Work towards Bearspace show

Very big, with balloon taken out it makes me think of a surreal hand dryer. Presented work at Zap Arts 5x5 Milestone Moments, and it was helpfully suggested spikey forms are maybe a different series to the previous powder shapes. Have been feeling confused as to  how they relate. Will focus on other work for Bearspace show in September.

Long legged spikey

Starting to make a spikey on long legs, may fill with powder. May cover with paper pulp rather than plaster to keep lighter

Spikey silicone lining

The T30 silicone recommended by Tiranti proved very tricky to paint on the inside of the spikey. The Thixo additive turned it into a clump of coagulated custard and wasted a whole 1kg tin. Tried again using tiny quantities as even then the time it remained paintable was tiny. The surface is lumpy so thinking before I start another tin. Maybe I should try another type that is easier to paint.

Also Like

Also really liked the work of Maria Nepumuceno at Victoria Miro: 

 Also liked the work of Canadian Jaime Angelopoulos below who makes 3D work and abstract drawings which reflect these shapes. Interested she refers to them as drawings not paintings, preserving the white paper and space between objects rather than covering the surface, echoing the 3D space of the sculptures rather than creating an illusory space.

Artists I've liked recently

Really liked the work of Evelyn O'Connor at Royal Academy Schools Premiums made from egg cartons with a kind of contrasting architectural armature or structured shape. Also Joel Wyllie' wonderful blue paintings shown in the same room to great effect:

I

New Character

Turned on its side standing on its spikes like stand in legs the spikey reveals its character

New bigger Spikey thing

Been making massive spikey shape, finishing it at college. Inside isn't going to be good enough to paint with silicone, so will have to make yet another. Learning each time I suppose ...

What shall I do with it? Put it on my head like Marge Simpson's hairdo! Love the revolving stand on wheels, must try and find one...

New spikey mould

Having another go at spikey plaster mould to paint with silicone, last one bounced onto floor and shattered while I was away. Have put on stand like pelt

Limbo Open

Lovely show at Limbo, really good mix of interesting work so pleased to be part of it

Been mangling and bending wheeled sausage shaped stand as not right, here have put bigger wheels with it, looking better. Still not sure what to put with it, powder so heavy will seriously splay wheeled feet

Marge Simpson shape failed as mould but liked perched on smallest stand

Have been in the college workshops making a new six legged sausage shaped stand on wheels. Used b&q castors and painted to dull the shininess. Nor sure what what to put on top of it yet.

Are the wheels right? Does it look too neat? Wanted the legs straighter and more regular than other stands as felt wheels demanded a more rigid look, perhaps needs explosive trussed powdery sausage on topto offset it...

Have been making a mould to paint with silicone:

Looked good when covered with plaster and scrim, just didn't look good enough to use for casting and am starting a new better one.

Some of my work has been chosen for the Limbo Associate Members Open in Margate:
http://www.limboarts.co.uk/ 

December studio visit and tutorial

Part of the Camberwell/Acme award is the valuable offer of mentoring from a practising artist whose work you admire. I had a lovely tutorial visit from Gayle Chong Kwan who had been one of the judges for the award. Realised I had been feeling a bit detached and purposeless,  felt I was using the studio as a kind of incubating space, just replicating objects. Gayle emphasised that I should now be showing my work as much as possible, entering open calls, commissions etc. Important as my work only resembles finished work when I have to fill a particular space. She also encouraged ideas which you sometimes sit on thinking they're too random - if you think of it, make it. Both are the way to push work forward and I needed to be told again.

December sculptures

Pink arm - top - used chopped up sweaters sewn with scrim. With Bean - above - sewed painted string through scrim so looks like balding tuber potato. Like a baked bean with a purpose.

Blue feet is a 3D manifestation of a scribble in an ipad drawing using very thin steel I wanted to make it stay up on its own, embedded in concrete core and then stuck in pop socks which I filled with blue plaster sludge. Here it is communicating with red snail horned thing.

More watercolour painting

 

 Continued with watercolours not mimicking ipad marks this time, though including some of the powder shapes and objects in the 3D work.