lifes journey

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...

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 wor...

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 exhibit...

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 fr...

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...

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 Brit...

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 befo...

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 ...