Hats Indoors

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This is getting to be a recurring theme, with the cold and very wet winter and I suspect, commercial premises turning the heating down a degree or two. Here are two of the people listening to artist talks at the Elysium Gallery and Bar this evening, given by Mark Folds and Bourdon Brindille. They were discussing their current exhibitions, “Crises” and “Breakage and Repair”, both excellent, clever, well made, interesting and with a bit of humour. The shows run until April 18th and are worth a look if you’re in Swansea. The Gallery bar and cafe also serves hot food, home cooked and really tasty.

Woodcut in the bog

This is a great visual blog from artist Patti McKenna Jones

pattimcjones's avatarPATRICRAFT

One of the ‘bloody women’ I’m paying tribute to in the upcoming exhibition at Cinema & Co Swansea is Andrea Levy. I was impressed and depressed by her novel ‘Small Island’ (about the unbelievable levels of discrimination meted out to the Windrush despite them being invited to live in the UK after WW2) when I read it 10 years ago. She admitted to developing a flinty bloody- mindedness in order to get published in her final interview -released on R4 recently & really worth a listen. Here is the woodcut of her beautiful face in progress but you’ll have to pop into the toilet in C&Co to see the finished print….

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Art In The Bogs

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The new BOGART exhibition is up at Swansea’s Cinema & Co. Patti McKenna Jones and I are installing regular art shows in the cinema’s rather nice toilets – it’s very democratic, everyone needs to wee.

 

 

It’s part of the International Womens Day celebration that includes a new exhibition in the main cinema by artists Esther Ley and Sally Davies. It opens on Thursday night with a free programme of films and music and loads of free home made CAKE from 5.30 to 7.30. It’s followed by the Feminista Film Festival (tickets here) from 7.30 to 9.30. Come and join us xx

 

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Left to right: Sally Davies, Patti McKenna Jones, Rosie Scribblah, Esther Ley.

Natty Handle

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Another little lino block cut and ready for action. I’ve got a natty stamp handle to glue it onto as well. I bought it on a trip to the Modulor store in Berlin a couple of years ago.

A Cuppa And A Read

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Here’s another couple of quick sketches I did in Waterstone’s bookshop cafe in Swansea. It’s very quiet there because most people have bought books and then pop up to the cafe for a cuppa and a read. It’s lovely. I drew with a ballpoint pen into my tiny Laura Ashley sketchbook. I’ve put it against a 50p piece for scale.

 

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It’s a beautiful building, the former Carlton cinema and I sat under the dome to take this photo.

 

Hats Indoors

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Stopped for a cup of tea in the lovely cafe in Waterstones bookshop in Swansea and had a quick scribble. Two young women wearing woolly hats indoors. They won’t feel the benefit when they go out into the cold, as my Nana used to say.

 

 

 

 

 

Herstory

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International Women’s Day is coming up fast and there are loads of things going on all over the world to celebrate it. Here in Swansea, on March 12th, Cinema & Co is hosting two exhibitions by Esther Ley, Sally Davies, Patti McJones and me followed by the Feminista Film Festival. 

I used traditional brown lino to cut the little block and printed it up with Cranfield Caligo Safe Wash relief ink using a Japanese baren.

 

And by the way, International Men’s Day is on November 19th – for chaps to celebrate being chaps.

Four Females And A Film Festival

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I cut this MDF woodblock a couple of months ago and got round to printing it today, using Cranfield Caligo Safe Wash relief ink in black onto Japanese Hosho paper, using a Japanese bamboo baren instead of a press. It’s my interpretation of the logo of local independent picture house Cinema & Co.

It’s a great place that supports local culture in many ways including giving artists free space to show our work. They don’t charge commission, all they ask is for artists to make a piece of work relating to the cinema. So here’s mine.

IWD

There’s a fantastic evening coming up on March 12th to celebrate International Womens’ Day. From 5.30 to 7.30 there’s the launch of an exhibition by four local artists (above) – Sally Davies, Esther Ley, Patti McKenna-Jones and me (FREE with home-made cake).

Feminista

And that’s followed by the Feminista Film Festival from 7.30 to 9.30 (info and tickets here). This series of shorts tells the most inspiring stories about women and girls around the world, from America, Syria, Greenland and more. Here’s the trailer….

 

 

 

Workshops Galore!

Some amazing printmaking workshops by Kara Seaman coming up at Swansea Print Workshop soon. Please click on the link to find out more 🙂

 

via Workshops Galore!

Blocking

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I finished cutting a little lino block and made a start on a second. The one that’s finished, I’ve stuck to a commercial handle to make it into a stamp. I got the handle when I visited Berlin a couple of years ago, from the Modulor store. They’re really neat, relatively cheap and available over the Internet here.

 

Here’s a better view of it…..

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