Featured Artist: Henry Jones

Tell us about your work

From leaving art college in 1987 until; discovering watercolour in 2013, my only 2D creativity was filling sketchbooks with sepia ink drawings using a basic cut bamboo pen. Working monochrome has taught me when using colour to keep my palette down to versions of the three primaries, relying on tone and composition to tell the story. From the late 80s to late 90s I travelled widely, with much walking from tropics to snowy mountains giving me a feel for landscape which is now embedded in my mind and drawn upon in my work. Painting almost exclusively watercolour for the past four years, land and cityscape are my main subjects, and I have to include at least one figure in every painting, even if that figure is so small as to be almost invisible. I do paint the occasional work in acrylic or oil, and shall pursue oil more as my confidence with the medium grows.

 

What creative project are you currently working on?

Short term, I’m creating work for entry to a number of open selection exhibitions, 40 paintings of European cities in square format for a gallery in Cologne, a couple of small local commissions and a large 4’x3’ oil painting commissioned by an British ex-pat living in Estonia. Long term, every artist’s desire: for each painting created to be uniquely mine.

 

How does your creative process work?

Never lacking subject matter I sketch every day, either from life or general ideas. I’ll work on new subjects, plein air and studio, experimenting with composition and mood until I find something with a bit of mileage in it, then honing rough edges (of roughing overworked smooth ones), pushing it further along the path of improvement to that ever so elusive success. I believe in painting as much as is possible, as with everything, practice makes ... better. Talking with other artists about their and my work is useful and getting robust criticism from everyone, regardless of artistic knowledge, is frequently enlightening and freshens stagnant ideas.

 

What tools or materials could you not live without?

1: Sketchbook, pencil and/or bamboo ink pen/ink

2: Watercolour paper, brushes and paint

 

Where do you search for creative inspiration?

As one who enjoys walking in rural landscapes and cities, there is never a shortage of ideas bombarding my imagination. Wide mountain scenes, views from a train, footpaths, busy stations and the artist’s favourite, people-watching all offer subject matter. I am a member of an art society where talks, demonstrations and criticism help creativity. Workshops with artists I admire are something of an addiction, every one I have attended, has given me valuable advice, as did a recent residency in France with a number of international artists.

 

What is the best piece of creative advice you have been given?

Copy the work of those you admire, put in the hours until you create your own style, and keep it simple.

Practitioner Focus: Suzanne Chalke

 

Please introduce yourself

My name is Suzanne Chalke and I’ve been teaching since 2003, 7 of these years being Head of Department at Hinchleywood school.

This is my 4th year taking part in the sketchbook circle and my experience is getting better and better. I initially joined up after attending an NSEAD conference and loved the idea of doing something for myself, sharing a book with a neighbour and creating collaborative work. As Head of Department we get more and more swamped with paperwork and deadlines, I felt I had lost my own creative identity.  A Sketchbook Circle seemed to me to be the best way of kick-starting my own work and discover what I enjoyed creating and making, it’s most definitely succeeded.

Tell us about your work

It’s taken a few sketchbooks for me to finally rediscover a style of work that I would call ‘me’. My degree was in 2D design - surface pattern, printmaking, textile design, photography and graphics. I would say that I’m still very much in this area and continue to enjoy combing these techniques. At present I am focusing on combining mundane everyday images such as drain covers and road markings with collage, gelli printing and mono printing. I like not being too set in what I do but instead experiment with different colours, layers, stencils and shapes then see where it takes me. I then start playing around with collage, composition and doodling on top. This has taken quite a few years to get to the point of being able to ‘go with the flow’ rather than being worried about ruining a page or getting bogged down in detail and the finished result.

What creative project are you currently working on?

Apart from taking part in this year’s sketchbook circle I have recently started an evening class in ceramics. I have never made clay work before and am enjoying learning new skills and understanding more about the technical side.

At school, we have recently been successful in our bid for a printing press so I am very much looking forward to further developing this area of my practice. 

How does your creative process work?

My process either starts with an image and goes from there or it could be techniques based.

With my print making I will often use quite graphic images but I also like to create more abstract prints based of colours, shapes and line. Sometimes I will create my artwork in a free at school, procrastinating, and continue when I have my A level group. I feel it’s important that students see their teachers creating their own work, have a dialogue about what I’m doing and share ideas. Quite often they have helped me with my sketchbook circles, 2 heads are better than one.

What tools or materials could you not live without?

I couldn’t live without my pens, camera and paper. Taking photos is important to me, to be able to capture a colour, texture or shape. To have a moment where something has stopped you in your location and being able to capture it. I also love a bit of doodling as it helps me to stop my head from over thinking, just zoning out and not worrying what you are drawing.

Where do you search for creative inspiration?

For my inspiration, I tend to keep my eyes open when I’m walking about and pay attention to small details that others may miss such as textures on a wall, shapes of shadows on the ground, the pattern in an electrical pylon or the painted lines on a road. I enjoy looking at the mundane of everyday and just being aware of it. Since focusing more on this ideas pop into my head as I’m going to the local shops and then I’ll know what I’m going to create.

I also use Pinterest a lot, for school and for myself.

Being part of the sketchbook circle has inspired me hugely as I’ve leant new skills in workshops, seen so many good ideas in the Facebook group and from the partners I have had over the 4 years. I have often had to step out of my comfort zone to respond to a partner’s work.

What's the best piece of creative advice you have been given?

I’m not sure if there has been any specific advice but a collective. I would say it was just to get on with it, start it, not to procrastinate and trust that you are good at what you do. To take some risks and experiment and have fun, see what happens. I try to instill this in my students to varying degrees of success, some relish it and others not so. I believe it all boils down to what Matisse said, that ‘creativity takes courage’.

 

Featured Artist: Ben Meredith

Please introduce yourself

My name is Ben and I currently teach A Level Fine Art in an FE College in South Wales. I have a Degree and MFA in Fine Art so in that regard I've not been too radical in my career choice. I am currently trying to balance my teaching, a young family and continuing to have a creative practice. This means working small and that my sketchbook has taken on an even greater role than previously.

Tell us about your work

I have an eclectic taste but certain themes/processes resurface. These include the figure, faces, continuous line, drawing people who are unaware e.g in cafes or on trains, sewing and embroidery, painting, collage, ink washes, obsessing over my sketchbook, childhood, overlapping and layering and playing with flatness.

What creative project are you currently working on? 

Currently I am trying to improve my printmaking skills having only flirted with it in the past. I have producing a series of Twin Peaks inspired images and this has become a small edition of prints which is a new departure for me. This is also an attempt to see if I am able to produce more illustrative work alongside my more observational/figurative/semi-autobiographical work. I am also considering setting up an online shop; but in this regard I am rather lazy.

How does your creative process work?

I predominantly want the opportunity to be looking at someone in front of me; figures and faces are my main inspiration. I find all people have something I want to capture; the clothes they wear, the postures they hold and I see these forms as a series of shapes, lines and patterns that can be developed in infinite ways. Drawing is key for me, I don't think I can be an effective painter or printmaker unless I keep drawing (practice makes 'better' in my case) . I also believe that Art should be playful and that through play we continue to learn - I tell this to all of my students. I start almost all of my drawings using continuous line and cannot recommend that way of drawing enough. So my process is a mixture of play and exploration but at the same time trying to pin something I've seen down.

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What tools or materials could you not live without?

A sketchbook with nice paper (currently it's all about Fabriano), a pencil case filled with; pens, markers, brushes, my embroidery kit, watercolours, material swatches and matt Modge Podge glue - love that stuff! 

Where do you search for creative inspiration?

Gallery trips when I can, a bit of Facebook or Pinterest. I have realised and accepted more readily this year that my students also inspire me a great deal - being in a studio five days a week teaching means I am constantly exposed to new processes and approaches to visual problem solving. I am passionate about FE and feel that students at this stage start to make some of the 'good stuff'. I am often asking students to show me how they made a certain surface or texture and later unconsciously it will appear in my sketchbook in some way. I also work with some great Lecturers who encourage me and my family are also very inspiring - I have three daughters and I could draw them forever.

