Emma and Nick arrived by 11am from Brighton and we went on down to Tontine St. Nick seemed impressed with the way the mural had come out in the end. A lot of people around - a huge buzz around teh harbour and Old High St. Bumped into Emily from from the Creative Foundation who was covered in paint and clearly pissed off 'someone's poured a can of paint over the mermaid - I've just been cleaning it'. Then went into the Visitors Centre and bought the Strange Cargo Guidebook. A fantastic collection of local people's memories, favourite spots, bit's of urban myth and so on - a guide to the town by the people of the town. And only a fiver.
Saw Katrina (Uni head of Art) - she seemed impressed with the mural and with the whole Triennial. Then went over to watch the fountain (sorry - 'interactive water feature') - kids were running around in it getting wet - lots of peopel all around wtching and enjoying themselves. Looks like this is going to be a great success. Should bring families down - kids love it - a bit of harmless rebelious fun, and if families come down then life will be restored to the area. Tony Pye (Chummy's seafood) seemed really pleased with it a few days ago - having seen it in operation my guess is that his expectations have been met.
Bumped into Phyllis and a few others from the FAC. Further on saw a couple of friends from Sandgate - Lynette and Clarissa, and then a bit further on Tony Diver in his get-up just going to or from his boat.
I'm not sure about the bits of work that are in teh harbour - the heads on sticks things. Other people seem to like them though. The mermaid is good. And Emily had done a good job of cleaning her up - although the rock she (the mermaid) was sitting on had paint on it - but I guess that won't come off easily. The mermaid has feet, and is a cast of a local woman with a 'normal figure'. She's not a stunning idealised beauty, but a fairly statuesque mother-of-two. A real woman. Sat on a rock facing the open sea. Again she seemed to be well appreciated by most of the people there - although presumably someone didn't like her.
A slow meander back and up the Old High Street into many of the newly opened shops and galleries - some clearly temporary - followed. Interesting large photo of the pilot control tower in one gallery. Wierdness in another. One Triennial piece was 'Boutique Kosovo' a shop that had traditional Kosovan costumes hanging on racks as if on sale in a top-end boutique. Some of teh stuff was beautifully made - interesting to see it in such a setting. I've seen a few older people in Albania wearing similar clothing back in 1996 and 2006 - it's not often that you see people in traditional garb.
I then went and collected my friend Lorna from teh station and when we came back we had a look in 'Space' gallery at the realist paintings of Charlotte Harris and Leigh Mulley. Beautiful stuff - I was never that sure about teh idea of realist painting, but I am getting to like it. Especially of the more banal objects - a bunch of spring onions or sweets - that sort of stuff.
Went to Googies for lunch. It was mental there. We didn't get food for about an hour and a half - clearly not their best day for service, but they were frantically busy. I later discovered that most of the cafes in the area sold out or were so busy that they couldn't cope with the numbers. James, my tutor for the mural project and also for art history and contect was there, had a quick chat with him.
After lunch we wandered back down the Old High St, and along Tontine St where we had a look at some of teh galleries and work spaces. We also went into the Brewery Tap where there was an exhibition of furniture made by students at K College (formerly the South Kent College). Beautiful stuff, and Nick it clearly got Nick intersted in looking at furniture making courses.
Bakc home for a cup of tea and a rest, before getting changed and walking down to Rock Salt via teh Grand (to see one of the Triennial decimal clocks) past the Colour of Water (where we played with the colour wheel to try and find the colour of the sea), Barking Rocks (from 2008 Triennial) and a bit of window shopping at Johnny Cotter's gallery. I got talking to someone about murals and she suggested mexican patterns and cave-art...
Rock Salt was great. Fantastic food, and great service (had heard mixed reviews - so it was good to see that the problems seem to have been sorted). Freshest oysters I've ever had, beautifully cooked turbot, and a light and fruity 'chocolate fondant with sea-buckthorn sauce'. Including wine and service, it all came to £45 a head. Which for the quality of the food was good value I think. Definitely recommended.
Monday 27 June 2011
24th June
Spent the day wandering town dropping off more leaflets and postcards. Cards are now on sale at Home Ground, Moda, and both the Triennial and Creative Quarter Visitor Centres. Leaflets are in all these places as well as Johnny Cotter's gallery, and the Grand Hotel.
Had a long chat with Johnny Cotter about the Triennial, the Fringe events (he's organised a lot of work in Rendezvous St with his 'Inferential Grin' fringe), and teh fact that the local press seem to think he's anti-Triennial.
