A City of Two Tales

PICASSO: PEACE AND FREEDOM and THIS IS SCULPTURE, Tate Liverpool

The Picasso exhibition was a Picasso exhibition. Wonderful, but seen it all before.

What captured me instead was Rineke Dijkstra's video work done with local children in response to the Picasso's work, in particular, I See a Woman Crying. They are asked to discuss the female figure in the painting and think about her story. What follows is an animated and excitable conversation amongst the youths, as they bounce ideas off one another about what could have happened to make the lady in front of them so incredibly sad. These children see a person, not a painting, for whom they clearly feel deep compassion and whom they want to help. I sit captivated, as wild stories develop and the children bravely speak out amongst their piers, leaning on each other for support and encouragement.

When do we loose this?

Dijkstra's second video, Ruth Drawing Picasso, is pure simple genius. I watch as young Ruth concentrates like never before, biting her bottom lip and just occasionally glancing up to see what her friends are doing, trying to her best possible version of Picasso's painting. As I listen to the pencil gently scratching the paper beneath it, the room literally fills with Ruth's nerves.

She is so scared of getting wrong.

She proudly signs her artwork on completion.

Both videos demonstrate a raw human interaction with art and its is exciting to see. Especially after witnessing the passive adult consumption throughout the rest of the exhibition.

As hoards of people traipsed through the galleries above, umming and ahhing at the framed pieces of history, I remained the only person watching Dijkstra's films, contemporary art at its best, the next generation.

We're Dancing in the Sky

STAIRWELL PROJECT, Richard Wright, Dean Gallery, Edinburgh.

This is what I mean, no one looks up. Even I didn't this time. It takes there being a 'work of art' up there to notice the light, the architecture, the sky, the windows. This is the masterpiece of the gallery. The marks are like thousands of little birds flying around our heads.

Not only do his tiny little flowers bring the traditional architecture of the stairwell into a contemporary artistic context, they emote a historical atmosphere relating to the buildings' original use as an orphanage. Furthermore, they draw attention to the galleries greatest artwork; the windows and the natural world behind the panes of glass.

Follow the dancing flowers and look what's above.

I watched you for hours.

The Gold Threads of Time

PROMENADE, Suzy MacMurray, Kedleston Hall.

This was a magical exhibition not like any I'd visited before.

Being site specific, it was unique to Kedleston Hall and designed specifically for this space, with the intention of heightening peoples' awareness and encouraging them to engage more with their surroundings, thinking about both its past and present.

On a regular day in Kedleston, visitors would pass through the grand hall, perhaps absorbing the framed artwork on the walls, the many sculptures so precisely placed and the lavish chandeliers suspended from the sky high ceilings above. Few would consider the space itself as art, nor would they ponder the original use for the room.

The whole building was built as a show palace, and ladies would literally promenade through the marble hall exhibiting their current fashions to the onlookers. MacMurray in particular considers a magnificent peacock dress worn by lady Curzon in 1903. It was embroidered by Indian craftsmen with metal thread and jewels on gold thread, so that it would glisten in a room lit by electricity. MacMurrays' magical gold thread emulates this by shining at differing points as the sun moves through the day and its rays beam through the grand window at the foot of the hall.

MacMurrays' installation captured mine and my friends' imaginations for over an hour, as we discussed how the threads made us feel. Transported, trapped, elated, mesmerised and involved, were all words that repeatedly cropped up. Katie was captivated by the ways in which the threads crossed over one another, like yarns of time and generations all working together in harmony.

Promenade succeeded in in contributing to an existing work of art. The hall was the cloth, the gold was the thread and MacMurray was the needle. She the creator, the facilitator, the embroidress. She decorated her fabric and made people stop, admire and consider.

I stopped.

Inspiring Music

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N4HG1_WFTUU

Mikayla's Kitchen

It was quite a priviledge being invited into someones' home and trusted to contribute something to the walls of their living environment. The kitchen is such an important part of any house, the heart of the home if you will and I wanted to create something unique for Mikayla. Something she could be proud to show to her friends and clients when they visited the house.

Before meeting Mikayla, the plan was to go with a 1950's theme, very now, lots of cupcakes and old fashioned teacups and an apron or two. Mama's Bakin'. Within 5 minutes of her collecting me from the train station I knew this was all wrong. She's a strong, confident, independent and out-going ladee. She's pretty hot and knows exactly what she wants in life. Chillis were the only option. No-messing about like.

Hot ones.

My biggest pleasure in life is to create something for a specifc person. What are they like, what do they like, what would they like. Mikayla liked this a lot.

The Mustard Pot

Job no.2 was a challenge. I had a very limited abount of time and so had to change the materials I was working with from paints to posca pens. These are what graf artists use. I was amazed by the freedom they provide and the spped at whish you can work with them. Literally drawing on the walls of this very nice pub, I felt liberated!

I won't say too much about the words and images here. The owner wanted me to create a feminine, cheerful and happy environment. At the time my heart was soaring somewhere...

Punters recieve a nice little suprise when they go to the ladies loos now, and the walls give them something to think about.

Love.

Kiss My Feet

I used to work in this shop. I formed quite an attachment to its walls, its contents, its location (organic Chorlton) and most of all its owner Micky and her sidekick Louise. They gave me the walls and just said "Go for it....do anything you want". So I did, and I am eternally grateful for the opportunity they gave me.

In total the painting took me about three weeks and over this time I was having to make some quite life-changing decisions. I used the blank walls as a canvas for my thoughts, a journey if you like. Lots of things were pulling me in different directions and I was really struggling to see my own path clearly. It was a hazy time. I used the idea of polaroids to capture important moments from the past and putting them in this format helped me to see that they are memories, good memories, and that I can keep them as that. They are special. There are some imporatant people on that wall, loved ones, and I know now that they will always be there.

People often ask me where the words come from. They are just thoughts, nothing else, travelling from my mind, down my arm, through my fingers, onto the paintbrush and landing on the wall. Seeing them helps me to make sense of them. You should try it some time.

Art is therapy.

The large portrait is of course Dorothy, making her way along the yellow brick road. This was inspired by Harrods Christmas window display, it was absolutely beautiful. Although she is glancing back, she is going her own way. The first time I painted her face she looked a little disponadant, rather sad really. It probably reflected the way I felt that day. So I took a photo of my own face and used that as the basis instead. Guess what....I'm smiling. Because the painting is complete, and my thoughts are gathered, and I'm content with my decisions and my life as it is panning out so far. The final words I worte were "the writing's on the wall". And they really were.


Life is pretty beautiful when you step back and take a good look at it. That was what i realised most during the time of painting this. Most incredibly, so many people have since told me that they find the space inspiring. They look around and they see what I saw.

Let love set you free.

It's called Self Portrait No.1.