What's the best piece of creative advice you have been given?

On my degree my Lecturer was called Jim (I really looked up to him) he said that drawing is actually about looking rather than copying. The more that you look the better your drawings will become, the time you devote to drawing means in turn you become quicker and the connection between your hand and brain becomes almost instant. It was something along those lines, and I have found it to be true. 

 

 

Katie Smith: POWER-UP

Artist Katie Smith took over the postal mailout for April. Through this, she invites us to 'POWER-Up' by contributing to a new work by Katie and Kate Genever

POWER-UP

My name is Katie Smith and I’m a socially engaged artist. I use a variety of creative media from pinhole and Polaroid photography to collage, low-tech print and stitch to engage with and stimulate social processes. My work can respond to a particular need or issue within a community or explore the creative potential of bringing people together around a shared goal or interest.

I take a ‘go to the people’ approach to making art and love the challenge of working in unconventional spaces. My work is always collaborative and is often fuelled by random encounters, unexpected situations and a willingness to take risks.  Past projects have included pitching a caravan outside my local ASDA, going on the road with long-haul truckers and experiencing bare knuckle fighting at a horse fair.

In 2015 I joined the Sketchbook Circle in order to confront my irrational fear of sketchbooks which had developed in the 20+ years since leaving Art College. I hadn’t anticipated how powerful the experience would be; I think it’s fair to say that one collaboration in particular changed my life! I discovered that my sketchbooks provided a space to ponder and process the stuff of life; they could help maintain equilibrium, encourage enquiry and support some really deep reflection. They strengthened my belief that finding the right space to be creative in and the right people to be creative with can have a hugely positive impact on mental wellbeing.

My circle experience has definitely influenced the development of a new piece of work with artist Kate Genever. We are on a mission to find out what the phrase ‘Power-Up’ means in the context of human thinking and behaviour. Is it something that we do when faced with a challenge or difficult situation? Is it about building energy and finding extra abilities? Can we define it as the processes we use and strategies we develop to become stronger? Can it help us to deal with the tricky bits of life? For me, every time I work in my sketchbook I’m powering up, I am practicing self-care.

We would like to invite you to send us a postal Power- Up. The idea is simple, create a postcard with a visual Power-Up on the front and a written response to the question: What does the phrase ‘Power-Up’ mean to you? on the back. Postcards received will be scanned (front and back) and shared in our online gallery. Full instructions can be found here: wepowerup.wordpress.com

We hope that our online gallery will evolve into an accessible 'Power-Up' resource for all. It could be used by individuals in need of a boost or by groups and organisations to encourage conversations around positive mental health, emotional resilience and self-care. The postcards themselves will be exhibited at an inpatient unit and school for young people with acute mental health issues and will form starting point for a new project with them.

If you’ve signed up for the Sketchbook Circle mail-out you will have received a couple of postcards featuring my stitched jackets. If you aren’t signed up but would like a pair of postcards please send 50p and an SAE to Katie Smith, Unique Cottage Studios, Fulney Lane, Spalding. PE12 6FA. The project is self-funded so any profits from postcard sales will help us to develop this work.

Featured Artist- Dylan Gibson

I don’t come from an artistic background but I was always given space to draw, the materials and tools to draw with.  The dining table was my drawing board/studio area, it was always the area where the family was near, I liked the engagement and enjoyed the comments.  Comics were an integral part to my early art experience.  Bold exciting images in Judge Dredd and 2000AD really left a lasting impression, they helped me to read, understand the visual narrative and pacing.  I’d often create my own characters or my own comic stories, some short others over several issues.  My mum was very good at giving feedback she could really look at my work and be critical, I didn’t always want to hear it but I think that is why I sat and drew at the dining table to get her critique.

I was always defined as the kid who could draw.  That support from the teachers really fuelled my confidence and my skills in communicating.  In secondary school my art teacher introduced me to the possibilities of a career in the arts and the support and guidance to get me to art college.

After University I worked with an interior design studio in Belfast, the owner had been impressed by my degree show, I’d written and adapted an illustrated comic of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, taking great care to properly visualise Nemo’s Nautilus, based on the strength of that design I went on to create art work for pubs, restaurants and nightclubs nationally and internationally.

Since becoming a freelance illustrator 15 years ago I’ve had the opportunity to work for a wide range of companies and organisations, each with a different idea of the purpose of illustration. Some want you to tell a very specific story, others to sell their product or visualise an idea.  Versatility is essential and tackling these different expectations on a daily basis can keep things interesting and challenge my practice. Over the years I’ve often been presented with or sought out challenging projects, opportunities to draw tricky subjects or render difficult concepts in pen and ink.  Feedback while no longer coming from the dining table, from clients offers the chance to reflect on my skills and approach it is often within the narrow context of the brief and there are few opportunities to discuss and develop my ideas with other creatives.  

For my own professional development I will also create personal artworks with a focus on either trying something new with an idea or look of character or a personal take on an existing character.  This is I suppose how I started my journey as a creative and I do this to unwind and for fun, sometimes they just stay in my sketchbook if I really like what I’ve done I will finish it off to go in my folio. 

Keeping it touch with other creatives is essential and last year I watched in envy as my wife Ciara enjoyed the creative dialog between her and her sketchbook partners, I was really glad I could be part of 2017’s circle of creative people.  I’m finding it difficult at times, as I can be a little spent creatively on commissioned work. I’m looking forward to hitting my stride and see where my partners can take me.

 

 

Practitioner Focus: James Nairne

Please introduce yourself!

I'm an artist teacher, currently working as head of art in an independent boarding school in the south of England. I have been teaching for nearly 30 years (gulp!) after a short period as a 'full-time' artist.

Tell us about your work?

I make paintings (and sometimes prints), working from drawings, photographs and memory. I need to find an emotional connection to the work - I used to work a lot from landscape and the sense of place provided that. In the last few years I have reintroduced figures - wanting to try and say something about the connections between people and place. What I choose to paint seems to come pretty intuitively but there's normally a connection to some experience in my own life.

What creative project are you currently working on?

Currently there's 2 paintings sitting in my office at work I'd like to finish (one I started in 2013!) but actually the only real live project at the moment is producing digital work for the digital sketchbook circle. Nevertheless I am using that to develop ideas, so I don't see it as anything different. In fact it's important that it's not different from my usual practice. I think I have learnt over the years that you need to use every opportunity to make art - I always try and keep some germ of an idea in my head so there's something to use when called upon to 'make art'.

I have several sketchbooks that make progress slowly. I have a square 8"x8" spiral book I use for observational drawing when travelling and when on holiday; there's a couple of A4 ideas books that I scribble, stick and sketch into - often it's a printout of the existing state of a painting which I then work on with drawing pens at home in front of the TV; an A5 landscape whose rules are get it down really fast, work only in black and white and always from observation. My main go-to-book is a Seawhite A6 landscape hardback that I carry pretty much everywhere. For this book the only rule is use the next page. I have been using these A6 books for over 10 years and there must be about thirty or so now.

Like many teachers I find it hard to find the time to make my own work - the refurbishment of a small cottage and garden has been the time killer in the last two years, so the sketchbook circle has been a really good discipline. I need deadlines and challenges.

How does your creative process work? 

In fits and starts. During term time I rarely have a moment to consider my own creative practice so it's in the holidays that I get going. Normally I look back on photos and sketchbook work and begin to make studies in one of my A4 books.

What tools or materials could you not live without?

For drawing: a grey Pental colourbrush pen, a small white Posca, a Staedtler Graphite 777 Mechanical Pencil 0.5 mm tip and a black fineliner. Although I have a collection of about 100 pens!

