Thoughts on Visual Poems
I've been thinking about the Visual Poems and in particular the Small Objects of Desire piece I've just completed. I'm really liking the series - I think it's because the layering has two effects: it allows new connections between objects or colours or shapes in the picture to be made by the viewer, and it encourages extended viewing (to make these connections). The way people interact with information is increasingly modelled on web viewing - simultaneous, short-term, content driven, particulated, distracted. It takes a while for the "whole picture" to emerge. I think these Visual Poems have an appeal because they are in tune with web browsing but also have a sense of overview, of completeness, the web doesn't have.New Artwork: Hopeless About Dates (visual poem)
East Finchley Open House Weekends
The two weekends went very well - I got a lot of very positive feedback from visitors/buyers about the work, including some new directions to consider. I'm planning to spend 3-4 days per week on alternate weeks on the visual poems (starting the Small objects of Desire series) and drawings around the current work (the Last Supper picture). My drawing portfolio is in need of both a selection of colour pastels works and more group work. The aim is to get sufficient work to create a book and to hold a sole exhibition next year.Presentation to Muswell Hill Photographic Society
Last night I made a presentation to the MHPS on "Memory and Transformation". I decided to talk in part about the Trans>Form show that the East Finchley Open did in March this year, in part about my Visual Poem work. Part of the presentation was a "deconstruction" of a particular visual poem - Not Possible Since - showing the process by which I create a Visual Poem work. I think the integration of memory into the process for these pieces is central to the way they work - it was great to get such interesting questions on the work, answering them is what helps me understand what and how I'm doing them.Visit to Claremont School - June 2010
As part of Big Art Week, Barnet (London) worked with us in the East Finchley Open to place artists from our group into local schools. I went to Claremont Primary and spent a very enjoyable afternoon working with 20 Year 3 (3A) children (and a couple of Year 5 boys). I had given the Art Coordinator - Jennifer Taylor - some prep work to do, getting the children to photograph their favourite place around the school. Jennifer then scaled these photos up to A3 on a photocopier (B&W). We worked together with the theme of "Journey Memory" - each of the children made a picture of their journey into school. I enjoyed the visit and Jennifer will be putting my name forward as a possible mural organiser for a wall in their playground. I addded some images to my gallery here, so she can see some of themural work I've done before.New image: In a Child's Eye - Visual Poem
Memory work - Small Objects of Desire project
Memory works
Other sorts of work I've done on Memory are: longitudinal study, took a year, one photo per day, one step at a time, down the road outside my house; recording the reflections, in empty shop fronts, of the street life outside; drawings from memory of people and their relationships. I will put some images of these up soon.First uploads May 2010
So ... put some of my visual poem work online here. These are photographic prints (on C-Type metallic paper), so they have a lustrous, irridescent surface in keeping with the material. Mounted on aluminium, battenned off the wall, they are beautiful objects in themselves, as well as being open to interpretation by viewers. They generate a lot of conversations when I show them - much more than my observational images.Opening Statement
Been looking for a place to sell my images through. This looks like it could be the place, if I can work out how to adjust the style of the layout a bit.
