A shed load of stress

The drama of house buying and selling is a shed load of stress I can do without. At last I can see the wood for the trees - but it's not over yet. I am reluctant to put anything in words in case they jinx the whole performance. I am putting this blog on hold until I have got something creative to relate and a new home to go to.

I am hopeful- as I said above, that the new home is coming together and the really exciting thing is I hope to have a studio! No more cellars, garages and spare rooms but a proper studio!

I have not made very much for a while. I am aware the Bollington Exhibition is on the horizon but I have made very little in the last couple of months. Giraffes! yes I have made some giraffe heads which I am pleased with - pictures before I pack. The trouble is the Bollington pieces have to fit in glass cabinets and therefore be necessarily small so I am a few pieces short. I will have to get stuck in Mondays because my studio at home (in the cellar) must be packed up in the next couple of weeks.

Watch this space - I will be back. x

Where did July go....?

Earth and Fire at Rufford Abbey, was not quite what I expected. Being used to galleries I took a while to get my head round 'selling'. Eventually I took the advice of new friends and potter colleagues, redressed my sculptures on the stand and 'joined in'. It worked and I sold some pieces - a couple of zebra even made it to Denmark!

Afterwards I took stock and took some pieces up to Todmorden and completed a couple of commissions for friends - owls, both apparently keeping the neighbourhood cats out of the gardens!

Another commission stemming from the Parsonage exhibition, has been giving me some trouble - animal (dog) portraits are a minefield as I remember writing before. It's Midges' whiskers and beard - can't get them right but I think I have at last got the answer - use paper clay for the whispy hairs and the over all shape of the head isn't corrupted. We will see how it goes.

The final post Parsonage commission is almost finished - a labrador, a labrador puppy, a kiwi bird and some spinach - don't ask! Chris, one of the people I shared the Rufford Abbey stand with, gave me great advice about how to keep the legs straight in the kiln - fire all the pieces standing on a slab of the same clay. Works!

I entered two ravens into the Open Contemporary in Stockport. The big black one - 'Mormont's Bird' and a 'White Bird', I was surprised and delighted to have the white one accepted AND it won 2nd prize! I really thought the black one was the better of the two but heyho.... . I was also very, very surprised and delighted with the prize money and egged on by the girls to 'treat yourself' rather than pay bills with it - I toyed with the idea of an ipad, then a new mattress (ours is 30 years old) even getting as far as John Lewis when - well cut a long story short - the pony got a new saddle!

Last week Janie and I went up to Bollington to the Arts Centre and met David who is in charge of exhibitions. When I first approached the Arts Centre about an exhibition a couple of years ago, I had several wall pieces and was working on some more but the nature of the beasts have changed and whilst I will have enough pieces of sculpture to fill the glass cases they have there - I will not have enough to fill the exhibition space. So... Janie will exhibit some photos and we will have a joint exhibition! We haven't got a title yet but when we have this blog will be the first to print!

Must mention that Becca sent me a painting by means of congratulations for the successes this year - a little picture of a hare on the moon with a raven flying through space like a comet. It is beautiful, I was so touched by her gift. Thank you Becca. You get that house sold and leave the badlands for a better life up north! x

Oh yes - after resisting for so long at the eleventh hour I have entered the National Open again. I put in a chalked batik. Here it is -

THANK YOU!

Missed May but I'm allowed!

The exhibition was BRILL!!!! Hard to sum it up without sounding like 'the great I am'. The closest I can get to it is - if I was a musician and went on stage and sang all my own songs and gave my best and then the lights went up and there was a whole audience clapping and cheering - well that's what it felt like. I staffed it everyday and talked and talked to everyone - 80 preview day then 60 and 40/50 odd over the BankHoliday. I sold a lot of pieces, including big ones and I think one of the reasons was they were affordable - only 20% commission, that made such a difference to the prices. So everyone was happy - friends and strangers bought pieces of sculpture they could afford but non-the-less felt special, I got some £s and the beasts did not come home to languish in my cellar. The left overs are coming to the Earth and Fire Ceramic Fair at Rufford Abbey later this month and then anything left then can go to galleries while I get on with the commissions I picked up.

