06/02/22

“Violence will always be a part of the human experience.”

Mary Beard

It’s been an odd weekend. Great but odd.

Ideas are starting to be slid into place about how ‘Ogham’ will be approached. Churning away so keep faith.

It’s been a limbo sort of a day. Feeling the need to do SOMETHING - but not being able to find the energy.

Reading, research, drawing, responding.

02/03/19

Struggling with “Bereft Clown”. I think it’s too contrived. Another image overlay maybe?

"Bereft Clown" - overlay

"Ruins" - detail

"The Lost Woods Study"

Adding another image automatically forces you to simplify the composition in a way so that just the essentials are left.

Loosening up on “Ruins”. Music really makes a difference in the studio for me.

The imagery may be personal but the doors are left open. Viewers bringing their own experiences / ideas to the work is paramount.

Don’t like the word ‘style’. It’s too certain of itself.

03/03/19

Bit better productivity wise.

07/03/19

Sketchbook work tonight.

08/03/19

…has “Bereft Clown” gone the way of the dodo yet again? Is it stifling and holding me back? Even just setting it aside for a week or two could help.

09/03/19

"Ruins" - Detail of Child

"Rose" - Work in Progress

Temporarily removed the shrub in “Ruins”.

10/03/19

15/03/19

Lynda Benglis doesn’t make work for other people or for specific shows but purely out of curiosity.

Attempted some sketchbook work - hit and miss - mostly miss.

16/03/19

Cake tin for the sky disc. I think it’s a good idea to get closer to the colour scheme in my head than what is on the canvas at the moment.

20/03/19

21/03/19

Sketchbook work.

23/03/19

In the studio where I’m happiest. Even if it’s not working well it’s about going through the process.

A good bit of experimentation today but heading in the right direction nonetheless.

24/03/19

"Regal Nest" ideas

"Tarnished" ideas

Corita Kent rules:

Find a place you trust and then try trusting it for a while.
General duties of a student: Pull everything out of your teacher. Pull everything out of your fellow students.
General duties of a teacher: Pull everything out of your students.
Consider everything an experiment.
Be self disciplined. This means finding someone wise or smart and choosing to follow them. To be disciplined is to follow in a good way. To be self disciplined is to follow in a better way.
Nothing is a mistake. There’s no win and no fail. There’s only make.
The only rule is work. If you work it will lead to something. It’s the people who do all of the work all of the time who eventually catch on to things.
Don’t try to create and analyse at the same time. They are different processes.
Be happy whenever you can manage it. Enjoy yourself. It’s lighter than you think.
“We’re breaking all the rules. Even our own rules. And how do we do that? By leaving room for X quantities.” - John Cage.

Helpful hints: Always be around. Come or go to everything. Always go to classes. Read anything you can get your hands on. Look at movies carefully, often. Save everything. It might come in handy later.

There should be new rules next week.

26/03/19

…in my thoughts today.

“If you mix your voice with others’ voices you feel as though you are caught in a hook.
Franz Kafka - “Children on the Road”

27/03/19

So in front of a warm fire and three sleeping dogs, I asked Jan to marry me.

Thankfully she said yes.

30/03/19

A little semblance of normality today: back in the studio.

Less contrast between the sun and sky?

Slowly but surely making progress on the “The Lost Woods Study”.

Detail of “The Lost Woods Study”. — Detail of “*The Lost Woods Study*”.

31/03/19

…more work done to “Rose” today.

Detail of “Rose” - work in progress. — Detail of “*Rose*” - work in progress.

01/02/22

Daft Punk Live - Alive. Frantic.

Sketch with music on in the background. No Show and Tell, just Tell.

05/02/22

4,000 weeks. Poetics of space.

Great to meet up with J.A. and S.T and to see Catalyst’s new space.

Quick jaunt to the GT and to the MAC in the morning. Edy Fung’s and Ronnie Hughes’ work were great! Hughes’ translucent layers of paint suck you in and grab hold. Shimmering colour clashes.

Head is buzzing with ideas. Exciting!

06/02/22

Mary Beard’s Forbidden Art. - Pan and the She-Goat.

Daphne Todd - painted recently dead mother.

“Violence will always be a part of the human experience.”

Mary Beard

It’s been an odd weekend. Great but odd.

Ideas are starting to be slid into place about how ‘Ogham’ will be approached. Churning away so keep faith.

It’s been a limbo sort of a day. Feeling the need to do SOMETHING - but not being able to find the energy.

Reading, research, drawing, responding.

Readymade… Domestic

So, actually I retract the ‘limbo’ statement. I did do things today. I was productive. It’s just there wasn’t any tangible outcome. Case and point… 7th page.

07/02/22

Sketchbook with Daft Punk on - upping the tempo.

08/02/22

Fabric search.

Carving out ideas. Scrap yard.

09/02/22

H.B.M. Looking forward to getting into the garage this weekend.

Let’s give it a goo!

12/02/22

Aoife Dunn - IMMA: Socially engaging sculpture.

May have slipped a disc. Acetate sketches.

SUN - MOON - HOME

14/02/22

Image sorting today.

16/02/22

Meeting. Repetition and extremities. Develop and evolve.

17/02/22

J.A. Studio Visit!

19/02/22

Studio time! Finally! Using just titanium white and charcoal - both willow and compressed - to work up images. Going back to my process’ roots - year 2 in art college. Two new works started.

22/02/22

‘Ogham’ has begun. Dog study - black dog. Great to see what S.T. is doing in the space and Rachel’s response.

SLOW AND LOW SHOOTING STAR.

24/02/22

Snow! Appointment done.

25/02/22

Belfast bound. Scared guide dog on the 212.

Great to get into the space at Catalyst and set up for the next two days. Began working on two pieces. ‘Don't Look’ in ogham.

The fourth wall is glass. Casting of mouth by S.T. Reminds me of ‘Red Dragon’ from the SotL prequel of the same name.

26/02/22

Day two in the space. Time is not our friend but still have to remind ourselves that there’s no end goal needed. Just to respond and be creatively present.

So good to meet Rachel and see Steph’s process in the flesh.

28/02/22

‘Offsite’ chats with Catalyst! Refreshing.

02/03/19

03/03/19

07/03/19

08/03/19

09/03/19

10/03/19

15/03/19

16/03/19

20/03/19

21/03/19

23/03/19

24/03/19

Find a place you trust and then try trusting it for a while.

General duties of a student: Pull everything out of your teacher. Pull everything out of your fellow students.

General duties of a teacher: Pull everything out of your students.

Consider everything an experiment.

Be self disciplined. This means finding someone wise or smart and choosing to follow them. To be disciplined is to follow in a good way. To be self disciplined is to follow in a better way.

Nothing is a mistake. There’s no win and no fail. There’s only make.

The only rule is work. If you work it will lead to something. It’s the people who do all of the work all of the time who eventually catch on to things.

Don’t try to create and analyse at the same time. They are different processes.

Be happy whenever you can manage it. Enjoy yourself. It’s lighter than you think.

“We’re breaking all the rules. Even our own rules. And how do we do that? By leaving room for X quantities.” - John Cage.

Helpful hints: Always be around. Come or go to everything. Always go to classes. Read anything you can get your hands on. Look at movies carefully, often. Save everything. It might come in handy later.

There should be new rules next week.

26/03/19

27/03/19

30/03/19

*Mary Beard’s Forbidden Art**. -* Pan and the She-Goat.