Vibe Gallery exhibition and other shows

The exhibition at Vibe Gallery was, I understand, a great success. Unfortunately I wasn't able to attend as I was in Edinburgh, but I'm told that the private view was very busy, and there was a lot of good feedback about the show. My friend Alison curated it, and from what I can tell she did an amazing job. I really wish I could have been there, but nonetheless I'm really pleased that I was able to be involved. The space is great, and this was my first opportunity to exhibit the two canvasses I brought back from Iceland.
I have a couple of other exhibitions in the pipeline that I'm really excited about. From 7th - 17th December there will be the first ever exhibition at Camden Image Gallery, a brand new gallery opening in Camden Town, owned by one of my friends. I went to see the space for the first time on Wednesday evening, and I'm so impressed. My friend Elena has worked really hard to get this together, and I'm so proud of everything she's done. I'm really looking forward to exhibiting in this show, alongside a really varied selection of artists, I think it's going to be really successful, and encourage everyone to come along and see the gallery and show. I'm also acting as Promotions Manager for her, so I'm hoping that lots of people come along to see the gallery for the first time. More details will follow soon.
I'm very proud to announce that in January I will be having my very first solo exhibition, a pop-up show in my local area. I'm still in the planning stages as present, but I can confirm that this will be happening on 18th and 19th January. Again, this is a great opportunity that I'm really happy about.
I feel that things have been really exciting, and moving very quickly, since I came back from my residency at the end of September. The residency gave me a lot of time to reflect on my work and how things are going, and I definitely came back feeling extremely motivated. To a certain extent actually making work has taken a back seat for the time being, as I have a lot of work to do in terms of setting up shows, but from January onward I'm planning to get back to focusing on this, as well as continuing to exhibit as frequently as possible. Things are going really well at the moment with my work, and I feel that a lot of excellent opportunities are coming up. My renewed motivation has probably helped to actually bring up these opportunities; yet another benefit of my residency experience!
More details will follow about both of the upcoming exhibitions. At the moment I feel quite snowed under with work, but I have no doubt that it'll be very much worthwhile!

The last week

I can't believe it's the last week of my residency, and this time next Monday I'll be back in England. The week hasn't had the best start, as I've found that my final canvas was blown away during the night, meaning that only 2 canvasses have actually survived.
I'm not quite sure how I feel, as it is a bit disappointing, but it is a risk I have to accept when it comes to working here. At least I can say that I'm really pleased with the two canvasses I do still have, and I'm keen to exhibit them once I got home. It would have been nice to have come away from this with a larger body of work, and I didn't plan for this happening because I honestly didn't know that the conditions here would be strong enough to make this happen. I'm satisfied with what I have, but it would have been good to have more work.
This week will mainly be spent planning and preparing for future work, in particular the weathered fibre piece I hope to work on. I think I'll also try a couple of works of paper or wood whilst I still have the chance. I've put an experiment on wood out in place on the canvas piece, and hopefully this will last as it's a bit heavier than the canvas.

Final piece is in progress

My final canvas here is now outside, I can't believe I am going back to England in a week! On this occasion I've tied the canvas with a longer rope, so it can be carried around by the wind and moved a bit more than the other pieces. I'm hoping that this will lead to it being bashed around a bit more than the others, and will produce a new result.
The canvas has already been outside for a couple of days, which should give it plenty of time to become weathered, and then finished off before I go back to Reykjavik and then home. It does feel like a shame to be leaving, as having experienced the conditions here I feel that there is much more potential for this type of work to be made here, and unfortunately I don't have time to explore many more ideas.
However, I've had time here to experiment with using other materials and surfaces that I hadn't previously considered, and this has definitely been helpful. I was already planning to work on an exclusively fibre based piece, and then weather this naturally when

