Made by Milla

fiftyfiftyme 2012

2012-01-09T23:49:00.000Z

Well things seem to be speeding along with my #fiftyfiftyme challenge, at least as far as the film side of things goes. So far i've watched 10 films this year that i'd never seen before- i'm off to London for work tomorrow so I don't think i'm going to be able to keep up the high intensity movie viewing i've been doing for the last nine days, but maybe that's a good thing- I don't want to run out of films to watch too soon!

Films for my 52 films challenge

2012-01-04T21:02:00.000Z

The new listings for films at The Poly have just been put online and i've got some to put in my diary to help me meet my film a week at the cinema challenge.

First up:
The Deep Blue Sea 9-10th Jan
Tyrannosaur 16-17th Jan
Another Earth 23-24th Jan
The Cabinet of Dr Caligari 28th Jan
Black Pond 30-31st Jan
A Separation 6-7th Feb
Snowtown 13-14 Feb
The First Grader 20-21st Feb
Wreckers 27-28 Feb
Shame 5-6th March
Sound it out 12-13th March
Carnage 26-27th March

Other films out this year that I know I want to see:

The Avengers
The Dark Knight Rises
The Hunger Games (? I think I do)
Muppets movie
The Hobbit

#52films and #fiftyfiftyme

2012-01-02T16:26:00.000Z

Last year my friend (the very talented Jeanette Leech) watched a film a week at the cinema, something that has inspired me to up my game and see if I can do the same. I watched a lot more films over the last year at the cinema than I have done in a long while, thanks to the fact that i've spent a lot of time volunteering at The Poly, which shows a new film pretty much each week, and I even found myself at the 'mainstream' cinema once when my friends made me go to watch Harry Potter. By challenging myself to watch a film a week i'm going to be forced into watching some films that I perhaps might not have chosen to see (next week my only real option is The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo at The Phoenix because i'm not sure I can force myself to watch The Iron Lady (anti-Thatch feelings die hard)) but I hope this encourages me to watch things I might otherwise miss and I certainly hope it means I see every single film that's shown at The Poly this year.

Unfortunately due to bad timing i'm going to miss watching Waltz with Bashir and Restrepo at The Poly- both of which are showing as part of an exhibition of photos by Guy Martin- a photojournalist based in Falmouth who was seriously injured in an attack in Libya in which 2 other photographers died last year. Instead of watching films in Falmouth I shall be in London attending a 2 day training course in Social Media and then hanging around for a couple of days to visit some exhibitions and see friends.

So...the first film in my #52films...Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, watched at Odeon Weston-super-Mare on New Years Day. I'm not good at writing reviews so my Twitter review will have to do:

Sherlock: Odeon WsM Screen 3 large popcorn very uncomfy seat slow-mo explosions Robert D-J in drag naked national treasure 1-1-2012 #52films

I'm also attempting to read 50 new books in 2012 as part of the #fiftyfiftyme challenge- 50 new books and 50 new films read/watched in 2012. I've joined the fiftyfiftyme group on Goodreads and will be interested to see how far I get with this. Last year I read 41 books that I recorded on Goodreads, this year i'm hoping to make it to 50. Ending last year and starting this year reading the Game of Thrones might put me at a disadvantage but i'm enjoying it so far.

Still here

2011-12-11T17:33:00.000Z

A very quick update to say i'm still here- just got back from a very enjoyable two days at the Poly Xmas Bazaar, where I dusted off some Spooky Doll face brooches, hung up the vintage aprons, and pinned out my Dirty Hankies. As well as selling my wares again, for the first time in over a year, I had a great time meeting fellow stall holders and shoppers. The whole of the Poly was buzzing with crafty types as all the gallery spaces were filled with stalls thanks to Lulubees Handmade Faire being on for the last four days too.

I've left my pocketful of business cards downstairs while I cuddle up under the covers with the cat, but I shall be posting links to all the talented people I met just as soon as I thaw out again.

Mainly i'm posting this because I gave my cards out to lots of people and it reminded me I really need to sort out my website (not online at the moment) and update this blog...do say hello if we met this weekend!

Another year without my birthday twin

2011-09-11T00:24:00.000+01:00

It's been too long since I was able to share a birthday with my special birthday twin Miss_Jen. She died very soon after I started blogging here and each year around our birthday and her death day I find myself looking back and reading what I wrote at the time. Once again I realise that I was trying so hard to keep my personal and professional life separate, whilst this catastrophic event had happened in my life I barely mentioned it in this blog. Elsewhere on the internet I shared more, but here I felt like I had to keep things moving along nicely. I'd set this blog up to represent Made by Milla, the artsy crafty business i'd been running (?) and I used livejournal as a place to rant and spill my guts out. Now i'm using a million and one places on the internet to share a billion different sides to me, but I think if you add them all together you pretty much get the whole picture.

I have another special birthday twin. She is a roller girl. She is super tough and super sweet and lives with a million cats, she's pretty much my oldest friend- we met each other on our birthday when I was turning 18 and she was turning 19. Or was it 19 and 20? Either way we've known each other for 20 years give or take a year. Us September 11th girls have to stick together.

Master Milla

2011-09-09T19:27:00.000+01:00

Today I discovered I was a Master. I found out just after noon, when my friend Eugenia handed me a print out with the word PASS on it. My year of study has culminated in me being elevated to the same ranks as Yoda, or is having an MA not the same thing as being a Jedi?

It was my sister who first asked me if Yoda had done an MA to become Master Yoda, and I told her to ask her son who would set the record straight. I then told her that if I passed she would be forced to call me Master Camilla at all times, in the seven hours since she found out she has pretty much failed to do this. Sisters huh?!

I am in a very weird state at the moment, not really being able to take it in that all that fundraising I did, all the reading and writing and putting on exhibitions, all the lack of blogging, it's all been worth it because I now am the proud owner of an MA in Curatorial Practice. When I was younger I was convinced i'd do a PhD, now i'm pretty certain I won't ever do that- the academic writing for this MA nearly broke me at times, and the option I picked wasn't even that academic. If an institution does want to fund me to spend years looking at artists and doodling about knitting then i'd be more than happy to take them up on the offer, however i'm not sure that happens very often.

So...back to the real world. I am hoping to stay in Cornwall for a while and have been applying for jobs that I hope will fit in with the work I do at The Poly and at Here and Now. I filled in my first job application form in 8 years earlier in the week and got invited for an interview today. Fingers crossed that the interview goes well next week and I might re-enter the world of paid work soon.

It's over!

2011-08-31T11:00:00.000+01:00

My prolonged absence from the world of blogging may finally be coming to an end as i've just finished my MA in Curatorial Practice. Well...when I say finished there's still the final show to go, but all the written work has been handed in and my display is mounted on the wall. I am pleased with my display, not so pleased with my final project, and at the moment and waiting to find out how I did. The examiners are in this week and I think i'll find out if i've passed by the end of next week. Either way I am impressed that I have DONE an MA, I may not have got the distinction I was once aiming for, I may not even pass, but I have completed the hardest thing i've ever done and i'm proud of that. I'm cross with myself for not doing as well with my MA project as I could have, a combination of factors, most of them being me, meant that I found it very hard to get my project finished to my satisfaction, and in the end I turned in something I wasn't that happy with. But...it's over now and we shall wait and see what the result is.

In the meantime i'm working at The Poly, in Falmouth as a volunteer on the box office, which is something I love (rather strangely) and i'm curating shows here in the gallery space. At the moment there's an exhibition on by local artist Melanie Young- lovely colourful paintings with layers of gold leaf and scratched in details. Lovely stuff to sit and look at while i'm selling tickets to French films.

Next week is the MA show at Uni and i'll finally get a chance to see what all the other students have been up to with their time!

Anyone There?

2011-06-27T17:05:00.001+01:00

little bundles of different types of telegraph tape
Originally uploaded by crunchcandy

Hello hello?

I've been sat reading back over my blog for the last few hours, searching for artists to use in my MA Project, and i've realised I really should give you some indication that i'm still alive.

At the moment i'm 3 weeks away from the deadline for the first draft of my MA final project and work is going...slowly. I am creating an exhibition proposal for a show that features visual artists who use traditional craft techniques and skills to create their work. I have really battled with this part of my MA, it was a huge struggle to come up with a project that would be suitable for the course and i'm not 100% convinced i'm there yet.

What else has been keeping me from you?

An exhibition (Down There Among the Roots) that I co-curated with my class at Newlyn Art Gallery was previewed in the Guardian Guide- it runs until July 9th so you have a couple of weeks left to catch it

Living by the sea is great- I went swimming yesterday afternoon when the weather got too hot for me, the water was cold and I was a bit surprised by how big the waves were, but I had a great time swimming out to see and looking back on the beach. A few weeks ago I got the ferry over to St Mawes with Chipfork and we swam there too in calmer, but colder, water. My desire for wild swimming was kick-started again by the lovely Dr Alice Roberts in a programme about wild swimming that I watched on iplayer this week. I have plans to go back to the pool in the quarry that I swam in last summer before I moved down to Cornwall.

Until next time...

Tokens and Totems

2011-05-04T09:27:00.000+01:00

I've been doing some volunteering at Here and Now Gallery in Falmouth as part of my placement for Creative Enterprise Cornwall. One of the things i've been doing is organising an exhibition in the gallery space for Elsie Jones, which we are installing today. I've been pretty distracted recently by the MA, and by the fact the exhibition we are putting on at Newlyn Art Gallery opens next week, but I thought I should make an effort and tell you all about Elsie's show.

Elsie says: 'I am influenced by folk art, such as Kachina dolls and simple primitive figures, but also by vintage plastic toys and pop culture. I am interested in the combination and fusion of all these elements, along with other interests and influences, such as textile art and costume, feminine and domestic handicrafts, vintage kitsch and graphics, collections, old toys and comic characters, pattern, decoration, and embellishment.I hoard colourful, decorative, vintage or weird found objects, and combine them with my drawing, crochet, embroidery and collage.'

