I’m delighted to let you know that I will be taking part in Hebden Bridge Open Studios for the first time. My studio is in my bedroom, up two flights of stairs and our house is rather off the beaten track compared to the other studio spaces, so I’ve never been able to take part…Continue Reading “Hebden Bridge Open Studios 2019”
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The Death Of Roses brings gifts, welcome and unwelcome. The Death Of Roses was an accident. In October 2016, I needed a last minute Halloween costume because I’d misplaced the make-up I needed to do a broken doll’s face. With only a few hours to come up with a new idea, I looked at the…Continue Reading “Introducing The Death Of Roses”
Looking at art websites & wondering, not for the first time, what a residency for disabled artists would look like & how much support it would need? Of course a lot depends on the disability in question, some may be much easier to accommodate than others. Personally, I’m almost entirely excluded from residencies because of…Continue Reading “A rant about accessibility”
I know it’s only February but if Stranger Than We Can Imagine: Making Sense of the Twentieth Century by John Higgs doesn’t make my top ten books of the year, I’ll be very surprised. It’s an excellent speedy romp through the major ideas of the 20th century with the overarching thesis that it was a…Continue Reading “Book review: Stranger Than We Can Imagine”
Hello, I’m not dead! Not only am I not dead, but I’m making new work and I’ve finally started showing again. This is by far the longest gap I’ve had between shows since I graduated in 2002 but deliberately taking a break was very needful. Anyway, I’m delighted to announce that I’m in the Shoddy…Continue Reading “Tatterdemalion and Shoddy”
I refer to myself as The Queen Of Procrastination. I know, I know, it’s not a very sensible self-fulfilling prophecy to land myself with. Pretty blooming accurate though! Over the years, I’ve learnt that procrastination can have many causes. I was reminded recently that fear can be a big one. In December, I swapped webhosts…Continue Reading “A sneaky way to overcome procrastination”
Today I’ve been reading a long interview with Johnna Flannagan from The Pale Rook, who makes beautiful, wistful dolls from antique fabric. I particularly liked what she had to say about creative blocks: “I used to get crippling creative block, which, in my experience is usually the result of two things, focusing too much on…Continue Reading “Rebooting from empty”
Eh bien, le Tour de France et disparu. We’ve waved and cheered the riders as they sped past and now it’s time to bid farewell to the colourful windows as Hebden gradually returns to what passes for normal around here. So here is the final part of my Tour De France essay. There’s been…Continue Reading “Le Tour De Hebden (part three)”
Only one day to go before the Tour comes whizzing through Hebden Bridge and excitement is rising. According to Twitter, the Co-Op has run out of food already. There is bunting everywhere, including on our street, and Le Grand Party! is taking place in the town centre this afternoon. So in surprisingly timely fashion, here…Continue Reading “Le Tour De Hebden (part two)”
OK yes, I do know that the Tour De France is going to other places apart from Hebden Bridge but we shall not speak of it. You see, I have no interest in the actual cycling part but I have been hugely enjoying all the creative responses to the Tour in the shop windows of…Continue Reading “Le Tour De Hebden (part one)”