I got home, and I now feel really excited to get onto this. I don't know why it never previously occurred to me to bring together the weathering process with a fibre piece, and I'm sure this will be interesting as I have no idea what to expect from that. I've been doing a lot of embroidery recently, in sketchbooks as well as on canvas, so I'm really into that at the moment.
I feel that this experience has been hugely beneficial for me, as I am coming away with a lot of ideas and plans, as well as a body of work. I've gained exactly what I wanted to from this residency, and I'm keen to take part in further residencies in the future. Perhaps I will even find myself returning to Nes at some stage!
When I initially applied for a few residencies I was mainly interesting in visiting a completely different environment, any environment, in order to develop the weathering work. But I really think things worked out excellently, as not only is the Icelandic coast completely different to anything I'm used to, but it has been so extreme and unpredictable, and greatly benefited my work. I think this really was the perfect place to bring the work and develop in further. I'm unsure whether I will carry on working with natural weathering once I get home, aside from the planned fibre piece, as the results will definitely not compare to what has happened here. However, if I do decide to do that I have some clear ideas now on how to make the process more effective.
I've absolutely loved having a period of time to concentrate purely on my work without other distractions, in particular having a day job that takes away so much of my time and energy. It obviously will not be the same once I am back in London, but I have some ideas on how to use my time more effectively when it comes to art. This has been a very significant experience for me and my career, and I'm so grateful that I was given this opportunity, I think it was exactly what I needed. I'm sad that the experience is nearly over and that I'll soon be home and back to reality, but I am looking forward to the future.

One piece is back inside!

 I've just brought a painting inside, ironically this was the last one I placed outside, only yesterday! I suppose that's what happens when you put something in a pile of dirt whilst it's hailing. It still needs to be embroidered, but I am so excited about the outcome. I cannot stress enough what a brilliant decision it was to work here, the results are so much quicker and more effective than they were in London. I'm really happy, and I'm just waiting for the canvas to dry before finishing it off.
I'm so fortunate in that this opportunity has also allowed me a lot of time to reassess my work and career, and I feel that I have a really clear direction to go in when I get home in two weeks. I'm halfway through my residency now, and I've already benefited so much. I know what I want to work on when I get back home, and I have a clear idea of how to facilitate that as well.
I also have a few exhibitions coming up. One will be at Vibe Gallery in London between 25th and 29th October, and a couple of others are tbc. I'm expecting to show some of the work made

in Iceland at Vibe, and probably some older work too.
This period of time has been really productive for me, and I'm also so full of plans and ideas for the future, I feel so fortunate to be having this experience. It's really sad to think that this residency will come to an end soon, but I'm sure that the next two weeks will also be a very beneficial time for me, especially as some works are nearing completion. Soon it'll be time to worry about getting it all back to London!

My residency has begun!

I arrived in Iceland on Tuesday, and in Skagastrond yesterday to start my residency! I really am so happy to be here, and just having a proper studio space again after quite some time is inspiring me to get working. As soon as I arrived yesterday afternoon, despite being exhausted, I got started on my work, and already I've manged to get a few things done. This is exactly what I want, as my time here unfortunately is limited, and therefore I don't want to waste a moment.
So far I've done a few sketches in preparation for the first two paintings I'm planning, and have made several abstract pieces on paper, which have been left in various locations in the village to become weathered. Already, after less than 24 hours, I've noticed that most of them are becoming damp, and hopefully this will have an affect on the surface. Working in this manner is also giving me an opportunity to gauge which locations work best for what I want to do.
As I was walking back from the studio last night I unfortunately found that one of the pieces had been torn up! It would appear that this was done intentionally by an unknown person, as the conditions have certainly not been extreme enough to cause this naturally, and none of the other sheets have been affected at all. This morning I gathered the ripped up pieces, and got to work. As I stated in my proposal for this residency, I'd be keen to look into embroidery as a means of repair where necessary, and this was certainly necessary. The paper may not have been weathered naturally, but there was certainly an effect. I suppose that's a risk you take when leaving work in public.
I've spent a good few hours today reassembling the paper - working out which piece went where was surprisingly challenging. I find the result quite interesting, even though it was not what I had initially had in mind. I'm looking forward to seeing the progression of the other five works that are outside, and looking forward to getting canvasses outside too. I'm planning to start the background for one or two pieces this afternoon, meaning that I can complete the portraits soon.
All in all, I've been here a very short time but I'm already so glad to be here. Although I wouldn't choose to live in Skagastrond on a long term basis it really is beautiful, and I'm really enjoying myself. The other artists here are all really nice, and I'm so grateful to have this time to focus on my work, and to think and reflect more generally. I hope that my whole trip is as successful as the past couple of days have been.
For more images of the work I'm making here please visit my Facebook page.

