a lesson learned

even before my holiday starts there is always that one last issue before you can finally close the work book and start thinking about holiday insurance.

The exhibition hung well, a little annoying to arrive and find that neither the walls or area had been cleared from the last works, an annoying little thing that I have about leaving the place as you found it I suppose and, even though it erks me more than a little I find fault with the artists on this account more than those who are kindly offering their space.

it was those two words, kindly and space however that brought to me the dizzy heights of being forced to provide an arguement for art and against business'. It was partly my fault for failing to check out the venue properly, having always managed to fit the round peg into the square hole and making it fit perfectly as it were, one of my pleasurable experiences that is [the exhibition] is the actual standing back and knowing that every piece even those of different genre is as well ballanced as possible with each piece occupying a physical area that extends from the artwork or the sculpture, a space that the viewer must be standing within to appreciate it fully, for this task

Where an appraisal has been made the outcome is usually an entire area where one piece melds into its neighbour a little like walking through a carnival and passing along different bands musicians and artists, the sounds, no matter how different, there is a flow which carries you along from one sound to another, while the one fades the next harmonises and appears as if by magic, the only real evidence of change is that of the heartbeat, as rythm and theme change you are brought into a synchronisation of emotions, of the viewers and the artist; that for me feeling for me is that is the exhibition, and that is what I aim to achieve.

To find that within the paintings space someone in their wisdom had decided that if they put in an extra two tables and eight more chairs they could accomodate more people, how can you get someone whose goal is to raise revenue that only understand what they can see, how do you get them to comprehend the importance to the soul of a person to enjoy the art, how can you get them to understand that by putting 8 chairs into a small space they are actually preventing people from enjoying themselves, even from a business point of view it is ludicrous and defeats the brainwave that was, '...if we offer space to an artist we can expect a function each and every month' kindness is not always borne of a passion for art nor artists, it is borne of sound business sense, to plan and create growth, however, that growth is a concern directed towards money, on that account I was left with my cards on the table and even then I was only left with one question, how do you get someone who does not understand the essence of art to experience that which they cannot feel, I had to conceed defeat and accept that my exhibition held one dissapointment that being that the artworks were not able to be exhibited and shared in the manner which was intended.

lesson learned, that is not to say however that the exhibition was any the less a success the works do look comfortable in the space, the work does relate accurately and honestly to the time that was given them most of all they do justice to all the things that I believe and the people who have offered me sound guidance along my journey.

I have no stress

As another small chapter in my life draws to an end I sit here at 4.30am completing the final task, the downloading of images to my foto site.

I have been as serendipitous on the web as I have been in the real world, through a combination of sound direction and a lot of searching I now have a web presence that I am happy with for the moment, it was a little complicated to set up with several sites that provide links to the others, my social network (facebook) providing both contact with friends and supporters and a link to my Blog.

Penny deep in vocation

My blog in turn links directly to various foto album pages that provide invaluable supporting material related both to my blog and my facebook contacts. Finally I have a web site that aligns with my 2014 project in the form of proactive research and information to charities and funders alike, this links back to my blog, as I said, it is a little complicated attempting to maintain them all however as the creases iron out it is well worth the £20 or £30 per year that by far competes with an official one click reaches all web-site, that will have to await the penny jar.

This evening has been spent doing just that, pre holiday maintenance, uploading fotos, organising albums, making out a things to do list, stringing up the paintworks for hanging Sunday, editing the exhibition paperwork, a couple of hours with Sheila and took her a gift as a congratulations on getting her new work, a bracelet, necklace and earings set made by a young and knowledgeable artist on the market who even wrote down the names of the stones from the top of her head for me, as it turned out the properties of the Rhodonite , a calming stone with effects on anxiety, attention to detail, helps with self esteem and restoring physical energy after a trauma, so, perfect.

I have dug out my hammer and spirit level, written a letter to Dan and Patti, a couple of e-mails added more to my ‘things to do’ ,and that is it, only time now to finish the image download and this blog post, a final check on all web links and then call time-out.

It is planned for next week that I just relax, spend time with Sheila and the dogs, take loads of fotos and generally take it easy so that I am psychologically ready to maximise on the support at Combat Stress, if I arrive there still with unfinished business here then I shall be distracted and my time there does not allow for a lack of attention if I am to participate and contribute in a manner that only the issues that specifically effect my forward motion in life are of concern.

The only outstanding problem I have at present that has to be sorted sooner rather than later is the viewing of images on my fotosite (link on right hand site of my blog start-up page)

There is no problem viewing the entire album as a single page however, when you click to view a larger one it doesn’t show just a visible larger image it shows the image 10 times bigger than my screen, you also have to scroll to the bottom of the page even to find the viewer, from the point of view that you are immediately able to start examining the prints and images in the tiniest detail it is fantastic, but for those who just want to see a large overall view it is of no use; until then you will just have to enjoy the music that plays during the slideshow, I know they say you should not have music on your site as it effects the download speed, I shall await feed back on that score, images and music have gone together since time in memoriam who am I to argue with a time tested tradition.