I couldn't have done it all and been so successful had it not been for Joy and our other 2 friends Sue and Janie.They were marvellous. Joy dressed the whole exhibition, Sue did my sales book and Janie made and served Pimms all Friday.Photos below.

What a marvelloue venue AND they have asked me back next year!

A GREAT BIG THANK YOU TO ALL THOSE WHO SUPPORTED STONE ZOO BOTH BEHIND THE SCENES AND BY BUYING MY BEASTS.

Mad March Crows

Get this fabulous poster/flyer my son James has designed! It's all go for the exhibition now - new display tables, new sculptures and an up coming trip to Ikea for lights. No expense spared when it's on your own patch!
Joy and I went to see Becca's exhibition in Nuneaton - and yes it's true - it does close at 3 o'clock. The exhibition was fabulous and I am so proud of you Becca for taking up the challenge of exhibiting. AND GUESS WHAT? Becca is a fan of Game of Thrones too! I thought there was only me and a friend John W who were over 60 and in to it. That is the reason the house is full of ravens and crows - together with our new found routine of feeding a pair of crows who mug us for dog biscuits when we walk the dog.
All for now - computer being challenging and I don't want to type all this a third time!

Dry January

Whoops! Missed January's blog. Thought about it - honest, but just like car tax sneaking up on you on the first of the month (daughter!!!), this is an emergency posting, done in haste and not very entertaining or informative. However....

I am driving my son mad . He is trying to design the flyer for the May exhibition at the Old Parsonage. It's called STONE ZOO - a zoo being 'a park-like environment for exhibiting animals' (I left out 'live'). I will post it here when it's done - in fact I will post it everywhere.

I am remaking the first piece of sculpture I made on Brendan's course in Holmfirth - the Musicians of Brennen. I want an eye catching centre piece in the window and the new one will hopefully be better than the original. Coincidently - very coincidently, Brendan emailled today advertising new courses. Problem is as the sculpture is self financing and I haven't sold anything since Christmas, I can't afford the deposit. Hopefully he will still have places left later in the year.

Owl progress - eventually I got the hang of them. I borrowed a stuffed tawny from a friend but I couldn't get the 'lightness' even with paper clay. Then I tried eagle owls and that was much better. They look 'heavier' and fierce. The trouble with owl sculptures is that they are often stylised and cute as I mentioned last time and that is not what I wanted. Also as they just sit there it is difficult to get the life into them. I am happy so far but will reserve judgement till they are finished.

I am also starting a collection of 'bright carvings'. If anyone out there is a fan of Mervyn Peake you will know what I mean. Clive at the NPA has kindly offered to make some text transfers for me and if they work I will start to include written narrative!

Enough - January wasn't completely dry but dry enough and I'm off to open a bottle of red - what the heck I'm worth it!

Being Overtaken...

I've been rather overtaken by events recently. Mainly I've been on holiday with 'Les Girls' - we went to Oxfordshire - a first for me.

The weather got better and better but the planned trip to Oxford was a bit spoilt by the flooding - poor people - we were just a couple of hours in a traffic jam but we saw streets flooded and homes being pumped out. Had lovely walk round the White Horse and lots of nice coffees out but the best was the laughing - the way only old friends can. Like naughty children we got hands on in a local museum, played cards and stupid party games and laughed till our make up ran and we hurt our diaphragms. Peter Kay has a lot to answer for as '20 going in Jean!' was soon enough to dissolve us into tena moments of hysterics - endorphin rushes left us higher than teenagers on speed!

Sculpture - I have been a bit slack recently what with the holiday and domestic/family duties but I have a list of things I want to make. Getting a good run at it is the problem - dog walking and pony sorting break up the day and I like to more or less make the whole piece in a session to keep it's freshness. I saw the Edward Lear exhibition in the Ashmolean and will use his scarlet macaw to help me make a new piece in paper clay tomorrow.

