Making Art, Getting it Out There, Marketing, Evaluating and Living

Deep Space Moolog 17 Sep - 12 Nov 2016, 20-21 Visual Arts Centre photo by Jules Lister

It’s six months since my last blog post and in that period so much has happened: I made a new website, finished making the work for Deep Space Moolog, installed the show, had a Celebration Event, presented an Artist Talk, met and chatted to various visitors to the show, ran a day of drop-in kids workshops for almost 100 children, made a presentation to a group of to Fine Art Foundation Students, took the show down and packed the work away. 

Most recently I have completed editing a 6 min. video interview (which I think fairly concisely explains how I drew on the disparate influences of Neolithic cave drawings, vintage sci-fi and Time Travel to make my immersive walk through installation - Deep Space Moolog).

I am now continuing to publicise this body of work as I am still on the look out for a second venue to move it on to.

That’s the ‘in a nutshell’ version of my 2016 and Deep Space Moolog, so now onto some more detail and highlights.

Everyone knows that artists need to have staying power, don’t they? I mean it is common knowledge that things don't just happen overnight isn’t it? My method is to just keep on going (no matter if at times the pace does seem slow) and keep making the work that I feel compelled to make. A friend said to me recently that I must make what I make because I want people to like it. No absolutely not! I’m certainly not trying to please anyone; if other people connect with my work, well that’s a plus … a big plus.

A young visitor to the show. Photo by Kirsty E Smith

Someone else recently said, ‘Well of course it’s common knowledge that artists have other (day) jobs’. As it turns out in the middle of making the work for Deep Space Moolog I had more than one big change in my life and one of them was leaving my full time day job without a new one to go to. I’m not complaining; just mentioning that artists are people with lives outside of their studios too.

Kirsty E Smith presenting her Artist Talk at 20-21 Visual Arts Centre Photo by Dominic Ewan

Anyway, back to Deep Space Moolog……
Making the new beings for the show was a real pleasure. I had so much fun and it just reaffirmed my love of making in 3D and working in a playful way while not worrying about a pre-determined outcome. What I mean is that I don’t work by designing first; rather I experiment with materials, spend time with them and wait to see what form suggests itself. Next I work out how on earth to make it; I love pondering on construction problems and when working with unconventional materials, repurposed objects and ‘scrap’ then this is often a challenge.

Charmaine in the making Photo Kirsty E Smith

But as Susan Simpson mentioned in her mini review blog post about the show each of these new beings was ‘pet sized’ so actually I felt that construction challenges were on a manageable scale.

I’d always planned to have a translucent curtained walkway for the installation and I had included costs of having fabric digitally printed in my Arts Council funding application. I have to say I was absolutely delighted with the quality of the 20m long by 240cm deep digitally printed curtain (great work Dominion Print). I enjoyed making the digital collage even though the file was so huge that it nearly killed my computer. By the time that I had ramped up the saturation and layered elements of the partially made beings and line drawings (that I was also using for the animated sections of the film) onto photographs of the Cresswell Crags cave walls it all looked pretty zingy. 

Taken in the late afternoon winter light- this was the best time of day to appreciate the curtained backdrop. Photo by Kirsty E Smith

Making the 7 minute film for the show was happening at the same time as making the beings and backdrop; I like having variety in my work and I need a balance of sitting at computer and working in a more physical way. The video editing tuition from Dominic Ewan was invaluable. He was great to work with; listening to my ideas as they evolved and taking things at a pace that didn’t overwhelm me. Building my video editing skills was a key part of my Arts Council funding application and I feel that I succeeded in this. Sound became significant element of the video and through my editing I feel that I succeeded in pulling together my thoughts on Ancient Astronaut Theory with the 40,000 year old cave drawings found at Creswell Crags. It was a wonderful moment of synchronicity when I discovered that the voice that I’d heard on so many of the Radio360 podcasts (that I was listening to while working in the studio) was that of Alan Watts and I also later discovered how well known Erich Von Daniken was when I spent time in the gallery and had lively conversations with people who remembered the significance of his writings and films on Ancient Astronaut Theory.
 The celebration event took place a month into the 8 week show and I am so grateful that I took heed of the motto of successful people. Don’t wait until you can do things perfectly; don’t let the desire for perfection hold you back. So it was decided (at the last minute) to video the talk and stream it live as a Facebook Live video. Wow that was easy and it certainly enabled viewers around the world (UK, France, USA and Australia in particular) to get a flavour of my work.

Some of my favourite advice from marketing icon Paul Arden

The next major job to be done was the evaluation of the show. Completing the ACE evaluation form was actually really good because it allowed me to recall and re-live all the enthusiastic responses, the curious questions and even the giggles that I had heard from visitors. I reread comments in the gallery visitor book and edited photos both mine, friends and professional ones. (And as I type this I’ve received notification this morning that the final instalment of the funding has been paid into my account. Thanks Arts Council England and Wales)

Of course as I my marketing ‘machine’ trundles on I really do need to get back into the studio and let loose some fresh creative ideas.

