Sending (and receiving) Christmas Cards and Thanks Noah

Cards opened 

Well it's that time of year when we actually get post that's not bills or circulars of some form or another  -Christmas cards every day until 25th December which is nice.

The downside is that I need to send some too - in fact I shouldn't complain it's a whole lot easier than it was for my parents - I've got a spreadsheet and a label maker (for the addresses) and all I need to do is sign the card, perhaps add a one line comment for people I'm in touch with on a regular basis and a bit more for those who I only contact annually.

And more to open

I suppose the deal is that you try and put something of yourself out there and there is some sort of quasi human contact - better than nothing I'm sure.

 
[Look here I am moaning about it 2 years ago.]

Thanks Noah Scalin

Give it a go in 2017

What a nice guy Mr Scalin is - dropped him a line to let him know I'd completed my 365 project and he was kind enough to reply - oh and he's got a new book which could be worth checking out April next year - Called Creative Sprint - look out for it - seems it's an alternative for those who can't manage a year .

To see what the 365 Project is about look here.

Gargoyles - And The (Red) Leap is made

A gargoyle (it will let water out)

And the opposite number

I (and probably most of us) like a bit of  trivial knowledge.



 At  a National Gallery (London) talk last month I learnt that Gargoyles (from the French Gargouille  meaning Throat/Gullet )  should be a  water passing addition, typically on a Gothic style construction - here are a couple deployed ornamental-ly in someone's front garden.

And here are a couple of Dogs.

And The Leap is Made

366 images and 365 of them taken by me (this was the first) - it's at an end now.

This is the image that brings the project to its conclusion and it's hopefully with a smile that we finish (before the next 'idea' gets underway) - I will try and get more interest for what I've done as it's been good (for me) and reckon others too could enjoy  - if you want to have a go get in touch or have a look at Noah Scalin's book.

And I don't think it'll be quiet but a bit less red

And here's the link to a 20 minute video of the whole lot - get yourself a cup of tea and a bit of cake and enjoy ..

Memento Mori Adding details and Red 7

It's that time of year

It's only a couple of weeks or so before Helen and I take up our temporary residency in Bond Street (and a week to the end of my 365 Project).


As well as mounting and framing my photographic prints  I'm trying to put together a sheet about each of the photo's I'm offering for sale  - this triggered partly by the fine details I see at some exhibitions) as opposed to those with nothing) but also as I find more about the subjects and reflect on the results.

A page about the picture

First is my own personal capture of a shop window's Memento Mori - this is a really rich area and encompasses one of my favourite Paintings at London's National Gallery  by Holbein (The Younger) The Ambassadors and the subject of Noah Scalin's own 365 Project .

I rather like this one - will others?

Red 7

Happy Birthday Debbie- what better way to mark it than with a 'red' gift.

.. oh yes, The Present's a Gift.

The end of BEAT 2016 Red 43

Sunday saw the last day of the first BEAT and if the stories coming in were to be believed the project was a success   with high numbers of visitors and these visitors signalling appreciation - what was great (for me) was the chance to talk and explain - and listen.

Visitors from many backgrounds 

Having displayed and hosted a 'Pop-up' shop I was able to begin to put into action the messages I'd been getting and as well as wanting to know the stories behind what I was doing the people I encountered  clearly 'voted' for affordable mounted prints  - this means bigger volumes to get the same turnover  but with lower cost of stock  it's not an issue for me.

A starting point for conversation

It'd certainly be a mistake to not make every effort to offer the  visitors a chance to buy in a form  they wish to.



It was pleasing  to find people interested in how I'd used Noah Scalin's 'model' to get myself taking more photo's too and several people took a picture of the book for reference (and a gift idea).

Mandie gets to look at some of the work

Thanks for visitors who stopped and exchanged ideas, for those who left comments and of course those who bought.


We also (collectively, all four of us showing at OPEN Ealing) thank Mandie Wilde  (who has been so busy in Ealing) the driving force behind the Orchard Cafe for her support and patience - my see you in 2017 raised a wry smile.

Red 43

So the most worthwhile visitors (in a way) are children but they're also the most demanding and their expectations are stimulation a little short of over stimulation- one young visitor (with another transport themed Red) brought along a  toy truck.

It had spent quite a bit of time in his mouth 

The BEAT's second weekend starts and Red 45

Orchard Cafe W13

A good start to the second BEAT weekend with friends and pupils of the various artsists showing at Orchard Café popping in to see what was doing.


Particularly impressive to see Dr Timothy Layden's students who were a credit to their school most  charming and interested in the experience.

John Kaye had returning visitors buying more of his work and I must say I was taken with this 'On the Beach' figure.

