A word lands on a tree. It means nothing apart from its weight, texture, temperature, moistness …. its possibility of integration. I lost my journal and picked up another hoping it would be the missing book. I opened it to […]
One area that my work will undoubtedly fall into, but I hadn’t considered was art with words, as the names of the plants themselves are just as crucial as their imagery – despite being much less accessible (the majority of […]
The greatest polemic that no-one knows about
I’ve just read a very interesting article in the New York Times by Michael Pollan called Weeds Are Us. In a way, it develops the point I was making last week about having empathy for non-human species – namely, weeds. […]
Here in the UK, we are enduring the second week of self-isolation (aka lockdown). I struggle with anxiety and depression even in normal life and this pandemic has just made it so much worse. I really miss my freedom of […]
In this time of the coronavirus crisis, we’re being asked to regularly wash our hands to curb infection. If people are anything like me, this will increase our water usage just when we’re meant to be preserving it to save […]
It is entirely impossible for me to ignore the coronavirus crisis this week… As I type, I’m self-isolating, as advised by the UK government, due to having flu symptoms. I don’t know what it was but it passed on Sunday […]
Last week I began to follow the eco trail of my Winsor & Newton watercolours. As I don’t wish to single Winsor & Newton out, this week I’ve decided to follow the eco trail of my Royal & Langnickel brushes […]
Following on from last week, when I started to follow the eco trail of my art materials, this week I’m going to talk about the packaging they arrive in… Recently, I bought a half pan of Winsor & Newton watercolour […]
In last week’s blog, I wrote about becoming more atune to the ecology I’m part of. This inspired me to look closer at the eco trail of my art supplies. My watercolour paints are supplied my Winsor & Newton. Their […]
As I’ve previously mentioned, I’m collecting rainwater in a bucket to use for my painting and, to stop the wind blowing the bucket away, I’ve placed a brick in it. Well, this weekend, I was surprised to find a snail […]
Talking about walking last week reminded me that being environmentally friendly often saves me money. So why pay for a bus ticket when I can walk? Or pay for tap water when I can collect rainwater? Or buy paint when […]
Last week, I came to the conclusion that no matter what I do, I’ll end up hurting someone. This left me feeling stuck; I felt I had to do something but I also felt I could do nothing that helped. […]
Following on from last week when I was beginning to appreciate how precious rainwater is, it dawned on me that all my materials are precious – I can’t just carry on consuming as though it has no consequences. Creating art […]
As someone who struggles with anxiety, and the mood dips that go with, the climate crisis affects my mental health – and, therefore, my wellbeing – greatly. I have some really dark thoughts that leave me feeling powerless. However, in […]
Q: Are the movements/gestures important in reflecting on libraries? I find I have come a full circle in thinking about movement in response to words since first dreaming up the lost library project (in 2015, which coincides with the […]
Preparations for The Lost Library at The Wrexham Open. Questions I’m considering: Dwindling libraries – what is being done around the UK and to what effect? How do and how can libraries can best support communities? What is now […]
3 void train tickets I’ve been carrying around in my diary for about 8 years. VOID VOID VOID VOID If you repeat any word long enough it becomes a non-word A sound A w-o-r-d Noun: A single distinct meaningful element […]
Commissioned to write a 500-word comment piece, artists Kerri Jefferis, Sophie Chapman and Rosalie Schweiker started thinking about the words we use in the visual arts and the need for new ones. This is what they wrote.
Blogging through a concise period of work.
Perhaps I’m unusual as a visual artist but when I visit exhibitions I crave words; and usually I’m frustrated by their absence.
My constant challenges with my literary failings…
What I’m doing now, reflections on previous work and the ideas this process germinates.
All our words are but crumbs that fall down from the feast of the mind. Kahlil Gibran I am not a natural learner. Well, not in the traditional, educational model of; linear, sequential, bite-sized chunks type learning, […]