For painting: watermixable oil colour. I love working with these: real oil but without the smelly solvents.

Where do you search for creative inspiration?

Galleries - I find there's nothing like a long day in London visiting exhibitions and some smaller galleries to feel fired up and keen to be making my own stuff. Otherwise increasingly I look online.

What is the best piece of creative advice you have been given?

I'm rubbish at remembering who's said what, or where I read something. I think you have to find your own way to solve problems and work things out.

Practitioner Focus: Lucy Hall

Tell us a little about yourself

I’m in my third year of Sketchbook Circle and can’t imagine life without it now! I am an Arts Leader and Arts and Literacy interventions teacher at a primary school near Brixton in South London. I work part time as a teacher and develop my own designs the rest of the time. Currently, I’m working on a series of digitally printed silk scarf designs.

What is your background in art?

It’s a complicated one!  Many years ago I completed a foundation course in art and design but I had very little confidence in myself and my abilities as an artist. When I was rejected by my chosen college to study fine art, I decided to change direction and ended up studying psychology and sociology.  I went on to work in documentary television for nearly a decade. This was an interesting and exciting career but I always felt that something was missing, that something being art.

I decided to re-train as a teacher for a number of reasons but, most importantly, it allowed me more flexibility to go on to study art and design.  During my NQT year, I did evening and weekend classes to build up a portfolio of work (not quite sure how I managed that!) and, to my great surprise, I was accepted by Central Saint Martins on to their M.A Textile Futures course.

There followed an exciting, very challenging and, at times, somewhat gruelling two years of intense study whilst also teaching part-time.  I graduated six years ago.

Tell us about your work

My current scarf designs combine abstract photography, mark making and illustration.  As they are produced digitally, I spend a lot of time staring at a computer screen. It is therefore a great joy to also spend time working in sketchbooks.  In these, I enjoy experimenting with collage and embroidery as well as painting and drawing. 

Where do you make your work?

In my bedroom…I do live in London, after all!  I have set up a mini studio there with desk, paper drawers and many, many rolls of paper and piles of fabric.  It’s my aim to earn enough money from my scarves to justify renting out a studio space...one day!

What materials could you not live without?

Pencils and inks.  Embroidery threads.  Collage papers, (I have two drawers stuffed full of old postcards, pages ripped from magazines, children’s paintings etc. which I always go to as a starting point for my sketchbook work).  I also use Letraset a lot and enjoy searching on Ebay for unusual fonts!

Where do you find the inspiration for your work?

It’s not very original but nature is my big inspiration.  My final M.A work was a series of screens which attempted to recreate the effect of dappled light created by trees which I see when out walking in the countryside. My scarf designs are based on a series of photos I took in woods and which also try to capture the ever-changing effects of light and shade. I love drawing the irregular patterns found in nature too.

Working with younger children is very inspiring because of the way that they play with colour and make marks in such uninhibited ways. I also love children’s handwriting practice books for some reason and this tends to pop up in my art work fairly regularly.

How does your creative process work?

During my M.A, I found that my work became quite controlled and self-conscious.  Since then, I have worked hard to get back to creating in more playful and instinctive ways.  My new motto is a very simple one: ‘think less, do more’.  Being part of Sketchbook Circle has helped me hugely with this.

I have two quotes from Sketchbook Circle on my noticeboard.  One is, ‘Let yourself be silently drawn by the strange pull of what you really love.  It will not lead you astray.’ My creative process involves a constant battle to get into this state of mind, and sometimes I achieve it!

What is the best piece of advice you could give to someone new to the circle?

 The second quote on my noticeboard is from Andy Warhol who sums it all up for me; ‘Don’t think about making art, just get it done.  Let everyone else decide if it is good or bad, whether they love it or hate it.  While they are deciding, make more art.’

Creative Spaces

We asked our members to share images of the spaces where they make work with us. The response showed how personal and important these places are, from an iPad, a toolbox and a laptop desk, to large and beautiful studios. The images reveal how differently we work, where order or (organised) chaos are our preferred ways of working. Thanks to Sue Guildford-Potts, Vicky Charlett, Yvette Hughes, Cherrie Trelogan, Claire Connolly, Elinor Brass, Helen Homewood, Diane Bruford, Jayne Everiss, Ben Meredith, Harry Bell, Tilly McDermott, Sam Hanson, Mandy Barrett, Anne Laurie, Elaine Morgan, Morrighan Humpleby and Sally Jane for sharing their spaces with us.

Practitioner Focus: Dee Maguire

Tell us about yourself.

I’m a secondary school art teacher and I live and work in Dublin, Ireland with my partner and 3 cats!  I began my career in art as an exhibiting artist for a couple of years after I completed a degree in Fine Art Sculpture.  When I undertook a PGCE in 2000 to train as a teacher, I had presumed that teaching would support my career as a practitioner by giving me a sense of financial security.  But instead the demands of teaching took over and I slowly lost my engagement with my personal and professional practice.  As my identity as an artist took a back seat - so much so that I would consider myself as an arts educator as opposed to an artist teacher – I mourned its loss.  Over the years I tried to re-engage with my own art-making but struggled to keep momentum or develop ideas.  I completed a master’s in Visual Arts Education in 2014 but as nothing like the Artist Teacher Scheme exists in Ireland there was no hands-on, making aspect for me to get my teeth into.  Instead it was purely theoretical and although I really enjoyed researching and writing I still was looking for something to help me start working as a practitioner again.  That’s why finding Sketchbook Circle has had such an impact for me.  Discovering this initiative has given me a structure to start making and thinking in a valid way once more.

 

How did you get involved in Sketchbook Circle?

In the course of my research for my master’s degree I discovered NSEAD.  A notice about Sketchbook Circle was on one of their newsletters so I contacted Elinor to find out more.  As I was based in Ireland, I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to join but luckily I was so I signed up for the 2016 circle.  I really didn’t know what to expect as I had never worked in this way before.  Starting was difficult as I hadn’t made any work in so long.  I also found not having a theme or starting point difficult so the Facebook page was a great support in starting off.  I got inspired looking through the images of other’s books and it was great to ask for advice from others in the circle and also see that I wasn’t alone in feeling anxiety about starting off.

 

Sending my initial few pages off to a stranger frightened the life out of me as I really didn’t feel any confidence about what I was doing. But I needn’t have been worried as I can honestly say that last year’s circle has been the most valuable artistic experience that I have had since college!  One of my swaps didn’t work out unfortunately but I had an amazing journey with my main partner Carola Chambers.  She was really supportive and positive to the work I was sending her.  After an initial visual introduction we started to develop a visual conversation and an interesting and relevant body of work began to emerge.  By the time we were working on the second book, I was making work that I was proud of again and the ideas were flowing.  I’m so happy to be making and doing again and realise that regular making is more important than what I make. 

 

My engagement with sketchbook circle has also been influencing my classroom practice. I feel that a consequence of becoming re-engaged with my own practice has been the re-invigoration of my teaching and this has been reflected in my schemes.  Coincidently the art curricula here in Ireland are currently in a state of flux.  Assessment changes are in the process of being implemented in senior cycle art and there will be curriculum changes to the junior cycle art programme next year.  For the first time in the history of Irish secondary school art education sketchbooks are now going to be an integral part of the assessment process.  The current 5th year cohort of students will be the first group to participate in these changes.  I felt that a classroom Sketchbook Circle would be a great fit for my 5th years and would be a great way to get them used to working in a sketchbook and developing a regular practice.  It also has the benefit of making the students more confident about showing and talking about their own work, something there wasn’t enough of.  My students love the circle (done as a weekly swap) as it has given them ownership over their work and has been a great tool for peer teaching.

 

Can you describe your work?