On the Beach by John Kaye

I'm enjoying talking about my exhibits especially my 365 (or 366) Project

The Noah Scalin  idea intrigued visitors

And yesterday I had a piece of luck with this  'red' project too...

Red 45

I was lucky enough to meet Beniko Sutoh yesterday when she stopped by at the Orchard Cafe to look at the works on show.

Beniko explained to me that her name means a type of Red, a vermillion (beni) Child (ko), she is named after a flower her sister's name is based on another colour (indigo) - her clothing is red too.

 紅子 (Beniko) was another visitor for the BEAT weekend 

Van Gogh, Reading and Red 90

A couple of  radio programmes you might like to catch up with - on BBC Radio 4

The first reminded me of the horror of some of the worst parts of modern office life (The curse of Open Plan) - the subject that this majors on in noise and it really did make me think of what we do to  battery chickens -


The other  was  the reading of Van Gogh's Ear - The True Story, Rebecca Front who read has got a lovely voice and it works so well in this context.

Vincent Van Gogh -He pretty much had this for his 'logo'

I know many people decry the 'legend' around the story of the tortured artist personified by Vincent and point out how he was far from starving and was for some time bankrolled by his brother Theo - but listening to this what comes over is that there's something incredibly sad about the man and his life (which he ended himself at the age of only 37) .

Reading

So sometime to spare  yesterday and I actually read/re-read  bits of two books that were on my mind.

First giving me a chance to reflect on what Noah Scalin documents in his 365 Creativity Journal - how it makes your memory work so well and the second .

Some of us love manifestos

The other book which I'm musing on is about creating a book - and it's called Self Publish Be Happy - it's a sort of manifesto. I had not realised until I looked properly at the book what a seminal figure in the self publishing' roll of honour'Ed Ruscha (a favourite of mine)  is his 'disputed' book on Gasoline Stations  Twentysix Gasoline Stations by Ruscha.

This book was at first rejected by the US library  of Congress  as not being a 'book'  but is now considered  effectively the bullet from the  stating pistol for the phenomenon of   the self publishing books by artists.

Red 90

The 'god of red things' was smiling on me for sure - on the way home from the Bond Street Pop Up and what  should I see, abandoned?  - Dunno if it was 'nicked' but sitting on nearby bus shelter seat this little melange..

It looks like it means something but I'm not sure what that 'something'  is.

Problem solvers or experimenters and Red 101

I was thinking that it's rather  interesting to consider how we classify ourselves in a fairly binary manner

Some problem solving  should not be treated as  an Experiment

When I studied Horticulture a few years back one of the girls studying was generally very involved and (as were most of us) focused on 'being there'  - she had very much the idea (and used the phrase) that it was an 'experiment 'of  the various endeavours involved  - to me this reeks of positivity and adventure - great qualities.

In our darker moments perhaps we have something more serious and then it's more about solving a problem (like how do I put food on the table?).

Both worthy ways to confront bits of our lives but to be an experimenter (and Explorer) is often fun .

Keri's book

Noah Scalin changed my life

And talking about experiments (which over the last 250 days or so have sometimes been about problem solving) ...

A 365 name-check

Looking back at my Blog I found that the first mention of the 'Creativity'  project  in October 2013 and the idea of a Red theme in February last year - started in earnest last November and it feels like I'm in sight of the finishing tape (And there's hopefully a  bit of a metamorphosis taking place too).

So rather great to be in touch with book's author Noah Scalin and to get a namecheck on the excellent blog he runs.


You can see the latest iteration with some ambient music (called Light Awash by Kevin MacLeod)  of the experiment below - more to come!




[if you're interested in the meme of Creativity check out John Bradford's Blog]

Red 101

Just when you need it..

The other day (while wearing my Vinopolis T shirt) I was stopped in the King's Road (not a euphemism) and offered a free sample - and told to not drink it hopefully it wasn't..

a) Because I looked in need of it as someone with terrible skin

or

b) Someone who might drink it

Another unexpected donation from the 'Gods' 

Leap Year and 139 Red

I know there are other projects that involve applying oneself to a daily task for a year - I'm involved in one (now) and have actually decided to go one better and the working title (currently) is Leap Year.

A book that feels like it says it

all in just the title

I do ask myself is it about doing something every day or is it about Red? 

A metaphor that might reappear

Part of my inspiration was from Noah Scalin's book but I also recall artist  Nick Pearson talking about how he took the discipline of a task  and sent and changed postcards for a year.


I seem to recall a book I've seen about something similar (any one else know the story?) and on a gallery visit a couple of years back  we looked at an artist who went out every day to produce something.


