Kawaii !

Juggling zombies, cowboys, organising things and doing traditional gallery art is usually achievable, they need different bits of my brain so I comparmentalise & flit from one to the other. To take the being 'spread too thin' metaphor a bit further, there is a level of superficiality, not enough meat on the bones ( or sandwich in the spread analogy, except a veggie meat substitute, in fact theres often nothing to go on the sandwiches around here at all...but thats a different story ). Sometimes winging it is no longer enough. In an ideal world an artist could go into the garret and play for an unspecified time, obsessing, immersing and going a bit bonkers in a particular direction until finally Ta Da! out of all those sketches, scribbles, angst and absinthe sessions appears a glorious canvas of divine eternal beauty. Meanwhile back to reality, when I ran a pottery, it was always a case of needing to feed the children so getting those 20 mugs done by Friday. That work ethos has continued now I'm playing at visual arts, deadline? friday, sure, bish bash bosh. Run out of inspiration? sure I'll just go hug a tree & have a rummage in my brain ...and there it is again.

Sometimes more is required though. Bish bash bosh is simply not appropriate for Mr Vysotsky & Mr Beavitt.

The first impromptu outing of Art and Songs together as Tommy sings 'Lyricale' and 'who'll come hunting the wolf' at The Greenhouse, Dingwall this Saturday. It was awesome!

 Interpreting these Russian songs needs me to dig rather deeper, down in the mental art mines, past the chip on the shoulder, the ancient defenses, that pile of rubbish left over from art college... there over there in the corner!

So what is Kitsch?  I would probably define it as badly made, mass produced, cheesy tat. Or corny sentimental over prettified amateur Art. Imagine my fury at the Art college principal when doing a walk past the lowly studios, saw my sculptural ceramic forms, which combined iconography, wombs, feminist themes, child birth, the highland landscape and figures, visceral pregnant birthing figures- he described this as 'delightfully kitsch'!  I dismissed this as art snobbery chauvinist buffoonery. But in my subsequent search for an accessible art form could I have slipped into kitsch? In my refusal to play with the darker nasty side of life, and to try and create things of beauty, light, happy thoughts, have I become too twee? Wiki describes Kitsch as being over sentimental. People love my cute characters and pretty scenes,I try & have a darker undertone, the monsters are always off camera. Life is a mixture of the good and bad, but lets just focus on the nice stuff is what I try to say. Does that make it appear over sentimental?  Someone close to me suffering a lot of illness and trauma used to draw twisted schrieking demonic doodles, but to me she was following the dark side rather than fighting it. So how to create positive images without slipping into sparkly kittens and childlike angels? I'm working on it.

The lady from 'Lyricale' goes too disney princess... version 2 in progress.

Aberdeen Art Adventure

I had a couple of days away last week to hang an exhibition in Aberdeen. I can back so regenerated and inspired, ready to write mighty blogs of art waffle, but there is literally never any time to keep up with things at the moment, despite staying up until 3am etc. However I shall briefly attempt to back track.

I went with Lynn Bennett-MacKenzie to hang an exhibition of both our work in the Weatherford offices in Aberdeen, which is a three floor space curated by Gwen Black. It was a brilliant experience for many reasons, getting together with like minded Artist women, having time out and talking art, drinking silly cocktails & planning an art revolution, seeing galleries, hanging work & learning off the expert Gwen some tricks in hanging work, getting an insight into the alien world of the office building, and seeing tonnes of ART.

Gwen is also involved with the Aberdeen Art society which currently has an exhibition in Aberdeen Art Gallery. Now when I hear art society, I tend to imagine a backbiting clique of hobbyist painters painting twee little chocolate box landscapes, or for the bigger societies possibly a backbiting clique of professional artists splodging colour about in the preordained style of one of the colleges/schools. cynical and jaded? apologies. I've never been to Aberdeen Art Gallery, on the ground floor is some big name contemporary art, good stuff ( Alison Wyatt, Jenny Saville, Clive Barker ) and some emperors new clothes pretentious childish rubbish ( Damien Hirst ). We only had time to zap in one of the other main rooms upstairs with some victorian work which blows me away & brings a lump to the throat, so wonderful to see these pictures much loved from well thumbed books in their original form. Dante Rossetti, John Waterhouse. wonderful.