It's exciting to see what is going to be unwrapped and hung on the walls, one thing i'm very much looking forward to seeing in 'real life' is the tablecloth of good and evil:

Back in Bristol

2011-04-06T23:03:00.000+01:00

I've been so busy with my MA Curatorial Practice in Falmouth that i've neglected both this blog, and my friends back in Bristol. It's been really great that this week i've had the chance to catch up with some of my favourite people and spend time in Bristol again.

Yesterday I ate food at Cafe Kino
I had a meeting with the Kitsch and Curious Elaine
I sort of had a meeting with Michal William
Today I saw Chipfork
then I sat on the sofa for ages in Here
and now i'm sat typing this in Alys Paterson's house.

An art-fair to remember

2011-02-24T13:01:00.000Z

An Art-Fair to remember! Sat 5th March at the WI Hall, Falmouth. We'll be selling all kinds of arty stuff (art cakes, curated bric-a-brac etc) to raise money for our exhibition at Newlyn Art Gallery in May. Our exhibition has been extended from 3 weeks to 9, which is all kinds of amazing, but does mean we're going to need to print more posters etc. So we decided to have some fun, do some face painting, eat cakes and hopefully gather some funds for our show. I'm in charge of the Tombola and can assure you that you stand an excellent chance of winning a bottle of cherry Vimto if you buy a ticket.

If you can't make it to the fair and want to support 7 struggling curators then please feel free to donate some money to our cause!

A very exciting development in my life

2011-02-11T19:22:00.000Z

After years and years of blogging (well if you count the Diaryland account I had way back when) i've finally been sent something free to try out and review! It's not the reason I blog (if it was the reason i'd have given up by now) but I have always wondered how other people seem to end up getting so much free stuff sent to them. Perhaps it's because other people post more than once a month and have thousands of followers. This does not seem to have bothered the people who sent me a freebie, and the fact that I already love the product I got sent will in NO WAY influence the totally un-biased review I will give of it. I bet you're wondering just what it could possibly be that has made me so excited?

A giant cardboard box arrived on the doorstep

Inside the box was a basket full of treats

A whole family of Vimto products for my delectation!

My standby pop of choice ever since I moved to Cornwall

Look at the riches that have befallen me!

All tucked up again in their lovely basket.

Now so far out of this bounty I have drunk one of the cartons of still Vimto- which was yummy, even if the straw had got smashed up in transit, and i'm half way through a bottle of fizzy Vimto. I normally drink fizzy Vimto out a can so this actually has been a new and exciting experience for me...Sadly there is some Cherry Vimto included in the package and as the world knows I am fussy and do not like Cherry flavoured things, I like cherries, just not the flavouring, so i'm going to donate those two bottles to our grand fundraising tombola at the WI hall soon...

I shall continue to document my love affair with Vimto over on twitter where you are free to join me.

books to buy

2011-01-21T18:50:00.000Z

I'm very lucky in that several of my friends are super talented in the writing of books department. This year you can buy Seasons They Change: The Story of Acid and Psychedelic Folk by Jeanette Leech:

Or what about Graphic USA by Ziggy Hanaor

Both on my wish list...

365

2010-12-24T00:09:00.000Z

Two of my friends have new projects they are starting in 2011, i'm sure there are more people out there that I know that are about to tackle a photo a day, or maybe even a letter a day (with more success than me I suspect) but here's a little bit about Kirsty and Kerstin's projects for the new year:

This year Kerstin has run a 365 project called 'What is RED for you' which I contributed to, next year she is asking one question and hoping for 365 answers. The question is 'What are you afraid of?' and I shall be sending her my long list of foods that scare me due to childhood traumas over school dinners...

Kirsty Hall is no stranger to 365 projects and this year (next year I mean) she is going to be launching 365 jars into the world- each containing a bit of art made by her. Find out more about the jars and Kirsty's project here.

What a difference a few days make

2010-12-21T23:02:00.000Z

Last Wednesday I took the ferry to St Mawes and sat in the sunshine with my friends

I scrambled around on the beach and cut my finger open on a barnacle

I resisted the urge to climb on the giant anchor as there was a sign nearby warning that climbing/sitting on the wall set a bad example to children

Last Friday my friend drove me back from Falmouth and this is what it looked like soon as we left the motorway- this is the main road between Burnham and Weston

Welcome home! (where is home now?)

Snow covered tree that made me think of Moomins

the lane into town- when it snows all the holes are filled in and it becomes easier to walk down

I now live in an ice cave- i'll be sad when these melt

Gävle goat

2010-11-30T00:48:00.000Z

Thanks to the very talented Jeremy Day (or is it Dennis) I am now aware of the existence of this fine creature. I suggest you head over to wikipedia and read all about it yourself. And then plot how you are going to burn it down.

Did I ever tell you about?

2010-11-28T18:59:00.000Z

There are so many things I think I should tell you about, but somehow (understandable really) my life has become taken up with my MA and living here in Falmouth. I'll share a few of those things with you here now:

My cat Biddy on my new blanket- it's absolutely HUGE- covers my double bed with room to spare. The photo was taken at night so you can't really see the lovely colours. I found this in one of Falmouth's many junk/antique shops- I paid more for it than I might've done in a charity shop, but a LOT less than I could've done in one of the shabby chic/ Cath Kidston type shops. It's already more than paid for itself with the cold weather lately.

I've been out and about delivering the Folksy Festive Sampler around Falmouth and Penryn, at the moment there are still copies in the library at the Woodlane campus, and I think there's some at Number 20 in Penryn. I'm going to be dropping more off soon at Two Little Birds.

The tree outside my window was full of a swarm of starlings, this video doesn't really do justice to the number of birds that have been in the garden over the last week or so. There's not been any starlings around today so i'm wondering if maybe they've flown off somewhere a bit warmer.

One of the great lampshades at The Melting Pot Cafe at Krowji in Redruth.

And another one- I liked this one the best as it's made up of needles and thread. Sorry my photos are so terrible- not sure what's going on with them lately- need to get to grips with my new camera I think. Or maybe just take photos in daylight!

Hadron- the zine

2010-11-08T18:05:00.000Z

http://www.analoguebooks.co.uk/product/hadron-by-the-lindstrom-effect

Thanks to Laura for drawing my attention to this little zine, which she gave her brother in law (who actually WORKS on the Large Hadron Collider) Another chance for me to link to this video as well while i'm here:

Science and nerds

2010-11-08T17:25:00.000Z

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-11711228

Ok so I really don't know what this has to do with curating, but I love the Large Hadron Collider in a way that only a woman with no real understanding of particle physics can. There was a mini big bang and we didn't all die- horray for hadron!

Here's some amazing images that I found whilst googling 'particle physics'

x-posted from Curatorial Practice log blog

also Pulp reformed today, which is good news.

Another blog?

2010-10-21T13:36:00.000+01:00

Well i've been trying to decide how I should create my log for the MA i'm doing and i've decided that, despite evidence to the contrary here, blogging is the way to go. I know i've been slack at updating this blog over the last 6 months or more, but in my defence I did have a LOT going on- seems the times when life is full of interesting blog worthy things are also the times you are too busy to sit down and write about them. Anyway, I intend to continue with my sporadic updating here in Made by Milla land- i'll be writing about my day to day adventures, Cornwall, my cats, art, mental health, and all the normal stuff; in addition to that I shall be writing over at my Curatorial Practice Log blog as I develop ideas for my MA project and the other assignments i'm faced with over the next year. I'm not sure how interesting it's going to be over there to anyone but me (hey! i'm not sure how interesting THIS blog is to anyone but me) but you are very welcome to join me, and i'd welcome your comments on any of the ideas and dilemmas I come up with.

Girls and Boys

2010-10-09T13:18:00.000+01:00

This afternoon I am spending my time sat in the 'here and now' shop in Falmouth, surrounded by artwork from friends and from people who update their blogs far more regularly than me. It's really nice to get a chance to look at all the amazing stock in here and see people's reactions to it (although I don't really understand the person who just came in looking for something to fit a frame- didn't seem to matter what it was as long as it fit the frame). The here shop and gallery in Bristol is now 7 years old, i'm sure I posted something along these lines last year and the year before about how amazing it is that something that was started as part of Ladyfest in an empty shop has gone on to become an O'Leary business empire! Ben and Kate each stock their own shops with much of the same things, but it's cute to see that the Falmouth shop is a bit more girly than Ben's shop in Bristol.

Despite the fact I can't seem to keep this blog updated i'm soon going to be setting up a new one to act as my research log as I embark on my MA in curatorial practice. I need to come up with a name for it, and to have a bit of a think about how it's going to function. I like the idea of using a blog to record my research as i'll be able to link directly to images/websites etc etc without having to print pages and pages of information from the internet. At the same time however I think I shall be keeping a paper record of my reading and experiences viewing galleries and exhibitions, I want something that exists physically as well as in cyber space. Watch this space...

Yarn Bombing

2010-10-01T13:18:00.001+01:00

Yarn Bombing
Originally uploaded by crunchcandy

A mini post while i'm settling in to my new life in Cornwall. I was taking a look at my friend Johanna's photos earlier today and they lead me off into a trail of wonderful yarn bombs- here's some of the ones I liked the best. (And yes, two of them are by Johanna)

'An important message about the arts' - an animated video by artist Davi...

2010-09-14T14:53:00.000+01:00

And the winners are!

2010-09-14T13:18:00.000+01:00

The lucky winners in the Amazing art raffle are: Sally, Beatty, Lee, Simon+Jeanette who all win a Peskimo Qee toy

Hannah who wins the Peskimo print

Debra and Keith who win drawings by Kirsty Hall

Steve, Nikki and Michaela all win prints by Alys Paterson

Edith and Ally won embroideries from Claire Elizabeth Platt
Becky won a brooch from ElinTM and Elin herself won a piece by Amy Greenan

Perhaps the luckiest winner of all was the person who won one of my 'Dirty Hankies' her name shall be kept private to save her blushes...

