The wait

While I await the plans from the castle survey there is little to do these days other than finishing off and packing up earlier trials and outstanding jobs that have surved their time; for me it is that period of waiting between commitments that mainly orientate around the Castle Project and preparations towards the November period of Remembrance,
An early spring gives opportunity to reacquaint myself with the outside world and to get back to the roots of my existence, nature itself which left unattended overcomes the intrusion of man leaving rusted metals and other rubbish dumped, as awful as this is even nature overcomes the ugliness, metals change to autumnal colours through oxidation and rust, other materials slowly get taken over with moss and tiny ecosystems that eventually meets with the nature of the land as they slowly move toward each other.

this old burner sits in the allotment, still usable and aesthetically fitting to its surroundings, you have to love the process of natural degradation and evolution.

There was a wonderful documentary film though I can neither find it nor remember the name; it started with the sudden and unexplained disappearance of the entirety of all of mankind and how the the natural world would evolve in omnipotence, with excellent special effects I watched the mighty dams of the world shut down, break down and eventually give way, the eifel tower and every other great building ultimately disintergrate and become lost, in fact, all that would be left for the duration of the earth would be a return to nature pre-man with no visible evidence that man had ever been here, thats powerful.

Manuscript sketches

It has been a quiet but busy few weeks for me, while the neighbours have continued to try and destroy each other with post winter blues I have lost myself, back into the world of sketching and fotoshop.

I was asked some time ago if I would Illustrate a book for a local poet, aka Judas Rose, though I replied, '' of course!'' I could not have known the journey that his work was to take me, nor how soon the manuscript was to arrive at my door.
When it did I found his work was not of the short and harmonious poetry that I had heard him recite at the local 'open mic' nite at the local arts centre, instead, I found darkness, sadness and misery, I found a person that was lost, alone, in mourning and of such morose nature that I knew I would have to read the words over and over again, not so much in to find illustrations (there was much within to work from) instead, to find an understanding of the abstract nature of his words.

I started out reading and re-reading the work, over and over again, jotting down images that appeared along the way, finally, I realised that none, or at least few of the images I had drawn had little to do with what the work was all about, I put it to bed for a couple of days and returned with a new direction, the emotions of the work rather than the words. His work took me on my own journey, a journey into my own past miseries and shame, of pain and regret, fortunately I was able to revisit old wounds and return intact with only limited emotional damage.

The work is now complete and collected, with only one image left to draw, I was able to put together 22 images that I felt fully represented his work, he was happy and now, I sit, with fingers crossed for him, that his publisher is able to match the images with the work,to see all of the images, click the following link.
Lithium Clockwork manuscript sketches first draft

success -v- fulfillment

It is of no secret that the entire world is filled with individuals seeking some level of success in their lives, it is what education, promotion and recognition is all about, it is where IQ takes over from EQ, in support of this the government a few years ago suggested that by the year 2020 the greatest majority of people of school leaving age would enter the world with a degree, the reality is that this adventurous initiative has for sure resulted in more people having degrees than ever before.

in 2008 I put together a collage piece headlined with the outline of the great and good of history, from philosophers and scientists to artists and men of great faith and wisdom, a question was raised and put forth,
''Is this what you aspire to be, successful?''
My answer at the time still holds good today, '' I have a roof over my head, food in my belly and a paintbrush in my hand, I am happy, I am successful!''

In reality it is not his vision of success that drives me but a mission toward ''fulfillment'', it is this which creates the security in success rather than the success bringing security, how many great people have found a somewhat awful and early retirement from life, an overdose of drugs and alcohol being just one of the many ways that some of the most wealthy and successful people have used to escape from their demons in life, their own unfulfilled life, they did achieve, they did excel, they became what it was they sought, a number one hit song, a great painting, directorship of a huge conglomerate, it matters not, for each died unhappy despite life bringing them all that most can only dream of having or achieving.

Success remains for me only as a single step in the great journey of life, beyond this is the search for 'fulfillment'

Noun

1.

fulfilment - a feeling of satisfaction at having achieved your desires

IT'S NOT HOW MUCH MONEY WE MAKE THAT ULTIMATELY MAKES US HAPPY BETWEEN 9 AND 5, IT WHETHER OUR WORK FULFILLS US.  -- malcolm gladwell, author, The Tipping Point.  

first acknowledgments

Having been playing around with my airbrush for around a week or so I have been intent upon investigating the very areas of paint that brought the change of direction,  what was it that I was unable to demonstrate from paint was a part of the world around me that sits beyond the fringe of what is normally noticed, the finite details of light and dark, the point where the transition from light to dark reaches the critical point where the balance of shade changes from light to dark and visa versa.

I find that an attempt to describe my explorations are hampered by normal vocabulary even, where words are insufficient to communicate what it is that can only be transmitted through the medium  visual, instumental or mathematical, only through an alternative understanding does it make sense to me; through its physical limitations paint did not give me the opportunity.