But back to the Aberdeen arts society exhibition, what a surprise! a good surprise! really fresh strong work, narrative work, decorative, figurative, portraits, textiles, illustrative, all the things I usually only see on the outside in 'urban art' , friends work or withing the comic/ illustration communities. So inspiring to see work that is cross 'genre' expressive, works on many layers, very much of its time & place, a real Scottish theme, but utterly contemporary. wonderful to see applied arts being shown seamlessly alongside visual arts without collapsing into 'craft' or trying to be something it is not. 

Definitely go and see it, there is plenty for non-artists there too, accessible and at the same time clever. fresh. We also popped in at the Fochabers 'Just Art' gallery on the way back which had a textile inspired show on, also a lot of very exciting work.

Its made me realise how much I let my work get squashed and shrunk by letting all the reductive labelling and definitions get to me. Working in isolation with only the internet for company its hard to take that leap of faith in ones own work  ( time constraints aside! ). It was very exciting for me to see what looks like a whole movement/ push towards work with content/ meaning, work that says something beyond the name of its creator.

Anyway I'll not waffle on as I'm desperate to clear the desk & get creating again!

The Weatherford Offices are not a public building but if you want a viewing contact me & i'll arrange it. 

Wildfires

This is an ART blog, but my art doesn't pay, so how do I pay the bills? Firefighting ( which in the retained service only pays 10% a normal salary ), this is my bread & rather sooty butter. Most artists been something to supplement the income. Ideally Art and 'Bread & Butter' would be distinct & seperate, but I find mine all collides in a mix of multi coloured hats. The last two months that balance as all been on the side of activity, action, travel, doing, working out there in the world of people and politics. I'm badly craving time to reflect, create, consolidate. The recent dry spell has stopped that, with wildfires every minute I've not been away. No time to blog many adventures. Hope to catch up shortly!
heres one of my photos used on BBC.

Heres some paintings I've done in previous years

'Fire Fighter'

This painting is 80cm x 120 cm , acrylic on canvas.
Its why I haven't got any other artwork done, why I haven't slept much, eaten a decent meal, tidied the house, blogged or sat down in the last two weeks.
Its for the BP National portrait award. from the outset I figured I was punching way above my weight entering this, i deliberately announced and told everyone I was entering it, so there was no backing out. I'd hoped to get the work done with enough time to make sure I'd done my best... but life gets in the way and here I am at the last possible minute exhausted and frazzled. Deadlines and Self-Doubt, torture & torment, but where would artists be without them?
It's got to that stage when I have no idea what I'm looking at, what needs changing, whether its a disaster or brilliant ( more likely the former ). My goal is to be selected for the exhibition. If I'm not, well I hope that my Model is pleased with what I've done and that the picture will help promote women in the Fire service and the values of strong working women. We can be strong and feminine too. I hope the picture says a little of that.

No rest of the wicked though- Its started snowing heavily and I've got to get this submitted to Coatbridge near Glasgow tomorrow, in a van thats about to breathe its last any mile now.....

'Don't look Down'

Not many art blogs at the moment. I'm a little snowed under with teaching, support work, comic strips and the big portrait project. All the time my own art itches away below the surface, that characters carry on adventuring where I draw them or not. Last week a whole pack of wolves were nipping at the heels of the lady, she didn't seem to mind as she was distracted, was it the ship in the distance or something in the sky?

Any way as it was my Birthday yesterday indulgent treats were on the cards, So i put the worky work aside for the evening & let a squiggly picture out. I used paint to try & add some colour & texture to speed the process up with not too great results. The white ink I've got some horrible things near other ink or water. My new Birthday Rotring isograph pens are fantastic, but my pentel brush pen is not behaving ...

I had a crazy discussion & theological debate this week, on top of watching a lovely Russian film about atonement - this set me looking up various myths, stories and the roots of certain archetypal figures. The grim reaper type figures across various cultures was interesting, and there was some Sufi ideas about the tree of life and leaves on the tree withering and dying 40 days before a persons death. All of which may seem far removed from the above picture, but its all in there- plus being another year older!

Traditional Tales

this is quite big, ink on paper. disappointed in how it turned out, but its prompted a head searching in how to achieve the effect I want, loose stylized spontaneous decorative crisp lines. When i get a minute I'll play with different inks again and if it comes to it, investigate making my own textured version of 'scraper board'.

