Curtains


My latest effort for the Southbank Arts Trail on Saturday and Sunday. I'm showing my stuff in Paper Village on North Street, Southville, Bristol.

It is still a single piece of paper sandwiched between two pieces of glass but its a bit of a departure in process; a combination of a soldering iron and scalpel with synthetic paper. A more painterly process, using heat to remove the material, but just as time consuming! I'm sort of  hoping to get another bigger one done before the weekend but I'm probably kidding myself.

Got a billion things to do, like make business cards and sort out prices and of course, actually hang things on a wall! I'll probably sell nothing but it'll be an adventure.

Woman's Realm - 1st big one done!

Finished finally. 
Its fortunate that the sun's come out just as I got it finished yesterday! I'm really enjoying the shadows it makes against the background..


I got through quite a few scalpel blades.  

Now to get cracking on the rest of them. As usual, I've tonnes of ideas and not enough time. Its half term now so no school run and I’ll be hanging with my small people in the day. Taking things easy and hopefully I’ll have a bit more energy in the evenings to get some smaller pieces finished.

Paper Robot

I've got a bit diverted. I got digital die cutter and started playing...


It is basically a plotter with a knife which cuts vector files from my mac, and as I make my templates as vector files in Illustrator, its a no brainer to use it almost like a sketching machine. I am still committed to making framed pieces handcut from Japanese paper but I've got tons of other paper engineering type things which can be tested on the die cutter. I am very excited!

Weekend work

I got some time and space today to get stuff done.  I started with this one. Yes I've done it before, but after yesterday's shaky start I thought it would be best to go for a familiar warm up.

The Kozo paper is very lovely to cut, but you have to go so slowly as it is very easy to mess up.  On the lightbox, you can see the texture of the paper - very delicate, super strong fibres. Its tidier than the last version.



Template in progress for the biggest hangers piece - 0.5m diameter. I have an A4 printer so its a bit of a jigsaw puzzle. Took bloomin' ages.


Piece in progress. I'm about half way. I thought it would be done but alas, things take longer than you think and I can't really rush it!


Hopefully it'll be done and framed this week...

Byee.

Those magnificent men in their flying machines

Gotta love Terry Thomas
... up tiddly up, up
... down tiddly down, down.

Roller coasters,
Fear and fun, fun and fear.
Making art?
Sort of similar.

Got paper, got scalpel, got frames,
got TIME - for once!
and...
got a crisis of confidence.

The pressure to perform eh?
My very expensive new paper cuts sooo easily and its a bit scary how easy it is to make mistakes.
There is no Ctrl Z with this,
one mistake and its in the bin.

Got to get stuff made over the weekend.
Onwards and upwards...

The First Big Weekend

I lived in London for 10 years, during which time I listened to much Scottish music on my mini disc player/ipod device on the tube. Trying to cling on to an idea of "Scottishness", I guess...

Arab Strap
Boards of Canada
Belle and Sebastian
The Blue Nile
even a bit of Deacon Blue

This takes me straight back to Dundee, 1996. Its a life I might have been leading had I not buggered off to Art School. Although we did our fair share of drinking and silly stuff there too.



This and the album its from are so badly produced, its actually good and I love those early Belle and Sebastian albums that sound like they were recorded in a church hall (and they were)...

It has been a "Big Weekend" of sorts. I'm up to my eyeballs in life, instead of making right now but I'll be back soon with more art type stuff. I'm getting stuff ready to make some actual pictures for frames at the weekend.

Until then, this could be some sort of 'on hold music'....

Evening Sun

Waiting for a bus at Frenchay Hospital, Bristol at 4.50pm - the sun just thinking of setting....


 
I looked up and there was this amazing tree.  I was feeling a bit sad leaving my buddy in her bed, but thankful for seeing her.

There's really a lot to be thankful considering everything. 
A running theme for the last few weeks.

This time of year and being on the edge of the city, closer to the countryside, the quality of light. It throws it all into sharp relief, or rather sharp contrast. My biggest girl is back at school and we're all back to the same old routine.  Feeling a bit somber, but all in all perhaps its just a little bitter sweet.

Aaaaaargh. No more hangers!

More hangers?
Well that's it. The final comp. Probably the final colour too. It'll be about a foot square. Just got to source some paper now.
 The other one was a bit crap. Too messy.
Seems to be that as soon as I put anything up on here I go, "Oh I know, I'll do this instead!".
Well at least the blog is keeping me motivated.

I am struggling a bit this week. Its half term. I'm bloody knackered. Too knackered in the evening to risk wielding a scalpel! I'm hoping, this weekend for some time out from my lovely children to get some cutting done.