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!

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.