This picture is about a story my storyteller friend told during a recent visit. These traditional tales are so strange and primal, scary, non linear, something beyond what we understand or expect from modern narratives. I think to capture them in an illustration form requires a more intuitive non-linear approach, not sure how yet. But even though i consider this picture a fail, I gained a better understanding of the primal metaphors within the story while doing it. I'll not tell the tale, a) i couldnt do it justice b) its gruesome !

2010 Review - part 2

So I said in yesterdays Blog that I'd write up about the Russia trip today.
I also realise that yesterdays was a bit glass half empty despite it being an incredible year. I think things are awfie complex, if I painted A, A sells so I paint B and C, C sells > that would make sense. But what seems to happen is I paint A, D , F & G, and then theres a demand for X, Y, Z and Q happens. however I think somehow it must all connect.

I started blogging as a motivation to keep producing art, instead here I am pontificating, so I'm going to drink my tea, make it quick & go clear out the gloomy messy studio.

Russia?
My friend Lynn Bennett Mackenzie was invited to an international Art symposium in Yelabuga, Russia, the organisers suggested she traveled with a fellow artist who fitted the bill. The bill was the theme of 'Breath of the Epic' I leapt at the chance. I have blogged at length about this, check out August / September 2010.
It opened up a whole new world of artistic possibility for us. We got tonnes of press coverage, out there we were treated like royalty. We were repeatedly told that Artists are a gift from god. Now it feels like a dream, of course it was an idealised bubble, If i moved over there to live, the fairy tale would soon blend into the same reality I have here... or would it ? to taste such a fairy tale is a strange thing, a life changing thing. I hunger for more, how to reproduce the same here? We were shown that anything is possible, that we need not be confined to our conventional roles, defined by the 'market'. But UK life very quickly puts us back in our boxes, labeled, packaged and cramped on a dusty metaphor. I like the international perspective. I like the core values that seem to exist outside UK plc. I like being free. I like painting what I want. I need to hang onto the Russian Fairy tale and hope, pray, dream for similar adventures this year.

now to reality.. have I got enough money to order a light bulb for my studio?

New Years resolutions ? yup plenty. I hope all of you have a wonderful year & can find some magic and wonder amid the toil. Keep in touch, give me your feedback, ideas, inspiration, keep creating.. and of course BUY MY WARES!

2010 Review - part 1

When it comes to New Year I like to do a wee round up of the previous year in order to help me gain focus for the year ahead- Like business planning but since my business is art and art is me, it's a sort of life review I suppose. So forgive me the indulgence fair readers. 2010 was one heck of a year. I live very much in the present, the darkness of winter clouds my objectivity, I forget where I have been, the road ahead is indistinct in the fogs and snows of December. So I skim blogs, diary's, calenders to remind myself... what happened?

What became immediately apparent was that yes, 2010 was an incredible year, a roller coaster, giddying life changing adventures. What however is rather strange and almost depressing is that none of these adventures were planned, predictable, inevitable or even a direct result of my actions ( or were they ? ). If stuff just happens, what can I do to make it happen? where do I go from here? I can't just sit and wait for stuff to happen, but most of the things which drove me in 2010 didn't actually produce any results- instead the wonderful thing happen themselves. You see my dilemma? Its all a bit too philosophical for an active, practical, driven, goal setting, realist, person like me.

I was the PR person on an arts committee, this resulted in some great friends, and a lot of anger and frustration, I resigned when the year was up. Shaking my head about committees, art cliques and petty politics. I like results, I'm no-ones 'yes wo/man'

I painted lots, kitch Scottish, traditional landscape, fantasy, figurative, impressionistic, all sorts. sold embarrassingly little. a couple of commissions, some prints a few cards. Just no Market or Money in the North.

I exhibited in most of the areas Galleries, Open Exhibitions, joint Exhibitions, an Exhibition at Inverness Airport. I didn't bother with many craft fairs & producers days until the winter and cash starved desperation kicked in, I took £5 at the last one, and that was a good day. They really are a waste of time.

Workshops are good, I did recycled things at the eco-housing expo, comics workshops, willow sculpting, , recycled mini comics, space rockets, science inspired super heroes with Gary Erskine. around 15 in all, these are fun and I actually get paid. Every year these differ, its all funding dependent.

