Naval Gazing

I'm delighted...nay... over-the-moon that Naval Gazing wall piece sold for $500 at  

Lin Schorr's

             2014 International Mosaic Auction                   

Médecins Sans Frontières   

 

Naval Gazing 

 Pig in Clover 

And a restoration of a life size pig from the King Bladud's Pigs in Bath project 

One hundred pigs had sponsors who selected an artist to decorate.  their blank animal. I restored my original work in glass and paint to it's former glory after 6 years living outdoors, including a hard summer of work along with all the other pigs displayed around Bath, prior to the charity auction. I was sad to see him leave again but all the pigs have good homes with generous owners.

What should we be getting for gallery sales commisssion fees?

Another busy season, and work keeps coming hence I'm behind on the Blogging in terms of archiving views of all works produced thus far, but I wanted to write a few words on Gallery sales commission fees.  Honestly, being represented in good venues makes the sales fees worth their weight in returns from the promotion and advertising. As previously written, my work was shown in three good exhibitions this year, all three have sold my work and brought follow up commissions. This is what we are paying for and among the main reasons why it is good practice to price work so it retails in line with our private sales.  A bit of a loss on the agency sales but paying sound dividends in the long run because clients may return to the artist hot on the back of a show or even contact a year or two later. The experience of seeing live work impresses on the memory and outlasts a quick ad, and at least half of my business has come from folks who saw it live.
Many thanks to those gallery owners and curators that tracked me down for inclusion.

Among recent pieces, a wall relief now in America joining a line up of donated works by international mosaic artists for auction - bidding for good - later this year. The fabulous Lin Schorr has run (DWB)Doctor Without Borders art auction three times, raising substantial funds for their vital work.  I entered three pieces for the 2012 auction: Faith, Hope and Charity.  Once on the link image, click back to see all the donated works. And check out Lin's exquisite work too.

You can see and hear me talking about the original ideas, and techniques behind the auction piece http://youtu.be/pxCQ34IBqZw?list=UUzJt4bWyBjKW4bf-YGv_mXQ

Naval Gazing

Slate, reclaimed glass, stone, rhinestone, and bone.  Approx 9 x 10 "

More Shows.....

I have three sculptural works accepted for The International Festival of Contemporary Mosaic in Chartres, France.  I was invited to submit by Natalie Vin and Norma Vondee,  representatives for the British Association for Modern Mosaic BAMM...and accepted.  Me! Who barely alludes to mosaic art, so I am very proud. Plus, I love an opportunity to show on the walls.  I am also exhibiting a couple of pieces for a local Garden Sculpture Trail in the beautiful grounds of Gatcombe Court, Flax Bourton in rural Somerset 0n the from the 4th to 6th of July.  The grounds are certainly worth a visit. too.

Mixed Blessing will be at  BAMM EN FRANCE

 

I'm very excited to be in here, here and here....

Work has now been collected for the Behold exhibition at the beautiful Yewtree Gallery, near Morvah in Cornwall.  Miranda Leonard, the curator has organised the show as one of her travelling pop-up gallery show cases.

Miranda is  co curator at the biennial Quenington sculpture trust show: Fresh Air, and curated the 2013 Birds and Bees show in Quenington Park's Poole House - a perfect venue for a pop up gallery within the grounds to showcase contemporary makers work.  I was pleased to  brushing shoulders (metaphorically) with exhibitors like the Internationally acclaimed Cleo Mussi.  More about Miranda's pop-up gallery initiative The Restless Gallery. Many, many thanks to Miranda too, for diverting her journey to me with a girt big trailer to collect my work on her way down to Cornwall for the show setup.  The Restless gallery has just started a facebook page...click here to like :)

 More shows on next Blog...entitled, more shows!

Samples of work at Hidden Garden Art

Stonewater table bench 116 cm long x 45 cm high

Levy garden table in Delabole slate and 24 kt Gold Orsoni Smalti (Gold leaf trapped in glass) The Orsoni family have been hand making glass for decades

Orsoni Glass

Samples of work showing at Behold

 Divided Seat above and below.  A bench table approximately 116 cm long in slate and 24 kt Smalti glass on a forged, galvanised base.  Bases forged by Blacksmith Nathan Bennett.

                                                                                         

A beautiful greenwood black chair by Gordon Monk Take a look at this guy's work...he has seriously got it going on!
From small platforms to thrones, the cultural and social significance of chair is vast. if you are i to chair design, 1000 Chairs is a great reference book...inspired me make my own for a student project.  Chairs can be a major health hazard too, as pointed out not too comfortably by Jacobin

 Glimpse: 90 cm diameter garden table and two chairs: detail of window section in reclaimed antique rolled glass  framed with lead.      

