2015 - 2016 My Greatest Achievement my Greatest Failure

This is a retrospective blog written in 2016 and found 2026.
It has been a little over a year since my last blog.
 ''where does the time go'' is a common enough phrase though it is not until you are prompted with a definitive moment that strikes home sufficiently to really make you think.
The past year has been a year of thought promoting solutions regarding my future, both as a person and as an artist, to bring these together in avoidance of internal conflicts has been at the heart of my regard.
Practical work was put to one side for the most with a concentrated effort on a single piece of work spread over the year, this culminated in a successful installation of that work and its collapsed, not after years of changing weather, not from people climbing over it, but from a simple ignorance both if material and location. 
A total tragedy one would think though my immediate response on answering the phone to hear "Andrew, your sculptures collapsed" was anger and self questioning. 
The sculpture ws created with an armature of chicken wire forms wired together,  on too of that I had foound a lively creamy Plaster Filler that applied with ease and hardened completely, the pressure and weight on that chicken wire 
Was beyondits limits I thought but, it held, even as it grew over the months it just became more sta
The environment it was destined for was a lively warm if not slightly humid atmosohere that, other than a feeling of a cosy warmth I'd not really consider3d from a sculptural perspective other than it would encourage a longer appreciation of the piece by the elderly residents of this gated community.
Little did I know it but from the moment I had finished placing it in its new home it had started ti warm up, the humidity started to follow the warmth and slowly, but surely, it eventually reached the chicken wire, ir was at a ooint if warm humid saturation, the plaster filler had started, and continued, to soften before eventually, by the time I woke, by the time the residential manager came to work, that accumulated weight had bore down on the wire which slowly, but surely,,,,, sank downwards.  Within 5 minutes the sculpture ws lifted onto a wheeled box carrier and returned to the studio before anyone else saw by greatest achievement and,,, my greatest failure

Popular posts from this blog

A Quiet Return It’s been a few years since anything new appeared on this blog. No dramatic exit, no crisis, no grand story — just life unfolding in its own quiet way while I wandered off into a long stretch of creative exploration. I didn’t spend that time chasing expectations or trying to produce anything impressive. In fact, it was the opposite. I let myself make things without pressure, without anticipation, and without any need for an audience. It was a good kind of absence — the sort that gives you space to breathe and rediscover what you enjoy. Along the way, painting slipped out of my hands. Not abandoned in frustration, just… released. It had carried me through many chapters, but eventually it felt like a language I’d said enough in. So I turned to sculpture, almost by accident, and found myself on a long, meandering tour through every material within reach. Papier‑mâché came first — messy, forgiving, and strangely liberating.Foam followed, stubborn but full of possibility.Cardboard had its moment too, proving far more architectural than I expected. Each material taught me something different about form, weight, and patience. And then, gradually, I settled into polymer clay. It felt right — structured but flexible, expressive without demanding perfection. It opened a new path, and with it came another journey: exploring genre, tone, and character in ways paint never quite allowed. So yes, I’ve been away. But not idle.Just quietly occupied in the kind of creative work that doesn’t need announcing. Now the blog returns — not as a relaunch, not as a promise, but simply as a continuation. A place to share what I’ve been shaping, learning, and enjoying along the way. If you’ve found your way back here too, welcome. Let’s see where this next chapter leads.

  A Quiet Return It’s been a few years since anything new appeared on this blog. No dramatic exit, no crisis, no grand story — just life unfolding in its own quiet way while I wandered off into a long stretch of creative exploration. I didn’t spend that time chasing expectations or trying to produce anything impressive. In fact, it was the opposite. I let myself make things without pressure, without anticipation, and without any need for an audience. It was a good kind of absence — the sort that gives you space to breathe and rediscover what you enjoy. Along the way, painting slipped out of my hands. Not abandoned in frustration, just… released. It had carried me through many chapters, but eventually it felt like a language I’d said enough in. So I turned to sculpture, almost by accident, and found myself on a long, meandering tour through every material within reach. Papier‑mâché came first — messy, forgiving, and strangely liberating. Foam followed, stubborn but full of possibili...
Read more

Polymer Clay 01

Image
While searching through the archives I uncovered this snippet from 2016/17. The occasion near my discovery of polymer clay. After two years of watching tutorials, trawling websites, reading fact sheets, gathering tools and materials, and generally soaking up everything I could find about polymer clay, I've finally reached the point where I have a dedicated workspace set up. Which means the real learning can begin. Up until now it's all been preparation. Now I get to make my own mistakes, discover my own solutions, and work my way along a learning curve that, at the moment, doesn't seem to have an end. Over those two years I've come across some incredible artists, particularly those working in jewellery and biomorphic design. One artist who has consistently kept me inspired is Melanie West. Her work has captivated me from the beginning and continues to do so. The incredible work of Melanie West One of the things that immediately drew me to polyme...
Read more

grounding

Image
since 10 March I have been in my own little world, pondering and pottering while the world and its mother, passed me by. I have little need at this moment in time to move at the same pace as everyone else, and, while youngsters on their bikes, supported with stabilisers, and by animals with far less purpose than even I at the moment, I have reorganised my life, sorted out the wheat from the chaff as it were and broken my workload down to a point where I am able to move forward, both as a person and as an artist. My current fixed projects are as varied as they are separated by simple geography, the Glass House restoration and the Film company, Dog Tag Media both based in Scotland and my Autumn Show here in Kendal. My recent contact with Melvyn Bragg is now at an end though not without my realising that there really was no connection between us sufficient as to reap the full benefits of being in contact with such a genuine person, the lack of contact simply of my own making and borne of ...
Read more