A review of I am Yours. My solo show at Julian Hartnoll Gallery

I am afraid I am empty of words right now..so here is a review of my show at Julian Hartnoll Gallery by a spectacular artist Enver Gursev, who kindly sent me this after seeing the exhibition:

' “I Am Yours” by Rosalind Davis consists of a series of small paintings on patterned textiles, which are embellished with delicate stitching.

The subject is consistent; deserted landscapes mostly urban, with buildings sitting majestically under floral skies. The impeccable stitching sitting on and in between the forms, evokes sensations of desperate care, as one might feel for a dying relative. It is almost as if by carefully underpinning the abandoned scenery, Davis is trying to rescue the memories they are imbued with from impending demise. The work exudes a quiet sympathy for these places and the people that once inhabited them.

Among the many works, ‘I Am Yours’ and ‘Thawing’ depict intricate yet disconcerting fairground environments. ‘I Give to Thee’ and ‘Belong to Someone’ are beautifully worked compositions, teetering on the edge of abstraction. ‘Belong to Something’, dwells on the grim landscape of the Kidbrooke Estate in South East London.

Visually vibrant and intellectually moving, this show shines massively in the tiny confines of the charming Julian Hartnoll gallery. '

' Every work of art is aggressive. And every artists's life is a small war or a large one, beginning with oneself and one's limitations. To achieve anything you must first have ambition and then talent, knowledge and finally the opportunity.'

Carlos Ruiz Zafon. The Angel's game

Group Crits

In the last couple of weeks I attended 2 group art crits (because I wasn’t busy enough with two exhibitions about to open !)

One was Engine Chat Chat set up by my studio mate Elizabeth Murton and a group of artist friends / colleagues from Goldsmiths. The other was with Matt Roberts Arts.

Both crits I found interesting. I found parts of it very challenging in that most of the artists speaking did not set out who they were and what they did and I need context and visuals

( which were not always available) as otherwise it was very abstract. With some people I could not understand what the heck they were doing and their explanations were muddled so I could not contribute so much.

It was obvious that some found it difficult to talk about their work- which is completely understandable . I have mentioned before that RCA makes you consistently talk about your work. I am talking unendingly about it – at exhibitions, artists talks, to students etc so it is luckily second nature. I know its not that way for a lot of artists Writing this blog as well has allowed more time to self reflect on processes and concepts too.


So back to these crits, some people didn’t seem to be able to stop rambling, with little energy or enthusiasm ……..and talked for 30 mins instead of 5-10 mins which became rather much…..

Small groups are much better ( there were 11ish at Matt Roberts, 7 at Engine chat chat, both lasted 3 hours! ) – maybe 5 people max to really get into the subjects.


The good idea about Engine Chat Chat in particular was that the idea was to come with a question to ask the group so that this becomes the debate rather than just introducing and talking about your practise. I think this is a good way to structure the crits…..

I did see some very interesting and thoughtful work however and across both groups similar themes came up. Confusion and doubt of what direction and how to move the work along came up consistently, fear, lack of confidence and time all were universal subjects.


I am grateful to Elizabeth and Matt for making these exchanges possible. Its needed I think , to keep engaged with people and create peer networks.

The most brilliant thing though was that on a couple of occasions where we discussed problems artists were facing you saw them light up as we made suggestions. You could see wild fire of thoughts crossing their faces. This is why I love to do these things. For moments when you see people light up…and you become part of something.

Unveiled!

The opening night was quite an event. Enver Gursev, an artist at our studios is a musician as well as an artist and he organised some great music and a performance piece. Two ladies, Luci Boccino and Denise Heinrich-lane http://www.myspace.com/ledonnedonnedonne did some beautiful abstract poetic performance art piece! It was brilliant and mad and created a great buzz. It emphasised the need to have something maybe apart from the 2d and 3d art happening in the main of the gallery on our private views to draw people in.……

The exhibition was pretty well attended – Cockpit arts had their open weekend and we were getting a lot of their audience popping in. Leyla was drawing them in off the streets, amazing lady! Despite numerous signage and leafleting and having listings on loads of websites, blogs, local newspapers it was a little quiet- although 200 people came so that is brilliant! ……..the gallery ideas were gathering momentum over the weekend too.

Quite a few pieces from our Fraction auction wall sold. Not enough as I would have liked. In fact I have ended up buying two pieces myself - i would buy a lot more if I could! I feel rather responsible that not everyone sold as as we set people the task. However I do know that they also enjoyed the task being set and we are now thinking how to sell them- a facebook page? A January auction…A corblimey art shop?

However, we still need to get more publicity for the studios somehow……so the good thing is that Greg Tallent from London Fringe came in to visit us about doing something as a collective in August. In a few minutes, Neil, Enver and I envisaged A Cor blimey boat, from Greenwich to central london, with flaming Japanese lanterns being thrown off it some kind of performance/ art thing going on, All sounds very fun and exciting….( Greg loves the name of our studios, ‘so London! ’He said. Harrumph say I…..scuppered )

After the exhibition finished we had a studio meeting to discuss the future and Core Gallery was unveiled ! Hurrah! People seemed interested and there will be some kind of gallery committee of us that will formalise and structure things and I guess start creating a programme of events. Neil mentioned the Chapman brothers may come and do something and I know a few guest curators I would like to get involved……Elizabeth is going to approach the curating dept at Goldsmiths….and maybe more stuff with the galleries and other studios in the area….exciting stuff.

Now, I have to read a lot of blogs…..I am to choose one this month as a guest editor on A-N….how terrifying and fun!
we are part of something…..

London Fringe Festival!

The opening night was quite an event. Enver Gursev, an artist at our studios is also a musician and he organised some great music and a performance piece. Two ladies did some beautiful abstract poetic performance art piece! It was brilliant and mad and created a great buzz. It emphasised the need to have something maybe apart from the 2d and 3d art happening in the main of the gallery on our private views.……



The exhibition was pretty well attended – Cockpit arts had their open weekend and we were getting a lot of their audience popping in. Leyla was drawing them in off the streets, amazing lady! Despite numerous signage and leafleting and having listings on loads of websites, blogs, local newspapers and new it is a little difficult to get people in the door……..people are so busy these days……



Quite a few pieces from our Fraction auction wall sold. Not enough as I would have liked. In fact I have ended up buying two pieces myself ! I feel rather responsible that not everyone sold as as we set people the task. However I do know that they also enjoyed the task being set and we are now thinking how to sell them- a facebook page? A January auction…A corblimey art shop?