Been hearing a lot recently about the Folkestone Herald's pathetic anti-Roger De Haan stance, where they refuse to print anything positive about De Haan, the Creative Foundation, Triennial etc - basically most of the people that are putting money where their mouths are and trying to help Folkestone. All this seems to be doing is putting a number of people of buying the Herald. The Creative Foundation may not have managed everything perfectly in teh past, and I'm sure that it won't in the future, but anyone who's wandered around the Quarter in the last week can't help be impressed by the change over the last few years - or even weeks.
Saw a pic on Facebook of the fountain (sorry - 'interactive water feature') working at 5pm.... just in the nick of.
Didn't go to fireworks - but by all accounts they were spectacular.
Had a long chat with Johnny Cotter about the Triennial, the Fringe events (he's organised a lot of work in Rendezvous St with his 'Inferential Grin' fringe), and teh fact that the local press seem to think he's anti-Triennial.
Been hearing a lot recently about the Folkestone Herald's pathetic anti-Roger De Haan stance, where they refuse to print anything positive about De Haan, the Creative Foundation, Triennial etc - basically most of the people that are putting money where their mouths are and trying to help Folkestone. All this seems to be doing is putting a number of people of buying the Herald. The Creative Foundation may not have managed everything perfectly in teh past, and I'm sure that it won't in the future, but anyone who's wandered around the Quarter in the last week can't help be impressed by the change over the last few years - or even weeks.
Saw a pic on Facebook of the fountain (sorry - 'interactive water feature') working at 5pm.... just in the nick of.
Didn't go to fireworks - but by all accounts they were spectacular.
Back! Triennial stuff
OK - I've been busy working on the Mural. More of which in other posts. But first here's a run through of teh last few days which have been mainly about going around the 2011 Folkestone Triennial stuff.
23rd June (Thurs)
Spent most of the day dropping piles of mural leaflets and postcards in shops and cafes. Lots of positive feedback from people about teh mural
Went to Triennial Preview evening (invited as a 'fringe artist'). Stopped off at the un-completed fountain (sorry - 'interactive water feature') about thirty blokes in yellow hi-vi's working on laying blocks filling in cement, washing down etc. Apparently they have been granted 24hour building work permission to get it done in time - good luck to them...
On to the Quartehouse for the preview and a presentation and slide show by Andrea Schlieker (Triennial curator). Interesting stuff - I think that the Colour of Water is going to be one of the more interesting pieces. I'm not sure about all the film stuff. Also wondering how many are likely to become permanent pieces... presumably the mermaid, Strange Cargo's plaques - but what else? Most of the others seem to involve looking after on a daily or continuous basis.
Then went on to preview evening of local artists' work at Chimaera Gallery. Nice stuff in there - poster type prints of an all-American sporty girl in mini-skirt - nice to look at... But the piece that I really like, is also not exactly serious, is a series of eight paintings forming a continuous strip of surreal and humorous subjects. A Frisian cow with the white only half way up like half full bottle of mlk, Dali's soft clock, leaves turning into lips, two tap-heads umpiring a cricket match and so on. Would look good in teh foyer of a company HQ - light hearted, can keep visitor's attention trying to find all the quirky things in there. Phil G is working on more of these to make an even longer series.
23rd June (Thurs)
Spent most of the day dropping piles of mural leaflets and postcards in shops and cafes. Lots of positive feedback from people about teh mural
Went to Triennial Preview evening (invited as a 'fringe artist'). Stopped off at the un-completed fountain (sorry - 'interactive water feature') about thirty blokes in yellow hi-vi's working on laying blocks filling in cement, washing down etc. Apparently they have been granted 24hour building work permission to get it done in time - good luck to them...
On to the Quartehouse for the preview and a presentation and slide show by Andrea Schlieker (Triennial curator). Interesting stuff - I think that the Colour of Water is going to be one of the more interesting pieces. I'm not sure about all the film stuff. Also wondering how many are likely to become permanent pieces... presumably the mermaid, Strange Cargo's plaques - but what else? Most of the others seem to involve looking after on a daily or continuous basis.
Then went on to preview evening of local artists' work at Chimaera Gallery. Nice stuff in there - poster type prints of an all-American sporty girl in mini-skirt - nice to look at... But the piece that I really like, is also not exactly serious, is a series of eight paintings forming a continuous strip of surreal and humorous subjects. A Frisian cow with the white only half way up like half full bottle of mlk, Dali's soft clock, leaves turning into lips, two tap-heads umpiring a cricket match and so on. Would look good in teh foyer of a company HQ - light hearted, can keep visitor's attention trying to find all the quirky things in there. Phil G is working on more of these to make an even longer series.
Monday 14 February 2011
14th February 2011
So, a bit more on what I've been doing recently.