I ran a community arts group voluntarily all year. This Autumn I also got paid to run a proper painting course by the West Highland College- there was a lot of prep work for the wage but its still a wage, and the students were great.

Myself & Rich ran a successful Hi-Ex Comic convention in Inverness in March, we managed to raise money for Children 1st and actually break even this year, 600 folks attended. However with our work loads and the lack of funding we took the sad decision to cancel the 2011 event. In Retrospect this was bad because I've been bored and climbing the walls this winter- But good because lots of other events have sprung up for 2011 across the UK meaning the guests and funding will be spread even thinner.

I passed my ECDL ( computer basic certificate ). Got shortlisted for a Fire service award of achievement type thing ( free bar & night in a hotel ). We ran a fundraising car wash for Haiti. We played extras in a horror film. I dressed as Rosa Klebb for my Brothers 40th Bond theme party. Designed an arts trail leaflet for area. Designed amenities for a community woodland project. Sold my studio workshop ( wouldn't even buy a new garden shed with price I got ). Produced a 4.5 metre long interpretative exterior mosaic. Ran the community November Fireworks display with my Fire colleagues. There was a book launch for my first fully illustrated Children's book. I learnt not all organisations treat professionals in a professional manner. I resigned from such a one.

My youngest daughter left home, went abroad, came back, went away again...

Thrills> Flying lesson for my Birthday. Pearl Jam in Belfast. Eddie Vedder sent me a Polaroid picture of him with one of my paintings I'd sent in for a competition. I cried, he is my hero, They provide the sound track.

We has a few days holiday in the summer in Northern Ireland visiting Rich's family & seeing the Antrim coast with friends. We did Bristol Comic Expo. Leeds Thought Bubble festival. Octocon Sci-Fi festival in Dublin. I traveled about a bit doing Fire brigade Union things, I am now the womens and retained Rep for Highlands. This is all good. I rant about the revolution a lot, but with public sector cuts from the Coalition Government its no laughing manner. I would happily do a whole load more politics stuff, as long as it feels like its useful & i'm contributing something, somewhere.

I worked on the colours of a brilliant Graphic Novel called 'Slaughtermans Creed'- watch this space. I got an illustration In John Freeman's 'Sci-Fi Art Now' Book ( go buy a copy its jam packed with great art ! ). I pitched & produced sample work for other stuff that's come to naught yet. a page here of colouring an illustration there published bits and bobs. Such is the unpaid labour of freelance.

How can I pay the bills then? My Fire brigade work, the retainer fee is something like 1/6 of a salary, but it keeps me afloat, I've lived my life & raised three children under austerity measures, we always get by. I also got temporary promotion to Acting Crew Manager, so am working hard to keep that! Its a wee bit extra money & masses more responsibility but I enjoy the challenge.

Then there was Russia. I'll write more of this tomorrow. Russia was huge, it hurts my brain thinking about it, I left a chunk of my heart out there in Tatarstan skies, red Russian sun. how can 2011 top that ?

tomorrow > making sense of it all, Russia & What next ?!

Highland-Russian artwork in RSJournal

I haven't had time to blog for a wee bit, have been too busy battling the logistics of surviving Ice and Snow bound Britain. Our house is cold and drafty, so Its hard work staying warm and functioning at -15C outdoors. My van needs replacing and refuses to start in the cold. Every meeting class, or project I've had on since November has been cancelled or postponed, the post hasn't been arriving, Christmas in short has been impossible to organise. But those of you in the UK already know all this as you are in the same boat.

Meanwhile;

The very lovely people at the Ross Shire journal put this article in about the Highland Russian  Connection charity with my artwork I did for a Christmas card design for them. Our artwork will be ( hopefully! ) wining its way to Siberia this weekend, I wish Elena and her family a safe journey & good luck getting there !

mini interview with artist Lynn Bennett-MacKenzie

Artist Lynn Bennett-Mackenzie lives and works on her Croft in Gairloch with its wide open vistas and Sandy beaches, contrasting to the rocky inlets on my part of the North West of Scotland.
I first met Lynn at an artists networking event, back in the good old days when there was funding for the arts.
I was instantly struck by how unique and different her work was, bright and refreshing. While most of the other highland artists seem to concentrate on landscapes, textured, abstracted, primary colours on the east coast, browns and grays for the west, Lynn painted figures, lively joyous mermaids in a lovely loose impulsive style. We got to know each other better through serving on an arts committee and also through social networking, which is a real sanity saver for us creatives who live and work in isolation.