However, we still need to get more publicity for the studios somehow……so the good thing is that Greg Tallent from London Fringe came in to visit us about doing something as a collective in August. In a few minutes, Neil, Enver and I envisaged A Cor blimey boat, from Greenwich to central london, with flaming Japanese lanterns being thrown off it and people doing drawing lessons/ action drawing on their boat trip. All sounds very fun and exciting….( Greg loves the name of our studios, ‘so London! ’He said. Harrumph say I…..scuppered )



After the exhibition finished we had a studio meeting to discuss the future and Core Gallery was unveiled ! Hurrah! People seemed interested and there will be some kind of gallery committee of us that will formalise and structure things and I guess start creating a programme of events. Neil mentioned the Chapman brothers may come and do something and I know a few guest curators I would like to get involved……Elizabeth is going to approach the curating dept at Goldsmiths….and maybe more stuff with the galleries and other studios in the area….exciting stuff.


Now I have to read some blogs on A-N…..I have been asked to choose one this month….how terrifying and fun! You guys are teaching me a lot….we are part of something…..

Core Gallery!

Fraction opened with aplomb and the exhibition is very strong. Talking to my fellow studio artists they say that Elizabeth , my studio mate and I who are amongst the new arrivals here have been told that we have come in with some great energy and organisation, that there is a feeling of productivity that had been missing here. Neil who helped with the concept of Fraction said the fact that people were forced to make new works for the show was motivating for everyone. For us, we are thrilled to have energised the space. We have lots of ideas of how we want to connect with people and the possibilites seem endless. We are all now discussing the possibilities of making the studios into a gallery space!

E and I have thought we could name the gallery ; Core Gallery. Then its linked into the title of our studios

We are hoping to get guest curators, make links with other studios/ students/ organisations. Invite proposals, possibly curate and more! Its very exciting, this new chapter.



We are all going to become part of something.

I am Yours

Friday looms. Everything happens on Friday….

Fraction and our open studios as well as delivery of my new works to Julian.



I have created about 15 new works in the last few weeks. I don’t know how. I am beyond tired. ….hysterical laughter bubbles up quickly…..the tranquillity of making the works lies deeply though. ...and the determination. Calming, keeping me alight.



The work for the exhibition I am Yours and Fraction has been an interesting journey. the intimacy of the sizes has invoked a reflection of a deeply changed emotional landscape for me. the works are more of a personal narrative, ….still purposefully using the buildings to illustrate these ideas that are more than me…..but the titles reflect upon this highly personal aspect. A jigsaw to put together

Artwork Titles;

The Journey Begins and Ends Here

Last Orders

The Winter Palace



The Watchtower

The Castle

The Martyr



Whittled

From Afar, From Afar



belong to nothing

belong to no-one

belong nowhere…..



Belong somewhere



Here lies my confession

Here I laid hope

Here I laid to rest



Out of the dust comes light and power



Thawed



I am Yours

I give to thee

Repositioning studio to gallery

In Deptford there is a huge hub of artist studios: Cor Blimey Arts, Creekside, APT, Artworks to name a few and we are all collected on this rather splendid artmap
www.deptfordartmap.com
Set up by Julia Alvarez of Bearspace who has been one of many pushing for the presence of Deptford on the art scene and has organised this map, tours of Deptford’s galleries and studios as well as a Last Friday openings in the galleries in the area. My, what a treasure trove.

We at CBA have been debating the merits of realigning the studio into a more of a permanent gallery space. Which is great and serious ! It would be profile building for the artists here and mean having constant exhibitions of our works or curated exhibitions. It can only be a good thing…..The only drawback is the organisation of it all which with everyone juggling other commitments is a challenge, things like- when would we open? who would curate/facilitate/invigilate/do press? Then again introduce this idea and people start bubbling away with plans and tap into exciting prospects and opportunities….they will be invigorated- I hope , I think…….plans are hatching

Organisation and Co-Ordination.

I am part of the crew of the Cor Blimey Artists helping organise our open studios exhibition, Fraction. 4-6th December.

I think there are about 25 of us and I have been collecting info for a press release, biogs and mailings.

The studios has not currently got a biog of the artists there so I think it will be useful for them to have. It was also very interesting for me to do as a relatively new member I learnt about everyone here-this is what a few of us wrote :

Cor Blimey Arts studios is based in the famous art hotspot of Creekside and is home to a wealth of national and international talent: graduates of the best UK art schools; Goldsmiths, Wimbledon and the Royal College of Art as well graduate artists from Taiwan, Australia, New Zealand, Brazil and Uruguay

CBA Artists are a variety of emerging and established artists and they have had a startling amount of success; amongst them they have been selected for the following prestigious shows; John Moores Painting Prize, the Jerwood Drawing Prize, Salon 08 and the Creekside Open. There have been commissions for the Crafts Council and winners of the RBS Emerging Artist Award, Design Selected Award and New Cross Art Prize. They have been involved extensively in Deptford X and Brockley Max international art festivals.

The idea of Fraction was that Cor Blimey artists challenged themselves to create innovative artworks within a restricted size. By limiting this aspect they produce a contemporary collection of affordable art; capturing creativity in a thumbnail.

It has been somewhat manic though, helping to organise a show of 25 people’s works and overwhelming in logistics and emails. Our studio manager is incredible.

In terms of CBA there is a fantastic group effort. we utilise all our skills and education and contribute to the lot of the exhibition. It is very satsifying and exciting.

I am learning. I am part of something.

Exhibition Titles

I have been contemplating a title for my show in December 8-18th with Julian Hartnoll. Julianhartnoll.com

I have decided on

I AM YOURS

There are a few reasons;

Firstly it is a title that is provocative and intimate

Secondly the buildings I choose to paint are public or community buildings. They are shaped by society, by the people who use them and they become part of the narrative of that building. Their lives are interwoven to that building. In some cases the public shape the building through consultation as well.

Louise Bourgeois once said ‘Art is all about seduction’ and this title references that powerful statement. Through our work we seek to seduce, we, artists, also put ourselves in a vulnerable position putting our works on display, to be celebrated perhaps in some way or to be rejected or ignored…. We are fragile. Through my own work I feel I give something of my soul to the audience- a fraction of a world I see and source, even though it is also more complex than just this alone it is certainly part of it.. My own stories and other people’s stories become inextricably interwoven.

Julian has a small gallery in St James’ London and wants some small ‘masterpieces’ from me. The biggest painting shall be 30x40cm or so- hence the intimacy as well. Small works has been something that has worked very successfully in the past in terms of progress and experimentation. Working small lets me try out ideas and compositions quickly…or that’s the plan……

Here is what Julian wrote
‘These little pictures by Rosalind Davis work on several levels -technically they are intriguing because where one would expect brush strokes there are stitches; the subjects, more often fifties buidings observed from a picturesque perspective, question the absence of people and what might have happened; and in the title of this exhibition "I am yours" the artist implies some suggestion of a glimpse of herself.’ Julian Hartnoll

Blog 2. I am part of Something.....

I am part of something…..