It's almost September

It's almost September, meaning that in just over 2 weeks I'll be in Iceland taking part in an artist's residency. It's such a great opportunity, that I've been waiting for for so long, that it feels quite surreal that it'll be happening to me in just over 2 weeks. I've spent a long time preparing, and surprised myself with how efficient I've managed to be, I can't really believe the time is nearly here.

My preparations have gone quite smoothly so far, even though it's felt a bit overwhelming at times. I can't help but feel that something is bound to go wrong! I'm worrying over nothing, I know it'll most likely be a wonderful experience, just as I want it to be. This experience feels like a big step forward for me, and I can't wait for the time to come.

I'm so excited to have a chance, however brief, to concentrate purely on my work, no distractions. That's near impossible when you have a normal office job as well. Ever since I graduated I've realised how fortunate I was to have several years devoted to art and nothing else. I've really missed being in that position, and now I'll be able to do that again, even if it is only for one month. I've got a fairly solid plan of what to do, I know exactly how I want to start off, so I'm ready to dive in as soon as I get there. I don't want to waste any time at all, because I now appreciate how precious the time is.

Everything has gone well so far and I definitely feel ready to go!

7 weeks to go...

There's only 7 weeks left until I go to Iceland for my residency! I can't explain how excited I am and how much I'm looking forward to it.

I really cannot wait to have some time to focus purely on art, with no distractions. This is something I've really missed since graduating, so it'll be amazing to have that, even if only for a month. I've bought all the materials I'll need now, and have a solid plan of what I want to do and how I want to work. I'm going very prepared so that I waste as little time as possible. I think this residency could be a huge benefit for me and my work, so I want to take advantage.

As well as already having a plan for my studio work whilst I'm there, I've managed to sort out most of the practical things already; I'm actually quite impressed with myself! I've arranged somewhere to stay in Reykjavik, and just need to send some stuff ahead of me, and do a couple of other things before everything is ready to go!

I'm also so excited to be travelling somewhere new, somewhere that I've heard a lot of positive comments about. This is part of the appeal of residency programmes to me, and one of the major reasons that I started looking into residencies in the first place. I'm going to a very remote place, so it'll be a big change for me, and I'm looking forward to seeing what that's like. My trip is going to be a very exciting time.

I'm really so proud that I'm going to do this. Getting accepted in the first place, working and saving so that I could go ahead with it, and being able to do what I really want, even on a temporary basis, makes me feel like I'm getting somewhere with my career. It's a brilliant opportunity, and getting to this point hasn't all been straightforward. I'm sure it's going to be a brilliant experience, and that it will have a real effect on my work and career. Can't wait to go!

A Year in the Real World - Excerpt from my Book

It’s almost one year since I finished my degree and was sent out into the real world. I feel that I’m still adapting to this, and it doesn’t yet quite feel normal for me. Halfway through my degree I took a year out, but during that time I had the security of knowing that I had my education to go back to, and that was definitely a comfort. The time seems to have flown by, even though I am still in a period of adaptation.

