Friday 17 May 2013

Through time and distance

It is Friday afternoon and I'm taking a short break from preparing for my newest exhibition, Through time and distance, which is a two-person show with Megan Chapman. Megan has ten new paintings in her half of the gallery, while I have ten of my Worlds Apart series in mine, fresh from storage.

Part of my part of Through time and distance,
mid preparations
All of our paintings are now hung and are more or less ready to show. Megan and I, together with Cross Street Arts director Steven Heaton are now making all the other final preparations. Megan is putting the finishing touches to her statement and I should be printing out and cutting our wall labels. Downstairs, Steven has sorted out the nibbles and made sure the gallery is clean and ready for visitors.

With four and a half hours to go until opening, we're well ahead of schedule and far enough away from it not to be nervous yet. Without those nerves, I'm looking forward to getting a chance to talk about my work with interested strangers.

Wish me luck!


Through time and distance
Cross Street Arts
114-116 The Standish Centre, Standish, WN6 0HQ
17 May – 14 June

Friday 10 May 2013

Re-awakening

Er-hm. Hi. Hello. Um, is this on? Ah. Right. So… art. Right.

I started a painting this week. No, seriously, I did. It wasn't exactly what I had planned, nonetheless I made art and that is to be celebrated (I'm told). Yes? Yes. Good.

Elsewhere are is out in the real world, where it ought to be.

Never better
Mixed media on postcard, 10x15cm
A few days ago, The Rock Trust's 2013 postcard exhibition opened, which has two pieces by me in it. All the proceeds from the event, which is an auction, go to the charity and with the very central location of the gallery in Edinburgh, there is no excuse for missing it. You don't want to miss seeing the only two new paintings I've finished this year (so far)!

Tomorrow night, far away across the Atlantic and over half of the North American continent, Megan Chapman and my joint paintings will be going on show at the lovely Boswell Mourot Fine Arts in Little Rock. The show is titled Arkansas artists and their works, which worryingly seems to imply that I have become adopted by that arboreal state. (Eek!) I'd very much like to be there to see it, especially since some of the pieces will be having their commercial gallery debut! If you're out and about in central Arkansas this month, please stop by and let me know how it looks.

Lastly, a week from today, I will be joining Megan at the opening of our two-person show Through time and distance at Cross Street Arts in Greater Manchester (which is confusingly Up North, while being down south from where I live). Megan is hard at work putting the finishing touches to her new pieces, while I am going to be bringing most of my Worlds Apart series out of storage for a whole new audience! I can't wait to see how they look together. I hope to see you there!