My madeleine

The studio clearout continues, as do the memories. Proust had his madeleine; I’ve got the these work trousers, which take me back to 1998 and my residency at Gloucester cathedral. Working with natural latex again, this time to make a large installation, ‘The Words to Say It’, covering the whole of the crypt. For weeks on end the studio stank of ammonia, used to stop the latex setting too quickly when exposed to air. My jeans became encrusted as I worked away, and the smell of ammonia seared through my brain throughout that winter!

Child’s play

One of the pendulum drawings I made during The Observatory residency. That was in the cold of January 2015. The blue biro faded now to shades of brown.

Gasometer stretch

Ah yes, the first time I used latex as a sculptural material. A maquette for a stretched sculpture to be sited within the ribbed cage of an empty gasometer.

Looking back at me, looking back at you

Self portrait: looking back at myself from 1992. [I am just embarking upon a complete studio clearout, and have already come across this. Well, over the next few weeks this process is going to be one hell of a trip down memory lane, so thought I might share it with you as I go along. In any case, I’m not going to be producing new work until this is done. Deep breath…]

Every breath you take

At school, I was never as keen on chemistry as I was on biology. However these days, the more I read about the ecological damage that we are doing to our planet the more it seems that it is chemistry that will undo us in the end. The changes will be subtle, apparently minuscule, but crucial. So as we acidify our oceans, the chemistry used by the coccolithophores to construct their elaborate protective shells turns to ’emperor’s clothes’. Chemistry, not being so far removed from biology, then makes <this Radiolab podcast> breathless listening.

Tallman Walking

Tallman Walking, what’s that all about? That pivot moment where you start to rotate the telescope and look through it from the other end; the descending whoosh as the Doppler Effect kicks in; your eldest son reaching eighteen. Why here? Well, that <hiatus> really put the cat amongst the pigeons, so this is my way of starting to walk again. And the image? Memorable, don’t you think? It has been with me for many years now, and came to mind recently. (Allegory of Prudence by Titian)

Art in the Field

That’s the title of a recent article in ‘The Field’ magazine about my plans for Surface Tension. I never imagined that I could be described as a ‘sporting artist’! It does show, however, that I am reaching beyond my usual audience. I also didn’t expect the grilling I got from the journalist: straight to the point, no messing around, what the hell did I think I was up to? Well, you decide. You can read the article on line here. Much rather ‘The Field’ than any art magazine. [Yes, I know, I haven’t been posting much of late, but am planning on that changing in the New Year. Here’s looking ahead to 2018!]