In my first blog on A-N I was moving towards an exhibition at John Jones in their projection space. The blog had a natural conclusion. I have though been missing the blogging process, the self- reflecting nature, the writing...the conversations and interaction with you. I also found out that few people even enjoyed reading what I wrote and I am sucker for flattery! So here I begin again...its nice to be here.
I feel I am part of something.....an arts community, a network. One that I have fought for, cajoled and persuaded people to join or to allow me to join. I now have a handful of wonderful arts mentors and people I can speak to about painting and this complex world of art.

So, since my last blog on A-N I moved into a studio at Cor Blimey Arts www.corblimeyarts.com on Creekside Deptford. They are an affordable artist’s space- a cooperative as we like to talk to each other and plan exhibitions as well as engaging with the community. There are a lot of very nice people there including my lovely and talented studio mate Elizabeth Murton www.elizabethmurton.co.uk.
Both of us are fascinated by architecture and enjoy radio 4 (a link to the outside world) so it was bound to be the beginnings of something good.
I was not sure if the studio was going to work, that I would sit in the space and feel blocked. I found it impossible to create work at the RCA – I could only work at home- mind you I had about 15cms of desk space so that’s not surprising.
But there has not been much of an opportunity to even allow for that as it has been busy for me with more exhibitions and teaching!
So a little update- after John Jones I had an exhibition with Brighton Phoenix gallery in Brighton and then open studios here at CBA for Deptford X. All the studio artists from the area and galleries opened up and it was a great weekend of art and meeting artists…..thrumming with activity!
The plans have already begun for our Xmas open studios, which I am helping to organise, Fraction: we are going to each create 2 small pieces of work to be auctioned off at the opening.
In December I am also going to be having a solo show with Julian Hartnoll. A ‘ fine art monger’ www.julianhartnoll.com
Julian has a small gallery in St James-‘ the smallest in London!’ he gleefully exclaims. He bought my work earlier this year and now wants to give me an opportunity to show with him. I need to make 10 small new paintings by the end of the month…….so I have to go!

Projection Conclusion

The exhibition at John Jones has now finished and with it comes a trace of sadness but also many positive things to conclude this blog with. It has been fantastic in terms of feedback, I have had my first reviews, one from our very own editor Andrew Bryant which is rather amazing!
click the below link to read it.
http://www.a-n.co.uk/artists_talking/projects/single/533863

as well as on Spoonfed.co.uk
http://bit.ly/Projectionreview

Projection really did project me out there and project my work.
It made me start a blog through which I have met and had dialogue with a number of interesting people. For John Jones, it created a buzz of excitement for them and the staff all said the exhibition was getting a lot of positive comments. Their enthusiasm and professionalism did not wane and I have grown very attached to them all.

I have since been preparing for the next group show I am in at Brighton Phoenix , Louise Bristow , Peter Bobby, Rowena Easton, Mark Hewitt, Jane Ward, Rich White
which opens next Friday for a preview, 4th September until 11th October .

Floor Plan explores buildings, architecture, and the physical, aesthetic, and psychological interactions between these structures, their inhabitants, and the surrounding communities.
PHOENIX BRIGHTON
http://www.phoenixbrighton.org/

We are going to be having a panel discussion on the 23rd September with Zoe Whitley, Curator of Contemporary Programmes at the V&A, around the central themes in the ‘Floor Plan’ exhibition, and in particular, the interrelationship between psychology and architecture which inspires further thoughts on the themes I am concerned with in my work.

There are several more exhibitions to go this year and each one teaches me something new and makes new connections. It is a joy ( sometimes laced with anxiety)
And so now I leave you with two things, this interview I did for Oh Goodness Greatness, which is something more personal

http://ohgoodnessgreatness.blogspot.com/2009/08/62-painting-light-rosalind-davis.html


So, fellow travellers I leave you with words from Graham Crowley. ‘ Being an artist is a complex and demanding business...’ Ain’t that the truth

An interview with Oh Goodness Greatness

Tuesday, 18 August 2009


What: Artist and painter

Where: London

http://www.rosalinddavis.co.uk/

Rosalind at work…


I am a mixed media painter (a graduate from the RCA) creating melancholy dystopian landscapes that explore human experience and identity. Before the RCA I was at Chelsea College of Art and studied textile design. I left the RCA in 2005 and have been painting and exhibiting ever since. I live and work in London and got here through sheer determination!I seek out buildings that on the surface might seem neglected. But for the individuals who use the them, they are a refuge and are of vital importance. Often, the buildings house communities in areas of widespread social deprivation that may seem hostile or full of pathos. I am interested in transience and survival, community and isolation.In terms of the physical aspect of the works, I fuse painting with collage, print and embroidery. Embroidery is used as a form of paint – the qualities of textiles provide an opportunity to find new freedoms and expressions in painting. The meticulousness of the embroidery and its intimate and alluring qualities are used to emphasise the fragility of the spaces depicted.

Childhood…I was very melancholic as a teenager. My home life was an area of great conflict and trouble and I was often left alone at home during my adolescence, which was very lonely. My family are wonderful in their ways but we have had a very tormented and difficult past. I was estranged from my mother and father for a number of years when I was younger. My mother is an alcoholic and when she left my father she had relationships with violent and aggressive men and that all spilled over to me, my younger brother and older sister, with whom I have very close bonds. We lived on a council estate in Brockley and we were very poor, which did not add to the fun. When I was 17 I was also trying to look after my little brother, which was difficult. I did not have the purpose and meaning of painting in my life then so I felt lost.It wasn't all bad though – I loved school and I did have a fantastic social life to make up for the emptiness at home! I also became a published poet – an outpost for all that angst! Things are very different now, thankfully, and I have also found my drive and purpose within my painting. So, I guess it was all this instability that made me fascinated by homes and communities as we had neither. I also feel a huge amount of pathos for these places and I hope to explore this side of humanity in my works. Also, in terms of me, part of my own recovery from my childhood is linked to my work, in the creative and physical expression as well as the concepts. And I am also happy to say I have a close relationship with both parents now.

Hurdles…Apart from the above there have been plenty of hurdles. I studied mixed media textiles at the RCA. When I went into painting I didn’t really fit in at the college. I had quite a lot of challenges in my work and practise there. I used to feel very conscious of the fact that I had not come from painting, officially. But now I am being taken seriously as an artist and painter so that no longer worries me. It also means that I have originality in my work – I embroider and use print and collage on top of painting.

Unconventional education…I come from an artistic family. My father is an artist, a sculptor, and my paternal grandmother and great aunts used to be painters, although I never met them. My maternal great grandmother was a model for Vogue and she married into the Pringle family (the jumper empire) and my maternal grandmother sings with The Bach Choir. All in all, it’s pretty creative. Art and creativity was always around us and we were always going to exhibitions with our dad and grandparents.I loved drawing when I was very young and used to draw porcelain dolls from adverts in magazines and Disney books. I also had an amazing art department at my secondary school (Sydenham Girls). The whole art department was very passionate and we were using oils from the age of 13 and doing big paintings. We also went on incredible art trips to Barcelona and Nice which really inspired me.But I think it was at the RCA I became an artist. I was actually in the Textiles department so I persuaded the professor of painting, Graham Crowley to teach me. I learnt a lot about painting, concept and theory with him. Since leaving the RCA I have had opportunities to be mentored by Trudie Stephenson and Paul Benjamins who have also been invaluable in moving my work forward. I am still learning all the time. I rely on a peer network as well as going back to former tutors and talking to them about my work.