With the airbrush the paint is almost vapourised spreading the paint evenly, through occasional adjustment of the compressors air pressure though mostly through hand and arm movements  I am able to push the boundaries a little bit further toward the finite stretching the colours out in a smooth blend. and transition.

 more work to see at  Airbrush 01 The Beginnings

10,000 hours

It is said that it takes around 10,000 hours to master something, that being the case I have 9988 hours to go with this new direction.

Choosing the airbrush, which arrived at the middle of last week, was a painstaking search not only through the many websites that exist to provide but also the choice of airbrush amongst many, as if that were not enough the compressor had to match the airbrush;  with my pre-planned requirements, borne of many hours of ''video airbrush tips'' from U-Tube, my job was made somewhat easier.
The new airbrush arrived and resembled something  more akin to a carefully crafted surgical instrument than a simple tool for art it begs to be used in the best possible way, I had already had a video tour of an airbrush factory in the States so I knew that it was all hand made making it all the more special to me.

The first job of course was to pull it apart which I did several times, this is important partly because the care and maintenance of the tool reflects on its longevity and reliability, secondly as part and parcel of familiarity that helps to both understand how it works and, if something doesn't work, either on the canvas or with the tool familiarity will help enormously in hoping to solve the problem, one thing I did discover that was new to me was that there is a small sealed resevoir in the needle tip part that, if not drained when cleaning, would eventually become filled with dried medium; it was only found by complete accident when I rested the tip on some tissue paper and watched, amazed as the ink just bled out.

At first it was cumbersome in my hands, partly because I ''did not want to break anything'' in actual fact the most fragile part is the actual needle so, once comfortable with this I was able to operate it more freely.

I started with paint but proved to be a bit of a pain having to continually 'water down' the medium each time I wanted to change colour, a task all the more tedious with enamel paint, I finally tried inks which did the trick, I was able to not only change colour immediately, with only a slight clean inbetween, but in the manner of a great discovery, I found I could change the hue of colour by adding another directly to the cup.

Work-wise I had decided in my early plans of a destination that was well beyond my abilities but a destination nonetheless, to get there I ignored the creations of other artists and just set about to 'play' with the airbrush and ink, to follow my own directions, it works, for me at least and sets me on a journey of discovery, of mistake and errors not forgetting that a mistake is only a mistake if it remains unrectified.

At the end of week one I feel fulfilled and have found justification in my intent to find something new and exciting, something that had some learning that could only be borne of practice, practice.... practice.

I have a couple of other works posted in the airbrush album on my facebook profile, log in to Andrew Charles on facebook or follow the links in this BLOG.

take care and have a good december.

andrew

The end and the beginning

It is some weeks since my last BLOG, it matters not to me the constraints of specific posting times moreso the importance of the information, for this note a marked change is recorded.

As I awoke one morning sometime in the past ten days with a fixed idea to change everything, my working practice, my tools, materials, modus operandi, it all had to go, there was no reason for this change other than something had clicked in my sleeping hours............

Out went the paints, easel, brushes, sticks and canvases, it was time for a change, I had taken paint, or rather, paint had taken me, on a wonderful journey of creativity spanning the past 4 years and brought me to some of my best work, it remains now, stacked and packed, available for visitors to ponder over while they consider a commission; even the studio had to be changed around to accomodate this new venture, this new journey.

For me, it was back to drawing, something abandoned long ago it seemed  yet, drawing was not what I wanted to see, it had no journey for me, to be able to draw is a wonderful, and necessary skill but for me there was no future, I am not an illustrator nor do I seek the work of an illustrator,,,,,

I have long been entranced by tatoos and the work of Hans Giger, the artist responsible for that fantastic Alien in the film of the same name, it is not his imagery that draws me toward him though moreso his skill with an airbrush, he abandoned his airbrush to work in paint in much the same way as I now abandon paint, it was his impecable line and shading with minimal pallet that fascinated me and provides a target of quality for me to aim for.

This will be my journey for the forseeable future, with the intricasies of the airbrush, the numbers of designs available, the type and quality of the compressor, the balance of air pressure and paint supply all to learn there is much to do before I can consider myself competant; even my supports have to be considered, canvas, cotton, paper, card, choices choices choices... and decisions based on practice and leaning.

Between now and then I have to build a stock pile of sketches and drawings to work from and have managed around 17 in this past week all of which piece together like some amazingly detailed yakuza combat suit, oriental in outline, each image a spontaneous reaction between eye, paper, pen and mind.

For more of my images follow this link.    Airbrush 01 The Beginnings

Until next BLOG and,,,, apologies for spelling errors as I'm not feeling very ' wordy ' at the moment!

Royal British Legion 2011 90th Anniversary contribution

This years contribution to the Royal British Legion Poppy Appeal takes a somewhat different direction allowing a high level of publicity also for the Kendal Castle Poppy Bid.

