Zumtor Pavillion at the Serpentine

I went to this a while ago, in our glorious summer!, there was a terrential rain storm whilst I was on my way there (I got absolutely soaked).  It was worth it though, it was such a beautiful place.

Here are some of the photos I took.  The garden was amazing, so tranquil. The planting was by Piet Oudolf, if you don't know his work he is well worth checking out if you like natural planting. I went a bit crazy with the zoom, but am quite happy with the results.

Ghosts of Gone Birds

I have a piece of work in this amazing exhibition Ghosts of Gone Birds.  It is all about highlighting the alarming rate that birds are becoming extinct.  Over 100 artists, musicians and writers were approached to make pieces for the exhibition.  The selection  is amazing with the likes of Margaret Atwood, Sir Peter Blake, Adam Brigland, Abigail Brown, Ralph Steadman, Polly Morgan, Billy Childish, Rob Ryan and Su Blackwell involved, I feel very honoured to be included. You can find more information here

And a sneak a peak at the piece I have made, it is of the Great and Lesser Koa Finch, from Hawaii.

Questions, Questions, Questions - How long do they take?

Detail of We are lost somewhere - hand cut map

Exhibiting at Origin is a great opportunity to chat to people and get feedback on your work.

People ask a lot of questions and I thought it would be interesting to start a series of posts where I answer some of the most common ones.

The first question and I think the most common, not just for me but other artists as well.

How long does it take to make the work?

This is a difficult question to answer because I don't really know, but that is not really a satisfactory answer.  Time is not really something I think about when making work, I work on something until its finished, that could be 2 hours, 2 weeks or 2 years.  Some pieces resolve themselves quickly and some have to be worked on then left for a while and returned to.  There can be a space of months or even years before some pieces are finally completed.  I also don't time myself when I work, I always think that it would be a good idea but once I start working I forget, because I become so involved in the work time passes without me noticing. 

It would nice to have a neat and tidy answer to this question but making work is not really a neat and tidy process, well not for me anyway!

I would be interested to know if you have any questions you would like me to answer about my work.

Ai Wei Wei

I found these photos on my camera and realised I had forgotten all about them.  They were taken at the Ai Wei Wei exhibition at the Lisson Gallery, ages ago.  It was a great exhibition but I really loved these dipped pots, the colours were amazing.

I did say I had a lot of posts to be catching up on!

Origin 2011 - Final Verdict

I made it through Origin for another year and here are some photos of my stand.  It's a great thing to do and its great to meet all the artists and makers and all the amazing people that come to visit.  But I'm glad its over and I can get back to my studio I have lots of amazing things coming up this Autumn so have lots to be getting on with. And lots of blog posts to catch up on.

All packed up and ready to go

The stand before

Installation in progress

More progress

My 2 hard working helpers!

The finished stand

The finished stand part 2

A flock of birds

One final view of the finished stand