I have always been inspired by the figure and this continues to be a dominant theme in my work.  My early work before I became a teacher was installation based and often time-based and site-specific.  My central concern was around representing memory and a visual record of everyday relational interactions.  The work I have been making recently, as a result of the circle, has resulted in my work developing in a new direction.  Through the visual conversation I was having with Carola, new ideas and starting points started to develop and astronomy emerged as a central theme. At the end of our partnership I felt that the work was only just beginning and I have been continuing to work on some of the themes that have emerged out of the books.  I feel that this is initial research that has the potential to lead to a larger body of work.  Drawing has always been and continues to be central to my practice and is the backbone of what I do.  Working in the sketchbook format has meant that I have worked primarily with 2D mediums recently and I see this as a main departure for me due to my background in Sculpture. I have been experimenting with paint and playing with collâgé.  I have been exploring print – in particular drypoint etching – as this has felt like a natural progression from drawing.  As a result of ideas conceived in the sketchbook I decided to hire studio space in a print studio and spent a day working on printing in a larger format.  It was so enjoyable to be back in a professional studio environment – if even only for one day – and make work.  Interestingly, some of the themes from my earlier work have been creeping their way into my current work and they seem to be finding homes in my new working practices.

 

What inspires you?

Everything and anything!  As I’ve already mentioned the figure remains a major inspiration.  I have always had a fascination with empty/abandoned spaces and I’ve always been captivated by shadows.  Over the last number of years I’ve developed an interest – at an extremely amateur level - in astronomy and my reading around this topic has started to inform my current work.

 

Tell us about the space you use to make art.

I generally make work either in my classroom in school or at home on the dining room table, it all depends on what time I have to hand.  I love working in my classroom because of the space, access to materials and tools such as a small printing press.  I like to work after the school day when everyone’s gone home and I’ll be undisturbed.  If I’m working at home I usually take over the dining room table for a couple of hours.  I’d love to have a studio space in my house that I could just leave everything out after a session and not have to tidy everything away while I’m in the middle of something. 

 

When do you find time to make work?

Finding the time to make work is the biggest challenge in maintaining a regular practice.  I seem to be regularly time-poor as a result of juggling teaching and personal commitments.  However I think that’s one of the most important benefits of the Circle.  It motivates you to find some time – no matter how small – on a monthly basis.  Knowing someone’s waiting on the book is a brilliant motivator - deadlines have always been an important tool for me in making work.  Some months I do very little and other months I may have more time and do more.  Once I’m actually sitting down and doing, it spurs me on to find more time to do more, but unfortunately there’s never the amount of time available to me that I’d like to spend on my work.

 

What are you working on at the moment?

I’ve been developing some textile pieces that came out of ideas from my work with Carola.  I had been playing with layering images which lead me to layering text using embroidery.  This work conjured the motif of a veil and I’m currently researching the symbolism of the veil both historically and culturally. This is very much work in progress which I hope will grow into more formalised pieces. When I started my new 2017 swap, I initially thought that I would continue this work into the new swap, but in the end I felt that I couldn’t start a new swap that way and that it would be out of context.  There’s a strange disruption about finishing a swap and starting a new one.  This year I’m working with just one partner.  We’ve been working on a book each and have decided to swap them every two months. I’m excited by what my new partnership with Petra Matthews Crow will bring and interested to see if the ideas that I had been working on will creep back in to this new book.

 

What art materials can you not live without?

I couldn’t be without fine-liner pens and always have them with me, I just love drawing with them!

Practitioner Focus: Karen Wicks

Tell us a bit about yourself.

I am a mother of two and have been an art teacher/head of art for sixteen years in various schools in the U.K. Last year I did the Artist Teacher Scheme at Birmingham University which led me to change direction in my career and go into working in inclusion; I am currently setting up an inclusion space at an inner city school and work with disaffected teenagers.  

What kind of art do you make?

My work is quite experimental and is often a response to 'place' and the residue left by our interaction with it. I like to push my use of drawing beyond the traditional mark making media and have used shadow, thread, projection and ice to create pieces of work that are intended to be temporary. 

What inspires you?

I am inspired by the ordinary, the marks that people don't always 'see'.....eroded walls, road markings, rust, shadows. The direction of my work is also fuelled by collaboration with others, this interaction gives me a push into the 'unknown' and will often steer the way that I respond to an idea. 

I have been involved in the Sketchbook Circle since 2012 and it is interesting that my first collaboration with Elinor Brass is still feeding my preoccupation with making a response to 'place'. I also like to make work that can be left in situ to be found, so have regularly made pieces of work for #freeartfriday to be discovered and taken home by a stranger. I like the idea of using art to make the unnoticed noticed.  

What materials can you not live without?

As a screen printing graduate I am always drawn back to using print in my work, so the answer to this would partly be printmaking ink. However the direction of my most recent work has become more digital so I would also have to add my IPad to that list! 

The tool that I use most though is my iPhone, for capturing initial images to projecting using a mini projector and also, most importantly, in sharing and finding ideas with others using social media.

When do you find time to make?

This is tricky as I work full time and family takes up most of my time outside of work. I used to make art at school in my lunch break when working as an art teacher. I found the Sketchbook Circle model worked for me as I would often 'hold' the dialogue in my head until there was an opportunity to make work. So producing work then, and now, often happens in intense snatched periods of half an hour here and half an hour there. I have found that this has also had an impact on how my own work has developed as I cannot use lengthy processes due to the time restraints. My children are quite often my art 'sidekicks' and will come along when I drop work to be found, or when I am drawing they will join in! 

Where do you do your making? 

At the moment either in my garage or if it is digital drawing, in bed last thing at night! I did rent a studio for a short spell of time but found that I didn't get time to go often enough to make it worthwhile. 

What is the best piece of creative advice you've been given?

I tend to be quite prolific and full of ideas and in talking to another artist prior to doing the Artist Teacher Scheme, he told me to 'cast my stone and follow where it rolls'. When I was on the course I think I was hoping to find a definite 'answer' to what my work is, but I've come to realise that actually there is not one fixed answer. So I follow the advice in that I let the journey unfold whilst being mindful of my gut instinct when making a response. Also, having other critical friends who understand your artistic intentions and preoccupations is invaluable to the process of making art and that keeps me steered in a more focussed direction as well. 

What's your next project?

At the moment I am finishing a project called 'Brindley Village' which is about a derelict village site which is now forest. I have used a bursary from AN Artists to work with artist Bo Jones in developing projection drawing and am currently in conversation with a former resident of the village about co-curating an exhibition about the place. 

My next project will be informed by collaboration in the digital Sketchbook Circle; I am currently using digital drawing to capture the process of working with pupils who have SEMH and Attachment Disorder  and the emotional residue that is created through the projection and 'containment' of strong feelings. I am looking forward to sharing work with the talented Louise Clazey and Claire Kennedy. 

I am also planning to be involved with a group of artists I worked with last year in a project called #dis:placed in co-editing a newspaper publication about experimental drawing practice. This will be another exciting opportunity to collaborate with David Smith, Stephen Carley and Sarah Wills Brown. So, altogether an exciting year ahead! 

www.dis-placed.com

@IACartroom 

Beginnings: We asked Four of our Members the question: How do you start a creative dialogue?

Gemma Billson

Getting Started is the hardest part, staring at an empty blank page in a crisp new sketchbook with white pages is intimidating.

I have been part of the circle since it was introduced to the TEA group and in the last couple of years I have switched from brought sketchbooks to making my own. Including this year, I have collected a range of papers different colours and different styles to encourage a more creative approach and avoid a creative block of staring at an empty white page. I enjoy working on tracing paper, envelopes and have a slight obsession with luggage labels (they seem to fit in with any book and theme).

I find I am a bit of a contradiction in my approach in that I love to view the work of others that seems to be spontaneous, messy and layered but find it difficult at times to stray away from neat, precise and controlled. The past two books I have worked on have been ring bound to allow more freedom to work on the pages. I have included different sizes of paper and envelopes are great to hide or reveal. A lot of the inspiration for pages and ideas for the books have come from the workshops that I have participated in as part of the circle. Book binding, Zines, printmaking and photography have really stood out. Even the snippets I have seen from those I have just seen the outcomes for have been a great influence.