So, fantastic project and good results in the end, a lot of good contacts made, a lot of good work available as inspiration toward the next project, off to Scotland in 7 days and little admin in-between (including my blog! Too many words of late and not enough images by far) my prayers to all who pop in here now and again to see how I am getting on, before then however it is 7.45am and time for 40 winks.

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parting thoughts of the day
I cant remember where to find out who said these but they fit together nicely,
in celebration of today;

"Successful people are always looking for opportunities to help others. Unsuccessful people are always asking, 'What's in it for me?'"

Enjoyment is not a goal but a feeling that accompanies important ongoing activity as as long as we complete what we are doing we continue to enjoy that upon which we are occupied, Stress comes, not from having too much work but from not finishing what we have started,

And for me, an affirmation;
I have no stress, I have reached the end of the beginning and have finished.

Spring has sprung

just when I thought that the Stavely Exhibition project was over, the weight of deadlines and of the hectic media coverage that Jerry, the Stonham PR chap, had arranged it all came back for one last burst of brain draining energy to let me know it was finally finished and a short rest could be had.

my day started at 5.30am letting someone in the house entrance having lost their key, again at 8ish yet another ring at my doorbell by someone who had forgotten their key, but for not getting to bed until 2 am myself I would have realised that it was going to be one of those days that was different from the others.

Martin Lewes the broadcast journalist of BBC radio Cumbria arrived with hardly a minute to spare and, while his enthusiasm quickly quickly brought me up to the speed of the real world he still managed a cup of coffee and a live interview, before leaving as suddenly.

Once I had sorted out the mornings admin and finished off the description cards and other paper work for the exhibition I was off out for hanging cord and blue tac, the moment I left the studio at around 1230 I knew that spring was here, finally. The light was different, slight chill in the air was different and the sky was a different colour than normal, the trees and shrubs had the most subtle of a green glow around them that was the thousands of tiny buds breaking free from their bark cocoons, passing the allotments that have seen few, excepting the hardy, visitors over recent months, I have little doubt that it is only a matter of days before the first of the warm weather gardeners will be out, myself included but being a 'super warm weather person' I shan't be out for a while.

Despite checking my camera batteries last night and freeing up the spare memory card I still went out without them, they have not been needed for so long with only 20 or 30 fotos a week, less in the latter days of winter but today, while my mind was still occupied in part with exhibition matters I wasn't entirely taking much note of what was going on, I needed both, I have supplied a link to the on line album with my afternoons pictures at the top of the blog main page titled 'spring day' it also provides the answer why it takes me 4 hours to cover the same distance as someone else who could easily do the trip in 25 minutes!

Still able to find lost personal items lying around the streets, boots, umbrellas and the like my collection photographs in the 'lost souls' instalation can start to grow again having lost, somewhere in the computer, my first collection of around 70 lost gloves and stuff, looking at the snow still lying in patches on the fell tops that are visible between the shops and houses that run the length of Highgate toward the Windermere Road there will be some who have never known what happened to their favourite gloves.

The day wasnt entirely filled with joy, whose days are, for me however the only downside was a 20" dead sea salmon lying on the bottom of the river not 30 feet from a dead seagull on the river bank, it was only yesterday when Marion, a friend in Kendal College commented that she had seen at least half a dozen assorted species of birds, also dead, along the same stretch of river bank.

Once home to relax only to hear that Sheila, my muse, my long suffering partner, has managed to get herself back to full time work, a blessing in these days of hardship that many are finding themselves a big part of, her journey continues now, the clock is ticking for her once again and no doubt this will only add to strengthen the dignity that she has earned for herself but, that is another story and one that will have to wait for her to tell.

The Big Sigh

With the bio finally out of the way I feel as though a giant weight has been lifted from my shoulders and am only now able to relax in full knowledge that at least for this moment in time I have done all that I was supposed to do over the past few months weeks, and, other than a few bits of tying off the loose ends and another era in my life has passed, another stepping stone reached.

While I feel the relief that comes with personal accompishments it is ballanced with an excitement even of

what the future will bring, life is, and should be, an

adventure, in the same way that a video game has many chapters toward comletion, each level providing opportunities to upgrade, to increase health and knowledge ultimately leading to a point of achievement, (normally in the destruction of some creature borne of the immagination of another artist) in my case that battle is my exhibition; with each one comes the beginning of a new journey of discovery.