This year the RBL celebrates its 90th Anniversary, 89 years of caring, providing and supporting the Veterans of the UK's armed services, moreso than ever its services are needed as since the First Gulf War in 199/91 our armed services have been involved in several long term and psychologically destructive conflicts, Gulf War I, Bosnia, Gulf War II, Afghanistan and Libya meaning more servicemen are seeking support than in previous decades following the Second World War.

This year Kendal's Royal British Legion Branch is providing a celebrationary float, for those less familiar with the term ' a float ' is the flat bed of a truck, bedecked with a particular theme, its purpose two fold, firstly to provide the Towns folk with an annual Torchlight Carnival as the vehicles and supporting crews tour the streets and secondly to promote, advertise and collect much needed funds, apparently we  are no longer able to 'throw' freebies, sweets, promotional cards and items to the people lining the streets making the secondary purpose all the more difficult.

This year, instead of creating an artwork for the RBL I am working with them to help design the float, to this end I am creating a large number 90, decked in poppies and Legion bugs, this video, Part one, shows the construction of the skeleton of this piece taken over a three day period, video two will show the finishing touches, the preparation of the flatbed truck and the carnival both from the vehicles perspective and, hopefully if all goes well, the RBL float, (and others),  from the spectators viewpoint, fingers crossed that the person holding the camera on the street manages to control their excitement and capture it creeping along.

The carnival is on Friday 9th September and will, hopefully, come to you on this BLOG as well as the associated facebook sites the week following, I say hopefully as I find editing such a tedius and confusing task and far from the splashes of paint around the studio. 

week ending 17 Aug 2011 work update

It seems the first time in an age since 'normal time' and I are in sync, for the first timein what seems an age, work is steady and progressive.

I am working on a couple of projects at the moment, aside packing and addressing 2 paintings New Zealand bound, the Pollock project has found its way to a new way of painting for me in a style that I am at total comfort with, my goal now is to move up in size, currently I have moved from 12" x 15"  upto a canvas slightly larger, the aim being to monitor more closely the process so that I can work at 6' x 4' or larger.

The first of a series of 6 religious oil paint works is fast approaching a start, I am working on a full size sketch in chalk pastel bringing me, at the end of the process, 12 full size works, 6 in pastel and 6 in oils, it will be interesting to see how the change of medium will relate to the final work.

My tour of duty with the Royal British Legion saw me in their offices this morning while assisting with the design of a float for the Torchlight Carnival next month, a float for those who dont know is an open back truck decked out with individual themes as it parades through the town, I'm not sure what they call that elsewhere in the world but there you go; my task in all of this is to produce a 6'x 4' number '' 90 '' made from chicken wire so that poppies can be interlaced in the holes, once finished this will hang on the back with the idea being to celebration of the 90th anniversary of the charity, 90 years of support to military veterans a true honour to be a part of.

I have two paintings hanging in shop windows next month, one as part of the towns annual art trail where work from local artists is displayed in a variety of shop windows throughout the town the other from a supporter of the local arts who has just started to hang art in his premises windows.

The Castle Project is on a slow wind down between now and November giving a welcome break from trips up and down the castle hill, a trek hindered by advancing years and an overindulgence in tobacco.  In November it is the Nationwide Remembrance Period and any work that is done toward the castle project, at least as far as the fundraising is concerned, could so easily confuse with imaginings that the castle project fund raising and the Royal British Legion are one of the same charity.

That is about it for the end of this week, he writes knowing full well that it is only Wednesday however I did suggest at the start that I was in sync with 'time', not to be confused with ' day '!
take care speak soon
andrew

Week starting 4 August 2011

Week starting 4 August 2011

Outside the studio there is a warm and refreshing drizzle, the stones and plants, rather than to be uniformly wet from rainfall are illuminated by the humidity the moisture in the air has been 

absorbed and now take on a soft dappled colour, 

where dark more has been absorbed, where the 

surface is less spongy, light and shade. The blackbird continues to chatter at my window as he had 

done for around 5 coconut shells filled with suet, not only feeding himself but now taking some down to its youngster on the flagstones, I have no 

doubt that the young bird will also become a 

regular visitor.
Although it is yet to be announced via the media, yesterday was the first indication that the nights are drawing in, there was something slightly 

different about the ambient light that marked the separation from summer months to autumn.  The 

media reports are always weeks late regardless of the change of seasons, farmers 

probably see it earlier than I for sure.  
In the studio, few things have not been as constant as the change over of seasons, I change styles, genres and pallette more often than I rise from my bed, I change supports, from canvas to calico, from cotton to the lining from wedding dresses, modelling with plasticine while imagining that same small piece as a 5 ton lump of sandstone, of metal, wire wood or clay; the material as dependant intirely upon 
what is being moulded by my hand and imagination; life has been one experiment 

after another, practice this that and everything yet, each with a single purpose, learning and the feelings of the creation of something new, “for me”; but, 

enjoyment being my reward.
I start this week somewhat differently however, hence the blog title suggesting 

the start of a week rather than the customary “ week ending.....”
This week heralds an emotion I have not felt at any great depth since my Brewery Arts Show in Kendal back in 2008, a period of great and sustained creativity, where the element of “purpose and goal” existed tho banished immediately afterwards 

while heading off to have a period of pure fun in creative pursuits, replacing 

commercialism with the joy of experimentation though always knowing that it would not last forever, this forever, it seems, has now come to an end as I embark on 3 large and very different styles of work but that feeling of purpose now 
accompanies my work.