            It makes sense that I’m still adjusting – until this point I’ve spent the majority of my life in education, so it’s no wonder it’s a bit strange to have this missing. In quiet moments at work, I often think of what I was doing at university a year ago, and how happy that made me. It’s quite hard when you’ve had the opportunity to devote yourself to the thing you love, and suddenly that’s not what happens anymore. I really miss being a student, and the freedom I felt with that. Working for a living feels so much more restrictive, especially after taking a degree which allowed me to use my time so flexibly.

            Being released into the world has made me do more to promote myself and my work, even when it’s sometimes a struggle to fit this in between my day job. I think graduating made me suddenly see myself as a professional person, and made me act more like a professional person.

Although I made some efforts whilst I was still studying, the amount I do has undeniably increased. I was more focussed on my education for most of the time whilst I studied. I took some steps to promote and sell my work whilst I took a year out, and I feel that these efforts taught me lessons that have benefitted me more recently. Being forced into a non-creative environment has really enhanced my desire and compulsion to be involved with art and creative practices. It’s like art is a magnet for me. I’m doing things to push my work and my career forward, despite the time constraints that mean I have less time to concentrate on actually producing work.

            As frustrating as recent months have been, in that I no longer have the constant involvement with art I had as a student, it’s reassuring to feel the art world pulling me back. This seems like confirmation that art is what I need to be doing, and that I’m on the right track.

As time goes on, I also become more and more sick of working every day in a non-creative environment. Maybe this has also motivated me to push my career forward as much as I can. Although I feel that I probably could have accomplished more, I do feel proud of the efforts I’ve made since graduating, and the progression I’ve made. This is not just in terms of the exhibitions or publicity I’ve had, it’s also in regards to the work I’ve produced, and the development and progression of my ideas. I feel that in recent months my work has become more conceptual, as well as the other advances I’ve made.

            The novelty of my day job has definitely worn off for me, after 10 long months. My dissatisfaction is compounded by remembering that, one year ago, I was taking part in degree shows and frantically finishing my work, doing the things I really want to do as a career. It sometimes seems plain cruel that I was able to devote several years of my life, whilst studying, to the subject matter I love, and now that’s over with.

            I’m realistic enough to know that at this point there’s no way I can make a living as an artist, but I would absolutely love to work in an art gallery, and to feel more connected to the art world again. When I visit or take part in exhibitions, or talk about art with people who share my passions and ambitions, I feel much more at home, and I feel more comfortable. I’d love to go back to that environment full-time.

            At the time that I graduated and was looking for work, I didn’t see the point in looking for exclusively art-related jobs, as there just isn’t enough for the demand. I’m lucky to have found stable employment so quickly after finishing university, but upon reflection I think this past year might have been easier if I’d had a job related to art. I’d have been in my comfort zone, and I expect I would have enjoyed the past year more.

            I now feel that I want to start looking for work in the art industry much more seriously than I did previously. I really think I’d feel more satisfied if all the work I did was orientated around art, not only the practical work I make. I really think this is one of the easiest and most obvious routes to making myself feel happier. The problem is that I want to do this, whilst at the same time looking to taking part in an artist’s residency in autumn. That certainly hinders the job search.

            The past year has definitely been a time of change, and a time of confusion and turmoil. I don’t think this is exclusive to me, or to people involved in the same things as me. I think this applies to many people of my age, and at a similar stage of their life as I am. Everyone I speak to seems to feel a bit unsettled and lost.

It seems reasonable to feel kind of confused when you’re just starting out in the real world, and trying to find your place, regardless of your interests, job, or ambitions. The state of the economy puts a lot of people in a difficult position, in that they can’t do the work they’d really love to do, plus a lot of people of my age don’t even know what they want to do yet. I’m very fortunate that I do have a clear idea of what I want, and have done for many years. A lot of people seem to feel very mixed up, and have been struggling since they graduated.

