I'm happy to say that I'm currently feeling a lot better than I was at the time of my last blog post, my face is my own once more and if the tinnitis is still a pain then at least my hearing seems to have improved as well. That's probably why I can hear the tinnitis so clearly. If you're intrigued by the title of this post don't worry I'm getting there.
Last Tuesday was a Plymouth Fringe meeting (Facebook group here http://on.fb.me/k1wu2U) and I went along to catch up on the progress other people have made and generally show my face. Among those attending I met Barry Sykes (whose residency at Plymouth Arts Centre I had managed to miss completely, my loss) http://www.barrysykes.info/HOME.htm and Felicity Shillingford of http://www.foundspace.co.uk/index.html who are planning a series of art 'thefts' during the fringe as part of their 'Heist' piece http://bit.ly/lxEi9F. I'm also tempted to trawl through my video archive (a grandiose name for 'those old tapes I've got stashed under the stairs') to come up with a contribution to the 'Video Takeaway shows being set up by 'Come to Ours' http://cto.independentplymouth.info/video-takeaway Who knows I might even get the camera out and make something new? Deadline for submissions via email is 24th June send a link to an uploaded video to [email protected] 4:3 format 30 seconds to 5 minutes in duration and silent and please keep it clean. Which brings me to the titular aspect of this post as I also had an interesting conversation about studio/gallery space on the Barbican with an artist who introduced herself only as Thaïs. It wasn't until we exchanged business cards that I realised I'd been talking to Robert Lenkiewicz's daughter which, given the content of my previous blog post put me in something of a dilemma. Or possibly not as she didn't know me from Adam, either way, discretion being the better part of valour, I decided not to mention it. OK I'm a coward but in this instance I also happen to think it was the right thing to do. You can see Thaïs's work at http://www.thaislenkiewicz.com/#! and she is definitely the person to talk to in Plymouth if you're in the market for good quality bespoke canvases. Which brings me to the next 'Demi Paradise' subject, the 'nightingales' scene from 'The Demi Paradise' itself is currently on hold while I figure out exactly how I'm going to tackle it (and whether it needs a bigger canvas). So instead I've decided to address the question of gender imbalance with the first female portrait in the series. This is Patricia Hayes from 'Went the Day Well?'
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A lot of water seems to have been passed since my previous post in spite of the fact that it was only two weeks ago. Firstly, I had a birthday, a significant birthday, one that means I can no longer use my age as one of my lottery numbers, an age that can be expressed using a single Roman numeral. Looking on the bright side however, thanks to David Cameron I'm actually two years further away from collecting my pension than I would have been under Labour, which must mean that I'm actually younger than I thought I was, thank you Dr Spin, I feel much better about things now!
I celebrated this millstone (sic) by visiting Port Eliot for the first time http://www.porteliot.co.uk/ It's somewhere that I've been meaning to see for ages and on the whole it didn't disappoint. The weather was also fantastic which meant that as well as the house (and the quite astonishing Norman church) we were able to take full advantage of the gardens and parkland. There are a couple of phone pictures below of the railway viaduct and the boathouse. It's practically roofless and in need of some TLC but I found the boathouse to be beautifully simple and strangely touching (or maybe this is the age at which sentimentality kicks in big time?). The house itself is attractively scruffy inside in the kind of effortlessly upper class way that Sunday supplement 'shabby chic' can never replicate. It helps that it's loaded with first class pictures, a great many of them by Reynolds (these days part of the Plymouth City Museum and Art gallery collection, yep, 'death duties' again). And of course along with the Reynolds you also get the magnum opus of Plymouth's other most famous painter Robert Lenckiewicz. It is at this point that I should confess to a rather intense dislike of Lenkiewicz, both of his work and of his public image. I was however prepared to have my preconceptions challenged and my opinion altered. I genuinely approached the 'Round Room' willing to be impressed and open to persuasion, unfortunately it was not to be, so Lenkiewicz worshipping Plymouthians please look away now. Frankly, it's a mess. Conception, composition, execution, the whole shooting match, in short, it doesn't fucking work! Sorry folks but it simply confirmed my opinion of him as a one trick pony (and an imperfectly mastered trick at that). It just made me wish that one of the previous Port Eliot incumbents had got a Whistler in to do it (James or Rex, it wouldn't matter which). Anyway, to end on a brighter note, they do a cracking cream tea in the cafe in the old stables but they are currently missing a trick with the rest of the building. It would make ideal studio, workshop and gallery space for small artisan businesses. A few days later it was also Diane's birthday (my lips