                                                                                             

A Little of What You Fancy

...Seems to go further than a lot.  And that applies to images of work.  Taking photographs of work to appeal to viewers is an art in itself.  Beware of feeling compelled to spell it out  by just cramming an image of a whole work in unless you absolutely have to do so for submission or customer.  Images need to be attractive, have their own appeal and tease the viewer leaving them hungry for more. Which is why I often use partial or macro shots for main gallery images with the nuts and bolts overview shots coming in as secondary or additional images. Occasionally they are good enough in themselves...but for a higher ratio of success we are talking super duper camera equipment and a decent setting, or studio resources, or a pro photographer. I also need men on tap to lift my work around during a photo shoot trying out different lighting and backing.  Not too many of those just hanging around all day, so I content myself with interesting elements and sections...an important lesson taught to me by esteemed artist, photographer and writer Brit Hammer. Brit calls the bland overviews, and the straight on captures functional shots.  I even use sectional shots or clips for work in progress updates if there something really interesting that needs a sense of the real essence of the piece, or design element. Showing off material is vital too. Ultimately, it's all about cutting out the noise to convey the wow factor in our work that everyday snapshots can kill...bit like a hair-do, or hire a professional art photographer. Below are some sectional shots of recent work in progress, and a small video clip of the major design area of a table surface.  For non-professional photographers like me, this is manageable, I eventually grab a few shots that capture the love for my work and the beauty of texture and material. Some works are much harder for me to capture than others, and I always get in a sweat for full overviews for exhibition submissions asking if they would like arty or functional shots for publishing!

See Brit Hammer's photography course here.   

Some great photography tips here from Saatchi.com...it has to be easier 2D.  

Work in progress: bespoke bicycle themed table and chairs...Bespoke could be a great title!!

 

Above and below: Stephen's table in progress

Finished work: a gallery image in three quarter cutting out too much visual interference without totally losing context and still showing enough of the piece for the viewer's imagination to fill in the rest. 

And a small video clip

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZplkFLSLzkM&list=UUzJt4bWyBjKW4bf-YGv_mXQ&feature=share&index=2

Long time, no Blog.  It has been very wet for working at any pace and some flu, and a poorly ma added to the slow mix.  I'm up and at 'em again with several works in progress in the studio garden. As one stage is drying I can work on another piece and so on.  Cutting I often like to do in blocks because of the dust and debris. That, and mixing, are my least favourite tasks.  The designing, unexpected evolutions in the detail process, and the end bit is the fav by far when the jewels are revealed slowly from their chrusty covering of grout - something every mosaic artist has in common, as well as with dental hygienists. The rest is necessary grunt work.  I have finished a large 90 cm diameter table and embarked on another, which came as a double commission from father and daughter who visited my studio and took their inspiration from the poem table in progress.

The original poem table engraved with Robert Frost's shortest poem: The Secret. 

Alongside the two versions of this, is works in progress for upcoming shows: 

Maureen Michealson in the garden and house, in Hampstead, London...my third year with her, and my first time at the Yew Tree Gallery , Morvah in Cornwall. I exhibited at a pop up gallery in the Pool House at the Quenington Sculpture Trust last year at Fresh Air 2013.  The co curator, Miranda Leonard invited me to another one of her Pop Ups at Yew Tree, and I am delighted to be in great company once again  at both these gorgeous shows. Both venues are worth a visit in their own right. 

I will upload some progress shots soon but you can check out this Flickr page for the latest images which includes finished works or details thereof. Flickr 

Inspirational Places

Once, I hankered after exotic destinations but I love this country and now content with traveling to my favourite spots.  They provide both time to empty myself and soak up numinous sea and landscapes...but mainly seascapes.  

I visit several places along our Southwest coastline, but mostly Cornwall.  St Ives for it's harbour and surrounding beaches, historic tumbling warren of quaint streets and alleys originally built for fishermen's cottages.    The feast of art goes without saying. St.Ives, particularly, is steeped in the modern tradition of art and contemporary works still pay homage to early inspiration and style. I love it for the painting, the fine art and the makers work...and I love that there is little value distinction between the two. 

I also have a gentler but powerful love for Hayle town situated  about 7 miles up the coast on the Hayle Estuary in St Ives Bay. I alternate visits to both spending aimless fertile hours wandering along the tidelines picking up objets trouvés. My creative batteries are on turbo charge and all I have to do is be there.  Try it. Go for a long walk in a favorite place and see how you feel the rest of the day, or night.  If you can't walk very well, go and sit there. I say sit because past experiences in mobility difficulties  made me acutely aware that not everybody can travel on their own two feet, a joy of living I took for granted. I'm pacing now, weening off the 21st century boom and bust mode getting around very well...

waves of gratitude. 

St Ives Harbour looking towards Smeaton's Pier left, and the outlet faces the mouth of Hayle Estuary and the massive sand dunes, or Towens.
There is still a busy fishing industry of small boats with restaurants and Bistros thriving on the fresh catches.  The Harbour Master (in a wee stone office further left of the pier) chalks up the shipping forecasts, and the odd saucy quote. We miss them when he's being proper. 

Weston-super-Mare Jan 2014

I live on, or near the coast too, Weston-super-Mare in North Somerset.  Because we are on the edge of the Bristol channel,  the sea bed is full of silt, which churns around in the tide.  What we lack in clear blue waters and bright sand we gain in a wonderfully rugged coastline and the most stunning sunsets and sunrises. The sun faces the right way! We also have National Trust Land either end of our long coastline: Sand Bay and Brean Down. This is the Causeway spanning Marine Lake and Knightstone Island.  The tiny islands of Flat Holm to the left, and Steep Holm further away on the right.  Cardiff is across the channel and we can see Wales in the distance at pending rain spells. 

A bit more about Hayle: 

Beach glass picking is now very popular but the tide seems to keep churning it up.  I have enough and concentrate more on worn objects or sea worn pieces of slate.  It's true what they say about the special quality of the light, how it bounces  back from the pale shell sea-bed illuminated by the sky giving off a magical luminescence, especially at dusk.