            Feeling lost and anxious obviously isn’t pleasant, which is why I’m thinking more of finding employment in the art world, and feeling just as connected as I did a year ago. When I’m not actively producing work, or involved with exhibitions and art, I feel like I’m wasting my time. Being employed in this field would surely ease these feelings. I’d really like a greater sense of fulfilment in my life.

            The past year has certainly not been the easiest in my life, and has been a time of change and upheaval. In comparison to the final year of my degree, and the years before that too, it’s miserable. There have been positive and negative aspects, and I still feel that there’s plenty of room for improvement and progression. I feel that my sense of ambition may have intensified in the past year. This is a positive thing, but makes my current working situation all the most frustrating.

I hope to keep my career moving in the direction I want it to, and I hope that, seeing as a day job is a necessity, I can find something that makes me happier than my current job. I think this will greatly improve my circumstances, and will help me to build connections that will add to the progression of my art career.

Upcoming projects

Lots happening at the moment, both positive and negative.

Sadly our exhibition has been postponed, due to the gallery shutting down. It's really unfortunate but we've found a new location, and are expecting to hold the show in February instead. More details to come.
The much more positive, and exciting, thing is that I've now confirmed my place at Nes Artist Residency in Iceland, starting in September. The more I think about and plan this, the more exciting it becomes. I'm really pleased to be going there, and I hope that it will be very beneficial for my work and career.
In terms of my work, I'm going to experiment with a slightly new direction, and at least pushing back the exhibition gives me a chance to do so immediately. Rather than allowing my work to become weathered naturally I'm planning to experiment with throwing my canvas around and forcibly damaging it. This fits with the theme of being weathered by life experiences, but makes reference more to the effect that other individuals have upon you, and the direct impact of their behaviour and treatment to the self. I'm going to try this with my next piece, which should be exhibited alongside the two naturally weathered canvasses. As I'm planning to work with the natural weathering concept when I'm working in Iceland I think it's a positive to try other ideas out in the meantime, in order to keep this idea fresh and interesting to me.

Busy

I'm really busy at the moment, finishing off work and preparing for the exhibition next month, which opens on the 11th. I've spent so much time recently planning the exhibition, and promoting it, that it's very refreshing to actually be making art today. Yeliz and I are both really happy with how our preparations are going, and we're really looking forward to the start of the show.
Today I'm working on the final piece to be exhibited. Due to the use of natural weathering in my current work I'm hoping that the work will be completed in time. For full details of the exhibition and private view please see here.

Further to the show, this week I was offered a second artist's residency, this time in Slovenia. I was very surprised to have been accepted onto both of the residencies I applied for, but unfortunately I had to decline this offer as I've already committed to the Icelandic residency. I think the opportunity in Iceland is more interesting anyway, as it's a longer period, and also has the advantage of being later in the year, giving me longer to save money.
I feel like everything is taking off at the moment, and I'm really excited to see what else happens in the new year.

Nes Artist Residency

For those who haven't seen on my Facebook page, I'm happy to say I have been offered a place on the Nes artist residency programme, in Skagastrond, Iceland. I'm very surprised to have heard back so quickly, as I only made my application last week, but I'm very pleased. I should be there between September and December 2013. I've got a while to plan ahead and get ready.
I've been really keen to find residencies abroad, as travel is also something I really care about. I'm very interested in this residency because the environment will be alien to me in just about every way, and I'm sure it'll help me to produce some interesting work, especially as I hope to focus on my idea of naturally weathering my work. I'm sure that the time of year, and the location will contribute to some really interesting results.
I only found out today, and I'm sure I'll have more to tell later.