Ive done a bit of drawing but certainly not as much as I should have. Here's my left hand holding the pad I was drawing on. I guess next time I should try and do my right hand....
Then there was the postcard project. This was a way of using different materials to represent my chosen theme of 'travel'. Instead of having postcards or photographs of destinations, the aim was to use textures and everyday objects, and present them in a similar way as photographs would be displayed.
These are a variety of objects such as tickets, receipts and labels, with some modelled representations of sand, road surfaces, train windows etc
The third project I'll briefly describe today is the 'rocket' sculpture. This is a sculpture that is supposed to represent acceleration and change. Change in speed and technogology.
This is a series of models suspended above each other - working from a heavy solid lump of stone at the bottom through increasingly aerodynamic and lighter materials and shapes to carbon fibre reinforced plastic at the top.
This was the first time I'd worked in most of these materials. The stone was an old piece of Caen stone left over from work on Canterbury Cathedral - very easy to work with. The wood was from a short length of 9" x 2" wood recovered from a building site. The steel was made from a chocolate tin, cut and bolted together with Meccano bolts, and then rusted using vinegar and bleach. The aluminium one was made from an old camping saucepan cut and riveted. And the carbon fibre one was made following a complex process starting with a coffee cup, to form a negative from low-melt regid plastic, which was then used to create a positive out of Polyfilla, and that was used to make a soft vinyl mould for the carbon-fibre and resin.
I also plan to make a bronze - or brass - model. So far I have built a small 'foundry' out of a cylinder of metal (two side panels from an old computer), lined with special refractory cement, with a hole in the side to blow some air (from a leaf-blower). I have lit and tested the foundry - and managed to get a crucible (a bit of blanked off old gas main) red-hot. So that should be hot enough to melt brass when I can get some.
Ive done a bit of drawing but certainly not as much as I should have. Here's my left hand holding the pad I was drawing on. I guess next time I should try and do my right hand....
Then there was the postcard project. This was a way of using different materials to represent my chosen theme of 'travel'. Instead of having postcards or photographs of destinations, the aim was to use textures and everyday objects, and present them in a similar way as photographs would be displayed.
These are a variety of objects such as tickets, receipts and labels, with some modelled representations of sand, road surfaces, train windows etcThe third project I'll briefly describe today is the 'rocket' sculpture. This is a sculpture that is supposed to represent acceleration and change. Change in speed and technogology.
This is a series of models suspended above each other - working from a heavy solid lump of stone at the bottom through increasingly aerodynamic and lighter materials and shapes to carbon fibre reinforced plastic at the top.
This was the first time I'd worked in most of these materials. The stone was an old piece of Caen stone left over from work on Canterbury Cathedral - very easy to work with. The wood was from a short length of 9" x 2" wood recovered from a building site. The steel was made from a chocolate tin, cut and bolted together with Meccano bolts, and then rusted using vinegar and bleach. The aluminium one was made from an old camping saucepan cut and riveted. And the carbon fibre one was made following a complex process starting with a coffee cup, to form a negative from low-melt regid plastic, which was then used to create a positive out of Polyfilla, and that was used to make a soft vinyl mould for the carbon-fibre and resin.I also plan to make a bronze - or brass - model. So far I have built a small 'foundry' out of a cylinder of metal (two side panels from an old computer), lined with special refractory cement, with a hole in the side to blow some air (from a leaf-blower). I have lit and tested the foundry - and managed to get a crucible (a bit of blanked off old gas main) red-hot. So that should be hot enough to melt brass when I can get some.
Sunday 13 February 2011
Summary catch up
13th February 2011.
OK - so I've not been doing too well in keeping this blog updated. Here's a quick run down of the last couple three months.
1. A bit more drawing done.
2. I finished the postcards project
3. I started and almost completed a project using stone, wood, brass, steel, aluminium, and carbon fibre
4. Plans made for a 20ft paper aeroplane.
5. Dinosaur advert completed
6. Tube map of the human anatomy in progress
7. Trips to galleries in London and Margate
8. Went to De La Warr Pavilion in Bexhill to see avant garde gig and also to do essay on the building
9. Built a mini-foundry for melting metal (for project 3, although not done in time for this)
10. Looking at building a pin-hole camera for a teacher friend.
11. Got involvd with sorting out funding for the Folkstone Skabour Festival.
12. Been busier than expected.
OK - so I've not been doing too well in keeping this blog updated. Here's a quick run down of the last couple three months.
