Poppies for Bran Symondson

So I finally finished making the poppies about 2 weeks ago and delivered the final 40 to the gallery last week.

I got to see the poppies alongside Bran's (amazing) photographs when I went to his private view on Thursday 27th January.

The gallery was really busy and it was great to see all the work and read the captions. Bran's uncle did a lovely speech. I didn't realise that Bran took the photos while he was serving in Afghanistan, I assumed he'd gone back out there to take them. I also found out that the Ministry of Defense tried to shut down the exhibition 2 years ago.

Apparently the poppies had a good response, as did the mini one I made for Bran's lapel. I was really happy with the finished pieces, as I hope he was too.

The images really are beautiful so go and check them out at Idea Generation gallery if you get chance.

Here are some photos of the finished poppies and them in the gallery.

Check out some photo's of the private view, including a loverly one of the back of my head and Tom looking really interested in what im saying at the gallery's flikr page...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ig_gallery/5395702570/in/set-72157625924039648/

Upcoming Exhibition

The Open West

9th February - 5th March

Summerfield Gallery, Pittville Studios, University of Gloucestershire, Albert Road, Cheltenham.

If anyone's heading west, pop and check out this exhibition in Cheltenham. My Gift Shop pieces were selected to be part of the show and its also the first time some of my drawings will be exhibited; a series called The Poisoner's Cabinet.

The Open West is an annual open competition and exhibition inviting submissions from national and international artists practising contemporary and conceptual art, inclusive of painting, installation, film, photography, print and sculpture.

It looks like its going to be a pretty exciting exhibition, apparently one of the exhibits is a bed coming in from Mexico!

I will also hopefully be assisting Artist Alan Goulbourne, who makes big installations, on a community project organised by the Open West.

What I'm doing now...

So far 2011 has been good and exciting for me, here's 3 reasons why:

1) I'm currently working on a commission for photographer Bran Symondson, making 100 press moulded opium poppy heads for his upcoming exhibition at Idea Generation Gallery.

I've been working in Manifold Studio, a beautiful studio under the arches of the East London line in Hoxton founded and built by a group of 9 recent graduates from the Royal College of Arts Ceramics and Glass MA. Im keeping Hanne Mannheimer's space warm while she's away on a residency in Denmark.

I've been pressing on (literally) for the past 2 weeks, my current poppy total stands at 52, but the first batch of 60 is going in the kiln on Saturday.

The unfired poppies - with score marks filled with oxide; the real poppies have these scores where they have been scratched to release the opium sap.

The space where I've been working.

One of Bran's photographs, currently exhibited at Idea Generation Gallery.

http://gallery.ideageneration.co.uk/

2) I've started my Saturday job at Camden Arts Centre assisting the Artist Alan Stott with the Ceramics Techniques for Juniors class.

We are making a dream feast with the children who are 7-9 years old. I think we'll have an imaginative and exciting spread at the end of the 10 week project. This week we were making surreal candelabras for the table.

My favourite was a little boy's; a detailed 3d clay illustration of a man in a pointy hat tied to the candelabra's main stand with super chunky ropes ready to be executed!

3)Third and definitely not least... im getting a studio!

I will be sharing with Martha Todd, another RCA graduate from last year. Her studio is 5 minutes from my house, just before Queenstown Road Train Station and i'll be sharing it with her from March, hopefully working in there 3 days a week.

What I've been up to...

Round up of the last 8 months

Here is a quick update of some exciting things I've been doing since graduating last summer, 2010.....

(starting with the most recent)

Rare Gifts @ Residence Gallery

My Brilliant Eye bottles were featured in the Rare Gifts Exhibition at the Residence gallery in the lead up to Christmas. The concept of the show was handmade works that cost from £1-£200. There was a bit of a dark, macabre theme going on but displayed in a kitsch Christmassy way; so my work and stray resin eyeballs fitted in nicely!

I sold my first piece here! (a small poison lady from The Gift Shop collection)

Proposals, Applications and Interviews

My first steps after graduating were to find a pay the rent job (in a pub and packing ceramics for Tina Tsang at Undergrowth Design) and to mass apply for ‘real jobs’, mostly art technician jobs in schools and write proposals for exhibitions and projects.

One of those was for an installation of tropical birds at Kew Gardens, I wasn’t selected but I’m proud of the drawings I made for my proposal... lots of bright ink

Move to London

After a manic, panic search for a house we found one on our second viewing and I am now Battersea based.

London Design Week: Homework @ Mint Gallery

Soon after my return to England, London Design week was upon us. After spotting my work at New Designers I had been invited to exhibit at Mint Gallery’s Homeworks exhibition, featuring a number of new graduates work.

A selection of my Gift Shop pieces have been there since.