A miscellany of images in my studio……

Stuck on the same shelf with Death and the Maiden…argh!!!

A Box of Fetishes

Spidey’s world of animals…

Three female deities etc

Ozzy, George, me ‘n  Andrea, Preview night of All About Drawing exhibition at Cross Street Gallery

‘Zippy the Weevil’

I like insects, however, the vine weevil is not an insect to be tolerated unless it’s made from wool and felt!

I bought the wool at New Mills during the Arts Festival earlier this year. It’s hand spun from a ram named Zippy and perfect for the weevil’s carapace and snout. I’ve just heard it’s been accepted for display in the Knitted Curiosities Exhibition at Hazelhurst Studios, Runcorn in March 2015.

A sneaky preview of recent drawings, some of which will be in the ‘all about drawing’ exhibition, private view this Friday 28th November from 7-9pm at Cross Street Gallery,Cross Street,  Standish WN6 OHQ

These very recent drawings are an addition to the textile female deities I been making and will form part of a future exhibition exploring the Ethnographic Model in contemporary art.

Female Deity  pen and ink

Female deity, seated  pen and ink

Female deity  pen and ink

Recently made contact with A6Dialogue and will be putting my mixed media piece ‘Cache’ into this exhibition.

‘Cache’ was recently critiqued on the Point+Line website

This is a wonderful, very strong example of good contemporary art. I admire work that can touch on an important and serious issue, one that makes you think, but does it with beauty, humour and appropriate materials. The combination of the past use of the case and it’s relationship to war and conflict along with the association of luggage and travel is perfect. The use of avocado seeds, perhaps a practical one, brings to mind the migrant workers from poor southern countries where this plant is often grown and their longing to escape to the more affluent West. The pin heads strategically placed evoke emotions that those who have not undertaken such a perilous journey can only begin to understand. This work is reminiscent of Antony Gormley’s Field for the British Isles, which when I first saw it packed into a small room at the British Museum I wasn’t sure if I wanted to laugh or cry.

A taste of what I’ve been up to recently….

Small objects of devotion…

Amulets for the 21st century,

Amulet A – lead lined, graphite covered box with mobile phone, Hindu deity sticker, ‘protective’ crystal.

Amulet B – wooden box, mobile phone, Hindu deity sticker, St Bernadette snow-dome, holy water.

‘Mixed Media’ a work in progress

‘Holier Than Thou’ work in progress

Female deities….and more to come…

Red Amulets – amuletic bling!

Halloween plastic crap and a cast from a plastic insert (looks like a deity to me) painted gold ready to be added to my ‘Wands for Freyr’ – see below..

‘Wands for Freyr’