Talented lady…I am constantly wanting to improve my painting and to be experimental. I find painting rather humbling as it is always a great challenge and acts as a constantly moving dialogue. My interests are architecture, the places that bind us together as well as the stories behind them, the social and political aspects of the places I paint, which are fascinating. Where possible I try and speak to people in those buildings and find out their stories.

Right this minute…I am finishing some new paintings for a group show called Floorspace at Phoenix Brighton, a great contemporary art space and public gallery, and I am also promoting my solo show at Projection at John Jones which closes on the 21st August. Gradual build-up…The art world is a pretty competitive place but since I left the RCA I have managed to exhibit a lot. The shows I get into each year, or am offered to a place take part, get better and better and I sell a bit more every year. I take that as a good sign.Last year I was selected for Salon 08, an exhibition selected by judges such as Andrea Tarsia fom the Whitechapel Gallery. I felt like I had finally gotten recognition as a painter in the contemporary art scene. It also led onto a solo show at John Jones, which was great! I also feel more confident within my work. I got the first reviews of my exhibition as well which was lovely.

On the side…I teach. I am a freelance tutor for Bedford College, teaching the textile HND. I also set up educational workshops and have worked with the Stephen Lawrence Centre teaching people how to paint and embroider. Right now, I am planning for a drawing workshop I am doing at The Tower of London in autumn.I have also been working on a blog called ‘Artists Talking’ on a-n, which has been really interesting and enjoyable to write. I even made it as a choice blog in August on a-n, by Matt Roberts, quite a surprise! The blog has led to more dialogue with other artists and art professionals, which has been great.

Pros and cons…It is all consuming, in both good and bad ways. It’s an obsession! I love what I do. But I dislike the uncertainty of it all. For someone who craves stability I have chosen a career that has none, so I can feel fairly fragile at times.

London life…I’ve lived in London since I was very small. I utterly adore it. I know it is a cliché but it is such an exciting and diverse place – such a rich cultural place. There is always somewhere new to explore and I am never bored here. I’ve had access to fantastic universities here, which undoubtedly helped things. Growing up on an estate in south east London, I learnt to appreciate unconventional beauty in order to survive in what may seem, on the surface, hostile and ugly places. That fascination grew with me and into my work. Average day…It’s ever-changing! I usually try to spend as much of my week painting but often this is broken up with the occasional meeting with a curator or gallery or meeting people about the workshops I do or teaching. There is always a lot going on. And so much more paperwork than you’d expect!

Confidence…I still have lots of insecurity at times and can feel rather shy. I just get better at hiding it! But I get a lot of confidence from various things I’ve achieved since leaving college. Whether it be an exhibition or a meeting with a curator or arts professional, particularly where people give positive feedback or engage with the works or, of course, if I sell a piece. I’ve begun to get confident in my skills over time although I always think I could improve.

Encouragement…I am very lucky my friends and family are my fellow travellers in this funny and difficult world and we go through all these experiences together, they always come to see my shows and support me and I do the same. My partner is very supportive of me and encouraging, listening to me agonise over my works! He seems to think I am going to be rich one day and it will pay off somehow!As for my parents, neither my father nor mother ever really had a normal kind of job, so they had no judgements on what I should do with my life. They are very supportive of me and my father and I get together and have a rant about the art world, its pro’s and cons!I also get encouragement from supporters of my work, the people that buy my works and invest in it are very lovely too!

Learning about creativity…It is a deep unending well, that occasionally needs help!

Best advice…Keep going! Being an artist is a complex and demanding job besides, of course, being a fantastic job.

Collections…My partner and I have actually started collecting art! We are very passionate about contemporary art and have a few wonderful (and very small I hasten to add!) pieces that we fell in love with. It is a very satisfying thing to collect and support artists. I highly recommend it! We have a piece by Jane Ward, a piece by Fiona Curran and Donya Coward. I am saving up for a Matthew Atkinson piece.

She re-inspires herself through…Persistence! I do research trips where I go and explore – a lot of the time I explore places in London but recently also in Margate, in Kent! I go to galleries too and look at other artists. I do lots of visual research basically, but just also to keep going – drawing and thinking and making it happen.

Favourite places…I love the Tates and their bookshops! They’re always good for inspiration. And, of course, the east end galleries too and the Modern Art gallery in central London. On the web, I use A-N, Axis and Artquest.

A little downtime…I love to read when possible. I read a lot of Pablo Neruda’s poetry and love Louis De Bernière and Isabel Allende, the mixture of tragic romance and political history is enthralling. I always used to escape into books when I was a child. Now there is never enough time to do much of that. I also like films and socialising with my partner and friends. And I really enjoy cycling and running.

Back in time…I don’t really believe in looking back at what could have been but just moving forward instead. I guess I should have formally applied to go to the painting school at the RCA but I am happy with my life as it is and where it is going.

Great people…I luckily have lots of inspiring and brilliant friends and mentors. My friend Matthew Atkinson is very inspiring to me as a painter. His works are quite brilliant and he has been great at talking to me about my work, challenging and helping me to see how I can move forward. He persuaded me to use oil paints again too and I am very happy I took his advice!Also, in terms of painters, I am inspired by Michael Raedecker, Peter Doig, George Shaw, Nigel Cook, James Wright and Graham Crowley. Shelly Love is an inspirational film maker – my sister Miranda Davis produced her film ‘The Forgotten Circus’ which is a marvellous thing to behold.

Future… The immediate future is extremely busy! I have three more exhibitions before the end of the year – the one in Brighton I mentioned before Floorspace from 4-21 September at Brighton Phoenix Gallery. Then with Stark Projects, I shall then taking an exhibition I took part in at The Roundhouse, From Light to Dust, to Brussels. The third show is at the end of November. Trudie Stephenson of Emineo Arts and Salon Projects is putting on a solo show of my works at Four Regent’s Place, W1. I also show works with Long and Ryle Gallery, and so I shall also be in a couple of art fairs too before the end of the year.I am also about to move into a studio at Cor Blimey Arts, which I am really excited about. I think it will be a great experience! Dream life…I would like to be in a more secure position as an artist. I work largely independently with different galleries, projects and curators, which keeps things exciting, but I would one day like to be with an established gallery, such as Modern Art, painting away! Maybe I’d do a bit of teaching too… and who knows what else!

