‘news from the shed’

Over the years I have dabbled with ceramics, through teaching it pupils and at various stages to adults during evening classes. It’s not a medium that I have an infinity with, I struggle with its properties and have at times used it as a medium for small sculptures. Understanding different firing and glazing techniques is an area that as the years have gone past never really got to grips with. Visiting galleries and exhibitions I have recently seen a lot of ceramic work which I must admit does intrigue me, but not the bowls etc but more sculptural approaches. Sitting in our kitchen we have a piece by Eoghan Bridge titled:Rotund Horse and Rider which we acquired (courtesy of the Linda Blackstone Gallery)

Some time ago – well last December, I met an artist Kuldeep Malhi who was also exhibiting in the Sesame Saloon we shared a chat and a drink! I found his work beautiful and again strangely enough it was ceramic. I was facinated by the work, enquired on the techniques used and basically loved the organic and sensual shapes created.

here’s an example:

Blush

Blush was a direct influence from early Indian sculpture especially the Eleventh Century temples of central India, their sculptures and carvings which display explicit erotic imagery are astoundingly beautiful, they charm and seduce. They are bold yet sensitive, fantastic yet poetic, demonstrating the intimate relationship between sculpture and architecture; sensations and qualities that are reflected in the work of Kuldeep Malhi.Dimensions for these pieces range from 6cm to 27cm. Each piece is fixed to the wall with a screw and can be removed easily. There are 15 pieces in each set, the number of pieces in a set can be increased or reduced through negotiation and priced accordingly. Currently all Kuldeep Malhi’s wall installations are slip cast earthenware. Different colour ranges are available on all works.

Searching around as you do, I hit upon these ceramic pieces, which has sparked off my creative juices: formulating a new body of work based upon a piece a produced last year – ‘its all …….’ (acrylic on canvas)

where one piece will be ceramic based (will need to sharpen up my firing and glazing skills, or alternatively do a collaborative piece with Kuldeep, if he is agreeable!) More on this new body of work in a future post….

back to the plot!

The ceramic pieces that I came across are very different from the normal ceramics you see and apart from the comic book theme – batman, I find the concept and final outcome exciting. Any thoughts?

artwork by Shigeki Hayashi ( some incredible stuff)

well, I thought I might as well post another painting as I’m on a roll! part of the funny portraits series…
work in progress, first drafting of Payne’s grey, using 000 brush – no wonder I now have to wear glasses!

working title: Wince
50 x 50cm

must be the sea air I inhaled earlier this week…. but started this painting; it’s one of those that comes from no where but has a significance with the location and the times spent there (Seaton, Devon)

Still a bit to do on it – early stages

working title: C

size 20cm x 20cm

well, having been away soaking up the sand, sea and saltwater (didn’t get much time for any of that!) I have returned and locked myself away in the ‘shed’ to continue with the painting.
Currently working on 5 pieces as I have to wait for the paint to dry!!
Some go with current projects – funny portraits, some just appear from no where and the Adidas one is the starting point for a series of paintings as previously posted.
Applying the second coat I changed the tone slightly, giving it a slightly more yellow/lime hue, after that had dried, I looked again and have mixed a sharper hue using lemon yellow and (now in fear of saying this!) fluorescent yellow. The effect just gives the basic lime green an edge and pulls it up from the canvas. Anyhow, time and third layer will tell.

P.S. just thought I’d mention – well done to Jafabrit for her exhibition, looks great and I hope you will gain success from it.

spending a little bit of time on the painting, decided to go for a lime green, like the contrast with the black and the fresh look it will hopefully give. Noticed after working on it that I may need to increase the size of the brush that I am using to get a flatter surface. Although on reflection, I do like the marks that are left on the canvas, the movement created, I have in the past always left them so I don’t think that will change, also, as I paint arse about face – paint the background after painting the image it does give the surface of the canvas a texture. Haven’t worked out the colours for the three bands (Adidas) and the text/placement on the canvas.
post: quick photo of work in progress (taken in half light on the decking!!)

following the collapse of the intended signing, I have been working out what to do with the painting…. have come up with an idea….. just finalising it today (over a pint!) to sort out logistics and other things! have created a blog site to monitor its progress.
With post with full intentions in the next day or two, depending on my forthcoming short travels.