"Deer Licking A Daisy"

2010-09-14T00:13:00.001+01:00

"Deer Licking A Daisy"
Originally uploaded by Cactus County

And perhaps this little cutie might be coming home from The Smith and Jones museum of folk art too if i'm very lucky and Mr Smith decides I can be trusted to look after it.

blue warrior by Elsie Jones

2010-09-14T00:08:00.001+01:00

blue warrior
Originally uploaded by kitsch&curious

Last night I went to the opening of the Smith and Jones Museum of Folk Art- a one week show at room212 in Bristol. I am pleased to say that this Blue Warrior now belongs to me, and if it weren't for the fact that i'm saving every spare penny to go towards my MA I think I may well have spent a lot more money on Mr Smith and Mrs Jones creations.

Will update properly as soon as I get a chance to pop back and take some photos, but hurry the show is only on until Saturday.

Happy Birthday Miss Jen

2010-09-11T02:11:00.000+01:00

Still miss you lady.

xxx

Roll up roll up!

2010-09-10T21:02:00.000+01:00

So in just over twelve hours time I shall be drawing the winning tickets for the fundraising raffle i've been running. There's still time to buy a ticket for just £1, or ten for £5. The prizes are totally amazing- i've been really touched by the generous nature of my friends, from ElinTM's mouldy brooch, to Peskimo's screen print on wood, and all the wonderful things in between. Let's see if Blogger will let me share some with you shall we?

So there you go- just some of the treats you could win for a mere £1:

Some of the donations

2010-08-27T18:10:00.002+01:00

camillas wall

Originally uploaded by kitsch&curious
Elaine has taken some lovely photos from the sale on Saturday- hop on over to her blog, or her flickr stream to see them all.

The Kitsch and Curious Elaine!

2010-08-21T01:40:00.000+01:00

I'm very lucky to have met both Mr and Mrs Kitsch and Curious, and i'm delighted that Mrs Kitsch has agreed to join me in the basement gallery to keep me company while I peddle my wares. She's bringing along some of her treasures to sell as well. If you miss her at the sale then she will be taking part in lots of vintage and craft fairs later this year. Her blog is well worth a visit, and her etsy shop is worth spending some time (and some money) in.

Falmouth Fundraising Amazing Art Raffle!

2010-08-21T00:51:00.000+01:00

Kirsty Hall has donated two pieces of work to the raffle:

These are both original drawings, ink and coloured pencil on gesso on acid-free cartridge paper. They come with a pale cream mount but I’m not framing them. They’re quite small, including the mounts, they’re 7x9 inches. The colour is slightly more subtle and nice than in the scans.

Sale time!

2010-08-21T00:17:00.000+01:00

1. look at all the stuff!, 2. back wall of gallery, 3. cakes will go on the pink table, 4. corner of the gallery, 5. zines and comics, 6. stockings, ornaments and teapots, 7. 78s, and VHS, 8. aprons and skirts and 80s duvet covers, 9. cushions and comics, 10. childrens books and magazines, 11. wall of creepy big eyed kid paintings, 12. setting up the book stall, 13. weird ceramic tree thing, 14. lovely perpetual calendar, 15. Nara toy, 16. knitting girl, 17. striped top boy, 18. Fire companion set, 19. Red dress, 20. Balloon pump, 21. You'll be so popular in Arizona, 22. Tea set that I shall be parting with on Saturday, 23. 6 piece tea set in original box, 24. Picnic set, 25. Picnic set

If you are anywhere near Bristol tomorrow, and not busy enjoying yourself at Pride, then please pop along and say hello to me as I try and part with lots of my belongings. There shall be cakes made by the talented Lucy Adams, collectable treasures from The Kitsch and Curious Elaine a raffle of wonderful prizes donated by lovely friends and the chance to also spend your money upstairs in the shop if you don't spend it all buying my belongings. Sorry, ex-belongings...must learn to let go...

There was talk of making a 'fee-o-meter' with my happy face at the top and my sad, penniless face at the bottom, but I think after spending at least 3 hours setting up today we have run out of steam. My plan was for an early night tonight, but here I am at quarter past midnight still looking for things to sell.

find me:

here shop and gallery

108 stokes croft

bristol

bs1 3ru

Fabulous friends

2010-08-19T15:09:00.002+01:00

My lovely and talented friend Alys Paterson is donating one of these prints worth £100 to the Amazing Art Raffle. And if that wasn't enough she's donating a Russian Doll print and an Animal Soup print too! These treats could be yours for a mere £1.

Flamingo & Friend - Amazing Fundraising Art Raffle!!

2010-08-18T15:39:00.002+01:00

Flamingo & Friend - Amazing Fundraising Art Raffle!!
Originally uploaded by Peskimo // Jodie & David

Look at what Peskimo are donating to the raffle! One of only two prints on wood, they have the other one and are offering this one up for one of you lucky people. My friends are so generous it's making me blush!

Falmouth Fundraising Amazing Art Raffle!

2010-08-16T19:37:00.001+01:00

I'm having an amazing sale and art raffle in order to raise money to help me pay my MA Curatorial Practice fees. I'm heading off to Falmouth in just over a month and I've been clearing out cupboards in order to conjure up all kinds of treats that people might like to buy. At the moment there is a mountain of stuff piling up- books, comics, vintage china tea sets, artwork, magazines, vintage clothes, zines, badges, cakes (the cakes haven't been made yet to tell you the truth), old 78's, record players...the list goes on and there may well be some tears on my part as I wave goodbye to my belongings.

But it's all for a very good cause, it's been a long time in the making, but my mind is finally made up and I know that this MA is just what I need to do. I've spent the weekend in Falmouth at an amazing campsite with my friend, who kindly took me down there to try and find somewhere new to live after the flat I had found back in May suddenly became unavailable- it looks like I may have found somewhere so it's now all systems go again!

Some very kind and very talented friends decided to donate some artwork for me to raffle and so on Saturday I will be launching the AMAZING ART RAFFLE with work from Alys Paterson, Peskimo, Elin Thomas, Kirsty Hall, Claire Elizabeth Platt and me up for auction for a mere £1 a ticket or 10 tickets for £5! If you can't make it along to the here shop and gallery on Saturday between 11am and 5pm then you can buy tickets via paypal, just click the button below and make sure to let me know how many you want.

Nigg beach

2010-07-31T20:23:00.001+01:00

In the distance is Cromarty, and this is the jetty for the car ferry to Cromarty that normally runs during the summer. At the moment they are waiting for a new ferry/for their ferry to be mended, so instead of a short trip on the boat you have to make a long drive round by land. We saw several cyclists who were doing Lands End to John o'Groats and were mightily peeved to get to Cromarty and find no service.

The first thing we saw on the beach at Nigg was a dead dried up creature, that may well have been a dog. It was pretty amazing looking and i'm not entirely sure why I didn't take a photo of it- it might've been the beast of Nigg for all I know, but instead here's another dead creature from Nigg beach.

I have never seen a wild starfish, so I was pretty excited to see this on the beach, then I looked closer and saw it had a leg missing and seemed to be on the 'recently dead' side.

Shipping forcast bores small children/excites adult

2010-07-30T20:23:00.000+01:00

Some of my friends and family know that I have an unhealthy fascination with the Shipping Forecast. I know i'm not alone- it pops up in songs, books, and tea towels (I have the same tea towel as Kristen ). While I was in Scotland I was excited to discover that we were super close to Cromarty, a village that gives it's name to one of the shipping areas. So we took a drive (the 2 car ferry isn't running this summer) over the bridge and spent a day pottering around in Cromarty.

On the left is Nigg Hill, which is where my friend lives, and on the right is the headland where I was told a mermaid was kept in a specially built pool.

The Ice House

One of the things about being so much further north than where I live is that there were lots of blossoms still on plants that down here are already producing berries.

Lobster or crab pots on the harbour wall.

Scotland pt2.

2010-07-30T19:56:00.000+01:00

Inside the shop at the Black Isle Brewery. We purchased a bottle or 12, and some really delicious hand made soap. One of the beers is called 'Red Kite' and on the way back from the brewery I saw my first red kite ever- a much bigger bird than I had imagined (in my head I thought it was more of a kestrel size)- I was really excited and thought that it was very cute to hear that V had spent a lot of time looking for red kites (as in the kind you fly) before she discovered that all the adults were talking about a kind of bird.

Another bit of highland wildlife- a field of real, live Highland cattle- who were all posing perfectly until I got out the car and climbed up the bank to take a photo. When I was little we used to walk past a field of these cows and we called them the 'Mac Moos' it was really nice to see some again after all these years!

Scotland!

2010-07-29T20:48:00.001+01:00

My room in the caravan- I loved staying in it for the few nights I was visiting, not sure I could have coped living there for much longer (let alone several years, whilst pregnant, with small children, whilst building a house- which is just what my friend did).

The view from my bedroom window- this part of Scotland (the east coast of the Highlands) was completely different to how I expected, much more fertile- plants, flowers, birds, animals everywhere.

The view looking from the caravan door- my friend's house is behind the barn on the right. I think this was the first morning, when it had been raining very loudly all night.

My friend's house- full of children, chickens and delicious cooking.

Hi

2010-07-27T23:34:00.000+01:00

Hi there.

I know I keep promising to update more frequently, but I seem to fail at every attempt. It's not as if I haven't got anything to talk about- there's my trip to Scotland, my final show, my plans for Falmouth, my up coming exhibitions, shows that i've visited...there's a lot to talk about really. But for today i'll just share this photo that the wonderful Mr Tom Cops took of me at Central-Reservation. For more of his photos take a lookie at his flickr

And this little terror is nephew #2.

Unexpected holidays

2010-07-13T23:32:00.000+01:00

planes by Claire Platt

I'm heading off to Scotland in the morning, flying just over 400 miles to get there. I looked into going by train, but even with my railcard it was still three times more expensive to go by train than plane. I am comforting myself with the knowledge that my carbon footprint is pretty small already, and as i'm not going to have kids I think I get some guilt free flights every so often. If only I were going on the kind of airline that gave out tiny bags of peanuts, then i'd be truly happy!