I have no idea of the geographical destination of any these works because my 

destination is a personal one, it is one of integrity and commitment to my own 

artistic journey, I have practiced enough, I now have the tools I need to see me 

through the next 12 months or, perhaps, longer.
he first body of work is a deeply personal one and something that I have longed 
to complete, from as far back as 2000 – 2004, in the latter part of that period I decided that at that time I had neither the technical knowledge nor a deep enough faith to create the works in my head, from that point on the intent was abandoned knowing that one day it would become a reality.  

Although I shall not be sharing images of these works either on my Blog or on 
facebook until completion either of each work or perhaps even the series I will beposting regular 'sneak previews'in video format on facebook, I am having a little trouble with the Blogger video upload at the moment so until that is sorted I 
guess I will have to direct you there, Andrew Charles on facebook.

In addition the Pollock work continues, as does the 'elements series' 14 of which are now completed with two on their way to Australia curtesy of facebook.  

The Castle Project continues well however I have reached a point where I will haveto seek help to take the project to the next level( follow the links on this page for regular updates at Kendal Castle Poppy Bid on facebook)

Take care
andrew

The new works

This New series of work is just pure joy and fun to create, that is not to say that it has not arrived without the basic or some specific requirements such as elements of composition and pallet, of alchemy, chemistry, mystery and even a hint of the magical in relation to how the colours bend and gel together, where differences exist in relation to my thinning and thickening of paints one colour will push another aside or simply 'mix in', as well as the practical  mixing of paint and thinner, there is also my relationship with the canvas, the paints, the space, birds feeding at my window and soft rain dampening down the sounds beyond, contrary to the energies within the work, my personal and work-space is borne of a sense of separation from the world in a place of Peace and creative saturation. 

It is quite a prolific period for me, much painting time has been sacrificed for the Castle Project that needed a period of priority, now, with a bigger window and much achieved the Castle can be without me for a few days tho even while working on the castle I have still managed to snatch a few moments for trials and practice either in small canvas pieces or in thought, now with time to paint  I  take what I have learned and discard what hasn't worked to produce these works.

That is not to say that the trials and experimentation is finished, I still have to work on the surface texture.  When first dry the surface area of the painting is '' glass smooth '', over the days and weeks the underlying paint will dry slowly and as part of that process, the surface 'wrinkles and buckles' forming tiny points of reflected light along the ridge that remains; I await to see how these images appear once that process is complete, if unsatisfactory I shall have to find a way to fix the problem.

  Currently these works are unnamed, they all give me an emotional response though it is not that which I respond to most, it is the imagery that exists within the eye of the viewer, there is so much within each painting, men in boats, small animals, people, landscapes and a multitude of other entrancing details, each one a very personal scene.
Till that time, best wishes
andrew

week ending 6 July 2011

It has been a great 3 months progress since my last post, The Mural is on stand-by at the moment, in a turn of good fortune and with only a couple of weeks to go before the expiry of a planning approval for a doorway to be cut out and fitted for the premises next door The Joshua Tree Restaurant received a notice approving the works, It would have been otherwise awful to have installed the Grand Design only to have a part of it ripped out, so, for now I have gained extra time to commit to other projects.

Aside general pottering about, bits of experimentation and a few trials of life I have two projects on the go, the First, and my primary concern, is the Kendal Castle Poppy Installation for which there is a separate Blog and its own Facebook site now in active and regular use.

I started a 3 week proactive marketing strategy which was in the form of targeting selectively individuals and groups and requesting their support through friendship, since that time I have allowed the site to grow in autonomously through its own viral nature and have been both satisfied and pleased with the result.

In the period following, around 3 months now and as I write this, the site following and popularity has increased to a wonderful figure somewhere close to the 800 mark with a second level following in well in excess of 2,000.000 and that is a very conservative estimation.

On the practical side there have been 16 visits to the castle, as many meetings, good press coverage and great local support on the street, from individuals to Local businesses; currently I await the structural survey report which contributes to acceptance of the project by English Heritage who oversee the care and welfare of the UK's prime historical buildings.