are sealed concerning her age, I have no wish to die young) and we celebrated in the traditional manner by visiting a garden centre and getting lost on the way. Seriously how can one road, the A388 go through Launceston in three different directions? Which brings me to the 'minor' operation part of the title. I am now the proud possessor of a pair of grommets inserted into my eardrums, thank you so much. Could anybody possibly tell me when they are going to start working? It's just that that was nearly a week ago now and so far all they've done is turn up the volume of the tinnitis from annoying to almost unbearable. I could also have done without the post nasal biopsy, I've spent the week pouring snot like Fungus the Bogeyman's bath taps and waiting for the swelling to subside. I think I now know what it's like to have someone try to kick your teeth out from the inside! Needless to say, not a lot in the way of painting has been achieved recently. Marriages, hmm, oh yes, I remember, a couple of toffs got hitched in a Big Fat non-Gypsy Wedding somewhere in the capital of our once great empire (© BBC circa 1922) and those loyal subjects currently in paid employment got an extra day off. Unfortunately both mine and Diane's birthdays also coincided with some less welcome news, in my case it was the death of Lis Sladen http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-13137674 and on 25th that of Poly Styrene http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-13193968 "I know I'll probably be remembered for Oh Bondage Up Yours!" she told 6 Music last month. "I'd like to remembered for something a bit more spiritual." Trust me Poly, if you were my age in 1978 'Oh Bondage Up Yours' wasn't just spiritual, it was sublime. Well thepicturepalace live last Thursday went off pretty well and if the great and the good were not there in quite the abundance and profusion hoped for (something to do with billionaire yachties and the Americas Cup was occurring elsewhere in the city) then the ones that were at least seemed to enjoy it. You never can tell with these things when or whether they will bear fruit but we live in hope (metaphorically speaking that is, I live in Bere Alston, Hope is actually in Derbyshire). Anyway a phone snap of thepicturepalace stall (sans moi as I took the picture) is above. Hopefully there'll be a comprehensive report and some video on the Working Links website shortly.
As an aside to last Thursday and something I often come across, is it only artists that people feel obliged to admit their ignorance to before they pay them a compliment? The number of comments I get prefaced with 'I don't know anything about art' followed by 'but I like this' must be running into the hundreds. I know art's subjective (that's largely the point of it) but do musicians get this, playwrights, authors? I mean, I'd happily tell Terry Pratchett that I think he's brilliant or Martin Amis that I think his books are toss but at least I'd feel able to contextualise the argument and not need to apologise to either of them (especially not Amis, I really do think ...). OK, rantlet over. One contact I made at the event and who I'm very happy to plug here is Karen who runs www.classic-costume.co.uk So if you're looking for something for the forthcoming Plymouth Pirate Day http://www.facebook.com/plymouthpirates suddenly come over all Lizzie & D'Arcy or need to get your hands on a farthingale get in touch with Karen to get kitted out (no, I can't remember what a farthingale is, look it up). And finally your bonus picture for the day, is the still from 'The Demi Paradise' that is going be my next painting.It will also probably be the most challenging (and I was worried about ballsing up the 'Tawny Pipit'). In case it's a bit dark to see properly I shall describe the action. Night-time in a formal English garden, searchlights in the distance attempt to pick out enemy aircraft as they bomb the nearby shipyard. In the centre of the picture a cellist plays to encourage nightingales to sing for the benefit of the wireless audience who are listening to a live broadcast. And if that sounds unbelievable, well it almost happened that way. Beatrice Harrison, the cellist who appears in the film, had made a number of BBC broadcasts of 'duets' with nightingales from her own garden ever since 1924 and the BBC were back there recording (this time without Beatrice) in 1942. And the air raid? The recording actually captures allied planes flying overhead on the way to a bombing mission over Germany (which in the middle of a live broadcast would have been a bit of a giveaway). http://musicandnature.publicradio.org/features/#nightingales By which, thankfully, I don't mean Christmas (but remember, original artworks make unique gifts!) but the Working Links thepicturepalace live event, for which I shall be up bright and early tomorrow morning. The venue is the Mills Bakery building in Royal William Yard http://bit.ly/egEUl1. Kick off is 10.30 and I'll be around until 3 ish when things wind down. Part of the days events is the Working Links bus tour of Plymouth start up businesses http://www.workinglinks.co.uk/media_centre/latest_news/080411_entrepreneur_bus.aspx so if you're in the city tomorrow look out for it (I shall maintain a tactful silence over the use of the Cameron copyrighted phrase, 'Big Society' in that article).
