Christmas Time

.. and too much mistletoe and wine.

I updated this in August? That's pretty shocking. Not much new to report though.

Until next time!

The Clothes Maiden

I had an interview with Sian Hunter not too long ago, for a quirky little magazine called The Clothes Maiden. It's an 'artists edition' so it features a number of other interesting creative types too.

Check it out here: CLICK (p.54)

University Collection

Once again, I've not been sticking to my 'post more frequently' rule.

Anyway, I've been busy finding time to finish another set of Polaroids for Nottingham Trent University's art collection. There was no specific criteria, just that they maybe should reflect upon my time at NTU.

'Bicycle' 2011; lots of people, and lots of places to go meant that seeing locked up bikes was quite a common occurence around Nottingham. The quirky ones would always be found near the art and design building; old ones with baskets and bells.

'Graveyard (Tree in Bloom)' 2011; April, in the graveyard opposite the Arboretum, I noticed this one tree which had the brightest pink flowers. There were no other ones like it, and no other trees near it. I loved walking past it en route to the studio. This is painted from a photo that I had taken myself.

'Market Berries' 2011; Notts is pretty good for it's markets - in the Victoria Centre, Sneinton and on the Square - but for me, the most memorable was the fruit & veg one on Shakespeare Street.

That's the last of the commissions I gained following the Degree Show. Pretty much a whole year's work! Blimey. So, unless some new ones come up any time soon, it's time to start making work for myself.

Times are changing

Long time no speak.

Life seems to have been a bit of a whirlwind over the past month, though there's been a few stable things, namely cake and gin. Good combo, right?

So, when I've not been eating and drinking, galavanting to various places, meeting Simon Rimmer (yes, that bloke from Something For The Weekend on BBC2 on Sunday), watching the Royal Wedding, and god knows what else. I've been getting myself a job. A real 9-5 job.

It was ages ago that I went on my 2 day trial, and even longer ago that I applied for the position, but now I'm 3 weeks into being a photo-realist painting assistant at Science Ltd... And I'm loving it. It did, however, mean that I've left the hustle and bustle of Nottingham; I packed my bags and moved back home to little ol' Tewkesbury. It's good though, I think I can get used to living back in Gloucestershire, I definitely feel a lot happier.

Anyway, exhibition talk. Not a lot has been happening since the show at Chapter, but my 'Oops!' piece is currently in the Birthday Exhibition at The Crocus Gallery, Lenton, Nottingham, which is on until the 28th May. For more information it's probably best to follow them on Facebook.

Also, bad news for those who have studied at the University of Gloucestershire's Pittville Campus; the Foundation Art course is ending! It's such a shame... Sigh. But, this does mean that some lovely people, who are currently on the course, have organised a retrospective exhibition to go alongside their end of year show. Although I'd love to put new work in, I've not had the chance to paint for myself recently, so I'll be showing my 'Photostrip'. I guess it'll be good to get a fresh audience. I really must get back into applying for things, I've been pretty lazy lately in that respect.

What else..?

I managed to finish and hand over the 4 paintings for the Newton/Arkwright Building. I'm reluctant to put images of them online at the moment, seeing as they haven't really been 'unveiled', but I'll leave you with a teaser.

Additional Photos

The lovely folk at Chapter have posted some images of 'Pile' on their website. So, if you didnt get a chance to see it, you can get a good idea of what it was like HERE.

Catch up time

Apologies.

It seems I've failed at updating my blog more frequently, which was my New Year Resolution. But I guess they're made to be broken, right?

So, what's been happening? Light Bite, as part of Nottingham's Light Night happened. It was cold, very windy, but good none-the-less. Although I didn't manage to spot my magnets, the organisers took some photos of where they were situated (above). I wonder who picked them up..

Pile at Chapter in Cardiff has been and gone. I think it took me a week to recover from the (very) messy opening night; oh dear! I've been a bit reluctant to put photos of my new piece and documentation of the show on here, but now it's over, here they are.

Oops! Did someone blink? 2011 Oil on primed paper - 40 x 50 mm

Baby Love

These are the paintings commissioned by my sister for her husband's 40th birthday; Baby, 2011.

I took my own photographs of baby Griff, and 'polaroid-ed' them ready to paint.

As always, each is 3.5 x 4.25 inches, and oil on primed paper.

Manual For Creative Action

Just spotted Nottingham Trent's new prospectus/course guide; Manual for Creative Action... and I'm in it!

There's a little interview and a photo of yours truly in there too. You can see a pdf version of it here.

Lucie says relax - not Frankie

It seems like I've had a super long 'To Do List' for the past 6 months, and - at last - I've managed to tick a few things off. So, with what feels like a weight having been lifted off my shoulders, I'm going to take the weekend off from thinking about what I need to do next.

Next week I'll be heading on over to Cardiff for the Pile Private View at Chapter, which I'm really looking forward to. You can see some images of what the show looked like in Surface Gallery, and more information about the exhibition and Chapter itself HERE.

Also, I've taken part in Light Bite; an exhibition of Miniature Magnetic Artworks on the street lights of Nottingham - part of Nottingham's Light Night Festival on February 18th, from 6pm.

You can find out more about Light Bite HERE, and Light Night HERE.

New Year

...It's been a while.

Time sure does fly by and I really should have posted something sooner. But painting, fortnightly trips to the job centre, friend and family visits, and many (many many) festive celebrations seem to have distracted me somewhat.

So, as I continue to try and scrape by, what have I been up to?

Unsurprisingly, it's been painting, painting, and painting... and making the odd Christmas present or two. It's paying off though as some of the commissions I have are getting much closer to being finished.

I seem to constantly feel guilty about the time it's taking me to complete things at the moment. I suppose that has something to do with not being in the fast paced studio/university environment anymore, and the added pressure of my work being for someone other than me. I just have to keep telling myself that I'm doing fine and carry on.

Anyway, on a lighter, more exciting note, Pile has been given the opportunity to go to Chapter in Cardiff. It will run from 4th February to 20th March, and will have evolved from it's staging at Surface Gallery. Hopefully I'll have time to make a new piece for it.

Other than that, I've not much to report. I'm planning on changing my blog at some point so that it's a bit more attractive, and perhaps I'll say that one of my New Year Resolutions is to keep this regularly updated.

So I guess 'watch this space'...