My other project is a more personal one as I continue my explorations of paint and canvas with the splash and pour influence of Jackson Pollock, an influential painter from the 1950s and one with whom I share many traits, sadly and for the most, his powerfully negative aspect.

small ( 12" x 4") experimental piece

To Date I have finished 5 Medium to large canvases, each one with a subtle difference than the style of perhaps his most commonly associated works, each one taking me on a tiny journey, a stepping stone onto the next piece; I expect to continue this series over the next couple of years while taking small forays into other exploratory directions, reconnaissance trips into, perhaps, once visited though still nonetheless unknown territories, of sculpture, film and photography.

All history is contributory to my life of learning new things, of revisiting and revising old ideas;  it is most surprising, when looking back in time with a better informed mind, it is then that you find an alternate world, things missed the first time around are now found, things that had been ignored, much of which had no relevance at that moment and only now fit into the bigger picture.

So much time is spent looking back that I only have half the amount of time to plan ahead, it is a slower pace of life but speed is no longer of importance, so, watch this space and thanks for reading.

The Mural

I have recently been asked to produce a mural within one of the towns hidden courtyards, in this instant at Number 9, Stramongate; here you will find one of Kendals hidden Jewels in the form of 'The Joshua Tree Bistro', what a privilage and responsibility and one I relish knowing that it ticks all of my boxes, from creativivty all the  way to giving something beautiful back to the town in return for all it has given me.

The Ginnels, as they are called here in Kendal, it is a Northern word that I first heard back in 1990, a ginnel is a link, sometimes as a  tunnel in others an open drive, generally a short cut from one road or area of town to another, they are nostalgic, captivating and wonder filled, each with its own energy and vibrations and stil yet I can find something new and exciting; to be allowed to paint a wall in these hallowed places is tantamount to legal grafiti, a rare privilage indeed.

I have since done a basic foto study to familiarise my self with the space and its lighting, the shadows and a general  idea toward the size of any imagery, in order not to create something that will crash with the ambience of the courtyard and enhance the space my early sketches almost instantly decide to stick with something traditional  that will fit in as well as to bring it into a respectable 21st Century..

There is a doorway to be knocked into the very wall I was commissioned to decorate, only until that change has been made can I consider any artwork, for the now I shall concentrate work on a small section of the wall that is most affected by shadow which forms a horrible deadspace where the light is most needed, but for the umbrellas no-one would even know that there is a little Jewel of a Bistro less than4 seconds from the busy street yet still peaceful enough to eat outside,

The wall to be decorated measures aprox 40 feet x 7 feet, definite mindset of aclimatisation needed

Update for week ending 23 Feb.

the weeks are so busy of late that it seems an age between each blog post, in reality it is barely 2weeks.
The survey of the castle continues as I work my way through my own programme of self perceived tasks of importance, being a project of faith I have little more to do really in firm belief that if the project is to happen all those necessary to its success will appear along the journey,; as the Buddist saying goes, when the student is ready, the teacher will appear.
the third video diary of that research is currently being edited with its narrative and will be posted on the Facebook  Site  ( Kendal Castle Poppy Bid ) as soon as this is finished
while waiting, here is a link to other video diaries from the castle project  Day I.mp4


Of most surprise to me was the number of military related charities who have joined the following some of which I had never heard of before as they were so new, charities such as Jimmy Jukes ukhomesfor heroes and    Soldiersoffthestreet Scotland , also very supportive through their commercial manager Graham O'Callaghan, who I met on Saturday last, have been Kendal Town Football Club  Kendal Town FC  , John Bateson the former Town Mayor, Sara Last, the Centre Manager at  Farfield Mill  Arts Centre and my own Legion, all of whom have offered  support of one kind or another to the Castle Bid.

The walk up the hill is continues to be too physically demanding to be able to make the journey on a daily basis which allows me much time to continue spreading the word, both by word of mouth and via the Facebook site , the site was set up around 9 days ago during which time it has attracted over 250 friends, the very nature of Facebooks viral nature is far greater than I had imagined with those 250 contacts bringing potential access to just over 100,000 people via their friends.

This week it seemed was media week, Lakeland Radio, The Bay radio station and the local gazette all picking up on the story, the fotographer from the gazette joined me yesterday at the castle, a frustrating but nonetheless an important interruption to the joy of work, she was not alone with several curious individuals obviously intrigued by my seeming unusual antics around their historical building, it all adds to help spread the word through their networks.

thats it for now, in the studio, I am getting a lot done in between the Castle works as I continue building on the Pollock inspired theme, more of that in another BLOG.
prayers to you all for a peaceful and worry free weekend
andrew.