If not art, then what…I can’t really say what I would be doing. I can’t imagine anything else now. I guess I nearly became an actress or writer. I was also once a singer in a band, so I guess it would have been something creative!

Advice from the lady herself…You don’t just paint and then see stuff happen. It is hard work. You have to be very savvy, professional and organised. You have to learn as much about the art world as possible and be as knowledgeable about your subject. And be good at promoting yourself and create opportunities if there are none. Persevere and persist.


All images of Rosalind Davis: Courtesy of Anastasia Taylor-Lind

A review on Spoonfed!

There has been some wonderfully exciting reviews going on for my show at Projection!

http://www.spoonfed.co.uk/spooners/claire_loves_jam-2366/assemblage-at-john-jones-project-space-1306/

Review on www.spoonfed.co.uk
Assemblage at John Jones Project Space
August 4, 2009
By Claire Shropshrall

Baroque wigs, knitted wedding cakes and singing Scots are to name but a few of the treats on offer as dozens of art lovers descend on John Jones Project Space to perch on bales of hay and guzzle mojitos. The area is transformed into a miniature fiesta of weird and wonderful installations, and there's still room to swing a cat – if that's what you're into.Assemblage is a 'festival of contemporary makers' pursuing the workshop's commitment to thrusting emerging artists and unseen, contemporary art into the public arena.

The project space lurks down a quiet lane near Finsbury Park tube station and strategically draped lanterns create an intimate, ambient atmosphere. It's refreshingly unpretentious.

The star of the night has to be Rosalind Davis. Her exhibition of mixed media paintings in the Projection space reflects a fascination with grotty and disused looking buildings which have an underlying importance to the communities they serve.

The pieces fuse painting with collage and embroidery and invite closer inspection to see where cotton ends and acrylic begins.The idea here is that the tessellated canvas explores equally complex themes enshrined within the structures they are based upon.

Often the buildings painted are taken from areas of serious social deprivation and are supposed to represent the lifeblood of their surrounding communities.From a distance broad, bold brush strokes used to depict neglected buildings contrast with delicate, floral print backgrounds but a closer look reveals meticulous detail. Each individual stitch masquerades as a streak of paint which at times can look a little chaotic – something I'm told is meant to emphasise the fragility of the structures captured on canvas. It's a bit like art nouveau; the deeper you delve into the image the more attention to detail you find. My eyes are sore.

Despite their vivid and bright tones, I still find the paintings very foreboding. Whether or not they're successful in portraying 'melancholy dystopian landscapes that explore human experience and identity' I would certainly recommend checking out Ms Davis' work.

A review on A-N!

Andrew Bryants review of Projection;
http://www.a-n.co.uk/interface/reviews/single/556131

Rosalind Davis
John Jones Projection Space, London

31 July - 24 August 2009

Reviewed by: Andrew Bryant

In her recent exhibition at John Jones' Projection Space, Rosalind Davis reveals herself to be a visionary artist of sensitivity and complexity. Her mixed media paintings of dystopian landscapes incorporate embroidery and floral-print textiles from the 1970s. Both Oedipal and phallic, they conjure up a claustrophobic world of the uncanny.

Davis sources her images cycling around run down urban areas with a camera, photographing post-war social housing. The failure of social housing projects is the failure of modernity. This decaying architecture once signified a phallic phantasy of ascension; the sky is the limit for a technologised world. But our masculinity led us astray here, and we are now only too familiar with the consequences.

In these paintings it is not just the masculine that gets conflated with the failure of the modern project. Davis transposes her photographic images, via paint and embroidery, onto vintage floral-print textiles so that what was once inside – curtains and upholstery, the maternal and domestic – gets turned outward. Garish floral prints infect the sky, sickly blooms of Oedipal desire colonising everything, creating a claustrophobia born of nightmares.

That these fabrics were originally intended to ‘cover’ items of furniture or shut out the light is significant as now they cover the sky, and what they ‘shut out’ is the potential for any desire other than that sanctioned by mother.But the colonisation starts further back than this.

Fashion, as Herbert Marcuse has indicated, is propaganda for the capitalist world and these fabrics are already an industrial interpretation, an appropriation of femininity and motherhood for the mass market. Indeed it is only through the process of painting and embroidery that Davis offers a glimmer of hope.

Granted, painting has long been part of the commoditisation of art, but the stuff itself – paint – remains what it has always been: coloured mud, and an engagement with it as a painter is an engagement with irrational, irreducible otherness, that which resists colonisation and interpolation.Embroidery has a complex history.

A handicraft, it has connotations of femininity, domesticity but also of reparation. Historically, women used embroidery to commemorate death. Images of the deceased, dried flowers and embroidery were combined in a kind of collage. If painting resists the aggressive colonisation of modernity, could it be that embroidery represents a desire to repair the damage, to ‘make do and mend’?

Andrew Bryant is an Artist and freelance editor living in London
Venue detail:John Jones Projection Space4 Morris Place, off Stroud Green Road, Finsbury Park, London N4 3JGhttp://www.rosalinddavis.co.uk/

Lavender Oil at the ready

The Summer Art Party is tomorrow! Eek!
The feedback from John Jones has been fantastic already with clients really engaging with the works. Tomorrow there will be about 600 people heading through the doors. I feel faint.
I actually really like talking about the works, the discussions are fascinating. Also if you go to the RCA you soon stop feeling self conscious about it as you are always explaining and exploring your works to rooms full of people. It doesn’t stop the nerves though and tomorrow will be super –charged. My biggest fear is being mediocre. I don’t mind if people don’t like it….well I do if I am really honest but that is not realistic.

In the interim I have been distracting myself with those research trips I mentioned. Assembling ideas and planning out pieces. I am going paint 3 pieces inspired by Margate. A memento-mori of a town. One of the pieces is going to be interspliced with social housing from Poplar as problem families used to be shipped out of London to Margate.
I remember Margate was so vibrant when we went there as children, now row upon row of boarded up shops are like skeletons on the marine parade. The Turner contemporary exhibition in a former M&S was fantastic though. A really great show and indicative of the revival which may have a chance to occur there.

I have also been to Brighton to discuss my next exhibition, ‘Floorplan’ at the Brighton Phoenix Gallery in September, a very good public gallery. I am organising a workshop with a local community group, plus I and the other artists shall be involved in an artists talk discussing the psychology of buildings which I am already looking forward to.

I have also been planning and interviewed for drawing workshops at the Tower of London and found out today I got the job!

As for painting, I am now back to the actuality of it. I am as always slightly daunted by what has I have made before. Back into the cycle of questioning, exploring, doubting and persevering.

Tomorrow if you are coming to the Summer Art Party you will be able to find me, see johnjones.co.uk for more details. I shall be the lady doused in Lavender oil and hopefully not breathing into a bag. Come say hello

choice blog on A-N

This month Matt Roberts from Matt Roberts Arts and Salon08 and 09 selected my blog on artist's talking, A-N.