I've got a black hare and a raven to finish at home and I am quite happy with my fish eagles so here are a couple of pictures:

I am attempting owls too but am finding it very hard to make them look 'real' as opposed to styalised and cartoon-like as it seems to me anything with big eyes can look cute, even a ferocious taloned predator that eats its prey alive! Too much information - I have been listening to Songs of Fire and Ice and that's where the ravens came from so perhaps I should change my audio tape to something about owls but I can only think of Harry Potter!

If there's anyone out there reading my blog - Merry Christmas'!

Swings and Roundabouts

Well this month's down side is I didn't make the Society of Wildlife Artists this year (note the positive attitude) nor did I sell at the Rufford Gallery. However, gentle reader, I have aquired the Old Parsonage in Didsbury for a one person show in May 2013 - I believe it will be the Bank Holiday weekend. I am delighted and thanks to Heather who put a word in for me. It is a large room in a beautiful old house in beautiful gardens. There is pay and display parking at the pub next door and plenty of eateries in the immediate area for visitors making a bit of an outing of it. When I came to Manchester as a student in !970 the Parsonage was an art gallery housing amongst other stuff - Turner sketches. It smelt of polish and there was passion flower growing all round the front door. As a student wandering round, it never occured to me I might have an exhibition of my work here. I have lots of ideas for the exhibition but really have to get my finger out and make some new, exciting pieces as I can not slip up on my own patch! Here's a link to the Parsonage -

                                        www.didsburyparsonagetrust.org.uk

Sue and I took Joy to Todmorden today - mainly to take some more sculpture to the Water Street Gallery where, unlike the Rufford Gallery, the hares are flying off the shelves! Afterwards we had lunch in the 'Worker's Playtime Cafe' (my name for it) a lovely place still stuck in the 50s and then had our usual sqabble over the turning for Uppermill on the way back. Sue declined an ice cream - first time in living memory (well not quite) because it was cold!

The black clay Joe gave me is fabulous and I am making ravens and crows and labradors from the supplies I bought on my last trip to Stoke. Yes, Ruth and I have been back again and bought more clay! We also met with Potclays Technical Manager, John Beeston, who was very helpful in helping us price the cost of firing a kiln. I also now know if anything goes wrong with our firing facilities I can have pieces fired there in an emergency. Below is one of my birds set into a piece of drift wood from Ruth's friend Barabara. I have been on a NPA arranged one day photography course and hopefully will be able to take some better pictures of my work. Definitely need a tripod.    

   

I struggled to get my panicking antelope together and flushed with success left the finished piece on the mantel piece (below). But the weight, tension and araldite gave way and front legs gave out. Not irrepairable but I will have to give in and get a piece of perspex to support the third antelope. One day when I can afford a bronze .........................

 

Logging on

Well, it's taken me half an hour to remember how to log on to my blog page!

I've been busy and I've missed August. Sharon bought the last rolling pony as it was based on her 'Jim', I have got two sculptures and a pastel drawing preselected for the Society of Wildlife Artists and I won the Peoples' Choice prize at the Water Street Gallery. The prize was a voucher for Valentines Clay and Joy and I had a thoroughly enjoyable trip to Stoke to spend it. I bought Scarva paper clay with flax and it's fabulous - wicked expensive but fabulous. Joy splashed out on fancy porcelains and I'm anticipating stunning results, her work is delicate and jewel-like - she has the patience of a saint.

Ruth and I went to Stoke again a few weeks later and managed to go over, under and round Stoke in a merry-go-round of merriment trying to find three different suppliers and still make the pub while they were doing food! We also collected some clay for Joe who is now looking after the ceramic studio at START. He is a charming chap, a recent graduate and award winning ceramicist/designer - and an expert on the wheel. The Pottery Ladies are making the most of him while he is still using the studios and enjoying his enthusiasm and encouragement. He's going to be a great success we're sure, but as recorded for posterity in this blog - 'we knew him before he was famous!' 