I'll be showing a number of 'The Demi Paradise' works and will take a strictly limited amount of 7" x 5" prints of some of the completed paintings to hand out to likely looking punters as well as the usual postcards and business cards etc. So, I hope to see you tomorrow, why not make a day of it and look in at Martin Bush's gallery while you're there http://www.martinbush.co.uk/ And finally ... you may remember in the last but one post on this blog that I was nervous about actually getting on and starting the 'Tawny Pipit' painting. Well, 'tis done, dusted and finished and doesn't look at all bad, though I say so myself. In fact it would probably be forming the centrepiece of tomorrow's activities if it weren't for the fact that I've run out acrylic varnish and can't get anymore in time. So for the moment you'll have to make do with it being reproduced here in all its B & W glory, unless that is you come along tomorrow and manage to cadge a print from me (and you'd better be quick, I've only made 10). I know, two blog posts in three days after a period of relative silence, well bear with me because this one's actually good news. Following November's event (which you may remember got me into the papers http://bit.ly/9y4Vr6) Working Links (http://www.workinglinks.co.uk/default.aspx) are holding a showcase for some of the business start-ups that they've been involved with and I've been invited to take part. It will be held in the Royal William Yard (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_William_Victualling_Yard) in the Mills Bakery building next Thursday 14th April from 10.30 - 15.00. I'm planning on taking along a few of the completed 'Demi-Paradise' pictures and also 'Ask a Policeman' (because, after all I've already bought the T shirt). I am told that the 'great and the good' will be in attendance so I'm hoping that even if they've forgotten their chequebooks on the day maybe they'll mention me to their even greater even better friends and I may possibly get some work out of it (come on, one of you must know Nick Serota?). There should be good coverage in the local media so keep an eye out for me in the papers and on the telly.
Accompanying the show will be a video featuring all the participants and so tomorrow I embark for deepest Devonport to be interviewed on camera. At some point the finished result should appear on the interweb (even if I have to upload it myself) and I'll be sure to post a link when it does. And finally, I've recently joined Rise Art (http://www.riseart.com/), a web site dedicated to promoting up and coming artists. Uniquely you thepicturepalace-loving public can also be involved by voting for particular artists and their work to be featured on the home page and have professionally published editions made of their work. My page is here http://www.riseart.com/user/dave-evans and you can vote by clicking on the tick icon next to each picture. P.S. While I'm plugging stuff, see that ad for The picture palace facebook page on the right, if you haven't already done so, do me a favour, click on it and 'like' me on facebook, you know it makes sense! Looking for a downbeat title? You can always find something in Eliot, lugubrious bugger! The point of which being, in a roundabout way, so to speak, is that, Spring having sprung notwithstanding, I'm actually a bit pissed off and out of sorts. No particular reason, it's just that the general background aggravation levels of living in the current climate of, whatever the hell the current climate is, seem to have reached the point at which I'd really like to be somewhere else for a month. However, as this month is the one that seems to contain all the personally important dates I can't really just skip it or steer round it but have to plough on through. All of which is neither here nor there as far as anyone else is concerned but just to give you an idea about some of the things that have been exercising me recently here are a few links to stuff that has annoyed me, in no particular order of merit or otherwise.
