Metamorphose Show

I am showing my "Kingdom" silk at Metamorphose, an exhibition of emerging artists at Islington Arts Factory. Been a real pleasure to show with such great artists - from Fanny Chan's graceful abstract painting to Fabienne Hess's ghostly corrupted computer images. Click on the flyer for details.

Janet Hodgson (the Enfield Poltergeist)

Silk, paint, burn holes, 140 x 140cm

Janet Hodgson gained notoriety in 1977 in what became known as the case of the Enfield Poltergeist. Eleven-years old at the time she claimed that she was possessed by the spirit of the deceased, foul-tempered former resident of their north London semi. The Hodgson family reported furniture moving through the air, objects flying towards witnesses and incidences of Janet levitating above her bed. The case drew nationwide interest, making the front page of the papers. The Hodgson's neighbours started a campaign to force the family off the estate.

Lately I have been thinking about the similarities between what we think of ghosts and what we think of as art. To name a few, both are representations, both invoke moral panic and both provide very subjective experiences. I have always thought of my silks as a little ghostly, how they move when caught by a draft. Will blog soon of more findings.

Silk drawings

A teacher at college once said to me that all my work on silk was about the drawings and not the other way round. One thing's for sure, I really enjoy making these.

Graduate Art Festival show

I am showing my two fairy tale silks at the Graduate Art Festival in the basement of Shoreditch Town hall. The show is on till Tuesday 12th March, is open 11am-5pm every day and the address is 380 Old Street EC1V 9LT. You can find more details here: http://graduateartfestival.org. Thanks to all my special ring ins who came down to the PV to lend me their support!

The Merry Rec

Silk, paint, burn holes
140 x 140 cm




The title paraphrases the wolf in Riding Hood when he threateningly says to her: "How merry the woods are!"

Futuremap show

I've been invited to show my "Holy Commandments" silk at Futuremap, a show of work by recent graduates from UAL. It's a great show. I really liked Esteban Peña's large watercolour painting: a press-style image of a flooded river; I've never seen watercolour look SO watery - in an unsettling way. Plus, I enjoyed sharing the space with Conall McAteer's "Crate", a giant hand-crafted block that looked like it had dropped straight out of a video game. The show is on till 9th Feb, it's in the front gallery at the new St Martin's, just behind King's Cross station. All details here: http://futuremap.arts.ac.uk/.

Kingdom

Silk, paint, burn holes
140 x 140 cm

Everyday Fables

Lately I've been looking at fairy tales and how they have parallels in everyday life. A fairy tale shows us that despite our fears and inner struggles everything will be alright in the end. I have been trying to reveal the same messages in stories which are closer to home, in contemporary experience (some of them my own). These drawings are the prep for a large silk that I'm working on at present.

Sketchbook

St George's Gardens


Rifugio Sapienza

Sicily Collages

I've just got back from holiday in Sicily. Saw some amazing baroque churches, swam to my heart's content, and finally understood the fuss about Italian ice-cream. Palermo, the capital, is amazingly dilapidated. It felt like everything was covered with a layer of sun-baked grime. There was a lot of rubbish, which was very useful for collaging..