Dragonfly

Just a quick post of one of the sculptures from the kayes commission, as i'm just putting things away. Lots of the kids drew or made dragonflies so we had to have one. This one's in bits so a bit flat at the mo but hopefully you get the idea. The wingspan is about eight feet.

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Millenium green open day

Today Roger and I held an open day for anyone interested in the millenium green commission to come and find out more. We had visits from parents and youngsters from Kayes first school, students from my classes at the studio, and also members of the millenium green trust. The response was very positive and I'm looking forward to installing the works in October. Watch this space for regular updates.

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shelley college 2

Some of the paintings from this week's session at Shelley College, made by year 9 students from Shelley and year 8s from Scissett Middle and Kirkburton Middle School. Many thanks to Rebecca Hesmondhalgh at Shelley and all the staff from the middle schools and our two Joe's from the sixth form who helped out too.

There were really too many of these paintings to include and my selection is fairly arbitrary. Enjoy.

Portraits at Shelley College

Now, I'm shattered so haven't cropped any individual pictures to post here tonight.

However I am quite excited about the work I've just been doing so I'll post one pic and explain that these paintings were made by 11-12 year olds from shelley College and it's associated middle schools in a single day's portraiture workshop with myself and a couple of members of staff. The standard was amazing and the kids were very receptive to some difficult concepts and ideas. They also did some drawing exercises and applied themselves wholeheartedly. The resulting self-portraits are very wide ranging in mood and technique- one of the most exciting things I've done for some time. Also very tiring, Good night.

Kayes millenium Green sculptures

Two more days this week making sculptures for Kayes Millenium Green. Roger is still there supporting me and I managed to get a picture of him this time. He's also been making some very valid points about varied scale and other issues, so today I started to make a large dragonfly. I also managed to get a picture of him (Roger- the sweat equity).

I had all sorts of chainsaw problems but we got there in the end and managed to cut four beautiful slender planks that will shape into wings for the body, which I also managed to carve out the basic shape for.

WELL DONE

It's been a weird week- plenty going on and I must get back to updating progress with studio stuff. I've been taking part in a show for Holmfirth Art Week. I'm in a fringe show at the methodist church called 'light without heat'. I sold a painting and immediately bought two beautiful photographs by Chloe Dill. I'd missed them in my look round during the preview, but Rach pointed them out and I was smitten. I might have had them anyway but the sale I had just made it a no-brainer. As I was arranging this with Jules, the exhibition organiser, he explained she couldn't make it to the preview because she was at her high school graduation ball. These are some serious photos for anyone, never mind such a young 'un.

I also demonstrated my clay portraiture at the show and also at the main venue. Perrier award winner and former classmate Daniel Kitson called in after I'd bumped into him in a cafe, and a gentleman spent about half an hour telling me I should make a sculpture of someone like Lady GaGa and then get in touch with her. It's not the first time I've had this kind of advice and it sort of makes sense...

At the Hen's Teeth fringe show in New Mill church (they don't all take place in churches) I bought a small turned oak mallet for Spencer, my three year old son. Here's a video of his very first go with it.