Here's a link - www.josephjameshartley.wordpress.com. I turned down his offer of petrol money in favour of one of his bowls. Ruth said I will certainly get the better of the deal - I agree but I reckon it's the only chance I'm going to get of owning an original Joe Hartley!

The above mentioned young man has also cleared the back log of firing, badly timed to coincide with a creative block of my own making. I've nothing on the shelve for firing except a small rolling dog. My time has been taken up with finishing bits and pieces and getting stuff ready to take to The Rufford Craft Centre tomorrow. Sue is coming to ride shotgun, argue with the sat nav and generally reconoiter for coffee/tea shops in between here and Mansfield. Our last little trip was back to Todmorden to take some hares to the Water Street Gallery so fingers crossed they sell and offset the cost of sending the two big pieces to London for the SWLA.

Finally, here is a picture of Poppy. Poppy was my friend Yvonne's much loved pet and she asked me to do a sculpture of her from photos. I was not at all keen as pet portraiture is a minefield, but - yes it looks like her and I was pleased with it as was - more importantly, my friend Yvonne.

Rioja influenced burst of false confidence

Appologies to anyone who looks at my blog - I have been sadly amiss and have not published last month. No real excuse 'cept my daughter's final show, London Graduate fashion week and a holiday with the girls. My girl got a first - I am so proud.

After Joe Cornish I got a couple of pieces in the Stockport Contemporary Open Art Exhibition but no prize or sale this time. I also had six pieces in a NPA exhibition in Todmorden and sold a hare. The gallery owner is very nice and I was very sad she got a flooded cellar when the rains hit Todmorden. Rosemary said she would take some hares if I made some more so I have got started - it is a charming gallery and I will get Anna to put a link on the web site. (An aside here - there is a wonderful fish and chip shop as you go into Tod - they cook in dripping!)

A doctor who saw my work last year at the RDA got in touch and bought 'Double Take'. Bless them - they were boxed up and sent south. I was delighted Alison remembered me and it certainly shows that this site works!

I have entered three pieces online for the Society of Wildlife Artists. Bit cheeky this I think as the member artists of this society are world class and most of the gallery has outstanding work by established and well known artists I would not even consider comparing myself to. Still if you don't try ....... and once the send button is clicked on a rioja influenced burst of false confidence there is not much you can do about it anyway. I had to justify there being twenty-four zebra in James' (son) room and there is a picture below of one of the entries.

Finally, this morning an email arrived from Becca with some fabulous paintings. I would love one of these and Joy, who was round for coffee, loved them too. A quick phone call and Becca has allowed me to publish a couple here. They are based on the sculpture she bought from me - Hare on the Moon.

Betty's - TWICE!

Bit late with this one I afraid.Well, what a lot to report. 

The Joe Cornish Gallery in Northallerton is fabulous! What a lovely space. Sue drove me there with the sculptures and we had four season's weather in a day. Once delivered we had a wander into town and found Betty's! Say no more. Janie and I went back on the train to attend the opening and once again - Betty's! When we walked into the galleries there were already a lot of people there and when I introduced myself to one of the staff  she beamed and said' 'I sold one of yours before I had a chance to hang it on the wall!' What a treat, I think that was the only sale to date but I am delighted to be showing in such a super gallery. Another treat was that as we came down the stairs I saw a big grinning beard smiling up at me - John and Joy had come along with their friends to the opening. They made me feel very special. The day was rounded off with a young couple on the train in wedding clothes, going on their honeymoon to the delight of all the other passengers. The brides trainers set her dress off a treat and the atmosphere was wonderful.

I've got into another group show at Todmorden in June - 'All Creatures Great and Small' its called and I'm sending a piece to the Mall Galleries to enter the Society of Women Artists again.
But what I am really pleased about are my new zebras. I have made some heads and some figures that stand together to make a two or three piece sculpture.I will enter these for the Stockport Open I think I will put some photos on this blog soon as I take some. The blog will still be here although Anna is working on the site.