The Warehouse Gallery Kendal

On sunday the fruits of my journey will be gone from my walls and in its place a blank canvas that will be ready for new works, that along with a sort of spiritual clearance for want of other words, clearing the atmosphere that has grown around recent work inspirations only then can I start to work towards tomorrow, I am in Scotland at the end of the week attending my sessions at Combat Stress by the time I return after a week I will be as distant from the now that, other than the fact I have works being shared elsewhere, my mind will have returned to the void that surrounds normal life which, as an artist, is quite great in as much as normal life for me is the creative life and little else is of importance.

It is nice to have the time to write however, loose ends and creativity beckon, notwithstanding a stomach that has been deprived through no other reason than other stuff was more important !

It was said that being an artist is both a blessing and a burden, I bow to the wisdom of that person and shake hands with those empathise.

homage

Warehouse Gallery Jan 2007

Sketchbooks now on line

Finally, my sketchbooks for the past two years are now photographed, downloaded and on-line for all to take a peep inside the creative process, a record of what went on in my mind over the past two years for that is what a sketchbook is a visual record, a creative diary, the link is now on the right of the page.

Someone once asked, 'what should I put in my sketchbook for people to see', my answer was simple, your sketchbook is not for people, it is for the artist himself, it is his diary, his bible, on many occasion a source of inspiration and a record of all those thoughts and ideas that pop out of the blue and should be recorded; more often than not, a random thought recorded arises again and again in the future, an idea is spawned and continues to grow over time.


A sketch book is not meant to be neat and tidy, it is not supposed to be filled with beautiful and finished images on every page, it is meant to be whatever the artist puts into it, over time it becomes an integral part of the artists creative process, occasionally there will be the odd picture that you are proud of but generally it is full of everything, poetry, quotes, information, shopping lists and orders from takeaways, bits of paper and tickets, a combination of words and rough pictures of dreams and aspirations all compiled, dated, page numbered and ready for when the time is right and the opportunity presents itself.

Only last week I listened to a frustrated artist who has yet to start his journey telling me that he knew what he was capable of, that he knew what he wanted to do and that his dreams and ideals were so vast he didn't know where to start, I gave him a small wire sculpture that I had made two years ago and suggested firstly that he start small and await the opportunity to grow and secondly to get himself a pad, a book, anything that he could use to write and draw and then turn the page and put the idea to rest while it matures in his brain, until such a time as he was able to recognise something that he had thought of and was ready to do, scribble, write, think, anything and everything that comes to mind.

For any individual granted the gift of a creative spirit there is just too much going on in the brain to allow for any sanity, without a sketchbook to record all of this information one will never get off the starting block, the buddhists have a saying that, 'every journey starts with a single step' for the artist the single step is page one of his sketchbook.

Exhibition bio

In the absence of anything going on in my life other than the final preparations for exhibition I post that which I dislike doing at each and every show, the bio.

andrew charles
- A Definitive Exhibition -

andrew charles was born in Westbury on Trym in the West Country in 1957, an artist in ignorance for more than 30 years during which time he has produced thousands of images in a multitude of genre, this exhibition surpasses all others and provides for an exhibition that forms a benchmark in the artists career both in achievement and realisation of self.

Within the past 2 years he has completed a course of study at the Kendal College of Art, held 6 exhibitions, has received one Award and nominated for another in May 2009, he has also enjoyed both television and radio acknowledgment during this time. The philanthropist within has brought about several artworks for local and National charities his work used both both for Fund Raising and Awareness programmes which include The Royal British Legion, The Windermere Lions, The Veterans Day Organisation, Kendals Manna House and Stonham (home) Housing for homeless and vulnerable peoples, the latter Organisation being the purpose of this exhibition.

“For three weeks or more I have sat and pondered, paragraphs have been written re-written and erased, annotations have been deconstructed and scored out in a seemingly never ending struggle to bring some explanation to the viewer of these works, some understanding even. In the here and now however at the Old Hawkshead Brewery venue I can only look back at the thousands of words that have been written and provide none that are able to do justice to these images; where previous exhibitions have provided text written by others, as eloquent as they were, they were the assumptions and understandings of the writers unable to acknowledge a spiritual aspect that dominate my works it is this element of creation that deny a man tangible words and therefore demand the viewers own rationale".

These works concentrate upon perspective and perception though not strictly of the geographical and geometric form but more from a deep and personal relationship with paint. I have added some clues as to the source of the inspirations though in name only such as ‘allotment’ and ‘lakeside’ each borne of a fascination with the order amongst chaos that is the world around us, this, a fascination with subliminal images within the decay of time forces a layering of colour and texture, images and stories that exist in my minds-eyes, ‘lakeside’ and ‘snapshots’ similarly; it is my relationship with the colours and vastness of Cumbria as a whole that remains my inspiration”.