I'm a reject

Yesterday was a grand day, as it brought me two rejection emails!
One was for the residency in Turku that I applied for, and the other was for a London based competition/exhibition I entered. It's obviously a shame, but I can't say I'm overly surprised, especially with the residency in Finland. It's an occupational hazard, so I'm not going to dwell on it too much.
I'm constantly looking for new opportunities, so I have applied for plenty of other competitions and open calls. I'm very eager to look at other residency opportunities abroad, as travelling is also something that's big in my life. A couple of months ago I was looking into a residency in Dublin, but decided it wasn't suitable, and have also seriously looked into an opportunity in Germany. I think today I'll be scouring the internet looking for suitable residencies and working on my two commissioned portraits.
The good news at the moment is that this week Yeliz and I have been really working on putting our exhibition together. There has been a lot of procrastinating with this for various reasons, and a few setbacks, but now we're both determined to just get on with it. I'm sure it's not going to be completely straightforward from now on, but we're working on it. Originally we hoped to have this done by now; unfortunately that didn't happen, but things are thankfully developing now.

Update/Evaluation

As promised, I can now say what I've been doing with the piece I'm currently working on!

I decided to leave it outside for a week to become weathered and affected by the elements. For example, being battered by wind, bleached by strong sunlight, or saturated by rain. My rationale was that the majority of people are born perfect, with no scars or bruises, physically and mentally. As you go through life your experiences affect you and you end up with all manner of scars and bruises. When I paint, I strive to create something perfect, so allowing it to become weathered and damaged over a period of time was an analogy to going through life and being affected by your experiences.

I intended to leave it for a week, and then use embroidery as normal, possibly as a means of repair. Unfortunately, there has been no extreme weather at all during the past week, so doing this seems to have had no effect on the painting. One day I came home to find it had been knocked over and slightly soaked during an afternoon of wind and rain, but this didn't really alter the piece permanently. I think this is one of the only times I've ever wished for bad weather.
Because of this, I'm going to leave the work out for longer. Unfortunately I cannot say how long I will need to do this for as I'm entirely dependent on the weather. I think I just need to be patient and hope that there's a storm soon.
In the meantime I've got a few other things to work on, including two new commissions. Hopefully I'll see some results with this piece soon. Today I will also be sending off my residency application to Titanik gallery in Turku!

An experience with an agency, and its effects

I was scouted by an agency this week, and had a meeting with them yesterday. It was kind of doomed from the start, due to their need for fees of £95 per week. That's all well and good if you have that kind of money, and frankly I doubt that many emerging artists do. They seem to provide a fair amount for the money, however much of this goes on during office hours, which would have a knock-on effect of me taking time off from my day job, thereby earning less. I'm not sure I can spare £95 now, let alone if I was earning less.
I went along to this interview anyway, in the hopes that negotiation would be possible, but expecting that this would not be the case. Of course, it wasn't, on the grounds that all of their artists should be treated equally, and I can't really argue with that. As usual, art boils down to money and self-promotion. Even the person I met yesterday said this, but that's not something I don't already know. He had obviously already made his money and had his success, as he told me £95 per week can easily be borrowed. I cannot imagine who on earth would lend me that amount on a weekly basis.
The whole experience was a bit strange. I arrived on time, but had to wait for half an hour in the gallery, whilst the show was being changed over. I felt and was treated like I was in the way a bit, and I personally felt it was a bit unprofessional to be doing this on a day when they knew people were coming in for meetings.
The actual interview was nothing too special. I received an email this morning telling me what they had found impressive about me, and I have to say that is a confidence boost. However, I have decided not to complete the application process for this, on the basis of some negative comments I've heard about this organisation, the financial issue, and also the impression I got that I would be very much controlled if I became involved. Requiring approval for everything would kind of kill one of the main reasons I became involved with art in the first place - complete freedom.
Despite this, spending time in this kind of environment again has really reminded me of what I really want to be doing in life, and that I do not want to be stuck in an office job for the rest of my life. As a result of this, I've spend some time today looking into opportunities such as residencies, exhibition call for entries etc and making a few applications, and I feel a new sense of motivation. Having a day job and being tired can easily make you lazy, and I feel that has happened to me recently. I'm pleased that I've at least gained some momentum as a result of this experience. I'm still applying for a residency opportunity in Finland, and working on an exhibition with two others, but finding additional options is always good, and makes me feel like I actually am doing worthwhile things. I don't want my art career to fall by the wayside. Hopefully something more will come from what I've been doing this afternoon.