Castle Update

Here are a few images of the Castle, preparation in part toward the survey and estimation of the number of Poppies needed to cloak the exterior walls, they are not of particular use for purpose as it was a bitter day and I was hungry and taxed by the walk up the hill, lack of preparation on my part, lesson learned, coffee and sandwiches!!!
05 February 2011

The work continues albeit slow, Oh so slow!  It is said that, many hands make light work however where a project of such immensity is concerned it is the many hands of involvement that stretch a project out into the years, organisations, manpower, permissions, funding applications and of course, the creative input, the thought of mounting 3million poppies single handedly is one best not imagined and likened to the single monk who created the 'Devils Bible' as it came to be called, Google it if you would like to know.

I have a very constructive meeting at the Studio yesterday with a Former Town Councellor and Mayor to discuss the castle project, all remained positive and he gave me some good pointers, not only of some of the individuals who could provide assistance but also those who, although having no direct input to the project, had a right to be informed, such as the Civic Society, we also touched briefly on funding options and time limitations, Health and Safety, I was glad to have done my Homework which made it so much easier to communicate without having to keep diving into books, pamphlets, paperwork and the computer.

Till next time, Spring is here, the trees have already started to take on a glow and the smell of the air is different, snowdrops are out and the sounds of the birds a little clearer, no doubt visits to the castle henceforth will be less arduous.

Kendal Castle Poppy Bid New Discussion Post

Kendal Castle Remembrance Poppy Bid

CLICK HEADING TO GO DIRECT TO POPPY BID Facebook Page

It is over a week since I last visited the castle, sitting within the grounds the enormity of both the structure and the project overall was somewhat numbing, it has taken me until this week to come to terms with the amount of work that must be done to cloak the castle with poppies; moreso, the number of poppies that will need to be woven into the netting that will hang over the side of the battlements to the ground, in some parts of the structure a distance in excess of 30 metres, only now, having come to terms with the sheer size of the building it is time to get back to start the survey in ernest firstly however a trip to the local library where there might already be records of earlier surveys.

Following up on a suggestion from Simon from CMU, the creative co-operative that is responsible for the promotional video currently being put together (completion scheduled for 17th March) I have spoken with Mark, a poet and singer/song writer who, I hope, will take on the task of putting together a Poppy Tribute song, I have not given him any brief as yet and only intend to give him some of the links to the Flanders Fields Poem and others, he has no military background as I would like the lyrics to be fresh and from someone not connected.

As far as finding a group to put their voices to the words I have written to the Chelsea Pensioners ( http://www.chelsea-pensioners.co.uk/men-in-scarlet ) who have had a huge success with their album ' Men in Scarlet ' that was released on 8th November 2010.

The Chelsea Pensioners Charity is based at The Royal Hospital Chelsea and was founded in 1682 by King Charles II, to provide a fitting home for retired soldiers and is now home to 310 ex servicemen and women.

The 'Men in Scarlet ' Group is formed from 7 of these Chelsea Pensioners and was borne of a desire to help the Chelsea Pensioners' Appeal raise funds to refurbish the old dormitories built by Sir Christopher Wren. each pensioner calls a 9ft x9ft wooden room with no windows home, and 36 men share 4 lavatories and 2 showers. he 7 men have a total age of 546, the oldest (John) being 88 and the youngest is (Michael) being 67 .

The album has been produced by Nick Patrick who produced last years double platinum album by the Soldiers. joining the men in their album is Dame Vera Lynn, Katherine Jenkins and Janey Cutler (from Britain’s Got Talent).

Anyway, that is the plan,, I await a reply from the Gentlemen with fingers crossed, primarily their cause is the Charity that they are part of but hopefully they might extend this to the Castle and the Poppy Tribute.

For now, I rest for a few days, I have a meeting with John, a friend of mine who has some knowledge and experience as to the inner workings of Local Town Council that I hope with my trip into that region of the unknown, a twilight zone for me that can only serve as another huge learning curve for future projects.

2011 projects

with my own work aside I have two major projects this year, the first related to Jackson Pollock lost year and the second linked to the Royal British Legion and the draping of the Town Castle with poppies, there is no guarantee that the latter will happen this year as the amount of red tape, permissions, research and funding could take much longer, the installation that will come about in the event that my bid is successful however will be quite a marvelous and thought provoking spectacle.

Links for information related to the kendal castle

1.     Images of Kendal Castle    Images for Kendal Castle

2.     Facebook project page    Kendal Castle Remembrance Poppy Bid

The second project is a personal one related to Jackson Pollock and his final year during which he did not paint anything.

I start this project believing that the man was at the very start of an exciting future during which he would have brought much, I have much in common with Jackson Pollock notwithstanding his addictive and volatile personality, a personality I was fortunate to tear myself from though nonetheless remember vividly, his loss in 1956, the year of my conception, was a tragic loss to all both personal and professional.

Over the course of this new year I intend to make an objective study, not so much of his works as I believe he had started to tire of the style for which he became known as 'Jack the Dripper', to but of the man himself, to try and work as best I can within his mindset and to move forward in an informed manner; I am sure that, in avoidance of alcohol and the continued support and understanding of his partner, Lee (Lenore) Krasner, his artistic brothers and close associates combined of course with his own individuality, would have continued to grow and move forward both as an artist and as a person.

