5am Drawings

Some drawings from a last week's short bout of insomnia. At least I got to do some drawing. In fact, I finished a sketch book. I was drawing from an old photo by Weegee published in June's Smithsonian Magazine which has a lot of interesting figures in it. I'm not sure what I will do with these drawing yet. The eagle drawing is a new drawing of an old image.

UAA

Also, I've been helping out in the print room in UAA (University of Alaska Anchorage). The Tutor there has been really very generous and allows me use of the facilities in return for a very small amount of work - testing products, preparing stuff for lessons and making samples of techniques for students, as well as answering the odd question. It has the added benefit of putting me under a small amount of pressure to create prints and drawings of my own.

And the last one

New drawings and prints

I've been a bit lax on posting...as always, but I've been trying to keep working and this is what I've come up with lately. It is very early days but I am trying to work on more landscape based forms in an effort to create a context for some of my more abstract forms. However, these have also become a little more abstract than I would have liked. Perhaps I don't want to commit to anything too figurative. I'll keep working on it though. So here are some drawings and (mostly) corresponding etching/aquatint/dry points.

Michele Burgess

I saw Michele Burgess's work in a printmaking book in the studio the other day. I was particularly interested in a collaborative book she was involved in A Woman Hit by Meteor. They are large scale etchings of seemingly abstract forms, but the sense of light and slow motion she captures are, I think, what draws me to them. I think she might just have managed to spur me out of the current creative block I've been experiencing.

Migration Project

I got given this book by a friend - during my bird project work on my MA. It was so interesting and got me thinking about continuing work along the theme of migration. So - now the Christmas gift sweat shop has closed, and a lengthy period of unemployment beckons in Alaska - it seems like a perfect time to keep up the research and production of work...along some major investigations into funding.

Back from Berlin

Well, I"m back from Berlin having packed up the show at the weekend. The Gallery was great - a converted factory in Kreuzberg, Berlin, which is now being used as apartments (both residential and holiday lets), studios, offices and gallery space. Well worth a look.

As for the show, Steve and Amanda did a fantastic job curating it and, after a couple of days hard graft it all came together. Look see...

The opening night was busy with people, so that can't be bad. The week was much quieter and I think it might have been better to have been situated a little nearer the main show. But hey, this was the first year of the degree show part of ILLUSTRATIVE, so everyone's learning. It was definitely a good experience to be a part of hanging and co-ordinating a show, and seeing the kind of thing they have managed to set up there in a disused building. Also, hanging out in Berlin was a big bonus. It's a great city, with a lot of creative energy to keep it buzzing.