1. A bit more drawing done.
2. I finished the postcards project
3. I started and almost completed a project using stone, wood, brass, steel, aluminium, and carbon fibre
4. Plans made for a 20ft paper aeroplane.
5. Dinosaur advert completed
6. Tube map of the human anatomy in progress
7. Trips to galleries in London and Margate
8. Went to De La Warr Pavilion in Bexhill to see avant garde gig and also to do essay on the building
9. Built a mini-foundry for melting metal (for project 3, although not done in time for this)
10. Looking at building a pin-hole camera for a teacher friend.
11. Got involvd with sorting out funding for the Folkstone Skabour Festival.
12. Been busier than expected.
Wednesday 3 November 2010
November 3rd
Been doing a fair bit of drawing, including a day of life drawing that was tiring - not helped by the fact that the room was rather warm for the model's comfort. However, I was pleased with some of my efforts - the proportions aren't necessarily flattering, and some are not accurate, but I think I managed to get the solidity of some of teh shapes reasonably.
This encouraged me to do some more sketches - I've not been practising enough. This one is of my left hand holding the sketchbook...
The printing is also coming along. The colourful screenprint tile print has been finished - with screen printed scrabble tiles with letters monoprinted. I'm not sure about the end product, but it does demonstrate some of the techniques.
The red-brown tiles with thick textured paint have been made into a collagraph plat by inking them up and pressing them onto paper. I coloured one tile differently to teh rest.
I've also done some lino prints, still on teh 'tile' theme, with a pattern based on the standard 'Redland 49' roof tile.
I also did a 'negative print, printed two (almost) interlocking, and using different colours.
Finally on the printing side, today I worked on a collagraph, using paper and card mounted on a piece of hardboard. It took a bit of planning to get the right thicknesses and teh correct layering of the card, but the resuklt was about what I hoped. One was printed on some paper I'd roughly coloured, and some others were on plain paper, but with different parts inked using different colours.
I've also been working on teh postcard wall, and paid a visit to the De La Warr Pavilion in Bexhill for the essay, and to listen to some odd music. But I've written enough today.
This encouraged me to do some more sketches - I've not been practising enough. This one is of my left hand holding the sketchbook...
The printing is also coming along. The colourful screenprint tile print has been finished - with screen printed scrabble tiles with letters monoprinted. I'm not sure about the end product, but it does demonstrate some of the techniques.
The red-brown tiles with thick textured paint have been made into a collagraph plat by inking them up and pressing them onto paper. I coloured one tile differently to teh rest.
I've also done some lino prints, still on teh 'tile' theme, with a pattern based on the standard 'Redland 49' roof tile.
I also did a 'negative print, printed two (almost) interlocking, and using different colours.
Finally on the printing side, today I worked on a collagraph, using paper and card mounted on a piece of hardboard. It took a bit of planning to get the right thicknesses and teh correct layering of the card, but the resuklt was about what I hoped. One was printed on some paper I'd roughly coloured, and some others were on plain paper, but with different parts inked using different colours.
I've also been working on teh postcard wall, and paid a visit to the De La Warr Pavilion in Bexhill for the essay, and to listen to some odd music. But I've written enough today.
Monday 18 October 2010
Week 3
Well, in the past week I've been continuing with the two projects we've been set. One on 'Ideas Meanings and Materials', for which I'm doing a 'postcard wall' of a variety of textures and such that one may encounter when travelling (I've now done 30 cards and have ideas for another 30, but probably won't do them all); and the other project is 'High Definition' which we were asked to look at a small component of a large object and develop that. I've decided to do tiles, and have used screen printing to create a (very messy) stylised image of roof tiles (fig 1 - work in progress), and have also created a small collage of tiles created by painting the same colour paint with different textures (rolled, brushed, stippled etc) - fig 2.
I'm not too sure where I'm going to take either of these two, but that's part of the idea of the project.
Today's drawing class saw us going down to the harbour to get some ideas to take back and work on in the sudio. I deliberately didn't do a drawing of Folkestone Harbour itself, just of selected components of the harbour. This charcoal drawing took all day, and I am rather pleased with it.
The perspective is not brilliant - (eg for teh harbour wall on the right), and the light comes at different sections from different sides, but I did get teh framing reasonably well I think, and I also like the textures that I did. Not sure about the net hanging on the post though...
I'm not too sure where I'm going to take either of these two, but that's part of the idea of the project.
Today's drawing class saw us going down to the harbour to get some ideas to take back and work on in the sudio. I deliberately didn't do a drawing of Folkestone Harbour itself, just of selected components of the harbour. This charcoal drawing took all day, and I am rather pleased with it.
The perspective is not brilliant - (eg for teh harbour wall on the right), and the light comes at different sections from different sides, but I did get teh framing reasonably well I think, and I also like the textures that I did. Not sure about the net hanging on the post though...
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