mimosa….

when I got home today the whole street smelt of our beautiful mimosa…

Mimosa
Mimosa wood, brass pins refashioned from piano springs, (from the toolbox of a friend’s piano-tuning late father); Ladybird book pages; found cotton

We have a tree, a mimosa of some kind, in the front garden, which we have recently pruned. This plant plays a daily role in my life as I traverse the floors of the house from my workshop in the basement to the top of the house, where I draw. I have a constant view of its wonderful form. I have a love of this tree and found it hard to prune, it seems so wilful and alive. Its beautiful jewel-like yellow flowers, which bloom early in the New Year; its almost skin-like bark which is a wonderful shade of dusky grey-green and its leaves being so feather-like that they impart a sense of movement even in the lightest breeze.

I have a growing collection of its beautiful branches in the basement.

My badges are made of part of this collection. They are not made of recycled material in the strictest sense, rather the material has a new use. The mimosa’s value being extended through these new objects.

new work coming soon…

february evening outside British Museum….

artquest…trade secrets

Happy Birthday to Artquest who are 10, they have been great friends and I have loved working with them over the years….

seen some beautiful london skies this month…

starting new enamel works…

 

Amongst writing for several books right now I am starting new works for two enamel exhibitions…one at Gallery Handwerk in Munich called ‘Enamel A Renaissance’ which will begin in March while the International Crafts Fair takes place in Munich and the other a project called Heat Exchange which will begin and be shown during the 2012 SNAG conference at the Shermer Arts Center and Museum in Phoenix.

shane waltener…

One of my friends, colleagues and co- Intelligent Troublers Shane Waltener is presenting a new exhibition in London from next week. It is taking place at Siobhan Davies Dance.

Drawn to motion, written in space, stitched over time

12 January – 11 March 2012

Free entry

www.siobhandvaies.com/shanewaltener

 Opening and performance: 12 January, 6.30-8.30pm

Public weaving event: 27 January, from 6.30pm

Artist talk and performance: 17 February, 7pm

Book launch for Practical Basketry Techniques: 24 February

With this exhibition, London based artist Shane Waltener is presenting new works resulting from on site research and exchanges with dancers at the Siobhan Davies Studios. Looking at the relationship between stepping ans stitching, the artist and dancers at the centre will use the building as a loom to weave on and create a site responsive installation looping from inside to outside the building.

Together with this piece, the artist will be showing ‘Stitching Score #1’, an animated installation using over 200 meters of deconstructed clothing strung together, material produced during interactive installation at the Palm Court at Alexandra Palace last year.

Below: Shane during an Intelligent Trouble installation at the Institute of Making, Kings College, London Nov 2011

new series of posts…

on the Art Jewellery Forum’s blog...about tools

new years day 2012…

ringing out the old…bringing in the new…

It’s been a busy year with lots of travel, I spent the first part of the year travelling back and forward to Berlin where I was a Guest Professor for 4 months. We are producing a small publication about the walking project I did with a lovely group of students there and I will post more here soon as it emerges. I spent part of the year working on some great Intelligent Trouble projects, having a fantastic time at the Institute of Making, at Kings College, London and I look forward to more collaborations in 2012. I also made work for several exhibitions including Drawing, Permanence and Place, which is still touring and The Tool at Hand which has begun recently at The Milwaukee Art Museum and will also tour.

I am looking forward to 2012 and amongst other things I am really excited to say that I have been asked to undertake a new residency with Siobhan Davies Dance , Called Side by Side. It will begin in June when I will be ‘side by side’ with the dancer and choreographer Laila Diallo.

Special thanks to all those I have been lucky enough to work with this year.

Happy days in 2011. Dungeness.