RBSA OPEN ALL MEDIA

I'm really happy that my drawing Private has been accepted for the Open All Media exhibition at the Royal Birmingham Society of Artists's gallery near to St Paul's Square, Birmingham.

The exhibition will run from now until Saturday 24 March.

Hopefully I'll get to visit it soon, and I'll post a blog about it.



Work in progress on my latest drawing, which I've provisionally called May Gate, even though the horizontal barrier isn't a gate at all but a 2 bar fence.


G and & I drove up to Hodsock Priory today to see the last of the snowdrops. This is an anniversary visit for us, as we went there 2 years ago almost to the day, just before I began my job at the library. 2010 was a very severe winter, snowy and bitterly cold. 2012 has been much milder and so the snowdrops are really almost a thing of the past already. The daffodils are begining to bloom though, and the crocuses are beautiful in all their pastel colours. It is really a spring garden, rather than a snowdrop one by now.

RBSA OPEN ALL MEDIA

I am extremely proud to have received a 'Highly Commended' at the RBSA's Open All Media exhibition.

I had a phone call on Tuesday evening to say that I had received a Highly Commended, and could I make it to the open night. I usually shy away from these things, but I made a special effort last night, and I'm glad I did. G went along with me (he was my 'plus one', I don't think I've ever had one of those and I don't think he'd ever been one either) and we walked up through the colourful and buzzing German Market, through the still busy streets of the City to the RBSA gallery. The gallery was buzzing with activity, and there really was a very enthusiastic turn out for the opening and speeches. All exhibitors were given little name badges to wear and the speeches were made to a packed audience. Myself and 5 other artists were awarded our Highly Commendeds by the Chief Executive of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, and it really gave me a good feeling to go up and receive my certificate.

I'm hoping to go back and see the exhibition again, as the gallery was so crowded last night it was difficult to take a proper look, though first impressions were of an excellent show with many many skillful pieces, some beautiful work of which I'm really proud to be amongst.

As usual my pride and my pleasure were mingled with embarrasment, as I never feel that my work holds its own very well amongst other work of such a high standard. I never feel that my work looks as good as other people's work, but I'm still buzzing with pride at this achievement. I'm really very happy about it indeed.


New work. This is going to be another pure pen and ink piece on watercolour paper this time. Provisional title is Private.

Lost camera, Open All Media...

Work in progress. I've had to scan my drawing (or a part of it) because I've lost my camera!

And on the reverse of my current work in progress is this abandoned one.

Last week I had a drawing accepted for the RBSA's Open All Media exhibition. It's the last drawing I made right at the begining of this year, before I began working full time, and it's the last good thing I've done. I exhibited it earlier this year at Worcester, it's called PW PW 2001.

RBSA OPEN ALL MEDIA

Colour is good for the soul. So is recognition, on whatever scale. Having a drawing accepted for the Open All Media Exhibition at the RBSA last week picked up my flagging confidence a little. Handing in day was very busy, and I was not surprised to be told when I went to collect my unselected drawing on Saturday that the gallery had received a bumper amount of submissions.

The exhibition, which fills two floors of the gallery as well as the stairwell, contains a nice balance of approaches. There is abstract and figurative work of both 2 and 3 dimensions and variety is very much the spirit of this exhibition. The figurative work ranges from Ryan Everson's large scale photorealist work 'Groucho' and its neighboour Louis Vella's endearing and technically impressive charcoal drawing 'Puppy Love'. Many styles are represented from large allegorical work such as Mark Sheeky's impressively titled 'Two Roman Legionaries Discovering the God-King Albion Turned To Stone' to Paul Hipkiss's moody vinylcut print 'St Mary, Hopesay, Shropshire' and two large and breezy pastel still lives by Ann Wilkinson. I really liked Val Hunt's quirky spider and fly beautifully presented and made from recycled drinks cans, bottle tops and wire. I also loved Deb Walker's 'graceful and evocative watercolour 'Towards Levant from Pendeen Watch', partly for its atmospheric energy and also because this part of the Cornish coast has lovely memories for me.

There were too many pieces on show to take in on one visit so hopefully I'll have another chance to visit again before the exhibition closes on Christmas Eve.

Work in progress - 'Running Away' - Pen and ink.

SICKNESS AND HEALTH

I've done no work this week as I've been grounded by a heavy cold. Now, listless and with a head that feels as if it's been stuffed with newspaper, I'm feeling depressed and dull.

This morning I wandered into the spare room where I keep most of my art materials, and the sight of them cheered me up instantly.



I love art materials. I had a poem published earlier this year that was inspired by them, among other things.

In Love With Materials

I am in love with materials
that never produce a thing; kiss the pencil,
bless the paper, the scented pigment
the icon of the paintbrush.

Some strange appeal, to interact
with these things without an idea
of what I am doing, this desire
undoes the artist, the actor with the paintbrush.

On a raft of coloured pencils
the sensual river, flesh
and wood enact their own masterpiece;
to safely love. To be fooled without consequence.


I've had good and bad news this week. I entered 2 pictures in the RBSA Open Exhibition. One pen and ink drawing (which was accepted) and one of my new coloured pencil pieces (which was not). I know I should look on the positive side and be glad that the pen and ink drawing was accepted, but I have invested so much time, energy (and money) into developing my colour work that I can't help feeling a bit crestfallen.

Still, I do look forward to seeing the Open All Media Exhibition at the RBSA which runs from 18 November (the private view's this evening) until Christmas Eve.

Judging by the buzz at the gallery on handing in day (Sunday) I expect there were quite a few entries. I saw several extremely high quality pieces. So I was very lucky to have one piece chosen, all said.