Special thanks to:
-Dominic Mason and the team at 20-21 Visual Arts Centre. If you get a chance to work with them do!
-Joanne Lee for her mentoring and essay A Transmission from Deep Space Moolog
-Dominic Ewan for his all round support and video editing teaching skills
-Martin Currie for his surprise interview
and of course
-Everyone who came to the show 

View from the security camera. Photo by Kirsty E Smith

Giving my CV a Boost by Exhibiting alongside van Gogh at the New Art Gallery Walsall

How far will an artist go to get his or her work exhibited in the right place? What is the right place?

Will saying that I have exhibited alongside a priceless van Gogh drawing in a top UK gallery actually affect how my art is seen? Will it make curators take me more seriously?

Ania Bas was artist in Residence at The New Art Gallery Walsall during the summer of 2009.
There is an interview between her and Helen Jones Exhibitions Curator in the Dec 2009/Jan2010 issue of Artist Newsletter magazine. In it Ania says,

“I call what I do collaborative art. When asked what it means I say that I am working with people, not with canvas”.

The Artists’ CV Boost event took place on Saturday 5th December. It was part of The Weekend Supplement and was just one of the outcomes of Ania’s residency.

Various alternative gallery tours also took place during the weekend of 4-6 Dec. Tours such as; Speed Tours (the whole gallery in 15 minutes), Tours where the public found out more about the Gallery Attendants and tours where the focus was on the view out of the various Gallery Windows. These unusual tour ideas had all been suggested in the course of various conversations (over cups of tea and home baked cakes) that Ania had with hundreds of visitors and all types of staff at the gallery (attendants, curators, technicians and cleaners) during her summer residency.

This excerpt from the Weekend Supplement Brochure explains more about the Artists' CV Boost,

“During my time at the gallery I met a lot of artists. We talked about how difficult it is to show work in good company and how very few artists get to exhibit in great gallery spaces, such as the one we were sitting in.We started talking about solutions; ways that the process of showing work could be more democratic and truly open to everybody. The artists I talked to did not moan, instead, they wanted to do something about it! This is how the Artists CV Boost idea came to life. It is a chance for 24 artists to show their work next to a van Gogh drawing for exactly one minute and instantly improve their CVs. There is no guarantee of fame, recognition or an instant job/commission offer. There is however, hope that showing next to van Gogh will raise questions about explored themes, the quality of the finish and the impact works have on each other when positioned in such close proximity. A minute long exhibition versus the reproductive abilities of the digital picture.”

I jumped at the chance to be part of this project. I happen to live less than 10 miles away but more importantly I really love this gallery, admire the quality of exhibitions and events that take place there and would like to be more involved with it.

I am a great admirer of the work of Nina Saunders and first saw her installation Making Love to Flowers in 1998 when it was exhibited in the old art gallery in Walsall. It has since been shown in the window of the new Gallery.

When the gallery first opened almost 10 years ago I was excited by an early piece by Laura Ford. I felt so inspired by the audio interview with Laura talking about her memories of growing up in a fairground family and of playing in the empty zoo enclosures on her grandfather's farm (it was an old disused Zoo).

"Beast" by Laura Ford is exhibited in the Children's Centre of the New Art Gallery Walsall.

The Artists' CV Boost Event was fun for me. I met other artists, many of whom had travelled up from London for the event but much more importantly it helped me to feel another step closer to exhibiting in a gallery which I have grown to love and which regularly hosts shows by artists who really are movers and shakers in the contemporary art world.

The piece that I decided to exhibit alongside van Gogh’s "Sorrow" is a piece called "Flight". I made it back in 2002 and chose it simply as it is one of the few pieces of 2D art that I have made. Ania had stipulated that all artworks had to be able to hang on one nail.

For "Flight" I assembled Airfix model aeroplanes and then painted them with selected butterfly and moth markings. A very meticulous and time consuming piece of art. But I get such a lot of pleasure from opening the case (which I also made) and inhaling deeply. The smell of the varnish takes me straight back to the day that my dad made a farm set for my brother. The glue and varnish smell is etched in my memory. A Frillip Moolog moment?

On reflection I think that a more symbolic piece might have been this self portrait. An even older piece but one which would have had much more meaning when placed alongside "Sorrow".

My self-portrait was one of several made during a period of recovery after a serious accident and period of depression. This might be the piece that would have interested van Gogh too?

Thanks to Ania Bas and Helen Jones for thinking outside the box and for facilitating an event which has stimulated much more food for thought than I first expected.

This is the photograph that I used to make my self portrait. Images were printed (through muslin) onto watercolour paper. I used colour photocopies and lighter fluid to release the inks.

The Frillip Moolog beings' adventure with Richard Slee at the MIMA art market

Despite a very busy week and the 316 mile round trip I decided that I wanted to be part of Richard Slee’s MIMA Art Market Adventure. Yes I’m a sucker for an adventure! I’ve admired Richard Slee’s work for several years now. I saw his work on show when he won the 2001 Jerwood Applied Arts Prize. I had already fallen in love with “Evil One” one of his pieces that was part of The Uncanny Room exhibition at PM Gallery in 2002.