This afternoon I went to a meeting at Cafe Kino where we started to plot for 'lo-fi hi(gh) school' a series of lectures/workshops that some of us are trying to make happen in Bristol soon. Seems like it's an exciting time to be in Bristol, reminded me a lot of several years ago when we put on Ladyfest and Bring Yourself Fest, those were the days...

small babies and small shops

2010-07-08T23:01:00.000+01:00

As you can see the baby in this photo is very small, and if you look closely you can see the shop in the background is very new too, in fact this photo must've been taken nearly 7 years ago as the baby is now a big seven year old, and the shop will be celebrating it's 7th birthday later this summer. I never thought when we took over the empty building that houses 'here' that there would still be a shop there 7 years later- we were given the space for 2 weeks during Ladyfest and no-one ever moved out. Thanks to Ben the shop is still there and goes from strength to strength- and the teeny baby? She's been joined by 2 sisters and i'm going to visit them all next week. It's going to be the first time in about 5 years * that i'll have seen my friend - i've just booked a flight up to the Highlands where I shall meet her 2 (not so) new babies and get to visit the house she's built. After years of meaning to visit and never getting round to it, somehow knowing that i'll be spending the next year even further away down the end of Cornwall, helped spur me on and finally just book those tickets.

* I realised I have seen her more recently than 5 years ago- there was a very brief flying visit when I was in passing Nottingham whilst 'on tour' with Kimya Dawson a few years ago. When I say 'on tour' I really mean, hanging out and visiting lots of towns that begin with the letter 'L', although I did end up on stage in London at the end of it all.

Football?

2010-07-07T22:59:00.002+01:00

A football related post? Surely some mistake? Well if you must get involved with football and the World Cup then this seems like a good way of doing it. It's going to be loud, and silly, and will be the most fun i've ever had at a sporting event. Join us at Central-Reservation on Saturday to watch the match.

Made in Weston

2010-07-05T19:40:00.000+01:00

Look at my blury and out of focus picture of my half of the stall at Made in Weston the other week. It was a super hot day and the whole town was full of things going on- would anyone wander in and be tempted to buy vintage fabrics? Luckily the answer was yes and I managed to get rid of some of my fabric stash, meet some great people and get talked into supplying Laura with bags for her new shop.

Piano Graveyard

2010-07-05T19:19:00.000+01:00

Photos from the piano graveyard at the back of Central-Reservation. One of the many places I visited over the last few months to gather pieces that would become part of my final installation.

Made in Weston

2010-06-25T23:58:00.002+01:00

Continuing my recent habit of only managing to post things when I have an event to tell you about here I am again to let you know that I'm going to be spending Saturday 26th at 'Made in Weston'. I'm sharing a stall with my friend and former class mate Lucy Adams. We decided it was time to dip our feet in the waters of the Weston-super-Mare craft show scene (traditionally very uncool) and see if this new fair might be the place for us.

Here's a bit about the ethos behind Made in Weston:

Many of the products that visitors to Weston take home are made in China and already travelled further than the tourists. But this town is home to lots of talented people who are very capable of making quality products much better than the mass-produced “gifts” you find in a lot of the shops. So we decided to get as many of them together as possible to sell the fruits of their labours under one brand – Made in Weston. The ethos is to promote Weston as a thriving arts and crafts town as well as give all these talented residents an easy outlet for their products. We also promote a green element to the products by reusing materials wherever possible.



	So come and join us between 9am and 5pm at The Winter Gardens. More posts will happen soon- now the academic year is over I will finally have some time and space again!

Checkout number THREE!

2010-06-10T14:33:00.000+01:00

It may seem like the only time I update this at the moment is when i'm off to Central-Reservation for an art market, day of drawing or some other such treat, but I wanted to make sure you all knew about this Saturday's Checkout. It's the penultimate one and has exciting things happening at it like- SNAP print studios running some screen printing workshops, Tom Cops taking portraits and yummy food, cakes and coffee all day. Come along between 12-5pm and don't forget to pop upstairs to visit the new exhibition that's running there.

Talking of exhibitions, i'm currently in this show which has been running as part of the Fringe Arts Festival in Bath. Here Today, Gone Tomorrow runs until Sunday in two of the units at Milsom Place, just next to Jamie Oliver's restaurant. I'm invigilating on Sunday from 11am so if you do pop along then make sure you say hello to me- i've met some great people from invigilating whilst i've been there.

Sandra Vasquez de la Horra

2010-06-02T20:55:00.000+01:00

I'm so excited about some of the work i've been making for my end of year show. Unfortunately I fell over and broke my camera, so I don't have any photos to show you- but one of the elements was really influenced by the work of Sandra Vasquez de la Horra which I saw last year at the Bristol City Museum and Art Gallery. I love her use of wax- she draws on to paper and then coats it with wax afterwards, which gives it a really wonderful feeling. I also really liked the way in which her work was installed, which is something that i'll be borrowing from i'm sure.

Children of the reservation

2010-06-01T21:31:00.000+01:00

There is SO MUCH going on at the moment- lots to update you about, including the exhibition that i'm currently in in Bath, but in the meantime take a look at this, and hope to see you there on Saturday.

On June 5, starting at 2pm, Central—Reservation is hosting Children of the Reservation – an all day art and music extravaganza that brings together artist led groups from Birmingham, London and Bristol.

DAY EXCHANGE, from 2pm Free admission

Invited guest artists Mark Essen, An Endless Supply and the two Jonnys, host a series of events centred around the exchange of text, image and music.

In support of destroying what you support, by An Endless Supply

Setting up a photocopier and printing press, An Endless Supply invite you to bring along your most memorable piece of text, be it out of print publications, print editions or posters, which they will bootleg, compiling a library archive for public exchange. http://anendlesssupply.co.uk/

Record Exchange and Celebration, by Mark Essen

Mark presents a record exchange stall accompanied by contemporary journals, books, fanzines and Artist edition t-shirts. You are invited to bring and exchange records, ephemera and paraphernalia. The record exchange acts as homage to the culture of independent record shops. It will function as an exchange through a process of bartering. In turn this will become a place for contemporary beatnik cohorts to spend time deciphering and attempting to define culture through informal discourse. It is the informal discourse that becomes a celebrated. http://www.markessen.org/image/rec/

NIGHT PERFORMANCE, from 7pm

Courtyard BBQ | Performance downstairs| Live Music upstairs

And you will know us by the trail of morris men, 7pm FREE

A mesmeric clash of a Morris dancing performance trail that starts at 7pm by the fountains in the city centre & makes its way through town to Central—Reservation for 7.30pm where it will take over the ground floor. http://www.markessen.org/artwork/live/

PING PONG BAR: the two Jonnys redesigned by guests (runs throughout the evening) FREE

Seeing their London based project space’s ping pong table and cocktail bar as a social framework to take on tour, the two Jonnys have commissioned artists to redesign the elements of this social hardware for the Jonnys to then manufacture on site at Central—Reservation. Thus enabling them to transport no pre-existing artwork to Bristol, nor requiring them to return anything to London. These collaborative artworks will have drinks and balls served on them throughout the evening, and provide a social framework for future Central-Reservation events. http://www.thetwojonnys.org/

LIVE MUSIC, 8pm £3 entry / £2 adv. from Here Shop, Bristol

The Grubby Mitts supported by Sleeping States, The Balky Mule, Woodtripper + Headfall DJs

As part of their mini UK tour and recent performances at Tate Britain, The Royal Standard and The Roxy, artist Andy Holden’s band The Grubby Mitts will perform live on the first floor, with support from Bristol based bands: Sleeping States, The Balky Mule & Woodtripper.

2010-05-16T22:47:00.000+01:00

Lots of people are busy at the moment, with end of degree shows, exhibitions and having babies and so forth, it seems lots of them are able to continue to blog throughout all of the upheaval whereas I just manage to check my email, facebook and twitter in a never ending circle and don't have the time or brain power to put together a coherent post on my blo.

There's been lots going on and i'm afraid it's going to have to just be picture updates for the while, no time to talk very much.

Sophie Jones' beautiful plaster work was on show at the Bath Spa gallery for nearly a month, alongside her paintings.

Then there was the day when I had perhaps the best 99 ever:

And now in the gallery there is work by Edith Abeyta:

It was fun installing this let me tell you!

Edith's show runs until May 28th and more details can be found on Facebook

There was My Two Toms playing at Checkout and Bjorn Rune Lie pulling stupid faces

There have been piles of broken pianos:

And death defying experiments with the sea, pianola rolls and video camera's:

Still to come is an exhibition as part of Fringe Arts Bath festival, a day residency in Somerset, a trip down to Falmouth and back to look at flats, another Checkout and the small matter of finishing my course- all within the next couple of weeks. So forgive me if i'm absent, I shouldn't be online at all really, but I just can't stay away.

Checking it out again

2010-05-02T15:44:00.001+01:00

I'm going to be returning to Central-Reservation next Sunday for the second Checkout art market, this time there's going to be music from my favourite Banjo heart throbs My Two Toms. I think i'm going to be bringing along some of my golden creatures this time- maybe the great Bristol public are ready for them now...

ps- you really should pop over to Bjorn Rune Lie's blog and take a look at the cover art he's just completed for My Two Tom's, pretty dreamy stuff.

A Day to Draw

2010-04-26T19:32:00.000+01:00

A Day to Draw

2010-04-16T18:34:00.000+01:00

I'm going to be back at Central-Reservation tomorrow- this time to take part in A Day of Drawing, organised by Bristol Drawing Club. There's a varied selection of workshops running during the day and there's also going to be people drawing on the windows, doing group drawings and various local artists doing drawing demos. I'm hoping that i'll get enough courage to bring along the video camera and film the durational/performance drawing piece I want to do. Not sure if i'll be able to bring myself to draw with people around, but it seems like a really good chance to make the film i've been wanting to do for ages...which reminds me, must check batteries etc!