So looking forward to how I will explain  my 'Leap Year' endeavour I've looked around and tried to find the initial person who started such things - let me know?


There are of course plenty of photo projects in this mould - like this one..

And here's a design one that predates the publication of the Scalin book (which was 2010 I think)

Keep your eyes open

Oddly when you hear about and start your own Diary/Project it feels like an easy thing to do but as with a marathon there are various barriers one goes through the half way mark is psychologically a big one (and is well behind me now) but the two thirds mark feels as though I'll never get there.

I would say that like so much stuff it happens when you start doing it and it (probably) means something can be explained in retrospect- more to come!

[Does anyone have an e-mail or postal address for Cildo Campos Meireles who made a work around Red that the Tate has?- do please let me know]

139 Red

A nice and very simple design attached to  London cocktail bar

Hardly the Horse and Groom

Help with Creativity and Red 237

At Tate Britain yesterday and (not too surprisingly I suppose) Creativity was a topic for conversation - In fact the idea that Creativity comes from nothing is rejected by many who consider how new directions and impulses surface.

A wide topic

Some figures that I think of in connection with this topic are:

Brian Eno (here talking at length about process, art and more)
Austin Kleon (A sharing advocate, wise beyond his years read both of his 2 books, so-far)
Keri Smith - (a favourite as well as a groundbreaker for young and old)
Noah Scalin (I'm still evoking his 365 journal)

It was a visit that took in a second traversal of Artist & Empire, its a large impressive 'wrap' of the cultural impact, by nature incomplete and controversial- let's face it we're still very much living with the consequences.

For me much of the 'Art' was not of my own taste and there was much that might fit into the British Museum but the story requires a certain type of content - the final room works well as a conclusion to the exhibition showing how the culture is now coming back to the 'Motherland'.

What it says on the label

Red 237

And of course talking of Noah Scalin..

Sadly -Not for everyone but nevertheless red

Post Office Red and Politics 2015

some little time back I had a bit of a brain wave that I'd make a book/project along the lines of the Noah Scalin '365 A Daily Creativity Journal'  for me I'd have  a different red object every day - I haven't managed to impose the necessary self discipline on myself to get beyond about 20 random shots so far.
On taking a walk today I was reminded of the idea and why I chose 'red' - it can be a joyous colour  - and a freshly painted post box has something more than the sum of a tin of paint and a tired looking piece of street furniture.

Post office Red

Hey don't forget about me

Pre permanent employment I used to work in my school and university holidays at TPI (Technical Panel Industries) in Braintee Essex, Technical Panels was the term used to describe seamless GRP coated plywood panels used for the side panels, tops and doors for various lorries and vans.

It was a good experience for me and I remember well the importance for TPI  of winning the contract for the Post office fleet and how the colour was 'Post Office' red -strangely looking on the internet (as with so much) there seems to be many different versions of what I thought a standard.

I also recall that the red of Coca- Cola can not be satisfactorily reproduced on television displays (as yet).

Politics 2015 

Well done to Green Party Leader Natalie Bennett for not being overly precious and apologising for her recent poor media performance it is worth crediting her for this, I find it hard to imagine David Cameron doing a similar thing- it reflects well on her.

Interesting to see that Sir Malcolm Rifkind has decided his position as M.P.  and Chair of an important Westminster Security committee  is untenable and he has  decided to leave his safe Tory seat at the next election - I have some sympathy for him but he behaved foolishly and compounded the errors he made by acting with what looked like a superior attitude and no contrition.

Caught a very short glimpse of BBC 2 Commons programme, this reflected well on Zac Goldsmith who gives the impression of being that rare creature a Tory politician   who is an independent thinker unfettered by overwhelming ambition - his instinct to pursue his desire to see MPs subject to recall by their constituents is a good one and the MP supporters who got behind it in the Commons are to be applauded .

365 day project!

Noah Scalin who wrote the 365 book

3 great books arrived last week (actually 4 but more about that later)
Number One is a short Zen book
Number Two is Leonard Cohen's The Favourite game
and
Number Three is A daily Creativity Journal (make something every day and change your life) - I'll start that tomorrow in some form.
There's quite a history of these sort of methods to unblock creativity including Brian Eno's Oblique Strategies and this type of work also reminds of what Joe Orton and his partner Ken Halliwell did in  creating  a kind collage from books they misappropriated from Camden Library.
The project by Tom Phillips - Humument is also worth of note.
Phillips who is still alive was a student of the famous (and favourite of Tom Davies) Frank Auerbach, Auberach will have a long overdue retrospective at Tate Britain in January 2015.
Interestingly Auberach was a teacher to Brian Eno.

Through the letterbox recently (2)