In the Violet Hour exhibition at Nayland Rock Hotel.

In the Violet Hour exhibition was part of Turner Contemporary's Journeys with  'The Waste Land' programme and was Curated by Chiara Williams and Shaun Stamp.

It was set in a great location, the faded rooms of a once proud hotel on Margate's seafront, The Nayland Rock Hotel, now Grade II listed.

23 artists used the rooms and spaces in the hotel to explore the voices from TS Eliots, poem The Waste Land. The hotel overlooks on one side, the shelter where Eliot wrote part of his poem when convalescing.

Ruth and I explored the rooms, which displayed installations, photography and  painting and the views from the windows out onto the sea. The peeling wallpaper and plaster in some rooms echoed the fractured quality of Eliot's work and proved to be a good choice of space for the exhibition.

 The exhibition has just finished but Chiara Williams has other events and exhibitions planned. See her website for details

Exhibition. In a Country Far. Far Away, Mile End Pavillion, London

I have a piece in the exhibition In a Country Far Far Away, curated by Katja Rosenberg, at the Mile End Pavillion in London.

The exhibition runs form the 1st to the 17th March.
Link to details here.https://exhibitions.weebly.com/uploads/1/2/5/8/1258901/far_away_art_pav_folded_leaflet.pdf

There is a great programme of activities associated with the exhibition including film, music and drawing.

The theme was to choose and interpret a fairy story or fable from a war torn country. I choose The Calif Stork, a Middle Eastern fairy tale and have made a work in mixed media, using a large paper mache bowl.


The art work, Fragments of Reality is a bowl that has layers of images and painting, using ceramic designs from Persian pottery and other designs where people are turned into birds, such as the willow pattern.

There are painted images of the Calif and his Vizier being turned into storks and a silver moon.


The fragments are a reference to the tragedy of  the breaking of people and culture during war.

Afternoon Tea Works on Paper, online exhibition

I had one of my pieces in Chiara Williams's exhibition, Afternoon Tea   Works on Paper,in her flat overlooking the sea in Margate. The exhibition is part of the Margate Festival which runs till the 6th of August.

Chiara served lovely cakes and tea while folks looked around the exhibition on her walls.

The exhibition has now moved online for a short while and you can view the works here.

http://www.chiarawilliams.com/afternoon-tea.html

Exhibition at Crate. Jemima Brown Figures in a Political Landscape

It was good to pop into Crate exhibition space in Margate over the weekend.
I had been intrigued by publicity for an exhibition called Figures in a Political Landscape, showing 3D sculptures using found materials, so was pleased to be able to call in to see them.

Jemima Brown the artist, was in Crate, using the space as a temporary studio as well as exhibiting her latest work. Website here.http://www.jemimabrown.com/

It was really good to have a conversation that covered things like  making art, politics and moving from London.

Jemima's work in Crate includes her sculptural pieces arranged on tables with art work on the walls.
I enjoyed the humour of the found materials she uses to make the figures, which include things like retro glass vases, pot cleaners and tin foil. This humour and the use of found objects draws you into the subjects and invites conversation.

We talked about her early memories of Greenham Common and how that has been an influence on her thinking and art making around the ideas and depictions of women with a social critique.

Jemima working in Crate

This exhibition looks primarily at Tory woman such as MP's wives, a chance synchronicity given the recent political events, the show was not planned to be open during the election campaign, but apt all the same. Jemima spoke about the importance of understanding your subject matter too. As an artist I understand the need for the integrity that Jemima shows in her work, drawing and painting from documentary sources and her own references.
 We also talked about the importance of gathering work together in order to see the links and relationships between pieces. I find that a problem working from home and not having the space to see work altogether.
Jemima was appreciating that opportunity at Crate to take that time and pay attention to exactly how she would arrange her sculptural figures with her figurative drawings.

The exhibition is on over the weekend 2nd/3rd and 4th of June, 1pm till 6pm or by appointment.
The closing party is on Friday 2nd June 6/9pm.
Crate's website for details    I really recommend a visit to  Jemima's exhibition.

CRATE Studio and Project Space
1 Bilton Square
Margate
CT9 1EE

Winter Cheer exhibition at Bernie's Chocolate Bar

Marion Armstrong hanging her work with Triston looking on.

I have three paintings in the Winter exhibition at Bernie's Chocolate Bar in Margate.

Called Winter Cheer, there are seven artists showing work. Alan Longley, Megan Metcalf, Ruth Le Ber,  Marion Armstrong, Dosh Archer and  Triston Wallace.

Triston Wallace's photographs

The exhibition is on till the end of January. Bernie's facebook page here to check on opening times.

There are photographs, paintings, prints and illustrations on show and cards and prints for sale too.

I am showing three  Buddha head paintings, acrylic on canvas.

Alan Longley's work

Ruth Le Ber's sea themed pictures

Megan Metcalf's illustrations.

As part of out theme on Winter Cheer, we held a Its a Wrap event last Saturday,where we took lots of wrapping materials for people to bring any gifts that they wanted to wrap.

It was a free event with any donations to Thanet Families in Need.

We had fun and some have some donations for the charity too.

Dosh was reusing crisp packets as wrapping.

Some of our wrapping.

Visit to the Seekers Trust

It was good to have some time at the Seekers Trust in Addington recently. The little flats are set in gardens with a wood next door to explore and a large pond. The seekers website here.

I have been going for some years for solitary retreats and creative stays and appreciate the healing chapels and Angelic connections.

Ruth and I went this time, armed with loads of water soluble media and my cameras. I enjoyed drawing with the water soluble crayons, pens, and coloured Inktense crayons.

As well as the woods and rose garden I drew the cherry tree outside our flat and used the spiritual connections and library to draw alchemical notes and Buddhas.

We also went to Aylesford Priory, and I was drawn to all the ancient trees around the site including a huge plane tree and fir at the back of the Priory. Their old barn, now a cafe and shop, was being re thatched, interesting to watch the craftsmen at work.

We came away with some pottery from the Aylesford Pottery founded by David Leach in the 1950's