(Mixed) media storm

Over the last couple of months I've been working on all manner of projects - wall sculptures (there's now about a dozen), tattoo design (part 3 to come), poetry and jewellery commissions, and even trying to complete the occasional canvas. It's the latter I want to share here and is an oil with a few mixed media/collage elements. Though in many ways it would be technically easier to put the collage on last, I like embedding these elements in the paint, therefore they are added at an fairly early stage for me to paint round, or indeed partly over. I hope you like this one; it's called 'The Wreck of the Hope' and is intended for an exhibition in late spring 2015 (details nearer the time).

The Wreck of the Hope, oil and mixed media on canvas, 39 x 45cm.

Detail from The Wreck of the Hope.

Investing in skills, the DIY way

I like buying art materials. If I go into an art supplies shop, I can rummage through all the peculiarly shaped palette-knives, never-before-seen types of pen, and obscure brands of parchment paper. I am highly likely to buy something if cash allows, and maybe even if it shouldn't/doesn't. However, skills - things we all need - can get put to one side. I must admit I hadn't really noticed this tendency until I started looking at the selection of paintings I had produced with a future exhibition in mind. Some of them, quite a few in fact, needed framing. I started totting up a rough estimate of how much it would cost for me to get them framed, even with a bulk discount. The figure entered the realm of four figues. Serendipitously, while at a friend's house, he mentioned that he had a hardly used mount-cutter for sale at a very reasonable price. That was it - I'd get that and a mitre saw, some corner clamps.. and so on. So I did, all for less than the price of just one of the required frames. I got a book on picture-framing too. I already had some suitable wood, and so I began measuring and cutting...

...and that, as they say, was that. Well sort of. I'm aware that the story isn't quite that simple - I already have reasonable DIY skills, but even if I didn't, a basic course and all the tools would still be cheaper than a couple of the frames, especially the big ones. I do have the space (just) and I can (again, just) manage to find the time. I appreciate that not everything can be learned by getting the kit, and a book (or video tutorials), then having a go - but in the world of art and craft, a lot can and it's a good use of scrap materials. So, however I look at it, the outcome's the same - if at all possible, learn the skills. Since then, I've improved my silverworking (tools and some one-to-one tuition needed for that one) too and that's already paid me back, so have workspace improvements, and there are other areas I'm thinking of investing in - the question I keep asking myself is along the lines of "how much extra do I need to sell to make this pay for itself?" and the answer is generally "not that much".

A selection of self-framed pictures ready to go.

If music be the food of art materials

...get on and play! I was recently presented with the innards of a very dead piano by a friend who specialises in festival installations, interactive noise-making sculptures and other joys over at the Gypsyjam Collective.

Piano innards awaiting my tender ministrations

Lots of pianos meet a splintery end as they're hard to shift, no-one wants them etc, but at least this one would get used for something. I had no idea what, but, well, all those lovely little levers and springs... so I started dismantling and organising.

Piano bits all neat and tidy.

At this stage, I knew more about how a piano worked, but still didn't know how the components would be used except that there would be (a) articulation, and (b) non-piano additions. I began to tinker. And then some more, until...

Here it is Pianomechanical #1

...yes, wall-hangings - it's more-or-less flat, so hangs easily, and I shall be making a series of them, all numbered 'Pianomechanicals', and all different. They're for sale, so if you are interested, do get in touch. Right, back to the workshop...

Ritz of bits

As you may know, my jewellery and hair-wear is made from reused and recycled materials, but I try to follow this ethic as far as possible in my other artwork as well. So, when I found I has an old printer's drawer and all manner of other bits and pieces accumulated in my materials store, an idea started to form, and that idea was 'Hotel'...

'Hotel'

So, why hotel? Well, the most obvious reason is that it is made of rooms - as simple as that - but, it has a little more depth as it is, in part, highly personal, so although some of these rooms are primarily decorative,  many are actually 'memory rooms' containing little segments of autobiography. A boot from a childhood Action Man, a small volumetric flask from my PhD, the sketch that became a piece of silverwork, a Rainbow warrior badge, items from my travels, an empty pack of Citalopram. Of course, it's designed to be looked at closely, peered at, scrutinised and zoomed in on - so, let's go on a little tour...

The central third of Hotel - there's that flask (second room up, bottom right) and of course a magic fish held down by a spider (top left)

Zooming in a bit more, the moulted skin of a stick-insect (I am also an entomologist), chainsaw links and postage stamps under a celestial arch.

If you been here for example, you'll know about my liking for 'cyber' imagery using bits of electronic gubbins...

I like pubs, well good ones anyway - here's a tiiiiiny one complete with posters.

The only room I've ever wallpapered...

Words, I love them so... to the extent of wearing out a Scrabble set.

Luv 'im or hate 'im, a little homage to Damien Hirst

That's all for now - I hope you enjoyed the tour, and if current plans come to fruition, you may get the chance to see Hotel hung in a gallery at some point...