers are rusting. They are difficult to draw and paint because I’m not interested in just rocks and prefer people. My project is about […]
One of the supervisors is feeling that he hasn’t accomplished much in his trench, because it is not only complex but confusing. There is a balance to be achieved between working fast through the midden, to get to the structure of […]
Yesterday persistent rain and mud making an abstract painting on the floor of the supervisors’ hut. Today, bright sunlight creating sharp shadows and the ever present wind blowing clouds into many shapes.
I have a meeting in Taunton at 11am. According to Google maps, it’s a 2-hour drive. I follow the instructions dictated out loud by my phone the whole way ‘at the roundabout take the third exit and stay on the […]
the ups & downs of my first artist-in-residence project
Today I discovered micromorphology. Samples of soil on site are cut and put carefully into small tin boxes or, if larger, wrapped in clingfilm. These are then sent away to be suspended in resin, from which very fine slices are […]
The boulder has been taken out of the entrance to Structure 8, and they are removing stones and roof tiles that fell in – to get down to the main slab. Apparently, interesting things are found in doorways. It has […]
Yesterday, halfway through my painting, the sky on the horizon went black with rain and a small twister. It was too late to alter the sky, but I think it may show in the way the foreground picked up the […]
Yesterday, halfway through my painting, the sky on the horizon went black with rain and a small twister. It was too late to alter the sky, but I think it may show in the way the foreground picked up the […]
Changeable weather again – so what’s new? Chris, who makes carved stone balls using neolithic tools, has suggested composing a still life of them. Why does Chardin come to mind first, when I empathise with Cézanne’s approach. Chris agrees we […]
An amazingly still day – hardly any wind, which is so unusual. Voices carry across the trench. Huge cotton wool clouds moving very slowly. Some rain on the far horizon. The sky is so big. The trench is huge when […]
Trench tour for the many specialists working with the Ness of Brodgar makes me feel in awe of the complexity of the dig. Put in parallel with my project as Artist in Residence, it shows up the bewildering nature of […]
Everyday sexism, everyday omission of herstory. ‘nid byd, byd heb wybodaeth’ (1991, Aaron & Rees) A customer tweeted her frustrations at the everyday sexism and gender stereo types on children’s clothing recently. “Looking 4 kids’ holiday clothes this morning at […]
Hugo talked most interestingly about how Structure 14 may have been built – what was probably established first and how, bit by bit, the (non architect based) structure gradually appeared over time. Stones straight on to earth. (Our early C19 […]
Re excavation. Revisiting an eight year old trench. Yesterday they excavated the black plastic. Today brushing, weeding and gentle spade work, dragging off earth settled on top of previously exposed stone. Like working with a big trowel. Not on their […]
Something orange showing in the mud – a piece of oxidised pottery. Another piece slowly appears as the trowel gently scrapes away the earth crumb by crumb. Trying to draw the undulating stones like wafers, which I wrote about on […]
The Orkney Museum have given me a space, just off the Archeology display in Room 1, for an exhibition of work from my Artist’s Residency on the Ness of Brodgar in 2016. The show is now open and will continue until the end […]
A fine day on site at last, although the ever present wind makes the barrier tape rattle noisily on my sound recording. Quiet voices working on the final stages of Structure 14, where drawings are being made before stones are removed. […]
This year, I have begun writing as well as drawing, bearing witness to the activity on site. So from now on, alongside drawings and paintings, I will be posting written observations rather than journal entries. Wind and rain. Have to […]
We planned to start our collaboration by exploring the metaphorical space of the garden. Its meaning and its materials. Not defining the outcome, meandering, letting the garden take us to unexpected places. We want to see what, if anything takes […]
Are we as a society assisting sexism and gender inequality by the omission and exclusion of our female history? ?While watching X Men First Class with the family last night I asked my daughter if she could think of a […]
Doing deceleration symposium at Nottingham Contemporary. We started the day in the project space of Nottingham Contemporary exploring the theme of ‘Doing Deceleration’. This was an event open to the wider public, not just the Summer Lodge. A full list […]