Themes have varied from natural forms which can be a bit safe but a theme that I always find myself returning to. To toys, figurative work and sometimes a mix of everything. The thing that makes the circle so appealing is that there isn’t a right or wrong approach. You can work in any format the starting point can be anything and you have the freedom to let it evolve to a completely different outcome. I have found myself working much more in mixed medias and really enjoy using a lot of collage in my work.

Through the influence of seeing so much on the social media pages I used a lot more text in my work. Depending on the partner you have being part of the circle really pushes you to work in different styles and out of your comfort zone. My aim for this year is to use more textiles in my book as it is an area I am not particularly confident in, but sewn pages and adding more texture to my work would be an interesting development. 

Christine Thomas

1. Select a really lovely book. Sniff, hum and ha, put it back on the shelf. Repeat several times from you vast collection of lovely books that you are saving for the 'right' project.

2. Spend several minutes/hours/days selecting said right book - however many you think necessary. But not longer than a month.

3. Having selected the book, decide to not use it and make your own from interesting scraps of paper.

4. Get your paints/drawing/sewing stuff out. Realise that what you want isn't in the pile and spend 2 hours looking for it.

5. Clean the kitchen.

6. Stare at book.

7. Clean the bathroom

8. Stare at book.

9. Have several cups of tea.

10. Stare at book and eat biscuits.

11. Realise its teatime and you now need to feed the family. Leave all art materials out on the dining room table

12. Eat your dinner amidst art materials. Or on your knee. Try to persuade the teenager that its normal and she doesn't have to eat in her bedroom. (This is a usual occurrence depending on what project we're working on)

13. By this time, it's G&T time, so knock yourself out, have a large one. Or two. Give up and go to bed.

14. Get up the next morning and realise you can't use the dining room, sneak past it and go for a 3 mile run. While out, have a lightbulb moment that you can actually record your return to running in your sketchbook, get home, sign up for a ultra marathon and/or triathlon (just so your sketchbook looks really interesting) and attack your book with vigour, printing images from your run, weaving photos, painting over, printing. Wait for it to dry and then stitch in.

15. Have a real sense of achievement and award yourself with an episode of Vikings. Then have the awful realisation you just paid a small fortune to torture yourself in a triathlon and agreed to a friends suggestion of an ultra marathon.

16. You can then leave out steps 1-13 and start from step 14.

17. Repeat.

*Please consult your psychiatrist/doctor before signing up for really stupid extreme sports events

Elaine Humpleby

2015
I have always kept a sketchbook but each lasted for years. I spent a lot of time promising myself I would do some work in them, but never doing as much as I wanted to, I think I had lost the habit of practising as an artist. In 2015 I started the sketchbook circle collaboration and felt the pressure of communicating visually with another artist. One of my worries was how to start.

I wanted to share who I am so began with self-portraits and some annotations of artists, ideas and hopes for what I wanted to do that year.  I stuck in some of my current lino print development and outcomes. I also added some of my portrait photography and some of the artists and art movements that were interesting me at that point. I also added an ‘introduce me’ page. It felt good to write an ‘ice-breaker letter’ to this person I had never met sharing how I felt about participating in the project; my hopes, what I was nervous about and what kind of practitioner I was. I was pretty sure they were likely to be having the same feelings. As a first timer I am not sure which I was most nervous of: working in someone else’s book or another person working in mine. Of course, it all turned out fine. Whoever my partners are for this coming year I look forward to it. Sketchbook Circle encourages you to be brave and enjoy being creative.

2016
As a teacher I tend to stress about assessment criteria. I have realised that the sketchbook Circle is about creativity and enjoyment, it is okay to relax and just have some fun in our sketchbooks. The first pages are an introduction; the start of the creative conversation that lasts all year. I tried new things and grew in confidence. This year as usual I will start with some form of self-portrait (a habit I have followed for years with all sketchbooks) then introduce myself as an artist who also teaches. I have a list pinned on the wall where I create: the start-point list reads

1.       Keep the start light-hearted and general. (a kind of summarised mini exhibition of the artist also known as Elaine Humpleby)

2.       Share my passions and ideas (what motivates me and what interests me)

3.       Include some of my current work (original or photographs: copies are fine)

4.       Add some new work just for that book; this will show some of my ideas

5.       Tell my partner what my ideas are for the project across the year; are there any rules (for example am I happy for them to work over the top of my work? or Are they happy to send it recorded/signed for?)

 

 

Practitioner Focus: Sara Noble

Tell us a bit about yourself and your work

I make things. From small accessories to large fibre installations and have dabbled in a bit of experimental filmmaking. I did my BA in Textile Art at a time when Craft was not at all fashionable, it was difficult to be recognised as either a Fine Artist or a Textile Designer. Teaching developed for me quite organically over the years in between other odd jobs. I started working freelance for the Crafts Council on the Hyperbolic Crochet Coral Reef at the Knitting and Stitch Shows, installing textile exhibitions and teaching people how to crochet, I then picked up other regular workshops in public libraries and holding stalls at makers markets. Later, becoming an Art Technician in a fantastic department in a boys state secondary inspired me to further go onto do a PGCE. I completed my NQT this Easter whilst finding myself unexpectedly pregnant and am currently on maternity leave running around after my latest creation!  

Describe the space where you make your work

This is currently non existent, it was the spare room where my partner (who is an a comic artist /illustrator) and I shared our studio space, but everything is now piled up in the corner of the room as we’ve had to make space for our baby - how can such a little person have so much stuff! However, I usually make most things on the move, the spaces in between doing other things, my bag normally packed with knitting, crochet or a sketchbook to keep me busy on bus journeys.

What materials and techniques do you use in your work?

I mostly work with constructed textiles, screen printing, experimenting with different materials, anything that lets me build up layers and textures to explore colour. I have a huge hoard of all sorts of materials that I collect for their colour, texture or pattern, whether it may be drinking straws from a pound shop, particularly bright plastics bags, fabrics, all sorts of yarns. I spent a few terms at Morley College, learning how to use a knitting machine which was incredibly technical and frustrating but also fantastic. I used my machine as part of an installation piece for my final PGCE exhibition. I generally prefer working directly with my hands, knitting, crochet, drawing and printing.

Where do you find inspiration?

Although I mainly use soft materials and textiles associated with the domestic and indoors, I am very much drawn to architectural structures and urban spaces, graffiti, popular culture, music and bright colours.

Is there a favourite thing that you've made recently?

Over the summer break, when I should have been out lots enjoying my lasts days of freedom before motherhood, I became a bit agoraphobic worried I might suddenly go into labour as I was hugely pregnant, so I spent a lot of time at home. I selected fabrics from my hoard to make a patchwork quilt for my baby. All the squares have some story, fabrics either collected from various travels, from family members, or previous surface prints I had created.

How does your creative process work?

Each project is different depending on the technique or space I’m working to. I’m usually drawn to a particular colour, pattern or mood for a piece, take lots of photos, work out ideas by drawing in my sketchbook. Sometimes I just lift an observational drawing from my sketchbook, onto another surface or space.

Is there anything you'd like to try?

I would like to spend more time developing photography skills either in a dark room or trying more experimental techniques, I’ve only touched on this occasionally, I love the magic of an image appearing and not having total control over it. I really got into making cyanotypes earlier in the year and have recently dug out my Holga, medium format film camera.

@saramakesthings

www.saranoble.co.uk

 

Sketchbook Circle Weekend at BALTIC by Susan M Coles

The NEATEN (North East Art Teacher Educator Network) Sketchbook Circle residential took place at Baltic Centre for Contemporary art on 28th/29th October and the majority of people attended both sessions.