These works have been constructed with little prior thought toward their construction or conscious choice of pallet, they are organic in composition my hand merely the tool, some have used the word conduit an explanation that until now has evaded me and only now am I able respond to that cliche, how can I prepare words as an understanding where creation is esoteric in essence where the interpretation of emotions and feelings exist as the source of these works.

These images are for your interpretation alone so please, look and see, ponder and enjoy, form your own opinions and examine your own unlimited and vastly unexplored imagination only through this exercise are you able to understand and experience my environment which is Cumbria.

Moving away from the tranquillity that is Cumbria, future projects will take me to the tracks of Silverstone and Donnington Park and the wilds of the Scottish Highlands, I am also involved with a Film Company in Northern Ireland, and in the early stages of work that will lead toward completion around 2014 and centres around the theme of ‘mans inhumanity to man’ this show is intended to be exhibited Nationally.
Thankyou.

All Exhibition pieces now complete

I have to admit to being quite proud of my recent body of work in addition to being some of the largest pieces I have ever created they are of a standard that surpasses anything that I have done before and cements my intention to move into the National Arena.

These artworks defy my ability to define them adequately, to say that they are merely colour abstractions of my environment which was the wording I offered at a recent interview belittles their strength of character and presence, they are what now allows me now to say those seemingly little words, 'I am an artist' for until now I have been unable to step up to the mark and claim to be anything like an artist, for sure the college acreditation was not sufficient to allow that nor for that matter any other exhibition in past or recent years.

artwork aside, I always maintain that the worst part of any exhibition is the practical admin side, ie the writing and stuff, I have been given a break; with only a few days to go before I hang the paintings at the venue my printer has decided to go on holiday, I should be panicking, with the artists biography, the name cards and the images that are not on display still to be completed and printed what can I do now but just nod my head at fate and try to sort the problem, (what ever that may be), over the next few days, if worse comes to worse I can always hand-write them.

Penny is arriving tomorrow to do the photographic work that will swell the print side of life and then there is just the hanging to do. I still have not finalised the bio, with this exhibition being such a defining point in my career I find that there are just not the words to explain adequately the concept of my latest body of work, it is just so esoteric that words can only distract from the reality leaving me now understanding why so many of the great artists are so unable to explain fully without pulling strange faces while searching for the words that just arn't there.

Today brought about a slight set back in the bigger picture in as much as a meeting with a most important art contact in February falls right within the time that I am scheduled to be in Scotland at the end of February, both are equally important to me and as I have rescheduled the scottish trip once already I have little choice other than to rebook the important meeting.

One of the artworks that go on exhibition next week have already been earmarked by a Gallery in Lancaster in the event that it does not sell at exhibition, this falls in nicely in line with my planned intention of moving beyond Cumbria into the National Arena as I continue to work toward the National Tour in 2014 of which plans are going well despite the project still being in its infancy.

More close to home, I am continuing to issue free limited edition prints of the exhibition pieces though in doing so I have recognised something quite sad in as much as there have only been around 1% of recipients who have actually written and said thankyou for the prints, not that it is so important to me to get a thankyou it is nonetheless surprising how low that percentage is. with over 200 now sent out and 800 to go I look forward to this job being completed.

Tomorrow I collect the only painting that I am having framed and I so look forward to it. It is surprising that, (excepting my most recent works), I have been rarely able to see the paintings as paintings until such as time as they have been framed, until the time that they return home they are brush and pallet knife marks, perhaps it is this aspect that marks this exhibition in such a defining way in as much as they (almost) satisfy even myself.

It has been a busy week so far having completed the final piece for the exhibition with two weeks to spare, entitled 'Lakeside' it is quite ironic that at this benchmark time in my career the final piece takes me back to the waters that welcomed me when first arriving in Cumbria 6 years ago; I now have 5 large canvases complete, these in addition to other smaller works will be sufficient, only the admin to do now, the part that I hate the most, the cards, the biography and the headache that is trying to explain the unexplainable.

Lakeside

acrylic on canvas

81 x 102cm

In addition to painting the computer has been quite demanding with my mailing list now topping the 400 mark, interviews with BBC Radio Cumbria, The Big Issue and the Community News Wire, in addition to an afternoon with Trevor, the man to whom I owe a debt of gratitude for my first professional break.

I have also managed a trip down memory lane and visited my old College and spend time with those who are busying themselves in preparation for their presentations at the end of the month, fortunately I was just in time to get a timely reminder that the college exhibition is due to start next week.

With it only being Thursday I am now looking ahead to the weekend, walks in the countryside, time with my long suffering partner who is slowly but surely accepting second place to art, poor soul I do feel for her but thankfully she realises that art is more than the ability to draw, paint or sculpt, it is a journey that, once started becomes an all encompassing vocation that is impossible to walk away from.