In New York the judge rules in favour of photographer Patrick Cariou against Richard Prince and the Gagosian gallery. I'm not going to expound on this at any length except to say that Prince and the Gagosian (or at least their lawyers) got what they (mostly) deserve having behaved in an appallingly high-handed way throughout this entire affair. To be honest it would be much easier to get in a lather over this if either Prince or Cariou were more interesting as artists, but they're not. The most interesting work Prince has done in decades are the 'Joke' paintings (and he stole the jokes in them). However, ordering the destruction of the artworks in question sets the kind of precedent that gets you in the history books as a philistine and therefore a bad person, it doesn't help that the judge's name is Batts. http://www.theartnewspaper.com/articles/Patrick-Cariou-wins-copyright-case-against-Richard-Prince-and-Gagosian/23387 Speaking of bats, or stark staring bonkers if you prefer just today we get this http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-12966698 I've always thought of Gaugin as distinctly dodgy but 'evil'? Next thing you know we'll have people claiming Sickert was really Jack the Ripper. Newcastle fans got Gormley's 'Angel of the North' to drape their kit over, Fulham supporters get a gormless Michael Jackson action figure http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-12957319 And from the ridiculous to the genuinely disturbing http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-12954811 That'll do for now I think, I wouldn't want to spoil anyone's mood (and I didn't even mention the CUTS!). So I will leave you with a soothing image from 'Tawny Pipit' http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt0037352/that's going to be my next painting. And just to share the secret, it's also the reason I'm antsy. I've been looking forward to starting this one for weeks now and you know what? I'm scared I'm going to fuck it up. Yep, the artist's equivalent of stage fright, it's a bugger, like I said 'April is ...' Titles are a weird thing when it comes to artwork, some artists use them to provide context for, or a counterpoint to the image, some don't bother with them at all, museum catalogues are full of titles created by curators rather than artists and others seem to think that only 'Untitled#' can convey the full import of their weighty intellect. I've always had a soft spot for Patrick Heron who seems to have enjoyed naming some of his his work after what he was listening to on the radio.
All of which is a roundabout way to getting to point of this post, which is that I've just finished the first pass of a painting that will be called 'The Mind of Man is Bounded Only by the Universe' which you can see at the end of this post. And it's a picture of a scarecrow in a field, didn't see that one coming did you? All of this can be explained by telling you that it's another picture based on the sublime 'Pimpernel Smith' (I have told you how much I love that film haven't I?) and that the title is a quote from Kant used by our hero to identify himself to two prisoners (one of whom, we are told is 'the greatest pianist in the world') he will shortly help to escape and, by the way, he happens to be disguised as a scarecrow at the time. All of which I can doubtless expound upon in a catalogue entry or a note next to the picture when it's exhibited. There is however no guarantee that anyone will bother to read it or take it in, I am therefore reconciled to the fact that some people will consider the title to be a load of pretentious bollocks. To them I say 'feel free to take the 'Friends' approach if you wish and call it 'The One With a Scarecrow in a Field', it's no skin off my nose'. Meanwhile, another plug for The Plymothian's March issue which you can find here http://bit.ly/dWuBPN and in hard copy for free at various fine Plymouth based emporia . All the reactions I've had have been positive so far and it does seem to have driven some new traffic towards this site, although not quite reaching the all time high that happened on Valentine's Day (I have absolutely no idea why I should become so popular then, did I appear in some search engine listing as a good place for last minute gifts? Beats me). News on the Theatre Royal exhibition front is that decisions will be be made in the next few weeks (rather than last week as originally planned) so watch this space for news of that space. And finally ... a plug for Plymtwest 2011 http://plymtwest.org.uk/ happening March 24th all over Plymouth. Nothing to do with me but I'm proud to say that some friends are involved in organising this so buy a ticket, go along, have ball and if you can't make it you can still donate online. Indeed you did. Yes folks I are in print and very handsome I look too. Or at least the work is looking good in a terrific two page article which is all I could have wished for. You can find it online here http://bit.ly/dWuBPN I'm on pp34-35 or pick one up in all its glossy glory from regular stockists in Plymouth. And I'd like to thank Steve Clement - Large for putting it all together and giving me the opportunity in the first place. You can see Steve's work on his own site here http://mydogateart.blogspot.com/ and you've probably even seen it in person when 'Argyle Man' was splashed all over Plymouth's big screen last year.