Finally I have made contact with a lady who saw one of my pieces at the EAC last year. She came to Manchester and we had a great day and found we had quite a lot in common. She is a painter and building up her confidence to begin exhibiting. Good luck Becca - you can do it!

Milanese hot chocolate

The Waterside took one sculpture - Happy Dog. It looks OK in its glass case right next door to Steve's Sunday Afternoon painting which I think is the best in the exhibition. The opening evening was so crowded Sue and I only stayed 20 minutes and Sharon and I went back last Friday. We agreed that it was a very eclectic mix and were happy to have our work on show there - Sharon had a photograph of Sally and Jim (horses) accepted. Afterwards we descended on Cafe Nero and I introduced her to the indulgent delight of luxury Milanese hot chocolate!!! Truely wicked and gorgeous and eclipsing the enthusiasm for fine art any day!
Going to Stoke tomorrow to get the Pottery Ladies' orders. It seemed unfair that I was the one who wanted all the clay and we were going to share the carriage. Anyway, the nice young man at National Tyres has topped up my air and assured me 100kg shouldn't make much difference - it's only two people after all!
I have asked Anna to redesign the web site as I think it is a bit fussy and folksy. To that end I have done some 'arty' photos of details to be included and written a bit about the ideas behind the pieces. Here they are -

 

Working on zebras and dogs still and trying different methods of making stripes - watch this space for the results.

White Charger not obligatory!

Happy New Year to anyone who's reading this!

I'm shattered, yesterday (Sunday) I worked in my workshop downstairs from 9.30am to 10.30pm with a couple of meal breaks and little dog walks. Today I went to the studio and worked hard again for another 5 hours. It is all Ruth's fault! She talked me into joining the Northern Potters Association and then encouraged me to have a go at a couple of applications to join group shows. Well, to be fair I didn't need much encouragement being a competative soul. I sent in photos. The surprise was both the Joe Cornish Gallery in Northallerton and the Rufford Gallery in Nottinghamshire both wanted 6 pieces! They wanted wall pieces in the spirit of the 'Every morning in Africa...' theme so that set me off making elephants and zebras both wall reliefs and ordinary sculptures.

Zebras are strange beasties - when I actually started looking they arn't the horse shape I expected, they are stocky and rounded and they have much shorter thin legs and tiny hooves, not helpful in clay but I want to try using painted wax resist and oxide to give an idea of the patterns. It is beautiful the way the stripes wrap themselves around the bodies.

I also took three pieces to the selection weekend for the Waterside Open in Trafford. It was two years ago when I badgered Sharon into entering with me and got my first two pieces accepted in an exhibition. That started it all off, I would never have predicted how far I would have come in two years. The lady who booked my pieces remembered me and my work and I found myself childishly delighted. Sue drove me down there so I didn't have to carry the crate further than necessary. My friends have been marvellous to me and helped and encouraged me every inch of the way. I love my chums!

Will's drying/kiln room at Start looks like a menagerie at the moment and I have left him a note explaining why. I look forward very much to getting my own kiln and to that end I did a very 'bad thing' this weekend - I viewed a house with a double garage with permission for change of use( to a studio?!) I loved it and the 'bad thing' bit was I am not suposed to view any houses till we have a buyer for ours as it will only lead to disappointment. Too late.

If there is anyone out there who would like a lovely old four storey Victorian house in Didsbury please come and buy mine - our lives are on hold until someone with sufficiant funds comes along - white charger not obligatory!

Every morning in Africa......

This is November's posting! I have a list of galleries/exhibitions to apply for and am in the throws of making Christmas presents too. Too much to do too little time etc etc! I joined the Northern Potters Association after Ruth's gentle persuasion and have had a reply from the association regarding a group exhibition in the spring at the Joe Cornish Galleries in Northallerton - they would like 6 pieces from the ' Every morning in Africa....' series!Why 'Every morning in Africa...'? Well I found this little story ....