Pretty exciting !

http://www.a-n.co.uk/artists_talking/article/536689
Matt Roberts on Rosalind Davis
A relative novice to the Blogosphere Rosalind Davis' Blog illustrates an artist tentatively using the medium as a tool for self-critique, laying out her feelings about her work as it develops. Beyond the life of this project her blog exists as a living portfolio, as we, the reader are offered a window into the ideas that lay behind each piece as she juggles the pressures of life, work, and artistic ambition.

Rosalind's posts become more frequent as the process becomes more natural to her, and we gain an insight into how her work has been shaped by the community around her, as well as learning of her 'aristocratic' legacy, and adept climbing skills. Overall we see a picture of a talented and committed artist, making difficult practice-based and career decisions, whilst trying to remain financially stable, and a functioning person.

A narrative I'm sure we can all empathise with.

Projection Exhibition Information

I am delighted to invite you to:
Projection Rosalind Davis

Exhibition from 6th July - 21st August
Open to the public Monday – Friday from 9am – 6pm

We are delighted to announce Rosalind Davis as our next artist to exhibit in Projection, a space for solo shows which aims to increase the exposure of mainly unseen artists as an aspect of their professional development.

Rosalind Davis is a mixed media painter and graduate from the RCA, creating melancholy dystopian landscapes that explore human experience and identity.

Davis fuses painting, collage and embroidery onto printed floral fabrics, selected for their historical, cultural and symbolic representations. This complex relation between mediums is integral to the piece emphasising the fragility of the spaces depicted and the disconcerting juxtaposition between aesthetics and meaning.

http://www.johnjones.co.uk/
4 Morris Place, N4 3JG
020 7281 5439

Interim

I have not left yet! No no, here a little longer......I have been working away at one last painting in the last week before the show opens. There were also a book of drawings to organise and now.....The paintings have been hung and there is the undeniable fear and exhiliration of the Exhibition!
you may be pleased to hear, I am restored to good health, have broken only a few more glasses and am considering tackling my tax return (joy)

I am also seeking new inspiration and have been cycling around poplar and silvertown, very bleak in places. I saw 5 burnt out pubs in a mile! I am also off to Gravesend and Margate over the next week. Exciting! I used to spend weekends at Dreamland in Margate with my dad and I am interested to see how it has changed, soak up the atmosphere. Seaside towns are intriguing, a mix of kitsch and seediness.

Also with the big art party at John Jones to gear up to on the 31st July I am doing all that I can to promote the show and am constantly thrilled by the great help of John Jones crew in all of this and the marvellous marketing ladies ! Self promotion can be a terrible bane but a necessary evil. In some ways it can be quite a joy if people respond to you,an exhibition is a great reason to get in touch with peole and tell them what you are working on. At other times it feels like you must as well be chucking a piece of paper out of the window for all the good it is doing you....! I shall let you know how it all goes.....

Finishing Touches

The delivery van from John Jones is coming tomorrow and I am putting the last few details into the paintings.
I feel I have learnt a lot in these 2 months about my painting. I have found a new confidence, a freedom....the paintings have gotten less earnest. Less concerned with realistic representation and I am enjoying it all immensely. I am still unsure of my big well hall road piece and it may not be right still, but those decisions can come next week during installation and discussion of the pieces I shall show.
I have been using square scarves in these new pieces which allow for a new composition to occur within the works and to consider the composition in different ways and I shall continue to work on these scarves in the future.
Physically and mentally I am exhausted. I have felt under the weather on and off for the last month really. My head and eyes ache and my throat is sore. I think I will be in bed on Wednesday recuperating.... Painting is a very physical effort and you are also pouring yourself into it mentally. Challenging your opinions on it, reviewing the pieces, considering when to stop the paint and where to start again.
Emotionally though I allow myself to feel a bir proud of the progress I have made and where I have been less successful in them there are lessons to be learnt.
I am excited and eager to get onto the next one. To discover more. To keep goingThe delivery van from John Jones is coming tomorrow and I am putting the last few details into the paintings.
I feel I have learnt a lot in these 2 months about my painting. I have found a new confidence, a freedom....the paintings have gotten less earnest. Less concerned with realistic representation and I am enjoying it all immensely. I am still unsure of my big well hall road piece and it may not be right still, but those decisions can come next week during installation and discussion of the pieces I shall show.
I have been using square scarves in these new pieces which allow for a new composition to occur within the works and to consider the composition in different ways and I shall continue to work on these scarves in the future. The interference between the floral patterns is interesting.

The florals produce a dichotomy with the rural and idyllic versus the tensions of the urban cityscape.

Physically and mentally I am exhausted. I have felt under the weather on and off for the last month really. My head and eyes ache and my throat is sore. I think I will be in bed on Wednesday recuperating.... Painting is a very physical effort and you are also pouring yourself into it mentally. Challenging your opinions on it, reviewing the pieces, considering when to stop the paint and where to start again.
Emotionally though I allow myself to feel a bit proud of the progress I have made and where I have been less successful in them there are lessons to be learnt.
I am excited and eager to get onto the next one. To discover more. To keep going

Buildings and Identity

Buildings have powerful connotations. Notions of identity are strongly linked with building; the places where we are bound.
They are refuges, sanctuary, prisons, cells, palaces. They can be cultural and social signifiers.

Buildings can often be relegated to the background but can also contain all ones private thoughts, memories and emotions:
Within them we live out our lives. Evolving, destroying, living, dying. We love there and lose there.

They aid the construction of our individual identity whilst forming the foundations of society’s common identity.

Ever increasingly buildings are ephemeral and transient objects in our environment. I document these buildings. Fascinated by them. They make my heart sort of stutter, the huge housing estates and the seemingly lack of humanity. How utopia slides so quickly into dystopia. Yet somewhere in these places there are signs of light. A garden on a balcony...attempts of beauty and reform. You have to find something beautiful there so you can live, it may have just been the tree blossoming outside your window…

These places can feel like ghost towns even when they may still full of people. Lonely and sad. Their melancholy I understand. The pathos is a jagged kind of beauty.

Embroidery

Preparing for the exhibition at John Jones and for others I constantly examine and consider my practise. A question (that crops up is why I use embroidery within my works. I studied Mixed Media Textiles at The RCA and managed to get taught by the Professor Graham Crowley of the painting department as well which helped me immensely with my progress and development as an artist. Since then I have met with a number of interesting artists and art professionals who have educated me as well along the way.

So, the Reasons I use embroidery;

Embroidery creates intimacy but it is an isolated pursuit. The spaces I paint combine both these elements, lonely places, yet communal. Isolated from other communities, possibly abandoned.