On the Friday night we welcomed everybody with a glass of wine and drawing activities, as we sat in the downstairs cafe at Baltic, gazing out onto an incredible sunset over the Sage Music Centre and Tyne Bridge, followed by the twilight twinkling lights of the famous Quayside and Mill Bridge. I facilitated the evenings drawing activities- we started with drawing our "lives"which really broke the ice when people paired up and shared. This was followed by a quick sketch of your partner followed by a semi collage drawing developed from that using facila features from a bank of images. We were served with delicious homemade soup and bread, and encouraged to enjoy another glass of wine. 

 

The final activity of the evening was to build a visual map of where we were and then indicate our own journey path to the event tonight. This was great fun (and also very educational for those who had never visited Baltic before.)

t was great to have the whole space to ourselves and work with partners and larger groups to get to know each other. When people had to show how they had reached Baltic, by running around the map, proved to be quite hilarious! 

On the Saturday we all had a choice of two of the four workshops on offer. Yvette Hughes shared her enthusiasm and experience of making zines and framed this beautifully within the context of making for pleasure and enjoyment. Her collection of resources are impressive, right down to the old typewriter and other novelty ways of mark making. Yvette also had the idea of us starting the day with a Saturday swop shop where we all exchanged ephemera to use in sketch books.

Meanwhile, Gemma Roche and Anna Ramsay were busy on their workshop which was about breaking the creative block barrier, with some shared work where the group used a variety of materials to develop pages which were then passed onto the next person. They created a pace for this which allowed much creative sharing to take place. After a simply gorgeous lunch, overlooking the River Tyne and the Quayside, we started the afternoon workshops.

Louise Clazey introduced us to encaustic wax techniques and encouraged people to recycle data records as part of this- destroy and create- from something we don't particularly love! The results of "art Data Anomalies" session were both diverse and very personal. Paul Raymond really got on board with the Big Draw STEAM theme, with his workshop on Weapons of Mass Creativity. Making projectile firing catapults to create a group artwork was the best fun I've had on a weekend for a long time! Art, Design, Engineering, assemblage and performance- all in one workshop. The final piece was a performance which all the group came along to watch. 

We ened the day with a plenary and feedback session before people packed their bags and headed off, some to their journeys home, some to their hotels and some of us just to wander around the gallery spaces as the sunset once again lit up the space outside. Baltic are partners to NEATEN and have supported us and Sketchbook Circle throughout, we have plans for NEATEN's ten year anniversary next year and will be creating more opportunities for artist educators to collaborate and create together and embrace Big Draw and Sketchbook Circl as part of that.

 

Thank you Baltic and Vicky Sturrs, Louise, Paul, Gemma, Anna and Yvette. 

 

Practitioner Focus: Tilly McDermott

Can you describe your work in a few words?

Intuitive, process-oriented, abstract, conceptual.

What inspires you?

I am inspired by so many things! Old paper, cardboard, old books, reclaimed paper materials – scrap store stuff. Textures; muted colours; sounds; nature; graffiti and street art; overlooked and abandoned objects and disused spaces. Things with a narrative, a memory, a footprint.

 

How do you find a balance between teaching and making art?

Sometimes it’s a struggle! I’m a single mum, and I’m in the process of setting up a Creative Arts organization with a friend so that we can deliver our own community arts projects. And of course, working! I’ve just left my regular job for freelancing, so I’m juggling everything at the moment. I make time to make work each day, even if it’s only 5 minutes to doodle or to add to an existing piece. I also spend some time writing each day. It’s often snatched time between bath time and bed time, or first thing in the morning, but I need this time to let my brain shift down a gear, almost like meditating.

 

What materials could you not live without?

Water soluble graphite, charcoal and gesso. Acrylic paints. Pencils and notebooks.

What would your dream project be?

I was in hospital briefly last Christmas as a day patient, and in the foyer of the hospital there were some beautiful large-scale, abstract murals, which really inspired me… there are also a few wonderful examples of murals in Coventry city centre. I would love to be commissioned to create a piece of art to go in a public space – particularly somewhere like the hospital, where it would have a positive impact on people’s wellbeing. I’d like to do it as a participatory project in partnership with patients or service users, empowering people and giving them a sense of ownership and control over their environment.

Or I’d love to do a residency to make a body of work or explore an idea; I’d love to see what impact it had on my current practice and work to have access to ‘proper’ studio facilities, and I think it would push me out of my comfort zone, which I think is necessary for personal and professional development.

 

How does your creative practice work?

My creative practice is based largely around process, exploring ideas about identity, memory, personal narrative. I am fascinated by the endless possible variations on a single theme.

I make large drawings on sheets of lining paper or reclaimed cardboard. I mostly use gesso, charcoal, water soluble graphite and acrylic paint – I like to use materials with which there is a physical involvement and connection, and my drawings emerge as I work, exploring and expressing process and movement.

I then often tear the drawings down to make other things – I made some of my larger pieces into tubes with ‘windows’ cut into them, which I lit from the inside – windows into the mind, shedding light onto the process, making thinking visible. I like to use recycled paper materials, and I repurpose a lot of my drawings. I like the way they change and evolve, and take on a life of their own. I like to take lots of photographs of my work as I go along, and manipulate the images using photo editing apps on my phone – infinite possibilities from a single starting point – like personal identity.

I also love to write; I keep a handwritten notebook, and I have a blog about my art work. I like the blogging format; I like the fact that I can scroll back and see how my work has changed and developed over time. I also love the handwritten format – I find the process of writing by hand meditative – the rhythmic motion of my hand moving across the page making those little marks, recognizably my handwriting, but with slight variations each time.

 

What’s the best piece of creative advice you’ve been given?

Before I started the Artist Teacher Scheme, I was a bit stuck in a place where I felt my parental and financial responsibilities had to take precedence over my art practice. One of the workshop facilitators at an artist educators’ event at Birmingham City University said to me, “Give yourself permission to do it”. I think I really needed to hear that! Another of the facilitators, who is now my course tutor, Elena, listened patiently to my excuses and wittering and then told me, “Just do it anyway.” Both pieces of advice have stuck with me this year, and I’ve not looked back!

 

www.tillymackdraws.wordpress.com

www.facebook.com/tillymackdraws

 

Practitioner Focus: Elinor Brass

Elinor Brass is an artist, researcher and teacher, Head of Art at a school in South East London, Director of Gerald Moore Gallery and founder of Sketchbook Circle. 

How would you describe your work?

I am interested in surface, layer, colour, history.  My work has tended to be responding somehow to the urban world and to places that show the traces of human life.  But not the figure.  I am interested in implied stories of what might have gone on, but mostly about the beauty in the overlooked - the everyday.  Over the years I have taken so many photos of old walls and abandoned or forgotten spaces that I continue to return to for inspiration.  And I do like a good building site.  I suppose I would call myself a painter but I work with a mixture of media and methods and often into 3D.  Whatever feels right.  I draw a lot.  I use my camera too.  I stitch and I use printmaking as a way to create layers.  I didn't study art at as an undergrad nor do a foundation mostly because my experience of art at school wasn't good and at the time I didn't understand what art could be.  So I ended up studying History of Art and History before my PGCE in Art and then did a Masters in painting once I was teaching.  It has meant that I have had to learn a lot of techniques through teaching myself.  

In recent years I have often collaborated with another artist, Emily Orley who is a lecturer at Roehampton University.  We are both interested in the history of spaces and have explored ways to respond through developing installations in places we found around London.  We begin the projects with the idea that 'places remember events' (words that James Joyce scribbled in the margin of his notes for Ulysses) to investigate and document the sites.  We spend time researching the place and then develop artwork back into the space responding to the history of the site.  