“Every morning in Africa, an antelope wakes up. It knows it must outrun the fastest hunting dog or it will be killed. Every morning in Africa, a hunting dog wakes up. It knows it must run faster than the slowest antelope or it will starve. It doesn’t matter whether you are a dog or an antelope – when the sun comes up you’d better be running.”   Adapted from an African proverb

I almost forgot to send the photos in and was frantically snapping and posting photos the evening before the deadline. Here are a couple of the photos although I didn't send the dog as it doesn't do him justice.

   

Another pleasent spin off from joining the NPA was receiving the newsletter/magazine and seeing under my name - in a welcome to new members list - the name of a friend I made up at Holmfirth when I did my courses with Brendan. Hilary helped me fire my raku unicorn and makes the most beautiful pieces inspired by nautilus shells. I am going to the Art Market at Huddersfield on Sunday and hope to see her there. The daughter has purloined the sat nav so I have Sue riding shotgun - she is a demon with a map but we bicker like an old couple.

I gave a two hour ceramic modelling lesson to the WI ladies art group a few weeks ago and I have to say I was fired up with their enthusiasm and will be doing another session next week. We are going to make 'green men' - there is a photo of the sort of thing below. The ladies at the studio were very impressed with the red glaze  - pure accident I think - the firing must have been a bit too high and the underglaze colours changed.The WI ladies will be using the air drying clay left over from the RDA exhibition so no need to fire.

                                                               

A Lost Month

Bloody Norah, lost a month again! Well there have been some ups and downs with the studio space in Salford and I didn't make anything for weeks because I thought I might not get them fired. Without going into it chapter and verse, the Monday Pottery Group has got its workshop time back - to be reviewed next week. The ladies galvinised by fighting talk and sustained by homemade cake, organised themselves into action and met with the management to make their case.

Unlike the cake - that didn't last very long, my work has in the mean time got stale I think and I need to kick start myself. Didn't make the Open National or the Discerning Eye, but - heyho - as Janie says, move on.

The bronze idea is coming on and I have found a course, emailled the sculptor and hopefully will tackle ceramic shell bronze casting in 2012 - I'm saving up. It is near Girvan in the southwest of Scotland. Sue fancies a holiday and we will see if we can find a b&b in a pub and she will paint and take photos (seaside and birds) while I play in the foundary. Good Scheme! I've started modelling in wax so I will have some pieces to take up with me if I get on the course, still dogs but more like fox hounds now, think I'll make a pack.

They say moving house is one of the most stressful things in life and I can see how it could be. We have probably lost the house we would have liked because we don't have a buyer yet. It had a brick garage ready for converting into a studio and I was dreaming of driving to Stoke, walking in to Potclays, pointing at  new kiln and saying 'Take that to .........(such and such an address)...........and plug it in!' Well you never know.

Nesting

Well as promised the photo of me with a celeb!

and a picture of the first 'Nest'.
Am I making nests as a subconscious reaction to moving house? After 26 years the house is on the market and we are downsizing. I keep thinking about Kinder eggs and Easter eggs, folklore and supersitions, I even made a  'Green Man' at Salford - perhaps it's more to do with the book.....

It is amazing how the story I am currently listening to influences the nature of the sculpture I am making. I have been listening to 'The Company of Liars' by Karen Maitland and suddenly my nest became full of snail shells and small bones - all bleached and microwaved for hygene's sake.The creatures become more ambiguous and albino-like as the character in the book - strange. This piece is going to London on Sunday to 'The Discerning Eye' competition so we'll see whether anyone else likes it - Pete liked it but having done a re-take asked me 'What are they?' Well I got more than my 4 seconds looking-at-time so perhaps the judges will look again too.