The structures, the lines, the intricacy and meticulousness of the stitching are a contrast to the restless and agitated places depicted and the expressiveness of the paint.
The alluring qualities or the embroidery threads are used to emphasise the fragility of the spaces depicted.
To challenge conventional use of embroidery as a decorative and safe medium by placing it within paintings which depict unconventional beauty and bleak spaces.
To create complex, multilayered surfaces and combine techniques
It is used to reflect the organic subject matter as it is organic subject matter
opportunity to find new freedoms and expressions in painting
The printed floral farics I use in my works are historically and culturally conscious and symbolic.

So, for me to use embroidery is pretty integral to the works.

A former tutor once wrote this for an exhibition of mine and I thought it was marvellous and articulated a lot of my feelings, for Textiles is a realm in which there is a lot of cute and decorative things and not taken very seriously. My work is concept driven and quite firmly art, whilst craft based in terms of painting and the embroidery in the sense that it is skilled.

‘Textiles are usually associated with decoration, pattern and colour, a soft, warm, feminine material. They are also an undervalued, underappreciated and misunderstood medium. The work of Rosalind Davis challenges the preconceptions that accompany the word, Textiles. Davis subverts the medium and presents us with an ominous, threatening world exposing us to post apocalyptic painted landscapes. The only evidence of human existence is rendered through her use of embroidery. It’s a dark and dirty tactile world that you will be glad not to inhabit. Textiles can be powerful stuff. ’
Freddie Robins Artist and Tutor in Constructed Textiles at the Royal College of Art, London

Art School Scum

So I have decided to start making another painting in between finishing two off. Why not?!. I just keep thinking that I want a great choice of work to pick from for my show at JJ. That I like to err on the side of caution of having too much work than not enough and I feel I am really developing and learning so much in the last few paintings that I don’t want to interrupt the flow.
Besides I am only going slightly mad already and if I sit unoccupied for too long I may just fall into a daze of tiredness so better to keep on the adrenaline rollercoaster.

I went to Graham Crowley’s book launch at City and Guilds on Friday. A beautiful book. The Principal there Tony carter gave a lovely speech about Graham which reflected and struck a note with the artists there how difficult it is for artists to keep body and soul together. The unreasonableness of trying to make art and make money, to keep your integrity and higher ideals as well as surviving.
It’s a struggle

I work part-time in order to allow me to make my work. But I dislike my droning job. Quite a lot. I would prefer to teach part-time art or textiles more but those kind of jobs are few and far between. I have done this particular job throughout my BA, MA and since.
It gives me some security and means I can buy paint and survive. The boring job is the sacrifice I am willing to make so that I can try and make a career in art and it is also only 2 days a week, the rest of the 5 I am painting and happy.

On another note, the brilliant Vented Spleen has published online his very witty ‘ Art School Scum’ graphic comic. The comic illustrates the people you find at Art Schools ( and the art world actually) , this is one of my favourites and very recognisable….not in me I hasten to add…..!
‘ The Self Obsessed Neurotic’
‘ Under the misguided impression that their lives are so much more interesting than anyone else’s, their work will , more often than not, focus on
1.The Artist’s sex life
2.A-boring-to-anyone-other-than-the-artist obsession/fetish of theirs
3. Their childhood.
It is pointless trying to instigate conversation with the self-obsessed neurotic about anything other than themselves as it is a futile gesture. ’

You can see the whole comic on Ventedspleen.com

Have I said how I am running out of time? This week has been torn with appointments I have to keep, and other non-painting work to do- specifically teaching today. Teaching teachers actually, great fun! ( see right for one of my student's pieces)

It is the last couple of weeks I have before delivery of works. I am trying to keep hold of my anxiety, aware that again next week my days are fragmented into other duties and responsibilities. At some point I also need to speak to Ben, my LSP and see how his life is!
I cant do all nighters to finish, my body and mind not ablel to cope. Usually I finish way before the deadline and think why do I worry, but I do!
I also am in desparate need of a studio, I have paintings building up around me as I whirl between them, stitching , letting others dry, painting again.
Ben eyes the living room where my studio is in the corner, usually a little more self contained, he laughs it away but I am finding it hard to cope with the mess myself. I prefer neatness than an avalanche of paper and paints and embroidery everywhere,
on that note I have to go!

Socially Engaged...?

I identified with so many aspects of another blog by Emily Speed on how artists can actually get paid to make art. Whether it is feasible to be able to exhibit or take part in shows when there is considerable cost in time and money to yourself.
I believe in exhibiting even if it is unpaid- it is ,99% of the time it is unpaid- the and the preparation is meaningful. You can contemplate the work, its effect on others, complete a body of work.
It would also seem there is a lot of truth in that you can only get paid for 'projects'. The end result though may not be something you really wanted to do, perhaps a dilution, even with its own rewards. Its a tough balance
I recently went to a workshop on socially engaged practise to see if I could get some tips on this broad subject. I had not realised what ' Socially engaged' practise means until speaking to Artquest who were very helpful and shed light on this subject for me and that my own work carried elements of this; focussing on buildings within communities and the psychology of the society around it.
However, it is a very very complicated area.........! So, as I say , I have gone to a few conferences/workshops to figure this out a bit.....

At many my heart sinks very low , a room of professional funder finders. A whole other genre of artists who understand forms and how to get funding and all sorts of things. Amazing! But I also remember examples of dismal 'public or socially engaged' artworks being chuntered out under this title and funding going to this. In many aspects these ' public' works do not fit under the category of art- and many artists, ( even the ones at these conferences,) argue that there needs to be a new definition of such things

As a painter, it is not seen that your work can be socially engaged on its own, but I know that painting can be. It is interactive, conceptual, it touches people, it makes them wonder, it transports people. Much more so than some ' socially engaged work' which amounts to yet another mosaic for example or work that is actually excluding rather than inclusive because it is over conceptual and hard for non-artists to understand or engage with on any level.
Often these works can be an aesthetic disappointment to boot.

I have begun to try and expand my practise so I can be viable for projects, to interact with participants in an interesting way, getting narratives that actually end up informing my pieces as well. it has helped a bit with proposals as curators also seem to want interactive video /sound.
maybe one day in the far future if I have a hundred years to fill out a grant with the arts council I may even get funding to further my research.....?!But, it has been an interesting journey so far and I have only just begun.

Indecision

I am having doubts about the Well Hall Road painting I dont know if the size has defeated me- for me smaller, finer works better perhaps....or whether the building is too undetailed. Sometimes a painting just does not work and it is pretty hard to take, devastating in fact, you want it all to work. In ervything there is a lesson and I am not giving up on this one yet.
I can understand how people get furious and rip up their work but I just could not do that.....

I cant see where to fix it or if I am just too close to it to see whether it is any good. I shall leave it for a week and then have another look. And get opinions.......maybe I am being overly critical.
These oils are amazing! I have gone back and started painting over an older painting. it looks miles better already It is somehow easier to go back and be experimental after a few months not looking at something.

