February/March
February
An idea I had whilst sipping cocktails in Madeira (see January’s post about my winter sun escape) was to start a critique group for York artists. York is a beautiful place to live, work and be creative and there are many creative communities in the city including; Textiles Artists, Printmakers, Artworkers Association and York Creatives but it seemed there was nothing available for visual artists wanting to meet other visual artists and share their work. Often artists work from home or tucked out the way as available studio space in York is limited. So February I started the York Artists Crit Group. We had 3 people attend this first meeting which was great, I left that evening on a high. I knew I was on to something really special. The simple format means that the artists could bring some of their artwork along and share it with the group. They could then ask for feedback and advice and everyone showed real enthusiasm, kindness and were keen to give and received critical feedback on each other’s work. This event now runs once a month every second Thursday, 6.30-8.30 and is held at Pica Studios.
For more information and tickets click here.
March
Wow, what a month!! Our crit group continued and we had a special guest, a friend of mine from my Masters's degree days, James Sewell, who is currently studying for a PhD at Leeds Beckett University and so it was great to have him on board with us to share his wisdom, and I appreciated his time-keeping skills.
As the month moved on I got to have a portfolio review with the wonderful Hannah Starkey who has an exhibition at the Hepworth in Wakefield, which I can highly recommend and is on until 1 May 2023.
Whilst visiting the Hepworth I also got to see the work of a hero of mine, Jadé Fadojutimi. Her work is so intense, the colours pop and hit you right in the face due to the large scale. I was lucky enough to see her work in Venice last year as part of the Venice Biennale. It is just stunning and she is a favourite contemporary influence on me. I spent an hour soaking up the enormous work. The marks have such a beautiful rhythm to them and I followed each stroke along the canvas moving in the gallery space. I was in my own world, and this odd behaviour began to attract attention from other visitors. I spoke to other observers of her work and we discussed how much we love her. I am so grateful when art brings people together in this way, strangers sharing their love of art, experiences and knowledge is a beautiful thing.
This month was also the opening of the Aesthetica Art Prize at the York Art Gallery. The show runs until 4 June 2023.
As March came to an end it hit me with a bump (well, more like a car crash) as I was made redundant from my job. This was a shock and, seemed to come out of the blue. I had a week of tears, and upset and then laughs and a girl power attitude of ‘I don’t need you’ but the truth is as a painter, I do need an income that supports my practice at this stage in my career, so that will be Aprils problem to solve.
Recently I’ve been listening to the amazingly inspiring book Ninth Street Women by Mary Gabriel there were so many stories of the Abstract Expressionists (including Willem and Elaine De Kooning, and Jackson Pollock and Lee Krasner) not being able to pay rent and bills and living with no heating or hot water at a time when the world had just tried its hardest to destroy itself during WW2. They took any jobs for a short period of time to pay for exhibitions which they would organise themselves. These artists were prolifically making work and doing anything to make that happen, I call this being time rich. Unlike those days I can at least still enjoy a hot bath with a glass of Chardonnay and a good book. I realised I’ll be ok, but, this month has definitely knocked me off my feet.
Finally, it was also time to prepare for York Open Studios, next time I’ll discuss this further.
