I had seen a few posts come up on Face Book about #artchain but wasn't really sure what it was about. Then I was nominated by a couple of friends. As I am quite distant from my own work and very busy with other work and life at the moment I felt fearful of having to perform and post my stuff when I didn't really feel like it. But I also wanted to do it for my friends and because I thought maybe it would be good for me.
The basic rules for #artchain seem to be you post three pictures a day for five days of your work on Face Book with the hash tag #artchain in the title somehow and nominate someone else each day. Everyone does it their own way and for different reasons but basically its about sharing.
I decided do a mini retrospective of my journey so far as an artist and went right back to my student days and I ended up enjoying myself and I feel like putting the whole #artchain thing on here so it's all in one place.
So here it is
Day 1 #artchain I
have been nominate by two artist friends to do #artchain
Thank
you Suzy Sharpe and Tamsen Flack. Sorry I have taken a while getting
around to it. I have to post 3 photos of my work for 5 days and
nominate a new artist every day. Not sure I can nominate anyone as I
don't know many artists and the ones I do know seem to have done it
already. Anyway I thought I'd go back a bit and have a look at my
degree and post graduate work. So day 1 is from
Kinston Polytechnic 1986. My degree show. Big stuff in steel and
bronze.
Day 2 #artchain
a few years on, some things from my post graduate show at the Royal
Academy of Arts
1990
- lovely latex!
Day
3
#artchain
- so my art was smaller and
more private for the next 15 years or so. Busy moving to Cornwall,
getting married, working full time for Cornwall Wildlife Trust and
having a baby. Just writing, dreaming in sketchbooks and occasionally
painting small things for my friends.
Day
4 #artchain.
2006 onward drawing and writing and making digital collages in
Photoshop. Eventually 2010 had a studio and could start to make
again. I've put a 1990 latex piece along side a 2006 digital collage
and finally a 2011 resin piece. Things are different and the same.
Day
5 #artchain.
I was always outdoors naming the plants and the birds as a child but
I got lost in London. It wasn't the best place for me. Now having
lived in Cornwall and worked for Cornwall Wildlife Trust for more
than twenty years I have re-linked with my roots, my curiosity and
awe of the natural world and my being an artist. Now it's Me,
Cornwall and the sea.
Not sure what happens now because I am still overwhelmed with life and work and still not making or drawing but it's helped me see that it's OK to stop and do other things. I am not a career artist. I just do what I love doing and sometimes that is making art and sometimes that is swimming and walking and enjoying being with my friends and family. When I feel good about things I will share and when I need to keep quiet I will keep quiet.
Labels: #artchain, Cornwall, Cornwall Wildlife Trust, fish, latex, print, sculpture, sea, sketch book, steel