Today I went and helped Sophie Jones install her show at the Uni gallery, and then afterward we both headed into town where I stocked up on some supplies in the art shop, and some scones in the bakers. I now have a tummy full of scones and plans for graphite powder and chinagraph pencils, if only I can bring myself to act on them.

Twig Mobiles from Abolute Heart

2010-04-10T12:55:00.000+01:00

twig mobile by Jenny Louie

My friend Jenny makes these beautiful twig mobiles- such a simple idea but they look amazing. She's just listed them in her Etsy shop if you want to buy one for yourself. Jenny has an amazing eye for colour and her photography is wonderful too. I heart her.

Picnic time

2010-04-10T11:52:00.000+01:00

I had a really nice day up in London yesterday- perfect weather for sitting outside eating sarnies and drinking pop. As part of things at Checkout on Sunday there is going to be a picnic held in the central reservation of Stokes Croft! Totally bonkers idea, but why should city dwellers miss out on picnics, just because they are surrounded by concrete? After all some of my favourite picnic memories include: indoors picnics at my Grandma and Grandad's house because it was raining outside; picnics under the dining table with my nephew and the memorable 'scampie fries' picnic in the car, in a layby on top of the Mendip Hills in pouring rain. Just the other day I had a mini picnic on the sea front with my friend- we took supplies from a local baker and Marks and Sparks and sat and ate bread and drank lemondae and watched the hovercraft on the beach!

We are closed

2010-04-08T20:31:00.000+01:00

Claire has done a great round up of things over on our Calm Air All Ice blog- I've pretty much been crashed out recovering ever since we took the show down on Saturday evening. I was so pleased with how things went, we sold work- including a couple of the pricier pieces which I think goes to show that art is the perfect thing to buy when the economy is a bit rubbish, as long as you like what you buy it will always retain its value (and if you aren't an idiot like some we could mention and...oh...throw out a Banksy then it might even go up in value)

I also came away from the show with a possible commission (fingers crossed) and a head full of ideas for ways to develop one of my pieces of work into something that could be tailored to people's personal histories, and therefore potentially make some money selling the things. I generally don't think too much about money when I am making work- the process is the all important part for me, the end result being less of an issue, but running alongside that is my fascination with making 'products', ways in which original artworks can be made affordable and accessible to everyone. I'm going to be trying out some of these ideas at CheckOut at Central-Reservation this Sunday and it would be great to get some feedback!

We are open

2010-04-01T23:21:00.001+01:00

first day of 52
Originally uploaded by crunchcandy

We're open- but not for long! I've been so busy with getting things together for the show, that I haven't really done much talking about it over here. I suggest you head on over to the Calm Air All Ice blog to read a bit more about it.

Claire and I will be in room212 tomorrow and Saturday from 12pm til 4pm (Fri) and 5.30pm (Sat) and then we're going to have to pack it all up and send it home again. :(

Basket making workshop at Black Swan Arts

2010-03-27T21:14:00.000Z

Lucy and I had a wonderful day at Black Swan Arts in Frome learning basket making from Rebecca Board. So much to say about it all, but i'm so sleepy now and need to get ready for my parents Ruby Wedding party tomorrow, in the meantime you can look at the photos!

Fifty-Two Baskets

2010-03-24T22:56:00.000Z

It's a week until the grand opening of 'Calm Air All Ice present: 52' and i'm starting to dream about the number 52. Claire's coming down next Monday and we're going to be plotting and planning and installing for a few days so we are ready to open the doors on Wed 31st (my little sister's birthday). We're having an evening opening from 6-8pm and it would be great to see some of you.

Before that i'm going to be taking a trip to Black Swan Arts in Frome, with my friend Lucy, to learn a bit about basket making. Lucy and I both have some of the same reasons for wanting to take this course- my friend Jen, and Lucy's mum were both buried in a woven coffin and we both agreed that it made the whole funeral process a lot nicer and the coffins (or baskets as Jen's was called!) actually became beautiful objects that you wanted to look at.

In addition to that side of things through the family history research that both my parents have done, I know that I am from a long line of basket makers (or basket cases some might say) and I feel that it's important for me to re-connect with this part of my genetic dna. Maybe i'll be a natural, maybe i'll make a basket that would put my great great great's to shame?

Cornuto

2010-03-23T17:32:00.000Z

Book making workshop

2010-03-19T17:25:00.000Z

A couple of weeks ago I took part in a book binding workshop. I've made lots of zines in the past, and played around with making artist books etc, but i'd never been taught how to make a 'proper' book. I took lots of photos (which I hope I haven't just bored you with) and lots of notes, and now I want to make lots and lots more books. I especially like the idea of making books from all the prints that i've made and not been 100% happy with- I missed out on the chance to throw anything into The Art Bin, so maybe I can just destroy my work this way instead? I'm a hoarder and a collector of stuff, but i'm also very interested in the idea of destroying things that I own in a bid to free myself from the clutter. I'm fighting a constant fight against paper and ornaments in my house and I want to find a way to rescue myself, whilst at the same time turning it into art. I don't think I could ever go as far as Landy did with 'Break Down' and destroy everything I owned, but it's good to start somewhere...

Ch ch checkout CHECKOUT

2010-03-18T13:57:00.000Z

Artists and makers in the Bristol/South West area should check out this new project that has been set up by one of my very best friends (and some other great people too I should add). Checkout is going to be a monthly art market, held on the 2nd Sunday of each of the four months that Central-Reservation (more on that in another post) will be open for. They are currently taking submissions for spaces at the first one, and tables are only £10! Contact: Lucy at Central-Reservation with 3 low res images of your work to apply for a pitch.

Rachael Allen

2010-03-17T23:54:00.000Z

I've been busy lately with all kinds of things. One of the things that keeps me busy is running the gallery space at the Uni Campus in Weston. I keep meaning to post more about what i've been doing there, but it seems like real life has taken over virtual life and i'm just not getting the time to update here as often as I used to. Either that or twitter has stolen my time...

At the moment in the gallery is a show by Rachael Allen. The show runs until March 26th and is open Mon-Fri 9-5pm, please pop in if you can as the work is really fascinating. Rachael works with miniatures, and in her words one of her main themes is 'death'. As well as the tiny miniature sculptures there are detailed drawings taken from photos of cadavers.

You might think that someone who works with themes like that would be incredibly solemn and maudlin, but Rachael was far from that! She single handedly managed to corrupt our knitting group on Friday night by bringing wine along- soon everyone was cracking open bottles of booze, seems like knitters like a drink as much as anyone else, we just needed a visiting artist to show us the light.

TEASE MADE

2010-03-13T23:10:00.000Z

My very lovely friends Jodie and David (aka Peskimo) are soon to have an exhibition in a new space called Start that's opening up in Bristol, above Start The Bus. They've been kind enough to share some sneaky peeks with me, so here's a few images you can expect to see in the show. This one above is a collaboration between Peskimo and Chris Dickason (who's the other half of the show)

These two little monsters are by Jodie and David- i'm very partial to the NICE biscuit one (I wonder if any of these biscuit eating monsters will end up in the Calm Air All Ice show, you can read Peskimo's interview with us here)

and here's one of Chris' images- that's some crazy tea party going on there!

Here's a bit more info about the thinking behind the show and the all important details:

Peskimo’s world is teeming with monsters and bunnies, pattern and texture, fun and frolics, combining quirky details and streamlined design with a generous pinch of nostalgia to create art that has won admirers far and wide. The art of Peskimo is complimented by Chris Dickason’s charming and much loved visually striking design. Chris’ illustrations are populated with rambunctious and irreverent characters, the design of which is a cleverly crafted mix of an uncomplicated drawing style and conspicuous colour choices.

The Tease Made exhibition will celebrate the social rituals, history, iconography and biscuit dunking goodness of enjoying a cup of tea. Expect prints, paintings and doodles as well as the occasional three-dimensional surprise. The artwork will draw influence from the mid century aesthetic and vintage graphic design, cartoons and comics and the oddities and absurdities of everyday life.

March 19th - April 9th 2010
Opening Night Extravaganza Friday 19th March 2010 6pm-9pm!
START
1st floor 7-9 Baldwin Street, Bristol

Yaron Lapid

2010-03-10T00:12:00.000Z

Could you do us a favour?

2010-03-03T22:42:00.000Z

Claire and I asked for submissions of images featuring the number 52 to be used on the postcards for our upcoming show- now we need you to vote on them and let us know which image to pick. If you want to take a look over at the Calm Air All Ice blog and vote there it would be great, of just leave a comment here to let me know and i'll pass it on.

Tagged

2010-02-27T22:16:00.000Z

I've been tagged by the lovely Anna Custom Made

This is what it means to play the game, its fun...

1. open your first photo folder in your computer library.

2. scroll to the 10th photo

3. post the photo and the story behind it

4. tag 5 or more people to continue the thread

This photo is from the Installation Art workshop I took part in at the end of last year. This was from when I had just started to wrap the chair in string, I wasn't sure why I was wrapping the chair in string, but it felt very important to me to do so anyway. The chair is still in Glastonbury in the home of the workshop leader as I didn't feel able to bring it home on the bus on the wild stormy night that it had turned into. I'm still interested in binding things with string, and chairs.

I tag...

1. Karen

2. Laura

3. Solorn

4. Bo

5. Becky

6. Elaine

They are all lovely women and all local to me, it's been a real treat to meet them over the last year and so exciting to now know people in my home town (just in time for me to move away!).

Fifty-two

2010-02-25T00:02:00.001Z

Claire's been doing a wonderful job over on our Calm Air All Ice blog, she's been posting up some of the mini interviews that we've done with artists that are part of our fifty-two exhibition- pop on over to see what Jill Bliss, Tinee Häcker, Gunilla Jähnichen and Debbie Hill have to say for themselves. You've also got until Sunday to send us your photos of 'fifty-two's wherever you find them, as one will be turned into our postcard for the show.

I seem to be ill again, or still ill, so my input is minimal at the moment, but it's going to be a great show and i'm really excited about it!

