A lot of colliding of action at the moment, and almost at the point where I can make some exciting announcements. Both in terms of (having had a title change) ‘The Polari Mission’ and also a forthcoming project for Manchester Pride, which now makes the rest of the summer (?) look very busy. I’ve also finished the essays for my Year two OU degree course – The Histories of Art, which has been really rewarding, whilst at times hard going. I expect you don’t get one without the other…. Impending heavily is my first EXAM for (probably) about 28 years. Revision is a new skill that I need to learn. Once again though I’m feeling like I spend more time doing the work which surrounds the art than actually making the art. An ongoing and (possibly) at the moment insurmountable problem…..

Then followed by a positive meeting with staff to discuss the ‘Accrington Festival’. Exciting news of a significant artists’ commission to be released soon…

I’m enjoying playing around with this, using watercolours and giving myself a 20 minute time limit to play around. Following my run in the park earlier, this is starting to feel like a different style of warm up

I’ve decided (again) to try and do a bit of drawing, if not every day, at least a couple of times a week. Maybe this is an outcome of having taught a couple of days of GCSE art in Accrington, and getting students to try to think about drawing in a more loose uninhibited way, so thought that I should give it a go myself outside of the classroom.

Some great progress happening with both ‘Bona Eek’ and ‘Minotaur’ at the minute.

Last night met with Jim O’Reilly who is an old friend and an extremely good maker of things. After a lot of fannying about and indecision, I’ve decide to ask him to make the head of the Minotaur. Although I do have skills in that area, they are not a patch on Jim’s, also I know that he’ll rise to the challenge and really enjoy the process. Also, its always good to collaborate. Jim is going to come up with two or three maquette pieces as starting points, and we’ll go from there. I’ll be very excited to see what he produces.

Today a fantastically encouraging email from one of the main partners for ‘Bona Eek’ who I don’t think I can really name yet. However, it is a very grand historic venue in the centre of Manchester….. They are really keen to be involved, and also want to discuss collaborating with them on a small scale exhibition / event for Manchester Pride Fringe… This can only be really positive stuff for the various funding applications we are working on at the minute. Exciting times…..

I’ve donated this work to Blank Media www.blankmediacollective.org for their January sale which is happening on Saturday 28th of January. I exhibited for the first time last year in their group show Blank Expression. Blank Media are a fantastic organisation doing a massive amount of work to support artists in Manchester and beyond, and bringing a huge amount of energy to the arts scene in the city.

The work I’ve donated – ‘Danger’ (Edition 1 / 5) is a photographic digital print from the series Walking Holme, a commission I worked on last year for the Holmfirth Arts Festival. The main piece of the commission was a multi media installation in the parish church, which was created, with artist Dan Fox during a four day walk from the source to the confluence of the river Holme. This work was exhibited as part of a series of still photographs at Back Lane Art Space, also in Holmfirth.

Please get along to the sale / auction tomorrow to pick up some great contemporary art and support an excellent organisation.

Whilst trying to focus on the current chapter of study for my OU “Art and its Histories’ course: ‘The Work of Art – The Work of Psychoanalysis’, I’m also still thinking about ‘Minotaur’. Having been given a tatty pair of dungarees (thanks Ed) to use for the ‘costume’ (although this doesn’t seem to really be the right word) I’ve been thinking about embroidering the dungarees with words – as yet, I’m not sure what these words might be, but there seems to be a strong sense of writing, or the written word creeping into this project. The image of embroidered words and / or symbols which the Minotaur wears or carries with him is becoming clearer. Red embroidery thread, shiny.

In the course work I’m looking at the work of Eva Hesse, and trying to think about ambiguity and bodily association in terms of her sculptural practice. I recently bought a book called ‘The Book of Symbols’ and look through it for any reference to the symbolic meaning of ‘box’. Meanwhile, I turn to the page headed ‘Thread’ and of course a reference (in an illustration of a Burne – Jones painting) to “Unwinding a ball of golden thread, which will show him the way back. Theseus descends into the labyrinth.”

It all starts to add up somehow…….

This lantern is part of an installation to celebrate Chinese New Year at the Chinese Arts Centre, Manchester. Made from tissue and pea sticks, lino cut figures. I’m going to be making similar lanterns with students at Accrington Academy next week in conjunction with a visiting teacher from Korea.

Another project that has been flitting around for a while. Some time ago I noticed the numbers on plastic tags attached by a nail to each of the trees in the local parks. Again, with the starting point of a simple visual image, had the idea to document these photographically. Having just been out this afternoon to do a quick test (partly because the sun is shining, and the sky is blue) realised that I’ll at the very least need a step ladder, plus someone to hold it. I kind of like the contrast in textures, and can visualise a whole load of these images grouped together, as quite graphic B&W images. Anyone fancy coming over to hold the ladder?

I thought I continue drawing onto photographs, based on how i felt about the last Minotaur drawing. Not exactly sure where he appeared from, and I find him ever so slightly scary. Maybe there are other people waiting….