Sketches - A Starting Point

Thought I'd put up a few scribbles from my notebooks to show how these recent Folk Custom characters started out. I guess my mind kind of has a pretty good idea from the start! Working visually day in day out trains you well. i can often see the finished thing (pretty much) in my mind's eye before i pick up a pen/pencil. It's just a matter of capturing that and refining a few points, extra little ideas/touches etc. I guess, if anything, that's what I'm trying to undo these days. trying to find a way of having less of a fixed idea of the finished piece. To find a way where only a guide is laid down and then i can let the process take me along. It's certainly what I'm trying to figure out how to do with my 2D, illustration work. I haven't figured it out yet though! I'm still stuck in the direct 'think it, draw it, colour it' method. Anyway, I'll try and put a few more sketchy things up here if and when i think about them.

Whittlesea Straw Bear and Jack in The Green

The Earl of Rone... coming soon!

Back To Clay - Jack In The Green

The holes in his chest are for me to add ribbons after it's glazed and fired.
He's about 10 inches tall.

... Not that I've really been away from it, I've just been using the little time i do get to practice throwing... and also trying to figure out this clay/glaze/kiln conundrum. I wish I just had someone around the corner from me that could just get me sorted!! I am being advised from afar though, so hopefully it's only a matter of time and I'll be firing another test in a week or two, which should get me nearer to the right finished pot. It's a continually frustrating period for me and then I read the other blogs and hear of great pottery workshops etc (All in the USA!).. and there's just nothing here like that. There's the college which doesn't offer much, but there's not all these potters putting it out there to share their skills and knowledge. Damn, it's frustrating. I just want to have my basic set up, so i can focus on learning and improving ( though I'm fairly sure this is part of that 'learning' phase!). Anyway, i thought I'd actually 'make' something, so I decided to continue my English Folk Customs and make a Slipware Jack In The Green money box, to go with my Whittlesea Straw Bear, which i posted about here. It seems to have gone alright. I still need to make him his crown which will sit on top, covering the slot for the money, so it's function won't be immediately obvious, which i quite like. I intended to just sgraffito the leaves over his body, but then i tried a couple of clay leaves on his face... and got carried away. I've used a thin white slip, to make the most of the sprigged leaves. I'll put a couple of picture up with him wearing his crown of flowers, once i finish making it. I might also start on the third Folk character, The Earl Of Rone, once i finish this one. I do like hand building these pots, but i know that ultimately I want to be using thrown forms... so I'm going to have to go back to the wheel again soon...and recycle a lot of clay! I'll get there.... eventually.

freshly slipped. The eyes were cut out later to stop me filling the bugger with slip!

making use of some letter stamps and a zester!.. it's good for crap-rustic.

The Whittlesea Straw Bear, just waiting for me to get my act together!

What We Did On Our Holidays

(I do like a bit of Fairport Convention!) Anyhow, it's been two weeks now since we got back from three weeks in the States. It's a mad country! I love it ... and it annoys me in equal measure (well, more bias towards the 'love' end of things)... i guess I  watched too many of the TV ads! It's just pills and insurance.. and food! Sorry America, i know that's the mainstream and thanks to you fantastic bloggers i get to see the 'better' side, i was going to say 'normal' but i wouldn't want to label any of you that!! The trip was good, we got to catch up with Jakki's side of the family and friends and just hang out. The boys got to see lots of family for the first time, always an important thing. I won't put lots of family photos etc up here though, it's not that kind of a blog, i like you too much! I will though be sharing with you some of the places we visited... and re-visited. There will be Salvation Mountain, the Joshua Tree Inn, Noah Purifoy's art installations out in the desert and other cool stuff. It might take me a while, but I thought I'd better get the ball rolling. (bear with me though, i still have February to survive!)

Home Building- Log Cabin Simplicity

"I think ultimately there's a cheapening that happens with the way things are made today. Everything's made to look like something else." Paul Cutting.

My Studio Music- 10 Tunes To Work To

There's a cool website called Studio Music, where various creative folk give 10 tunes for listening to in their studios. You can listen to them there and read any info the artist wants to give on each, pop on over. A few of my friends already feature on it. Anyway, I thought I'd just do mine here... you'll have to spotify them or something! Now, these REALLY are tunes for working in the studio, not just a top 10, or tunes to show the breadth of my record collection, or a measure of my cool. Not that I'm saying that some of those on the website are ; )

Here goes:

• Neil Young- On The Beach
... any time any place!

• Electrelane- Gone Darker
... the 'heart attack song', blows my mind. I just love the build up, those girls made spectacular noise.

•Van Morrison- Listen To The Lion
...classic, a nice long vocal work out for 'The Man'. There's not enough growling and roaring in music these days!

• Endless Boogie- Jammin' With Top Dollar
... I was near addicted to this at one time, still get's me going.

• My Morning Jacket- Dondante
... a track of two parts, both impeccable, all I'll say is stick with it and wait for the reward!
(The last of my extended work out tracks)

• Grant Lee buffalo- Fuzzy
... a great tune and a big dose of nostalgia, love it.

• Tim Buckley- Make It Right
... groovy and puts me in an instantly better place, from the very under rated Greetings From LA album.

• Tinariwen- Chet Boghassa
...I defy you not to groove! caution: highly addictive (but watch your work rate increase!)

• Yo La Tengo- Stay Away From Heaven
... just the right side of madness, turn it up and get working!

• Guy Clark- Let Him Roll
... chokes me up a little every time, great story. oh, Alice!

Animation News-Exciting!

Well, actually i can't give you much news on it.... yet! Just that something is actually happening, with funding and work has started on it. It's a pretty quick turnaround (well, for animation!). My good friend and very talented fellow, Griff, is working hard on it. You shouldn't have too long a wait for an update, or even until you can see it. I'm just really excited to actually have some animation under way, I've been interested in animation since my college foundation course way back in 89/90 and watching loads of Channel 4's Fourmations in the early 90's. I remember Deadsy and Door, by David Anderson (written by Russell Hoban) and this Sandman one.... Also Crac, by Frederic Back, which i loved!  . I even thought animation was what I might end up going into... until I was rejected by Bristol Uni all those years ago!... so I went to Lincoln (then on to Kingston) and illustration opened up to me. Anyway, I'll keep you posted on any progress... oh, it's not the Winston Pickle animation that we started the ball rolling on a while back... that will have to wait!

My Morning Commute

not a bad journey into my just-off-the-seafront studio.
It was helped by listening to a nice bit of Van Morrison! ...Ah, Listen To The Lion.

Yep, I'm back from my trip... news on that should follow shortly, once I sort through the photos.. and get through some of the backlogged work load! Been enjoying my fellow bloggers posts while away, lots of cool and interesting work and thoughts going on. Good Stuff.