Evil One by Richard Slee

I have a strong interest in things uncanny and a few years ago had included Evil One in my selection for one of my degree projects on curating. I also included Penellessa by Bruno Munari, one of my heroes. I love the way that her name is a combination of the Italian words "princess and "pencil" ( not princess and brush).

Penellessa; Bruno Munari

Another all time favourite of mine this absolutely perfect piece by Yurgen Bey.

I could go on and on but I won’t!

Last week while at the Harley Gallery I saw some of Richard’s work which is in the “Age of Experience” exhibition. This was work made during a period where Richard did not have access to his usual ceramic studio facilities and so is made using found objects and more importantly for me brushes (Russell and Bristle are two of my beings who make use of radiator brushes and salvaged chimney sweeps brushes respectively). I like his piece called Jurassic where he has melted the bristles of a multi-coloured brush and hidden some small plastic dinasaurs in the bristle "forest". But truthfully I think that I prefer his pieces where there is still an element of ceramics. This trowel with supremely long fringing is perfect for me.

So what exactly happened at MIMA last weekend?

There were 80 stalls for artists exhibiting or selling work that had a connection to the theme of “Ornament is Crime” (… or not). There were quite a range of stalls including a lovely cake stall where just buying one of their ornate cakes was a memorable occasion. It was run by Arcadea and in their own words, " We all had a great time and shared info about our work with lots of people we would never usually have reached. Good old cakes - a bridge to the future . . .?"

There was also a section called “Ornament Tales”. In my application to take part in the event I talked about the tales of the objects and fabrics that I source and use to make the Frillip Moolog beings. I explained how the narrative is important to me and how it continues even when the object/ornament has been re-appropriated into a piece of art.

By taking part in The Ornament is Crime Art Market Adventure I had the perfect opportunity to validate my claim that people engage with the beings and that they do find that they have strong and engaging personalities.

I took four of the beings Cyril, Chubby Blue, Penny and Boris.
We set out our stall and waited for the Great British public to arrive!

People completing their answers for our Frillip Moolog competition.

My son Dominic and I had a whale of a time. We were ready for an adventure. The stalls were the absolute basic market stalls dressed up only with our handwritten signs. Our stall was only metres from the fantastic while walled galleries of the beautiful MIMA building.

We were outside, not in, but the beings didn’t mind. They were too busy with admirers engaging with them asking about them, touching them, smiling and then best of all, entering our competition.

The competition comprised of four questions about their favourite being: why it was their favourite, where they would go on holiday and what they’d do while on holiday, their hobby and lastly what the being’s favourite TV programme was.

Once I made it clear that there was no correct answer, we were away! Imaginations were let loose, there were brows furrowed with concentration and giggles at their own answers. There were also texts and phone calls made to get friends over to the Frillip Moolog stall. “Get over here it’s the best”.

These people all "got it". They understood the idea of Frillip Moolog.

Alex Pearl is pictured bottom left in this photo. His own art is driven by many questions around our relationships with ornaments.

As my mission in life is: “To encourage and nurture imagination and creativity in a fun and enthusiastic way”, I was really happy with the competition. I (finally) decided on 3 winners.

I like the simplicity, surreal but at the same time very logical answer, that Cyril’s hobby is Hopping: Harrison Braithwaite

I love the fact that Penny’s favourite TV programme is Doctor Finlay’s Case book (original programme): Don Chesney

I love all of the answers that Alex Freeman Dunn gave for Boris. His holiday would be to retreat to his hunting lodge in Scotland and he likes to go on marching parades. His hobby is horse riding and his favourite TV programme is Black Adder.

The prize? A glossy A4 print of their chosen being.

Because the other answers are so worthwhile you can read them all here.

Solomon with his drawing of a Frillip Moolog being. He used one of my pieces of "quality" scrap as inspiration for this being's head.

I can safely say that I felt that there was quite a buzz coming from our stall during the Ornament is Crime Art Fair Adventure.

People were wearing their Frillip Moolog stickers with pride, the beings got a day out to the North East, I got to meet Richard Slee and finally, I took part in his ornament exchange.

Notice I cheated. I really didn’t fancy any of the ornaments (and had forgotten to bring one to swap) so I swapped this tool (as used to make Float) for another non-ornament; a MIMA mug commemorating the day. Perfect!

And Now it's Off to Work

Madeleine had her studio shots done and is now modelling on my listing on http://www.creative-cin.co.uk/. This is a great website and in less than 24hours I had a response to my listing on it. It runs smoothly, is easy to upload to and is recognised as a first stop site for information on anything creative, especially in Derbyshire. I have two listings on it. One for Frillip Moolog

http://www.creative-cin.co.uk/memberprofile.php?id=1049

and one for AllSensesArt

http://www.creative-cin.co.uk/memberprofile.php?id=1051