Letter Writers

2010-02-19T18:42:00.000Z

This is sort of cross-posted from one of my other blogs, but I thought maybe you'd like to know what's going on with my Letter Writers project? What's that I hear you ask, just hop on over to Letter Writers and see for yourself.

... It's actually so addictive writing letters again, I don't know if Melanie has found the same thing, but I am really relishing cracking open the paper and pen and sitting down writing to total strangers. I don't know if it's cheap therapy or something, but the routine of pen, paper, envelope, stamp, walk to post office is really lovely- it makes me feel a bit more alive! I started this project with the aim of writing a letter a week, every week for the entire year, two months into it I seem to be doing ok at that. I didn't set out with the plan to make a million new penfriends, so i've not been searching for people who will write a reply- for me the point is just to write, to connect with someone via a letter, without any expectations of a response. Of course some people are replying, and that's really nice- there's nothing better than getting a real hand written letter in the mail, but I am happy knowing that somewhere out there someone has received a letter from me that may or may not brighten their day.

Letter Writers as a blog is open to anyone that wants to join up- leave a comment and I can add you to the list of authors, you just have to promise to write a letter a week for as long as you can.

Calm Air All Ice present Fifty-Two

2010-02-18T20:04:00.000Z

My partner in crime and I have been plotting an exhibition that's going to take place at the end of next month. Here's how things came into being:

We’d booked the gallery space with the intention of putting on a group show and whilst trying to find inspiration for exactly what to do Claire discovered nearly a full deck of cards scattered across the pavement one day… she thought, that’s odd, it’s like fifty two card pick up ! Upon telling Camilla about this odd occurrence they concluded it must in fact be a sign! Fifty-two is what we have to do with the space! So we have selected fifty two artists/designers/makers whose work we adore and we want to get them all together into one room for what we hope will be an incredible exhibition!

The exhibition is going to be taking place between March 28^th-April 3^rd 2010 (yes we are cutting this organising pretty fine!) and it’s going to be at Room 212 (aka Bristol's smallest art gallery!) in Bristol, UK.

Amanda Kindregan

Cathy Cullis

You might remember that Claire and I first showed our work in Room 212 last year, so it's nice that we've got the chance to revisit the space and do something different with it. It's also a great chance for us to show work by some of our favourite artists, and we've been very excited about who some of those people are going to be. I think we still need to round up a few more people, so keep your eyes peeled for updates from us both. Sadly some artists we asked to take part aren't going to be able to, we've cut it really close with the timing for people from overseas, but there's still going to be some amazing talent and I can't wait to see it all come together.

Coughs and colds and aches and pains

2010-02-13T18:32:00.000Z

I've spent a lot of the last month being ill, first with aches and pains in my bones, then with a chest infection that's kept me away from Uni for the last week and a half. Now it's reading week and i've got a lot of catching up to do before I go back and get my head down for the final last slog to the end. The time i've spent being forced to do nothing hasn't all been wasted though, my head is full of ideas, and I hope I can make some of them come to life and create some work that i'm proud of for the end of year show.

At the moment i'm thinking of scrolls, graphite, fim, sand, water, darkness, light, text, memory, loss and a million other things too. The photo above shows my installation at our mini show in January- I used pianola rolls and printed on one. I want to work more with these rolls and fill them up with details from my life and from the imagined lives of the people I find in old photos. I've recently found a stash of 5 postcards from just over 100 years ago, all from 'Flo' in Weston-super-Mare to her family in South Wales- people used to catch the ferry over from South Wales to Weston for holidays and these are just simple messages telling her family that she'd arrived safely, from a time before email and text messages- a time when you could put a card in the post on a Sunday afternoon and it would arrive for Monday morning.

My Grandma (who has just had a knee replaced, another reason for my absence) has told me in the past about the time when her Grandma posted her a posy of primroses from her house that arrived later the same day. I am sure I've got the story a little wrong, but I like the thought that there was a time, not that long ago (or very long ago depending on how you measure time) when you could visit your Grandma in the morning and by the afternoon she would've sent you a posy of flowers). One of my 'to do' lists for this year is the challenge i've set myself to write a letter a week, every week of the year- you can follow my progress here in Letter Writers, where myself and Melanie try and keep a list of all our letters.

Right back to gargling hot drinks I think- tomorrow it's Valentine's Day and i'm going to spend it baking cakes with my nephew!

2010-02-01T17:48:00.000Z

During December I took part in a little project along with a few other people- we were challenged to take a photo a day, at eleven am, using film so we couldn't cheat. I forgot one day and some days I have to admit the photo wasn't taken at eleven am, but I got the photos processed the other day and i'm so pleased to see how they turned out. My favourite from the month is this one:

My niece on Christmas day- she turned round just as I took the photo but I really love this, it's blurred and out of focus, but the colours are great and I love that it's a photo of my niece I can share with everyone without being too creeped out.

My friend Alys

2010-01-11T21:33:00.000Z

Alys Paterson: Wild at heart

Heartsong

The other day I went and stayed at my friend Alys' house for a night of hiding from the snow and laughing a lot. I know i've mentioned Alys before on here, but she has a new website and her Etsy shop is now open for business. I got the chance to see this 'Wild at heart' print in the flesh and it's absolutely beautiful- so much detail and such great colours. You can also catch up with Alys on her blog, go say hello why don't you?

Traces

2010-01-11T16:11:00.002Z

Stephanie Wooster

Fiona Kam Meadly

There are two new exhibitions opening soon that I am involved in- the first is 'Traces' a group exhibition by multi-media practitioners from the Art by Practice MA at UWE. I've been invited to help them curate their show and have been writing an introduction to the catalogue and offering some advice on installation. The show is only on for a day (and one night) so catch it if you can! The preview is this Friday from 6-9pm at the gallery space at Motorcade/FlashParade which is right opposite the City Farm I used to work at. The gallery will also be open on Sat 16th Jan from 10am-6pm. There will be work on show from nine contemporary practitioners, all of whom live within the South West: Liz Banks, Helen Burgess, Mary Crowder, Anna Griffith, Robert Knapper, Fiona Kam Meadley, Sara Parsons, Elizabeth Redding and Stephanie Wooster.

What is red for me?

2010-01-03T21:49:00.003Z

A little bit of colour for Kerstin's project

New Year, New Projects

2010-01-03T13:42:00.002Z

I've a habit of taking on way too many things, sometimes it seems like it's the only way I can function- high level stress at all times. I'm trying not to take on too many new projects at the moment as I need to focus all my attention on finishing this year at Uni and preparing for my MA. Preparation for the MA will take many forms- selling things, making new art, finding someone to rent my house, finding somewhere new to live in, finding magical pots of money...the list is pretty endless and should be enough to keep me going until October.

However...I just can't seem to help myself so i've decided that i'm going to write a letter to someone once a week for every week this year. My idea came from being part of Susie Ghahremani's Penpal Party, which popped up on Twitter. I really enjoyed the experience of writing letters to total strangers and I thought it might be something I should do more of- it links in with my desire to spend less time on the computer this year and more time in 'real life'. So if you are interested in receiving a letter from me this year let me know- i'm making no promises that it'll be the start of a long ongoing penfriendship, but I will write a letter to everyone who asks for one. If no-one asks for one then i'm just going to go through my old address books and write to everyone I find in them.

Someone else who has a new project on the go is Kerstin Klein- If you want to join in on the project, all you have to do, is answer ONE question.

"What is Red for you?"

It shouldn´t be anything complicated and you do not need to spend more than 5-10 minutes on it.

Winter

2009-12-28T15:06:00.003Z

While lots of other parts of the country have been under snow over the last couple of weeks, in my West Country seaside town I got snow that was one, maybe two, flakes deep at most. This photo is of 'the bumpy lane' as I (and possibly anyone who drives down it) calls it, covered in a layer about two millimeters deep. To be fair, other parts of town did see enough snow to make snowballs with, but I live too near to the seafront for anything that exciting to happen.

This morning i've been to knitting group, which has taken off in a pretty big way (numbers are not huge but there are lots of repeat offenders). It seems like every week I go there's someone new to meet, or someone I have met in a 'i've read your blog' kind of way, but never actually spoken to in 'real life'. I've lived here for about 5 years now and I can honestly say i've met more people who are on my wave length in the last couple of months than I have done in all those years. Of course i've made some great friends from college, but only two of them actually live in this town, so it's been really nice to meet up with some of the people who share this seaside town with me (or do I share it with them?). This morning's session seemed especially nice, with babies and children and even the odd husband turning up at the end! Just what I needed after three days of festivities.

Yesterday I went to Slimbridge with my mum, my sister and my nephew. We were there in the late afternoon and got to watch as over 70,000 starlings came in to roost- it was a totally amazing site and made me even more inclined to start doing some proper exploring, getting out and about and doing more walking. I fear I am becoming more and more like my parents as I grow up- I even got a National Trust thermos flask from my sister for xmas!

Have a cool yule

2009-12-21T16:59:00.002Z

Season's greetings to you all on this the shortest day. This is my vintage Father Christmas lightbulb that I found in a charity shop about 8 years ago- i'm not sure how old it is but it comes from a time when flex's were covered in fabric and only had two wires. We (me and Dad) did plug it in once and it does still work- there is a massive filament in there somewhere. Maybe I should try it again and get some photos this time, i'm just scared it would blow up and i'd be left with shards of glass and no Santa. He lives on top of my book shelf all year round actually, but I thought i'd share him with you today.

the incredible print show 2

2009-12-12T20:20:00.003Z

Some of my dirty hankies are on show as part of this exhibition at my favourite gallery that i've never visited. The incredible print show 2 is a follow up show to this years incredible print show and features small and perfectly formed print works by a whole range of artists including:

Abigail Halpin
Angela Gwinner
Brenda Rose
Camilla Stacey
Gail Stoughton
Heather Smith Jones
Jaime Derringer
Jenni Freidman
Jennifer Judd-McGee
Judith Heller Cassell
K.Thor Jensen
Laura Berger
Lillianna Pereira
Linda Plaisted
Lisa DeJohn
Lisa Kirkpatrick
Mandy Horne
Nate Krasner
Rachel Saldana
Sara Jensen
Scott Patt
Shuxin Liang
Studio G
Sub-Studio
Susann Foster Brown
Susan Schwake

I've been gone so long

2009-12-12T15:17:00.002Z

Sorry to have vanished for so long, I thought I better make a post before a whole month had gone by with no action on this blog of mine. I've been unwell for a couple of weeks and when i've not been unwell i've been somehow blocked and unable to focus long enough to make a post here, which I suppose is symptomatic of being unwell in the first place. Anyway here I am again and I thought I would share a few photos I took at the Installation Art workshop I took over two weekends in the very very rainy town of Glastonbury.