No one can ever be sure in which direction he might have gone in relation to his art however I do believe that an informed and in-depth knowledge of the man within will allow for a natural flow forward.

With regard to his work, my primary task is to understand the properties of paints, although the actual paints that he worked with have been modified through chemistry and time and no longer available I have to imagine that the materials that he used would have changed and taken his choice of paint away, forced by the evolution of artistic materials and therefore am fortunate to be able to use materials that for him simply would not have been available at the time, nonetheless I am obliged to become as familiar with the available paint as he was himself.

While working on this project I have found that I am able to accept Jacksons statement that the 'accident can be denied', that one can control the flow of paint with experience, to this end I have produced several drip and splash paintings that have been finished with pre-conceived expectations both validated and apparent.

For this piece (1.3 m x 1.9m) I set out to create a canvas that gave an overall hue, much in the way that the pointilists mixed points of different colours that would view as a single colour, the final piece is viewed by some as a red painting, some as a blue painting, surprising in the fact that the predominant colour is black, it works.

Detail from above

Whereas I have dedicated an information page on facebook for the Poppy Project in the search for public support work related to the Pollock project will continue to be published on this BLOG.

2011

2011 brings me a wonderful start, while intending to continue with my work supporting several charities I shall be embarking on a new personal project toward a national exhibition with a working title of ' Pollock, the Lost Year'.
In his last year of his life,Jackson Pollock did not create, a sad event for any artist but moreso for him as it brought to an end what I believe would have been the beginnings of his greatest triumphs. 

Through research and practice I intend to explore where his work might have led to in a bid to bring the unknown into being, it is quite a strange feeling really, the more I find about Jackson Pollock the more I find out about myself, I am fortunate than Pollock to have resolved my own issues before becoming a public figure without the binds and embarrassing situations that drug and alcohol abuse brings, I have a great sadness for him as an artist, at the very time he should have been at the driving seat with a wonderful career ahead he returned to alcohol and the resulting destruction of his relationship and life, where would he have gone had this not been the case.


there is a US artist called Frankie Brown who in 1999 celebrated his 20th year of painting in the style of Pollock however he built his career on the statement, ''taking up where jackson pollock left off'', I would suggest that he did not take up where pollock left off merely continued where pollock ended, I would hope to go a step further and discover where his final and subsequent years may have taken both he and his art.
I am a progressive and visionary artist now with over 35 years experience and many more I would hope, still ahead of me. Overall I am driven to work for those who exist on the fringe of society and partner with several charities to this end including, The Royal British Legion, for whom my most recent work was an exterior installation piece covering a half mile stretch of walkway, Stonham (Home) Housing, an organisation that provides for Homeless and Vulnerable adults and Combat Stress, a charity that deals with ex servicemen and women following war related health and cognitive problems; for these charities I produce artworks, roadshows and talks, the main objectives being the raising both of profile and of funds, I also am involved with a National Mental Health Charity, MIND.



My greatest challenge this coming year is to drape a local historic building with poppies in time for Remembrance Day 2011, there are many hurdles ahead before that can happen, watch this space to be kept up to date.   Currently I have the fortune to have met with a chap who runs a national arts cooperative and, as we speak, is starting to put together a film presentation of the event which I shall post as soon as it is finished and available, till then, Happy New and productive year from me.

Soapbox

It never ceases to amaze me when I overhear conversations, either of peoples own sad and sorrowful situations or of general conversation about 'The State of the Nation',  why are people surprised at the cut-backs, for me the only surprise is that they have come so late.


The High Tech War that is being fought in Afghanistan is costing the country millions of pounds each and every hour, the cost of the war by far exceeds that which is available through the general public, cuts in policing, health care, education, the selling off of assets, most recently the channel tunnel link, it is innevitable that there has to be a source of funds to keep our troops in Afghanistan, the reality of life at the moment is that this country is slowly but surely heading toward total bancruptsy, add the cost of war to our National Debt and the mathmatics is simple, we are spending much more than we can afford., current war cost estimated at around £2.5billion weekly, The National Debt around £960 billion, The Gulf Wars around half a trillion pounds, where is the money going to come from, why are people surprised at cutbacks, even if every person in the UK donated their entire months wages to the Government we would still be in Debt.

for a good idea of the financial cost of war, although now historical and out of date you can well imagine where we are at in the present
The Hidden Cost of War

The situation for the general public is worsening and is not so far from our heading into a situation where the homeless figures will rise and continue to rise until such a time as we see that, as a nation, we are as  impoverished as peoples in what was once referred to as ''Third World'', now called Developing Countries, while we ourselves are failing to 'develop', in the past 24 hours I have had one person knock on my door for a coffee, not because he wanted to share my company but simply that he had run out of electric and gas and was cold, another only yesterday saying that she was in a situation where she was now forced to sell her home because she could no longer afford to keep up the payments on her home.