I have a box of modelling wax downstais and may get going on some hunting dogs. There are several awaiting firing at the moment but they are very fragile and I can't get them standing up so I may have a go in the wax - I want to make a pack but the problem is how to preserve the sculpture afterwards as bronze resin is too expensive - the moulds really. Still if I win a decent prize I can put the money toward it. In fact, thinking on the keyboard as it were, I think that will be my next target - to get a piece cast in bronze. Watch this space!"

The kindness of strangers (and old friends)

Bloody Norah, I keep meaning to write the next blog and time has slipped away from me. Went, ( Helen and I) to London to see the pieces in the Mall Galleries and everytime I turned round I nearly bumped into HRH, not on purpose I might add and although she hovered near the Antelope and Hunting Dog she did not buy it - neither did anyone else I have to say. Not hard cheese - but there seemed to be fewer red dots this year, but at least I had both pieces accepted.

Then it was the Stockport Open and blow me if the raku unicorn I entered didn't get a prize! I was delighted and the best thing of all was a phone call from the organisers questioning the title of the piece (The Last of its Kind), as they found the creature so ambiguous they couldn't agree on what it was! YES!! It actually acheived its goal and I got more than my 4 seconds of viewing time! Here it is.

And here are the hippos -

Then it was the RDA National Championships! Joy had done for her shoulder so Janie valiently came with me. I arrived in the horse box with the WI marquee. It blew and it blew and I was close to tears as 12 kind people helped put it up. I was so grateful to them - everyone at the championships was so kind to me. The exhibition looked OK and a couple of ladies bought pieces but the success of the weekend was the workshops for children to come and have a go. Janie was brilliant, fighting off the most dreadful cold and keeping me calm inspite of torential rain and having to set up3 times in all. On the Sunday I was asked to help judge the art competition and I left Janie in charge. When I returned I found that she had returned to her nursery nurse roots and next to the rows of unicorns, lizards and other creatues were a selection of toadstools and gnomes! Brilliant! Will post the photo of me and Tony Head (actor!) who posed with me in the stand. When I got home - the old horse box was brilliant if a little slow (did get up to 55 on a couple of occassions) I was so tired I could have slept for a week and Janie took to her bed.

Then it was a small exhibition at the Queenston Arthouse in Didsbury. No sales but a pleasure to exhibit locally.

Now I am working on new ideas - nests(?) more about that next time. I have told Gill that I no longer want her kiln because the house is going on the market - board goes up tomorrow - and when we get a new place I am going to ring up Potclays and say, 'You know that top loader kiln in your show room? Well bring it to such-n-such address and plug it in!'

How do you get four hippos in a Ford Fiesta?

Two in the front and two in the back! Old joke, I've made some hippos out of lovely coarse raku clay as a bit of a diversion from the finer white crank. It was like playing with wet sand - loved it.
Went to Birmingham - EAC Exhibition with Helen and had a lovely day apart from the parking ticket. The exhibition was fabulous - a real quality mix and we were both impressed. The hare looked lonely in his glass case - I really think my pieces look best either outside or on a plinth, not in an exhibition case but I am grateful for the security aspect.
Rushing around trying to get pieces ready for different competitions and the RDA stand in July. Joy will come with me if she can and there is 100kg of air drying clay smiling at me in the cellar waiting to go. Definitely another horse box job to get everything there.
My lists are getting lists - Pete said this is turning into a job. Not yet, but the 'get-a-kiln-game' is all go. I have taken photos of the port-o-kiln in situ and sent them to Northern Kilns, met a man, John, at Potclays who used to use and install them and got a quote for a hiab that I probably won't need as apparently they are really light and two men can lift them.
Embarrassed to say that I have damaged the kiln at Start by giving Will a black rat to fire made from some black clay Ruth gave me - it was eartheware and melted. Did for bricks and element and two kiln shelves. This is an expensive month - I will have to sell something! No pictures this month, will post photos of competition entries next month.

Thank you!