Well the issue of 'The Plymothian' http://www.theplymothian.co.uk/ featuring yours truly (the last I heard) is at the printers even as we speak and should be out sometime during the next week, fingers crossed. I'll let you know as soon I'm holding one in my hot little hands and you can all rush out and grab one.
In other news I used Wednesday's Outset Plymouth http://www.outsetplymouth.co.uk/ networking event to scope out the mezzanine exhibition space at the Theatre Royal http://www.theatreroyal.com/ The Theatre Royal has agreed to make this space available during British Art Show 7 http://www.britishartshow.co.uk/ for Plymouth Art Fringe http://twitter.com/#!/PAF2011 events and exhibitions. And on Friday I handed in my exhibition proposal to Plymouth Visual Arts Consortium http://www.pvac.org.uk/?page_id=25 Now I just have to wait and see if 'The Demi-Paradise' makes the cut and whether I'm going to be sending out invitations to a private view at the Theatre Royal come the Autumn or a disused space somewhere else. Time will tell but one or the other will happen. Speaking of 'The Demi-Paradise' here's a phone picture of the almost finished 'Colpeper' from 'A Canterbury Tale'. Apologies for taking a while to compose a new blog post but among other things, work has been happening, so lets play catch up for a while before I get to the real news. Firstly smug mode was much in evidence when I managed to mend the PC myself saving a small fortune in the process (£15 for new power supply and a few swear words whilst installing it).
Friday 4th Feb and it was off to the Lord Mayor's parlour for tea! Mary Aspinall is a lovely lady and a fine hostess and seemed to genuinely like the portrait I presented to the City Council at thepicturepalace live! event at the end of last year (see previous blog posts). Either way my generous gift (or act of shameless self promotion, I'm easy) earned me and Diane (who I have promised will never be referred to here as mrspicturepalace) an invitation to tea and a tour of the Council House, which quite frankly blew me away. This has to be one of the finest post-war public interiors in the country and nobody seems to know about it except those who work there. Etched glass screens by John Hutton who is best known for Coventry Cathedral http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Hutton_(artist) striking exotic wood doors and panelling throughout and a Council Chamber with pin-drop perfect acoustics and murals by Hans Tisdall (somebody needs to write a biography or at least a decent wikipedia article about this remarkable artist now!). Tisdall also designed the 'Pheasant Moon' fabric for the huge curtains in the Reception Room http://bit.ly/hmCsao The only downer was that the six Van Dykes previously on display have recently been taken back from their long term by the new Earl of Clarendon who presumably needs them to help with death duties (funny how they're always described as 'death duties' when the aristocracy is involved, 'inheritance tax' must be for the plebs). You can tour the Council House for yourself, details are their website here http://www.plymouth.gov.uk/councilbuilding but don't leave it too long as, along with the Civic Centre it's up for sale and who knows what it might become? All of which is by way of a preamble to announcing that yours truly is shortly going to be the featured artist in the 'Plymothian' magazine. http://theplymothian.co.uk/home.html I'll trumpet the actual publication date loud and clear when I have it confirmed and you can all rush off and pick one one up from your nearest stockist (it's free! take two, pass them around, send one to your rich, art-loving uncle in Australia!) and I wil of course link to the online version from here, facebook, Twitter anywhere else I can plug it without being thrown out for spam. So there you have it, fame at last? |
Dave EvansWork in progress and other stuff that happens. Archives
March 2016
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