Sketchbook Circle enables me to keep my making processes constantly moving and I am lucky enough to have a space at home which acts as a small studio.  It means that the lines between life and art are blurred but that is the way I prefer it.  At the moment, I am in the forth year of an Educational Doctorate and so I have not been making big work or working on big projects as much of my time is committed to my research.   However, I continue to make every week somehow as it keeps me well.  I also consider my role as Director of Gerald Moore Gallery as a kind of artwork.  The gallery opened in 2012 and since then I have been leading the programme of exhibitions and events.  It has allowed me to commission work, to work with artists, galleries and curators and to explore different ways to use the gallery spaces and most importantly to place learning at the centre of everything we do.  

Hampstead Road

How does your process work?

I was lucky enough to do my Masters in painting on an artist teacher course at the beginning of my teaching career that meant I could still work full-time.  Studying and teaching forced me to develop a discipline towards making work that I have managed to sustain and is kind of where the idea for Sketchbook Circle came from.  There isn't ever enough time!  But I find the more that I make the more that I am thinking about making and the easier it is to dip in and out of making.  I don't wait for inspiration or to be in the mood, but just book in time to make sure that I keep things moving.

In my little studio space I have lots of materials that I like using and to which I often return.  I tend to get ideas moving through working small initially and using materials that I am confident with and then I build from there.  I am always telling my students that they need to see what emerges and I suppose I would say that this is what I like most about making work.  In life generally I am quite organised and I like a plan!  But I also like to be flexible and reactive which I suppose comes through in my work.  I like the way that Sketchbook Circle throws new things into the mix so that I am always developing as an artist and not only doing what I know.

I absolutely always carry a notebook.

I have lots of art books and a few favourite to which I regularly return. 

I draw a lot.

I love going on courses that push me around a bit and make me reflect more deeply on my practice.

I use my camera to collect ideas.

What tools and materials could you not live without?

I have a folder of collected papers to which I am constantly adding and which comes on all of my travels.  It is made up of old work, coloured tracing paper, scraps of vinyls, graph paper...  I really love drawing when I am travelling and so I also have plenty of different pens that allow me to build up surface as well as to work in line.  I love working with Posca Pens and have recently bought some more deliciously coloured Liquitex paint pens.  I also have a stock of washi tapes that I take with me.

Over the years I have stockpiled tester pots of emulsion which I use a lot in my work but recently have been using alongside lots of vivid drawing inks, bright acrylics and a range of fabulous Liquitex spray-paint.   I have also been working a lot with Gelli plates in order to develop surfaces and like the immediacy of that and the fact I can work quickly and be reactive.

I have lots of brown paper sandwich ties from Italy that I always get when I go to visit! I love using them as a way of drawing and I move into 3D playing with sticks and card and a glue gun. 

Tiger is my favourite place to visit for quirky materials but I am always checking what is in the stationary section of Poundland!  And I love a good wander around B and Q...  

What projects are you currently working on?

With my doctorate coming towards the end, most of my energy is devoted to that when I am not at work.  I chose to do it in order to make the most of my role in the gallery as it was such a big project and I felt quite isolated setting it up.  I wanted to make sure that it was a success and had to learn very quickly how to run a business, to develop a vision for the space, to programme events and to get as many people on side as possible!  I have benefited enormously from the support of my supervisor, Claire Robins at the Institute of Education.  She has given me a great deal of moral support, as well as given me the confidence to try new things and to stand up for what I believe in. 

At the moment I am exploring being an artist, researcher and teacher within my own institution and considering the impact of the galley on the students I teach.  I am hoping that I can complete my thesis by the end of 2017.

What is the best piece of creative advice you have ever been given?

I went on a creativity course at The School of Life in London which was led by Michael Atavar, who wrote 'How to be an Artist'.  I love going on courses like that as I am a bit greedy to learn new things and to carve out time to think about being creative.   One thing that he said was to not use the fact that you haven't got the space, time or money to do what you want, but instead to use what you have.  To turn it into a positive.  I think we are always doing this in schools anyway with the limits of time and funds, but I really like the idea of applying it to my own practice and I find it pushes me harder and I think I am a better artist as a result.  It kind of cuts out the opportunity to make an excuse about not making.  At the moment I am working small as that is what my space allows for, but in a way I think the work is more developed than it would be if I was painting large canvases.  It also suits my life at the moment.

The other thing Michael says is 'The only way to start is to start'.  Which I am often telling my students.  I am an advocate of using your body and creating energy to enable the work.  The most perfectly formed idea isn't going to emerge from nowhere.  Making work involves the right sort of energy.

What would your dream project be?

I am thoroughly enjoying running the Sketchbook Circle and would love for that to become an even bigger movement.  It would be wonderful to have the funding to work with more of those involved to run the circle: developing resources and a publication, offering on-line courses, more CPD, more support generally.  I really care about the circle but want it to be the best it could possible be. 

I am definitely going to write a book about the circle.  I have always wanted to write a book... Not an ordinary book, but something visual and which celebrates the circle community.  But I must finish my doctorate thesis first...

What are you reading at the moment?

No light reading for me at the moment!  I have been using a book called: 'Teaching Art in the Neoliberal Realm.  Realism versus Cynicism' edited by Gielen and De Bruyne, which is really satisfying to read as it gives such a clear account of the challenges we are all facing in school over the last few years.  But I am also using 'The Wander Society' by Keri Smith quite a lot at school and love Stephen Fowler's beautiful book on rubber stamps!  Oh and the 'Photographers Playbook'.

elinorbrass.com
@elinorbrass
geraldmooregallery.org
@GeraldMooreGall

Emergency Blanket Challenge- Tilly McDermott

This piece has come about as a result of some ideas which I have been exploring and attempting to express whilst locating my artistic practice on the Artist Teacher Scheme at Birmingham School of Art. I have become very interested in making large scale drawings which express movement and energy, and which also seem to me to embody somehow the internal thought processes my mind goes through as I make them - process made visible. Elena, the course tutor, remarked that I am a 'taker-awayer', meaning that I put things into a piece and then move them around, or remove them, until I am satisfied. Addition and subtraction, ebb and flow, assertion and obliteration. I am now conscious of this as a valid part of my creative process, and actively embrace it in my work. This finished piece has gone through several versions and modifications as I thought my ideas through and came up with what seems to me to be a satisfactory way to express them. 

The emergency blanket I received through the post was smooth, shiny and reflective when I opened it and it reflected fairly clear images; however, as I worked with it, it became crumpled, torn and fragmented. These opposing qualities took on many meanings for me; fragmented memories, stories, narratives; self-reliance and self-reflection; my own image and my own environment mirrored back at me, alongside my own inner landscape. A reminder that what I need is right here, and all I have to do is look for it.
I felt the need to cut and shred the blanket, which seemed to be about the many shards and fragments of existence and experience which make me who I am; as I did so, the sunlight and the warm red of the curtains was reflected back at me.
I didn't really know at any point where I was headed with this idea, and it's only a stage on the internal journey. I've continued to pull bits off it (addition and subtraction), and I've photographed it and manipulated it with the (many) photo editing apps on my phone; will it ever be finished? When is a piece of work finished? I've put it aside for a while now, but I'm sure I will revisit it and change it again, as this seems to be an enduring part of my artistic practice.

The Emergency Blanket Challenge- Caroline Preston

For my challenge I tried a few templates, designed a cutting/scoring grid & now know that I can get 9 sheets of A4 from what you gave me which would result in 36 pyramids!
Alternatively, I could vary sizes for different effects if I was to develop this into my own work. (Here I have used sellotape for a quick fix, but for a professional outcome would use sandpaper & glue on the specified areas so that there was no obscurity/imperfection of tape when you look at the pyramids. This is necessary for each laminated pyramid simply because it cannot hold its form in the same way paper or metal can.)

With a class we would first make one each, then respond individually with photography, then as a whole group/small groups we'd create a combined series of 3D responses with sculpture, relief, photography, drawing & painting... Our work & what we place around it/where we place it, could then lead to still life observational experimentations & outcomes in response to this starting point! I love it as it can cover many themes & skills.