Due to having to use public transport I arrived very early on the first day to find the streets emptier than I'd ever seen them

I also discovered that I had left my phone at home, so I was pleased to see that such things as public phone boxes still exist in Glastonbury (also good for sheltering from the rain)

The workshop was lead by Melanie Thompson, a performance and installation artist who lectures at Dartington College of Art. IT was held at The Phoenix Project, an unfunded space that offered lots of interesting possibilities for working with. I took some photos of spaces on the first day that interested me

In the kitchen was this reminder for us all:

On the second day of the workshop Melanie lead us through an exercise using just a white bed sheet and a child's chair

the way we all responded to it was fascinating- I used the chair back to weave the sheet through, I am becoming increasingly interested in weaving and basket making, something that became apparent as my work progressed over the second day.

We had been asked to bring a chair with us for the second part of the workshop, and any objects that resonated with us. We were also given an image to look at and contemplate during the week, the idea being that we came to the second part with some materials but no solid ideas. For some reason I became obsessed with wrapping the chair with string. I think this was partly due to being exposed to the work of my friend Kirsty Hall, who uses a lot of string, and to the work of my friend Tish, who has an obsession with labels and hanging tags. It also reminded me of the handles of potato peelers, and the way in which saucepan lid handles might get wrapped up to protect your hands from the heat.

I decided to only wrap one side of the chair legs and back, and then I went on to wrapping the seat and back rest.

I had also taken along a box of cake forks that my grandparents had given me- they were one of the wedding gifts that they had been given and I wanted to include them in the piece some how. I started wrapping and weaving the forks and added them to the suspended chair.

Finished work- not bad going for one day I think.

Tea, Toast and Knitting anyone?

2009-11-24T20:11:00.002Z

I've been talking to a couple of lovely people recently about setting up a Weston based Stitch and Bitch group. I know that there is already the wonderful Suzie Johnson who hosts knitting sessions at The Wool Sanctuary but I wanted something that met maybe a little more often than once a month, and would also be somewhere that I could go to eat toast and drink tea. I know that there are other knitters around in Weston that might like to meet up so we've gone ahead and decided that we shall be meeting at Loves Cafe on Monday mornings from 10am. YIKES! But as Dr Rebecca says it's a good start to the week- if Monday morning can be creative then who knows what the rest of the week will hold.

Here's the Facebook group if you are interested: Tea, Toast and Knitting

More blogs

2009-11-22T23:33:00.002Z

Here's another blog that I always read. Marci and Deth is the joint blog of Deth P Sun and Marci Washington, although it's pretty much always Deth that posts on it. It's another blog that I always like reading but somehow never really get round to leaving comments on it. I've got about a million saved posts that I want to comment on, but somehow it seems weird now so many of them were made so long ago. Deth and Marci both stayed at my house when they came over to show work at the here gallery, back when it very first opened, so i'll always have a soft spot for them and it helps that I really like their art too.

I have pieces by both Deth and Marci on the walls of my house and i'm looking forward to a time when we can all hang out together again.

Smarts and Crafts Photo Assignments

2009-11-21T21:22:00.002Z

After many weeks/months reading the Smarts and Crafts blog and thinking each week 'I really should send a photo in to the photo assignment thing' I finally got round to it this week, with its theme of 'home'.

My entry is this photo of the mini beast home that has been built at Windmill Hill City farm. There's lot's of other photos over on the blog- but the one I like the best is this one by Christine:

Talking about blogs

2009-11-20T23:04:00.004Z

I just wanted to take this time to talk about two of my favourite blogs. I've been having to really cut back on the blogs I follow as it was simply taking over my life, and sometimes it was making me grumpy reading about other people's crafty lovely lives, living in their perfect houses and making perfect art every single day of their perfect lives.

Enough of this grumpiness though here are some of my favourite blogs, starting with one that is SO perfect that sometimes I can't even bear to read it. Joetta Maue is not only an incredibly talented artist in her own right, but she has a magic touch for finding other artists whose work just resonates so strongly with me and makes me drool. I have to limit myself access to her blog and read it in little chunks because too much of it in one go would possibly lead to me overdosing on talent. I think in all the time i've been following her blog there's possibly been only one or two artists featured that haven't knocked my socks off. As well as the blog she is curating an exhibition, having a baby and teaching embroidery classes. Sometimes I think I will have to stop following her blog, but not because of her being too 'perfect' but because the exposure to so much goodness that I get from it is possibly rotting my teeth.

On a totally different track is Lottie Klaver's drawing blog. I love it when new drawings from Lottie turn up in my blog reader. Her drawings are done using brush and ink and are full of energy.

I'll be posting more about my favourite blogs in this sporadic manner whenever I have a bit of time, but not enough brain space to write anything very serious.

Struggling to write a post at the moment

2009-11-20T22:51:00.003Z

I've got a half composed post waiting to be finished but at the moment i'm having some problems with concentrating long enough to write anything very coherent (what, like I normally am?) So rather than sit around trying to finish the post I thought I should just write something, anything to get me over this bump.

So here you have my new husband- I found him in a 1921 agricultural calendar from Finland, redrew him, turned him into a screen print and now he is mine to keep for ever. (He looks a little wonky in this photo because this image was printed onto paper and turned into a book)

I revisited the fortune tellers I was making earlier in the year and made some out of brown paper, covered in screen printed images that I drew from old postcards, photos and oh-there's- my-husband if you look closely.

This one has one of my babies in it. Actually you will be pleased to know that this is a 'British Child'- the lettering on the back of the postcard I took the image from states 'This is a real photograph of a British Child', no mention of the nationality of the dog that she's sitting with (which can be seen in the photo above her)

Well there you go- a short and sweet post. I might try and write some more just like this while I can. Thankyou all for the congratulations on my acceptance to the MA in Falmouth by the way!

Home again

2009-11-15T18:33:00.003Z

Well I had a lovely, very wet, few days down in Falmouth. I got home yesterday and jumped straight into bed with one of my cats and tried to recover from thunderstorms, gale force winds and a long drive home.

The most important thing of course is the fact I have been accepted onto the MA! I am so excited about this, but of course with that excitement comes a lot of worry and nervousness about the future- i'll be moving away from one shabby seaside town to live in another (less shabby) and I think I might've forgotten how to move house now. I'm also worried that i'm just not clever enough to do the MA, I know that's probably stupid talk, my application was strong and I had a good reference, but I can't help thinking i'm going to get caught out once I get down there and start- someone's going to discover i've been faking it all along!

While I was down in Falmouth I got the chance to pop into the here and now shop- it was really nice to meet Kate and see Mark Pawson's show, it makes me feel like there's a little bit of Bristol already down in Falmouth so I have at least one person who I can talk to when I get there next September. Yes next September- it's nearly a year away, but I wanted to give myself the best chance possible to raise the funds that will allow me to do this course- from now on i'm going to be putting any money I make from selling art into my Falmouth fund in the hopes that I can start to build up a little pot of money to cover a deposit on a flat or something similar (it's been so long since i've rented that i'm kind of rusty how these things work)

Falmouth bound...

2009-11-12T00:08:00.002Z

I'm heading off to Falmouth tomorrow, I wish it was going to be as nice weather as it was back in February when I took this photo. I have an interview for a place on the MA in Curatorial Practice on Friday so think good thoughts for me at round about half past two! Of course the interview is just the first step (or maybe it's the second or third) in what could be a long process, but who knows- this time next year I could be writing this from my new home in Cornwall.

I've been pleased by the number of enquiries we've had coming in about the exhibition opportunities at the Bath Spa Gallery, please pass the info on to anyone you think might be interested.

Want to work for a magazine and get lunch cooked for you?

2009-11-09T20:02:00.001Z

Just got this email forwarded to me and thought I might as well share it with you lovely lot:

Apologies for another email about interns but we are getting desperate. I am going to print with my Anthology of Illustration at the end of the week and in the meantime we are about to lose all our current batch of interns and we don't have people to take over for three of the sections: art, music and earth. If we can't find any new interns in the next week the blog will stop running. So if you love reading Amelia's Magazine and if you know of anyone who might possibly be interested in an internship, please please tell them about the spaces available - we've never had so much trouble and I am about to lose my mind because I am so busy with getting the book finished.

The lowdown is:
You need to be able to write, own a laptop, (and can support yourself with another part-time job) and can come in here (brick lane, east London) 4 days a week (mon-thurs) You also need to be able to commit to a 3mth period as editor of the section- which would now be until the end of February because of the christmas break.

I can't pay any expenses - the website makes no income - but I do cook you lunch and it is absolutely invaluable experience both in writing and in learning how a small publishing house and website runs (from commissioning other writers and illustrators, to interviewing up and coming bands, to going to fashion shows - yes you can help out our fashion editor during fashion week! the list is endless) It looks GREAT on your cv to say you have been editor of an entire section of a well respected magazine.(we were ranked one of the top 10 arts blogs in the UK a few weeks ago)

Plus:
I am about to launch my Anthology - we're having a launch party in early December and you can get involved with that

SO:
please email hello@ameliasmagazine.com with a sample of writing that would be relevant to your desired section now!
Plus: when you can start and when you are available for an interview.

or post the info on your facebook or twitter and help me find someone, or in all seriousness the website is no more

x Amelia x

wooohooo!