Through the strength and subject matter of her work, Lynn was invited to the Arts symposium in Russia this year. She was kind enough to extend the contact out to her artist friends- I jumped at the chance! and thus we travelled together to Tatarstan for a life changing adventure. See previous blogs for much more about this! It could have been a disaster, imagine all those artists egos clashing? But Lynn's patience and humour in a high pressured environment were magnificent! We west coast mothers just seemed to have the same approach to things. 

I asked Lynn a little about her work which is currently going from strength to strength-


How do you describe your work?

I would describe it as illustrative, emotive, narrative

Do you make a living from your work? do you do other work if so what &
how do you manage the different activities?

As with most artists, it is difficult to make a living from my work, but I supplement it with selling cards & prints, and also offer a picture framing service.  I manage to juggle both pretty well at the moment and one complements the other.

What is your inspiration?

My inspiration comes from many things.  The area in which I live is atmospheric, with legends and tales of the sea and woods.  Also, words, thoughts, people - anything can inspire a picture in my head, but not all ideas make it onto canvas or paper.

What are you working on now?

I am working on a few things, some watercolours, a pen & ink drawing and I have a couple of oil paintings in progress.  I am also working on a project with Shinod Akkara Parambil, an artist who I met online, and then in Russia at an art symposium.  We had discussed doing a joint show months ago,  and then after meeting in Russia decided turn the idea into reality.

In an ideal world what work would you be doing?

I would be working full-time as an artist and travelling to meet artists in other countries.  I would also like to do some sculpture at some point.

What is your biggest frustration as an artist?

I try not to dwell on frustration as it just gets me down, I try to look upon life as a series of lessons, and if something doesn't go the way I want, there is a reason for that and I will find another solution that may end up being better for me in the end!

What is your biggest pleasure in art?

When someone really "gets" my work because I don't always know myself where a work has come from.

Have you a preferred medium ? If so what is it & why?

I work in 3 mediums - oil, pen & ink, and watercolour, and it depends on my mood which is the favourite!  I have also recently begun using charcoal again and really enjoying that!

What or who helped/ or inspired you to become an artist ?

My art teacher Alex Young in Tain Royal Academy.  Up till then I had been discouraged from taking art at exam level, and then when I changed schools, he really encouraged me to take art  further and after 3yrs of school and doing a portfolio, I found myself at art school!

Did you receive any formal art education? If so was it a good or bad experience?

I did a 4 yr BA hons course - I enjoyed college but did struggle sometimes - one tutor in particular really knocked my confidence, but there was another, Frank Convery who really opened my mind to imaginative work.

What sort of hours do you work at your art?

I work full-time with art & framing, but there are times when it really takes over and I have to be in the studio to get the ideas down.

What is your studio space like ?

It is a converted loft space in my home - I am really lucky as it is well lit & north facing.  My only gripe is I would like more upright wall space so I can do some larger works!

What else other than art is important in your life?

My family, friends and keeping positive!

Where can people see of your work?

They can see it online at
 www.lbm-art.moonfruit.com,
 www.lynnbennettmackenzieart.com,
 follow me at twitter - lynnbmackartist.
Physically at Bridge Cottage Gallery, Poolewe, Stepping Stones, Dundonnel, and Inchmore Gallery, Inverness.

End of the Harvest

Mixed media on paper, 44cm 34cm.
This has taken a week or so to do, it got more sombre and wintery as the days went on. It follows on from the pen drawings I did of autumnal woodland maidens previously, but no fox here, no wonder she looks sad. Have to get these to the framers - last week- to have them ready for 2 exhibitions this month. Painting ( 'wrestling with' ) another one tonight. Not sure what happens next, possibly back to the sea and boats, we'll just have to wait & see what comes out.
meanwhile theres a realistic/ representational painting itching to be done now, I wonder how that will come out after doing these swirly/fantasy/imaginative ones.

watch this space.... and don't forget you can order prints direct of my website with paypal now, please fund my need for lentils & chocolate.

quick round up

Latest pictures- drawings on the move & wee tiny paintings when I get a minute.