Critical & contextual references:
Broomhill Art Hotel & Sculpture Gardens where I visit & exhibit regularly, inspired by it's various national & international artists working in metal - http://www.broomhillart.co.uk/sculpturegardens/artists.html

Martin C Herbst - http://www.martincherbst.com/

Mademoiselle Maurice - http://www.mademoisellemaurice.com/en/

My work: http://www.carolinepreston-artist.com


My intention would be to create this into a full sculpture/relief wall piece. For now I have photographed the one I have made in different environments.

I wanted to apply my knowledge of origami to your challenge to link to my artwork, along with enjoying the light reflective surface & taking inspiration from artists working in similar media. I doubted it would tolerate gluing to paper for folding, and as I have been away for 3 weeks, figured to achieve something I would need a quick way to make this rigid. I knew I would loose some of the reflective quality, but hoped the laminating would suffice & other than a few creases where the original folds were, it's done ok, but lacks the brightness as thought!
(I will later use all the off cuts I have of the original blanket to create a rag rug style piece of card that I can poke & protrude sections through so they take on their own folds & reflections more naturally & reflectively in a smaller piece ref. Artist Martin C Herbst.)

Artist Focus: Paul Raymond

Can you describe your work in a few words?

I make artwork in a variety of media ranging from assemblage pieces, site-specific installation and lo-tech kinetic sculpture - to drawing, collage, video, sound and performance works. My most recent project has taken the form of a shambolic performance art cover band / art collective called ‘Stabbing Les’. As a group, we have curated exhibitions, hosted performance events and created a cassette based artwork archive featuring the work of a number of contemporary artists in the UK.

How do you find a balance between teaching and making art?

I think that it’s absolutely vital to find some kind of balance in order to function properly in any of my roles. I currently teach part-time in two different schools, I work with a group of home-educated students and I deliver workshops to adults and children. I suppose I see all of these roles as being part of my overall ‘creative practice’ and I feel like these separate strands all feed into one another. However, it is really important for me to set regular time aside for making my own personal artwork - either alone in my studio or through collaboration with others.

What inspires you?

I am hugely inspired by the people around me and the networks I am associated with. I am constantly inspired by the amazing and creative artists & teachers I work with in the North East. Inspiration can come from anywhere but I find that the most interesting work comes from sharing good practice and discussing ideas …whether that is through formal presentations & lectures, informal skills & ideas sharing sessions or through discussions in the pub.

Which material could you not live without?

My work is quite diverse in terms of the materials and methods I use. The common factor is usually some form of appropriation of objects or the deconstruction / reconstruction of materials. There is not a particular ‘thing’ that I couldn’t live without as I believe art can be made from absolutely anything at all.

What would your dream project be?

My dream project would be something on a huge scale involving a combination of performances and interactive exhibitions. I was really disappointed that I didn’t make it to see Banky’s ‘Dismaland’ in Weston-super-Mare last year as the idea of a subversive art theme park is very appealing. Some of the most memorable exhibitions I have visited have had clever interactive elements such as Michael Landy’s ‘Saints Alive’ at the National Gallery a few years ago. He created these violent self-flagellating kinetic sculptures of Christian Saints which were powered by visitors stepping on pressure pads. I also loved Doug Fishbone’s ‘Leisureland Golf’ which I visited recently at Derby’s Quad gallery space. This was a crazy golf course in which artists had designed playable holes parodying the leisure industry and highlighting a number of important social issues. I don’t necessarily think that all exhibitions have to be interactive – but my inner child definitely craves a bit of excitement, sensationalism and FUN!!!    

How does your creative process work and what’s the best piece of creative advice you’ve been given?

The best piece of advice I was ever given was something along the lines of “creativity doesn’t always just happen; you need to work at it”. I can’t remember the exact words but a friend offered this advice at the start of my final year of university when I had hit a bit of a creative wall. It’s pretty obvious advice when you think about it, but it’s so easy to get caught up in the “struggle” of making artwork. I find that it’s often more difficult to come up with ideas and to develop them in isolation which is why I believe that collaborative practice is so important.

My creative process generally involves working with others. I am very lucky to be part of the North East Artist Teacher and Educator Network (NEATEN) which provides a platform for sharing educational ideas, skills and knowledge as well as being a very welcoming social network. I collaborate with a variety of artists in my personal practice and I also love being part of Sketchbook Circle and having the opportunity to have a visual conversation with other creative people around the country.

What are you reading at the moment?

I am currently reading ‘Truth or Dare? – The Politics of Parafiction Art’ edited by Keren Goldberg. It is about the creation of fake narratives, fictitious historical personas and imaginary situations as artistic acts. 

Katie Smith on Creativity, Kindness and Wellbeing

A little while ago my friend David Gauntlett sent me a link to his Ted talk he’d done called ‘Building Real-World Platforms for Creativity.’ It’s a really lovely film that explores how small acts of creativity can change the world. What I particularly like about David’s talk is that it acknowledges the power of creativity to connect people through the shared experience of making. It’s all about people doing everyday stuff together and for that stuff to have the potential to encourage conversations, create inspiration and to make things happen.

Watching David’s film made me ponder my role as an artist. Creativity is my bread and butter but also my therapy, my hobby and the lens through which I experience the world. Each is a collaborative process and I doubt whether one could exist without the other. I don’t have to squeeze creativity into my life or make time for it which is an amazingly privileged position to be in, so I guess I was asking myself ‘what is it that I bring to the table?’

Shortly after David sent me the link to his film I got a text from Lauren, a young person I’d worked with on a past project to say that she had been admitted to a secure mental health unit. It was a massive shock and as a mum of a daughter of a similar age with the same diagnosis I knew that I had to do something.

My daughter’s experiences have taught me that people’s attitudes towards mental illness can be pretty appalling. You are not afforded the same kindness as someone with a physical illness as there is a common assumption that you have some control over the way that you are feeling. As 1 in 4 people in the UK will experience a mental health problem each year it’s my belief that we should look after each other and no one should ever be made to feel as if they are not worthy of compassion.

Thinking back to my question ‘what is it that I bring to the table?’ I decided to step into the role of artist as instigator and set about organising a sort of postal flash mob for Lauren. I wanted her to know that she had a place in a world and that she was loved. I contacted lots of creative friends and asked if they could make some exciting post for her; they rose to the challenge and kept my postman very busy for at least a week! I was overwhelmed by people’s generosity and the general feeling that to give was an equal pleasure as to receive. I set up a secret Facebook group which developed into a supportive community of makers all keen to connect with each through a collective act of creative kindness.

David starts and ends his Ted talk with the statement ‘little bits of creativity are not trivial.’ The collection of little bits of creativity poured into envelopes and packages for Lauren were not trivial, far from it, they had the collective power to change a little corner of her world. They are helpful to her now and will continue to help her through her recovery. I don’t know whether I instigated Lauren’s postal flash mob as an artist or a human, I just felt that I did what I needed to be done. I do know that I couldn’t have done it without inviting my friends to step into a shared experience and I am so grateful for their help.

I wrote this piece for my blog but there is a backstory that I would like to add. As part of the introduction to the project that Lauren had taken part in, I showed her group the Sketchbook Circle book I’d worked in with Paula Preston last year. I presented it as an example of how the right collaboration mixed with a good dose of open ended creativity can help to maintain equilibrium in our busy lives. Lauren loved exploring the pages and was really intrigued by our partnership. I was thrilled when a few weeks later she told me that she’d been inspired to start a collaborative sketchbook with her friend Rosie who she'd met through a hospital stay. Their book documents their days out and has been a really good way for both girls to see the progress they are making in a tangible form. When Rosie visited Lauren in hospital she handed the book over to her for the duration of her stay, a lovely gesture that is helping Lauren’s recovery by giving her hope for the future. Art makes people powerful.