New work to end this

I'm getting started on a new piece, which will be the final part of my body of work on my time in Finland. I've really enjoyed making this body of work, and I'm proud of what I've done, but I feel like it's time to move on. When I started this work the experience was really fresh for me, but now six months have passed and other concerns have come up for me which I'd like to work with.
Recently my work has become concerned with human experience, not just relationships, and I think the new piece is more reflective of this. I'm very interested in language, and whilst I was away I was very keen to learn and speak as much Finnish as possible. Even now I still try to keep practising with it. In London it's very normal to hear foreign languages around you, so I didn't find it too daunting to be surrounded by the Finnish language. Finnish is such a minority language that few people are familiar with it, so I thought it would be really interesting to confront my audience with it, allowing them to share my experience of being surrounded by it. I think it will be easy for an audience to relate to this piece, as viewers have likely had the same experience whilst on holiday abroad, or may have lived abroad themselves.
I've chosen to embroider a variety of stereotypical English phrases and concepts, translated into Finnish. The image is of a trial piece I did yesterday, reading "cup of tea". I'll provide a handwritten board with translations, otherwise no one will get the joke of the two cultures being mashed together, unless a Finnish speaker happens to see the work.
For this piece I'm using a style more reflective of handwriting than the block capitals I used previously. This adds to the human element.
I think my exhibition will provide a strong feel of my Finnish experience, and I'm very glad that I'm able to share this with others.
Additionally, I'm currently applying for an artist's residency in Turku for Autumn 2013. I might be back sooner than I think!

So many ideas!

This week I've had so many ideas that I'm keen to try, my brain has been working overtime. One particular idea that I've become very passionate about very quickly is top secret, and I've only discussed it openly with two people so far. I'm not going to reveal it here, because that would kind of defeat the object of the whole thing. I know this is all very mysterious, but when this plan comes to fruition all will become clear. It's a really exciting and fun idea, which I'm sure will get a lot of support from other artists, and I feel certain that this will happen and produce some brilliant results.
Apart from that, I have been discussing staging an exhibition in London during the summer with a photographer friend. It's early days and we've only had the vaguest of conversations about this, but I'm optimistic about this too.
Another idea that I'm really enthusiastic about has come from my observation that people pay a lot of attention when I'm embroidering, because it's unexpected, even within a Fine Art community. When I paint nobody takes any notice - it's nothing special in a studio environment. However, sewing produces a very different reaction. A few days ago a lady I'd never even spoken to before came and sat with me for about 10 minutes whilst I was working, to look at what I was doing and chat to me, and she's not the only person to do so. There's also the fact that my appearance, being somewhat unconventional, often attracts attention in public. I'm quite used to people asking about my tattoos, commenting on my hair, and often just telling me how nice they think I look, which is always lovely.
From these two things, I came up with the idea of securing a residency, even if it was short term or just in a cafe, not necessarily a gallery, where I could just get on with my work, and people could watch, as if I were an exhibit. It would kind of be a performance piece, although without much theatre involved. This could be filmed, or alternatively, I could just produce a film, with a collaborator who knows more about that than I do. In the case of making a film without a residency or exhibition, I've considered how theatrical this could be made, possibly with costumes or some kind of movement, but always with the constant theme of me sewing, to play with the idea of myself as a spectacle.
Besides that, I've thought about what I want to do once this body of work about Finland is over, and I want to make work exploring myself and my experiences. I have so much going on in my mind, so many ideas, memories, and ambitions, that I think sorting it all out through art could be fascinating. It'll be a while before I look into that more seriously, but it's something to think about.
I'm sorry if this seems very manic, but there are so many ideas and so many thoughts going on for me right now. It's a good feeling.