To name but a few, we have mothers days, fathers days, we have smoking awareness days, a whole list of days where we should take stock, on the recent announcement of a Royal Wedding a Public Holiday has been quickly promised, there is no Homelessness Aware Day, not in this country, in America yes, in Australia, yes, but not here, Homelessness is a growing problem and one that will continue to grow and grow as the financial plight of this country increases; SHELTER recently announced that the Government was targeting the poorest and most vulnerable of society, this is true in one respect however in another, it is truly the poorest and the most vulnerable that now make up a majority group within our modern society; more can be taken from this majority group than the small number of disgustingly wealthy individuals, it is simply mathematics that govern a country and as much as the government hype professes to 'understand and be emphathise with the sad situations of peoples lives there truly is little that the government can do.

Homelessness will increase as will poverty as long as people take little notice of what is going on in the bigger picture and bring drastic change to their lives, in some respects the homeless minority are fortunate, they have nothing to lose and there truly is only one direction that they can go, for the remainder of society it is time to tighten their belts and to respond to the homeless situation as it now stands, they may themselves one day need the services that are currently in operation to help.

References
http://stopwar.org.uk/content/view/2129/1/
http://www.debtbombshell.com/
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/feb/13/afghanistan-iraq-bill-british-military

thoughts at the end of a chapter of life

Final Video 11 minutes, or there about!
warriors walk final film cut [HQ]

The cards will all come down today though my inner self would like to see them remain in situ they have done their job, fantastically,  the comments from the public, the press and the Royal British Legion have been more than enough to leave me lingering between humility and embarassment.

I have no doubt that from today, the number of poppies on people lapels will slowly start to diminish as will, though not entirely, the strength of their emotions regarding the the sheer weight of loss that this country burdens in relation to our lost heroes, the grieving for the families will go on in the background as the country settles back into their own lives and personal issues.

Sad though it is it is a fact that there are few in this great country of around 70 million people who do not live their lives without one problem or another, each one battling their own issues in modern day stressful lives. while I move on from one awareness programme to the next I know that I will have to work as hard to tear people away from their perception that their problems are the biggest and most important in the world, how fickle, selfish and inhumane man can be when they who suffer the most are ignored as individuals get back to their own job, the pursuit of personal gain, of personal growth, a journey that is, for the most more than many deserve or will ever achieve, while their dreams. of bigger homes, of a fatter bank ballance, of a new car, of promotion, for sure many will never achieve their dreams for dreams are borne of hard work and sacrifice.

some people are never satisfied, and never will be, destined instead to grow only toward a bitter and lonely old age while for some, even a sleeping bag would be the best christmas present in the world.

I can not leave the plight either of veterans or of our lost heroes behind for that is a part of me, my loss of friends and my own post war experiences make it so, for the now however I must leave that fight of recognition to the organisations whose resources are geared to that job knowing that I will return to that fight next year, for the now my attentions turn toward the veterans who return and end up in a different category of statistics, that of mental illness, of alcoholism and drug dependancy, most of all, the homeless;


3 years ago I produced 1000 minature homeless veterans borne of the statistical quote of marketing which suggested that ''On any given night there are 1000 veterans homeless.''

Three years on the quote for today is ''one in four homeless people are veterans.''  although there are no difinitive figures for this countries homeless a provisional search suggested a figure of more than 65,000 homeless people in the uk, to me that represents around 15,000 + homeless veterans, almost as many as have been killed since the cease of hostilities in 1945 which is around 16,000.


watch this space.

video clips of warriors walk

the time it takes to download the film clips of the day to Blogger is so very slow that I publish this blog merely to notify and to direct you to my facebook site, having a camera does not make me in any way a film maker, nor can I even aspire to having the basic ability to grasp the intricasies of video editing software, so little in fact that I found it impossible on this occasion to splice the clips together for publication,  still, in the words of a great artist whose name escapes me at present, ''I am always trying something new in order to learn how to do it.'' truly the story of my life ...........

Film editing in the old days was, for me, far less time consuming and fun, there were little frames that you ran the film through cutting and splicing together tiny strips of cellulose with small sticky bits of sellotape, then, back to the monitor to wind the film through with a small handle to make sure you had cut and spliced at the right frame, absolute fun.

last night, after three hours of struggling with buttons, clips, images and text, captions and transitions, rolling credits, cutting and pasting, transferring from hard drive to software,,,etc etc etc,,, I lost everything, everything that is except the original clips, the fight with editing software goes on while the warriors walk event continues to be a daily success, 

currently the local gazette is trying to establish who was actually responsible for the installation, it is the event however that is important at this moment in time moreso than the person responsible.     

less said, here is the link to the third clip, others are at the same location.


warriors walk III [HQ]