2009-11-06T14:31:00.002Z

I've just put my MA application form in the post, which means I can cross one thing off my very long to-do list! I have an interview next Friday (the 13th- eek!) at Falmouth so i'm keeping my fingers and toes crossed that it all goes smoothly. I'm so glad i'm not having to put a big portfolio of my work together- i'm applying for the Curatorial Practice MA, which means no big presentation of my work. It has however just occurred to me that maybe I should be getting a little bit stressed out about the actual interview...

But before that happens there's this:

Claire and I (and Becky too) will be on hand tomorrow to teach you the fine arts of monoprinting, badge making, knitting and pompom making. It costs £1 per adult and 50p for kids- all ages welcome, my nephew was making badges before he was 2 years old so we do mean all ages! Claire is also going to be a MISI down at Paintworks- because she is a crazy fool that likes to take on much too much...but say hello to her if you see her there, and maybe offer her a cup of tea too!

Call to artists!

2009-11-06T11:41:00.002Z

As part of my new job curating the gallery space here at college i'm delighted to let you know that we are putting out a call for artists to submit proposals to use the space next year. Here's the details:

Where: Bath Spa University Gallery, Weston College- University Campus

When: 1-12th Feb and 1-26th March (both sets of dates include time for installation)

Who: Artists from any discipline that have completed a BA (hons) degree, or higher, in their subject area within the last five years.

What: Current work, or work made in response to the space- visits are welcome at any time to view the gallery. You will be required to deliver an artists talk or workshop.

Contact: Please apply for gallery information, including plans and images to Camilla Stacey, Weston College, University Campus, Loxton Rd, Weston-super-Mare, N. Somerset, BS23 4QU or email manukenkun@yahoo.co.uk

Deadline for proposals: Friday 15th January 2010

We can't offer payment, but we can offer free mail outs, e-fliers, free space and invigilation.

Windows 204

2009-11-05T22:17:00.002Z

Claire and I teamed up again for another show- this time we had a window each at 204 Gloucester Rd, Bristol. We originally thought of showing here months ago, so by the time it came for us to actually install our work we couldn't really remember exactly what we'd put in our proposal. Turned out though that our installations were pretty much spot on- although mine wasn't as fully developed as i'd like, I still think it's a nice little show. Can you guess which window is mine?

I filled it with things from my house- I joked that I just picked things up as I walked from the bedroom to the front door, but that's almost the truth. I was asked if I missed the objects while they were away from my house and I have to say you can't even tell they've gone- there's still so much STUFF here!

I think at heart i'm a shop keeper- I really enjoyed running The Mythical Beast Sweet Shoppe over the summer, and the here shop and gallery before I left Bristol. Maybe one day i'll have my own shop again?

Knitting in the library!

2009-10-29T23:16:00.004Z

Not only do I have a fully functioning camera again, I actually have something to post about too. I only picked up my replacement camera yesterday so I haven't had time to really find out how to use it, but I didn't let that stop me taking lots of photos at the 'Inspirational Knitting' workshop that I went to today. Run by Suzie Johnson in the Uni campus library this was a really nice way to spend a day- took my mind off all the other things I need to be doing right now and re-acquainted myself with knitting needles and (posh) yarn.

First up Suzie gave us the chance to rummage in the big tubs of yarn to pick two colours

I went for a fairly classy combination, but mainly because someone else had beaten me to the hot red that I had my eye on.

Our first task was to knit a little test piece in two colours

Then we moved on to the surprisingly complicated task of making balls of multi-coloured, multi-textured yarn. Lots of us could be heard counting out loud at this point. Suzie provided inspiration by showing us images of work by Kaffe Fassett, and assuring us it was really easy to knit like him.

A selection of Suzie's produce...things to inspire us to make our own masterpieces.

And here is mine! It's as if Kaffe himself had popped in and done some knitting. Ok, maybe he was drunk and blind and couldn't remember how to count when he was doing it, but it's sort of the same.

And here's the group's offerings- neatly piled on some knitting books.

Suzie runs knitting workshops from her home and sells yarn from her front room...i'm looking forward to going round and seeing just how many balls of wool one woman can own.

Art and Craft @ 204

2009-10-22T21:04:00.003+01:00

Claire and I are joining forces again to put on a little show at Windows 204, Bristol. As well as the window space we are going to use the shop to run some arty crafty workshops on November 7th. Come along if you want to try your hand at monoprinting, badge making, knitting, pompom making and probably lots more! All workshops will be £1 for adults and 50p for children to cover materials. We will also be running a raffle to win a lovely blanket that hopefully will be knitted over the duration of the day- Claire and I are going to start off with some squares we're making ourselves but we hope lots of people will join in and help create a collaborative piece of craft, that's cosy too.

Much more updates soon I promise- i've been struck down with migraines since I stopped drinking diet coca cola 9 days ago, so everything's going very slow at the moment.

cross posted from The Mythical Beast Sweet Shoppe

2009-10-11T22:06:00.000+01:00

Our last day and the weather decided to be specially gloomy for us. Not only was the weather sad we were shutting up shoppe, but the lifeboat was out- we watched it come back to the island in pretty horrible rain and wind.

As you may remember I stood on my camera the other day, which means I can't actually see anything until I get home and plug it in to the computer- hence some slightly strangely framed photos.

A poor rained on, twisted arrow that once pointed the way to the Shoppe

Even the Gorgon's were sad today

All empty- this is Becky helping to pack away the last few things from the Shoppe.

Knitting in the library!

2009-10-09T22:45:00.002+01:00

I was so excited when I heard about a new venture at Uni that I ran down the corridor and up the stairs straight to the library to book myself on to an 'Inspirational Knitting for Students' day workshop that will be taking place later this month. I had no idea that the librarians were secret knitters, and not only have they arranged this workshop with Suzie Johnson, but they've decided to set up a knit and stitch club every week starting in November.

I could KISS them it's made me so happy! What i'm not so happy about is the fact that the club is timetabled for when i'm in lectures, but i'm hoping that there may be a way round this. As the weather is turning so grim I have been feeling the urge to take up knitting again, and the thought of meeting people at Uni who want to knit too is really exciting. God I never thought i'd be this excited about KNITTING!

I'm also excited about wrapping up things at The Mythical Beast Sweet Shoppe- just two more days to go and then I hand over the key and return the sweets to their rightful owners. The exhibition at Frou Frou ends this weekend too, so if you haven't been able to see it then you've got one last chance to get along and see work by Cathy Cullis, Karen Ruane, Lou Trigg and Joetta Maue (and me), it really does look stunning and I hope it's the first of many collaborations with Rebecca the shop owner.

Catherine Knight

2009-10-07T19:10:00.003+01:00

I first saw Catherine Knight's work at her MA show last year. When it came to picking the first artist to show in the gallery space at the University Campus I picked her, partly because of her links to Bath Spa Uni, and also because I love the way she works from old photos, which is something I do a lot of in my work. So almost entirely selfish in choice, but I think it's going to turn out to be a good one as when I met with Catherine the other week she was full of enthusiasm for engaging with the students and using the gallery space in new ways.

There's just a few more days left for the shows at Frou Frou, and The Mythical Beast Sweet Shoppe, and then i'm on to opening a new exhibition that Claire and I are joining forces on again- this time we're a few doors down the road from where Calm Air All Ice version 1 took place, and we'll be filling the windows at 204 with planes, pom poms and pegboard.

Still missing miss_jen

2009-10-01T11:23:00.002+01:00

3 years ago today my good good friend Miss_Jen died. I miss her so much still, especially when there's cake around. I started this blog just over three years ago too- I can't believe it's been that long, it all seems like yesterday.

Me, me ,me

2009-09-29T20:39:00.004+01:00

This is another wonderful picture of me, drawn by a former boyfriend of mine, who now lives the other side of the world. It was given to me as a birthday card back in 2001, and is now on the wall in my hall. Just behind me you can see the dear departed psycho cat Bernard, and some old school daleks.

I'm possibly going to be doing some modeling for a painter sometime soon, so maybe there will be some additions to the gallery of 'me'.

I love being a shoppe keeper!

2009-09-27T23:23:00.003+01:00

Chipfork made me this amazing picture- it's me measuring out strawberry bon-bons in the Mythical Beast Sweet Shoppe. I totally LOVE this! It makes me think of my Grandma's family for some reason- I think it might be because they all had orange skin and blue hair too...

2009-09-26T00:13:00.003+01:00

Oh dear, it seems that it's been a while since I last posted something here. And now it's late and I have to get up bright and early for another day of Shoppe keeping at The Mythical Beast Sweet Shoppe tomorrow. It feels like my life revolves around a series of points in the week at the moment- Wed/Thurs in school, Sat/Sun in the Shoppe, Mondays are teaching and that leaves Tuesdays and Fridays which always seem to get filled up with one thing or another- today I had a forum meeting to chair, which seemed to take over my entire day whilst only being a couple of hours long!

The weather looks set to be lovely again tomorrow- just what we need at the moment as the Shoppe can only open if The Friends of the Old Pier open up their shop, and they only open up if the weather is good and they have enough people volunteering- just keeping my fingers crossed that this good weather lasts until the end of the arts festival.

I've had some lovely visitors over the last few weekends, and some people who are promising to visit before the Shoppe shuts up it's doors. These two are David and Jodie, also known as Peskimo, and they came to visit last Sunday. We went and ate ice cream after the shoppe shut, took a walk around the marine lake and then back to my house for a jam jar pick up.

They gave me this lovely little cup for a birthday present!

I've also had visits from Bo, Karen, Bonny, Becky, Lucy and numerous other friends who called in to buy sweets. It's been hectic at times and i've wanted to stop and just sit down and drink a cup of tea and chat with everyone, but selling sweets is almost as much fun.

The online shoppe is selling well- you've got 24 hours to order things this weekend if you want them shipped to you on Monday, otherwise you'll be in for a week long wait- just listed some of Simon's lovely postcards.