You learn so much in each painting. The difficult thing is not going back and re-painting everything! better to move forward....

I am sometimes asked how I can bear to sell my paintings. people have such romantic notions of artists, I guess with good reason. However being an artist is a job like others.

You have to progress, make a living, move up the ladder and part of that is selling. It is also something that makes me proud. I want other people to own my paintings to be moved by them..To be engaged with them. Professional painters do not paint for themselves alone, art is greater than that.

Panic!

I recently found out the dates of my show at John Jones, to set up on the 6th.
This news is met by a mild stress attack which leads me into clumsy mode. I break a glass, try and put a t-shirt in the bin rather than washing machine and locked myself out of my flat. Wonderful! Luckily for me there is scaffolding outside my flat so I climb up onto it and scramble through a window in our living room, luckily I happened to have my driving license to prove I actually lived there to the bemused scaffolders! To boot I am getting a cold or flu and it makes productivity minus 50% Damn!

Slightly unfortunately I am away in Florence, next week with my father and LSP, booked before I knew my dates!thankfully the opening at John Jones isnt going to be until the end of July where there will be a big summer party. So, I have plenty of time to organise myself and sort my invites out. phew!

A note about my father, he is an artist himself and rather eccentric. He has been married 6 times and could have been a Lord. His maternal grandfather was Sir Norman Stewart who was ready to bestow his title on my father. My father’s father , ( through envy we believe,) told him ‘ A man does not inherit a title he earns it.’ A saying he himself could not live up to. So, there, up in smoke was a parallel life when I could have been a rich artist living somewhere marvellous rather than growing up on a council estate in Brockley! Perhaps I would never have found how social housing and community buildings are so compelling and full of pathos.

I have finished 8,000 Souls Part II and feel rather elated. Well Hall road and a new piece of the Kidbrooke Estate are going well. Oils are getting everywhere, seeping through my apron. I am constantly wiping off incriminating splodges on the computer before LSP returns. I may never go back to acrylics. I love the tones you build up in oils, the subtlety of the colour, its softness and shine. I cant understand people who get technicians to paint their paintings.
The idea is not enough. Being part of the making is so important. To put yourself in it – it is part of a physical expression. For us it is total peace.’Dominique Gonzalez
Also I have given up on the idea that I won’t use embroidery. I feel bereft without it. Paint on its own is not enough, but again there I can be more experimental and random. I will challenge myself with it.

Speaking of which do go and see the excellent and exciting Michael Raedecker at The Camden Art Centre- on until 28th June.

Well Hall road

So, I am in the middle of about 3 or 4 paintings. I like to work on them in Tandem. I have, as mentioned moved into oils. I realise they are my obsessions, I drift off to them when I am not with them, staring and scrutinising. worrying.Like love I guess with hopefully a fair amount of joy thrown in!
Ayeslbury estate part II ( pictured) is the second in a survival series examining the Ayelsbury estate, one of the more notorious in South east london, described as Hell's Waiting room and soon to be demolished. I recently went to the Courbusier exhibition, he, who was a pioneer of the type of social housing that inspired the Ayeslbury and subsequent housing estates. A dream of utopia and making buildings that reach up to heaven fell into dsytopia with neglect, crime and segregation of social classes, creating a ghetto.
I am trying to be freer with paint, not so literal, loosening my technique. My work can balance in style between realism and naivety, overperfection....lets muck it up a bit was a suggestion from MA. so I am trying. Using oils helps as it means I am already unbalanced from my normal practise.
Also, I generally use embroidery in parts of my work, its fragility and seductive nature enhances the juxtaposition between manmade and organic, the neglected or desolate buildings and the meticulous nature of the stitching.But, I am trying without it, to see what that shall mean to mywork, what I could do differently. In contrast I am working on a small piece that is almost entirely stitched.

Odeon, Well hall Road is large, very large for me- twice the size that I usually paint. It is in Eltham, a dilapidated art deco cinema opposite where Stephen Lawrence was murdered ( I have painted the Stephen Lawrence centre in the past) Two good reasons to paint it as a place of social commentary and history.

Another reason came by surprise; a facebook page set up petitioning against a proposal for the cinema being turned into an Islamic centre, a xenophobic, rascist rant of a page ......a very dismal page and evidence of a section of society that seems unchanged by the tragic case of Stephen Lawrence.

I uploaded work in progress photos and used photoshop to try out a few ideas. Using the heavily patterned background I cannot always try out ideas directly onto the fabric and was surprised at how effectively I could use photoshop to play with composition. Of course I use a sketchpad too, but this was pretty fun. both attached.

Somewhere near the beginning

I am going to be showing in the Projection Space at John JOnes this summer and decided this would present a great opportunity to start a blog.

I am a painter, I am based in London. I graduated from the Royal College of Art in 2005. I have exhibited quite a bit since graduating and it has been quite an education. I show with galleries as well as with independent curators and projects.
I think I would like to do a PHD but not sure if I am academic enough. I like to teach- I want to do more. A workaholic, I never have enough time for all that I want to achieve.
I am passionate about my work and of art.

This is the quote that coherently explains my feelings about my work.

‘Painting is a language through which painters discover their subjects and also both lose and find themselves.It is as much an act of recovery as it is one of discovering the unknown As words frequently tell the writer what to write , the substance of a painting dictates where nuance lies and where meaning might be found. If painting is a mirror it cannot avoid reflecting the one who made it. Paint can be dirty and sorrowful. These places are scenes of loneliness and desperation but also of hope and redemption.’’ Adrian Searle, Peter Doig Catalogue

So lets begin somewhere in the middle of this. In 2008 I was selected through open submission for Salon 08 which is where I first caught the eye of Kate Jones, ( from John Jones, the eminent framers and supporters of contemporary art ) one of the Judges of the prize. An artist friend of mine Paul Benjamins then introduced me to her whilst I was showing at the London Art Fair with Contemporary Art Projects. The rest is history etc. The Jones family many of whom are involved in the John Jones business are some of the loveliest people I have met in the art world. genuinely passionate about art and artists, Professional and pretty darn cool.
I am looking forward to it. It's a great motivator to have a deadline and the opportunity to show works to a new audience. I am in the middle of making works for it and am also making some changes n my work- With encouragement from a fellow artist Matthew Atkinson ( http://www.matthewatkinson.co.uk/) and also from my long suffering partner (LSP as he will be known in the future) I am unravelling exciting things. Oils, after a sabbatical of 10 years ( I use acrylic) - oh , the joy of that! The way it glides and the depth of the colour!

I am exploring and experimenting and it is scary! letting go of some things and making leaps – or so it feels to me-rather than baby steps. Perhaps you will not see anything too brave… I hope you will as it is my desire to keep pushing.

So dear reader I will take you on my journey as I agonise and obsess over these changes and talk about previous experiences in the art world, the highs and lows of being an artist and my own occasional rants and philosophies....