Advertising Does Influence Dumb Asshole’s Selection

with a little research its amazing what information you can find!
Adidas acronyms,
All Day I Dream About Soccer
All Day I Dream About Shoes
After Dinner I Do A Shit
All Day I Dream About Streaking
All Day I Dream About Stereos
All Day I Dream About Sea
All Day I Dream About Studies
After Dinner I Drink A Shot
All Day I Dream About Salvation
After Dinner I Did A Shit

for those who maybe interested/ trainspotter types amongst us! Adidas (established 1920) This leading global producer of sports footwear, equipment, and leisure wear is widely recognized by its trefoil logo, launched in 1972, the more geometric performance logo introduced in 1991, as well as the three stripes that run across many of its products. However the company’s origins were modest, with the first handmade training shoe being made by the company’s German founder Adolf (‘Adi’) Dassler in the family home in 1920. The company’s first shoemaking factory was established in 1927 and Adidas shoes were seen at the Olympic Games in Amsterdam in the following year. Tennis shoes were added to the range in the early 1930s and a second factory opened in 1938. However, it was confiscated by the Nazis in the following year and taken over by the US army after the end of the Second World War. Although Adi Dassler quarrelled with his brother Rudolf, who went on to create the Puma brand in 1948, the Adidas company developed a strong presence in the post-war years with effective publicity campaigns. Its products were successfully promoted at succeeding football World Cup competitions and Olympic Games, including those at Melbourne in 1956, Rome in 1960, and Tokyo in 1964, where a significant percentage of athletes wore Adidas shoes. The company began manufacturing in France and, in the early 1960s, began to diversify into the production of footballs (1961) and tracksuits (1962), the first tracksuits with the characteristic three stripes being marketed in 1964. The company was also concerned to innovate, producing a number of key designs such as the Achille jogging shoe (1968), the revolutionary Torsion sole system (1998), and the Predator (1995). Association of the company’s products with leading sporting figures continued to be a key part of its marketing strategy. Both Mohamed Ali and Joe Frazier wore Adidas boots for their world heavyweight boxing bout in 1971, the German World Cup football champions all wore Adidas products in 1990, and the French World Cup winning team of 1998 was also sponsored by the company. In the early 1990s the company was radically restructured, in 1997 taking over the French Salomon Group, a leading manufacturer of winter sports equipment. The company’s success is highly visible today in the large number of people around the world who carry its logo on leisure wear, sporting goods, and equipment, whether or not they are highly active participants in such activities.

Some of us may remember this logo from our teenage days. I used to own several pairs of football boots, trainers and kit bags with this image festooned across them. I recently bought a pair of ‘sambas’ and practically live in them. Maybe its because I hanker after those days when I was youthful (probably more like fitter!) and wearing them releases past experiences – scoring a try for the school, carrying a white holdall as carried by the Dexys Midnight runners or just bumping around in them, who knows. But as time moves on so do we, but we can always try to revisit them: friends reunited has proved that. As with time, things change – looking at the new image/styling of the Adidas logo its lacks heart and it does leave me cold,

So where does all this fit in with my painting?

Working on a small project about items that evoke a personal response I intend to complete a series of 6 paintings which reflect different stages in my life.

As a school kid, we often heard the phrase “all day I dream about sex” with reference to Adidas and many other connotations (which i cant think of at the moment), it always stuck in the depths of my mind and seeing Adidas sports wear always make me think of that time and saying.

Returning to a larger canvas than the ones I have recently being working on I have started painting the afore mentioned painting; size 100 x 75cm

First stage – marking out in paynes grey (again image not brilliant – taken at night in shed!)