Started teaching the SVQ course 'painting media and techniques' last week, loads of research and prep work required But I'm confident in these students, there will be some great work by the end of the ten weeks.

Doing a talk in Nairn tonight about my Russian trip, rather nervous & have spent days trying to sort a slide show out! Its been in some of the advertising papers I believe. like here.

Also an Interview with me up today on the Sci-Fi Now Blog. Rant-tastic !

And have booked transport for Leeds Thought Bubble Festival of sequential art, where I'll be doing a workshop on 'Eco Mini-comics' on the Sunday- and catching up with the great & the good the rest of the weekend!

a few more pages to go with 'Slaughtermans Creed' colouring and another colouring job about to start.

Also a couple of exhibitions in November... GO GO GO !

'Assimilating'

'Assimilating'. 50 x 38cm acrylic, ink & watercolour on paper.

Finished at last. This was drawn in the days immediately after Russia when I got the being home blues. some themes that have been around for years, just buried of late. Its all coming out now, more paintings on the go.

Yelabuga- last Day-bell ringing

Sunday 22nd.

Plan was that we’d meet Anna at 10am to have a lie in & pack bags. Lovely Olga also came along to say her goodbyes with all promising to set up face book accounts to keep in touch ( people can be quite dismissive of social networking sites, but without Facebook & twitter I wouldn't have got to Russia, nor now keep in touch with my new friends )


So we headed to a bus stop to head to town outskirts to visit the fire station, and hit a super market en route for journey supplies and vodka to take home ( Russian Vodka is nothing like the vile toilet cleaner we get at home ). Meena wasn’t keen on fire station trip but as it had been dicussed at great length and voted on off we headed, our group dynamic getting frayed on the last day as leaving anxiety rose. At the bus stop Anna got a call from her Boss Gulnara, that the bell ringing ceremony was about to start at Spassky catherdral, the director general would be there and it would be a good opportunity to catch this very busy lady. Gulzada  Rudenko obviously works hard for the international awards that their state preservation area has obtained, the whole town is on the up and its thanks to forward thinking people of integrity like this that the future for Yelabuga looks bright ( especially when we compare to the gloomy pessimism of the UK’s predicted economy over the next 3 years ).

So we crossed thr road and grabbed a minibus back into town 11rubs ( that’s around 19p ), the buses are just 13 seater minibuses, folks sit, stand, sit on knees, sit in the front, and pay the driver on leaving, there was generally banter on all the buses we went on, our being foreigners, having been on the news & in press, or maybe folks are just friendly despite the initial impression of being reserved. A gentleman in a suit told us about how he's fought in WW2 & how wasteful war was, a deaf lady gestured to get her photo taken.

Bell ringing ceremony Spassky cathedral. People sitting on benches, cosack style guys in uniform, hussars? Babushkas in headscarf’s. Bells, musicians, a speaker, flowers, children playing , police in their big hats, ( and heels for the ladies ) and the gorgeous cathedral.

Anna explained that standing near the bells during the ceremony is good for your health, the vibrations of the bells create harmony within the body, you could indeed feel the lower larger bells, it was a beautiful morning.  Apparently Yelabuga used to have a famous bell factory & even produced one that was 15 tonnes. Strangely enough I hadn't known about this when I painted a bell tower under water in one my my pictures. I was thinking about the tales of sunken cities.

The director general came to greet us, with hugs, kisses, handshakes and much warmth, we gave our small gift- which it turns out is something she collects, that’s the Yelabuga effect for you. I can't imagine myself enjoying a UK church ceremony of any denomination- but out here, where Islamic, Christian Orthodox, & pagan folk beliefs all sit together in harmony it was impossible not to feel the effects, it no longer seemed to matter which god, gods or philosophy one believed in or what it was named ( or not ), the sun shone on us all & the music did its work.

We had been joined for the day by Alex and Luda’s son George who was great company and understands a lot more English than we realised! There was always much laughter when Shinod was about, infectious! Dr Prudenko had heard ( everyone hears everything about our antics in this town! )  that we had met the firefighters at the Fair on Saturday and that we had an invitation to the fire station , so she had phoned and officially organised a visit for us .Meena was keen to do more shopping at the fair so we left her to it & caught another mini-bus to the outskirts of town, where the large imposing fire station is> more on this in next blog