"stories are about something becoming not being " John Berger

all that I am I owe to you

I will keep on going until the wheels fall of the cart

she lived an alternative life

all above drawings
watercolour pencil and marker on paper
2006
I actually heard the great man say that in person at his super inspiring talk down in Cork a few years ago . When things art wise get a little intense and overwhelming, John Bergers approach to his art always steadies me (because he makes no distinction between making art and making stories and making life it is all a story in the making.)
Berger is a great man for process over prowess.For me, making work is a continually unsettling activity , exciting ,yes, life giving ,yes, but ... also extremely frustrating because you cannot see it, so to think that it is in a state of becoming gladdens me.
When I take a look back at some of my previous work , some of it feels very close to me still, I can see a connection to where I am now.
As an artist I am still becoming and can never escape this, or would want to.
Introducing some old friends , a few drawings that I made in the year I took out of my fine art degree (2006). There is something in them that I want to hold on to .

Fairyland Lane has flown the nest

Last week the book was sent off on its way into the world, no news yet ....
Anyway , here are a few images from it , my collaborator on Fairyland Lane (shelkybean see.left to click on her blog ) is going to post hers up soon. It was a really interesting experience in letting go of expectations and embracing difference, as our work is very different in approach, but I think its a cool thing to do. When I get the book back , I am going to do a "visual flick through " of the whole book , like a film on the blog. Stay tuned !

just before I go to bed .....

As I have already mentioned , I really got a lot from the mantua collaboration ( see: www.myspace.com/badgeartshow )
Here is the badge that I requested to keep , all the others were swopped between the exhibitors, I have placed her in the care of my tiny rose quartz angel .Why ? well because I never want to forget the way they made themselves.

" An artist's book has to have some conviction, some soul, some reason to be and to be a book in order to suceed."

pen and quink on back of large envelope

marker and pencil on fabriano paper (all book is on fabriano)


The title to this post is a quote from a fantastic book I am reading at the moment titled The Century of Artists' Books by Johanna Drucker Granary Books New York City 2004.
I am making an artists book for a submission and her book is really like having a super clued in artist \teacher standing by you. Anyhow it is a struggle to be aware of the assumptions one can easily make when making a book. I am going with the advice of creating a vision not a product and I swear that William and Catherine Blake are coming over tommorow to swop tips with me , no lie.
For my starting point I have chosen an old friend namely a book I have previously used in my work for inspiration. The book is Fairyland Lane:a nature story , it was written by Margaret Cameron in 1930 and used as a junior school textbook.
Her writing is extremly visual if a little eccentric.It is packed with imagery and perfect for disecting, so well written that an isolated sentence stands on its own.
For the submission I am collaborating with a friend and we randomly picked eleven snatches of text ,sometimes a whole sentence, or maybe a half .
For example: on her side were some little boxes filled with yellow dust, while in the middle was a pretty little jar filled with green balls....
The lady carried her house on her back..
we are going to look after you..
I am making no plans until I have all the pages done and then I,ll see which direction the "book" points to. Its all a bit up in the air but I have included a few images of what I am making , it keeps changing , it would want to says I !!

my refuge and my strength at this moment are these few little things .....

sign from Northern Ireland ,type found in church halls or schools 1920-1940,s

1940,s educational book on bird nests sitting on fab 1930,s hand painted wallpaper

embroidery circa1660 OMG!! how cool is this

woolen cat in forest
oil on board 2008

I am missing da blog ,it is so ,so . oh I don't know so ... satistyfying , you just dothe post and then you can see it so soon , all your wonderful images. These images are representative of where my head is right now and physically that is facing into my final year of the fine art degree,and wondering if I will ever be able to make all the things in my head. Maybe not but I sure am going to try !!