Well I did it, with (more than) a little help from my friends! First solo exhibition! Couldn't have got everything there without Ricky giving up his day off and altering his shifts and James struggling on to lift things with his good hand. The exhibition looked magnificent thanks to Joy who has an eye for display and showing things off to their best advantage.The private view was a great success - thanks to Sue and Janie for the canapes and Sharon for the photos (and washing up). Thanks to all the friends that came and Pete for his support and painting the tables. Thank you to Helen for driving to meet the courier at Burtonwood with two pieces for the Society of Women Artists 150th annual exhibition and to Pam whose idea it was and in whose premises it all took place.
The horse box blew off its exhaust 50 yards from Pam's on the way loaded up with plinths and crates of sculpture and its normal throaty roar turned very nasty, but that got fixed in time to take it all back on Monday. Here's a picture of the exhibition - when I get Sharon's photos I will make a power point and put it on the web site. It doesn't really do it justice but you can get the idea.

Sold quite a few pieces and have got a few commissions which is marvellous. |I will try and get them out of the way so I can get on with the 'new' stuff. Here's a picture of a relief I am pleased with.

Four run wild in London (again!)

Well, the hare sold a day after going online. The girls and I set off first class (thank you Helen) to revisit the Mall Galleries in the big smoke. Cheeky-chappie-rip-off-cabby later we arrived there and I had my photo taken again. We had 'the picture' taken outside by a couple of American tourists and made it to Covent Garden for lunch. Janie metamorphed into Fred Scuttle at some point during the procceedings and eye make up was wiped from streaming eyes. We went to the National Portrait Gallery and had a cream tea in the National Gallery while Henry V111 changed in the gents. The only downer on the day was the 'dry' train! The guard was sympathetic but not happy about 4 ladies of a certain age quoffing cava when the football fans were denied their cans of larger. Hey-ho. Here's me and here's the girls:

 

I have had a 'docket' from the Mall Galleries and was disappointed to find out they charge VAT on the commission - no wonder the paintings were so expensive. With the trip down, lunch and sundries I reckon I made £20 on that hare - BUT THAT IS NOT THE POINT! I have sold twice in London in prestigeous exhibitions and that's the point!

I have had another piece accepted for an exhibition - the EAC Art Awards 2011 at the RSPA Gallery in Birmingham in May. I should add I suppose it is an exhibition for the over 60s. I do not know which one of the four I entered has been accepted but I bet it's the hare again. Watch this space.

Working hard to get stuff ready for the solo exhibition at Pam's. The main worry is getting everything there in one piece. Now the son has broken his thumb I fear I may be short of muscle - anyone offering?

What a relief!

Missed the January blog so this is it!
Got another piece into the Mall Galleries - The Royal Society of British Artists' Annual Exhibition. Needless to say the silly fixed grin returned and the girls wanted another trip to London so Helen booked it first class with her magic card.The accepted piece was another hare, I thought the other one , The Shape-Changer was better, but whose to complain? The Mall Galleries produce a web page of accepted pieces along with contact details and prices. Mine's not up yet but some of the prices are frightening. This is the Hare on the Moon 3/4 -

I have got inspired again and am producing what I think is my best work to date. In order to make the animals look active, 'light' and speedy, I began making them as relief sculptures with thin legs overhanging the blocks and the animals running out of the frames as it were. It works, thank you Ruth - my mentor at the Salford studio. I also did some proper drawings in chalk and charcoal and will do more as I move on to Welsh Mountain ponies! The pieces are not all fired yet and I will post photos when they are complete.
All spare moments are taken up with the exhibition at New Barn Farm on the 8th, 9th and 10th of April. I have got muscle (son) and exhibition design help (Joy), borrowed plinths, designed the invites, sorted the canapes (Sue and Janie surfing the net for delicious ideas) - I've got to get the invites out, (especially to the local glossies and galleries), sort the wine, glasses, posters and car parking and finish the pieces. Does Pam know what she has let herself in for? Do I?
Enough, I must get back downstairs and get going.