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The learned animals go on show again in May for my exhibition at ArtsDepot in London. The full series will be exhibited along a single wall in this busy theatre/arts space in North Finchley – it’s a great place, lots going on and some good entertainment on offer, so why not take in a play while you’re there! The opening is on Tuesday 4th May from 6pm – 8pm and I’ll be there, so come and say hello.
One of the prints, Extraordinary Story, made it into the magazine Artists & Illustrators this month too, in the Portfolio section (which translates to a full page showing the artwork with description).
I’m featured (well not me obviously, my prints) in What’s Hot in the Shop this month at Edinburgh Printmakers following the consignment of my recent work to the gallery. My series of screenprints featuring learned animals will now be for sale there along with my smaller prints on unusual performances. I also recently found out that I am to be the featured artist for July 1st – 20th.
And NOT TO BE MISSED this month, artwork on display by the wonderful Patrizio Belcampo!
Also, the new issue of Cut-Click online magazine is out today and a very lovely one it is too, with details about the Renmen Project and the usual mix of art and interviews with artists.
I’m off down to London next week for another research trip, and am planning to go and see Charles Avery’s latest work at Pilar Corrias while I’m there. Titled Onomatopoeia Part 2: The Port it’s a further installment to the ongoing project The Islanders and I can’t wait to see it.
Another show I would love to get the chance to see is To Be Confirmed at The Bristol Gallery which features four lovely pieces by Chantal Powell including her bed of peacock feathers which I love. It’s on until 25th February so if you’re in the Bristol area I hope you can make it along.
Untitled, 2009 © Chantal Powell
Another of my favourite artists, whom I’ve mentioned several times on this blog, is Roxana Halls – and much to my delight last month I did a very exciting print swap with her. I am now the very very proud and happy owner of a signed limited edition giclee print of Terina the Paper Tearer & Inferna the Human Torch! It really is quite wonderful. New work by Roxana Halls is currently on show at Beaux Arts Bath’s 30th Anniversary Exhibition until 6th March 2010.
Finally, a little bit of nice news filtered through to me yesterday which was that the two screenprints that I donated to Paintings in Hospitals have been chosen to go on loan to the Royal Bromptom Hospital in London. If you’re in London in March then try to get along to their Annual Spring Exhibition that’s on from 3rd – 20th March at the Menier Gallery this year’s exhibition focuses on the charity’s Children’s Collection.
No, not a reference to songs by Lionel Ritchie or Ella Fitzgerald but rather the name of my latest print, which includes elements pertaining to an unusual type of performance from the 19th century – ceiling walking. This is the first of a new mini-series that I’m doing on an ongoing basis that will be smaller both in the scale of the series and in the size of the actual prints, making them more suited to selling through outlets such as the arts markets and in shops. This one will also be part of this year’s Edinburgh Printmakers Winter Exhibition which opens on 14th November and they will be for sale through the gallery there and also at the Christmas Arts Market at Out of the Blue on the 5th, 12th and 13th of December. Oh and on my website and etsy shop too (incidently I’ve set all shipping costs on my website to zero hence the higher price). I will be trying to produce as many new ones before the market as possible, as well as a new Christmas card design for this year and a re-print of last year’s design too. I’ll also be putting up simple instructions here soon on how to float mount these small prints, which is the best way to display them.
‘Dancing on the Ceiling‘ Screenprint, © Sharon Whyte 2009
All of this does not mean that work on the major new series has ceased, however. It is still in the development stage, and no actual printing will take place until early 2010 (other than the odd test print). Producing these smaller prints keeps me in the workshop though which is good, and with screenprinting I find that I learn something new with every print I produce – therefore it’s all preparation for ensuring that I keep producing better and better work. Indeed I am feeling extremely enthused about the new project and the book, especially since my recent visit to the home of magic historian Eddie Dawes and his wife Amy, who herself has done a lot of research and writing on the subject of female magicians. They have an incredible collection and their generosity in sharing it and in sharing their knowledge is truly inspiring and I feel incredibly privileged to have been able to spend that time with them.
My recent series of prints on the subject of learned animal performers are still touring the Highlands as part of the magic themed exhibition Now You See It, with the show in Inverness opening on the 14th of November at Inverness Museum and Art Gallery. I’ll be going to the private view on the 13th armed with my camera to record this, the first showing of a full series of my work in a public art gallery, which I’m a little bit excited about! I’ll also be represented at the Edinburgh Art Fair this year for the first time by the Mansfield Park Gallery who will be at stand 16.
I’m very happy to report that two of the learned animal prints are now in the collection of Paintings in Hospitals for London and the Southern Regions. The Java Sparrows and Munito at Work were chosen by the curator and could now end up on display at any hospital in the region that they cover (there are different collections for each region). I do really think that having art in hospitals is of benefit to people, so I was really happy to donate to the collection.
That balanced out the rather negative experience of being involved in the fiasco that was the closing of the Artworks Galleries in Newcastle. I won’t go into too much detail because I’m trying to just forget about it all now, but basically I had work there when the bailiffs were sent in to seize everything due to the owner Matt Forster not paying his rent and sub-letting part of the property but keeping the money himself (he’s also angered a lot of artists by allegedly not giving them the money owed to them from work that he has sold of theirs – and he’s supposed to be an artist himself!) and it was a real pain trying to get my work back. I’m pleased to say that myself and two other artists I know who had work there Chantal Powell and Annabel De Vetten did all get our stuff back, but when I visited the auction house there was so much artwork there and I very much doubt that all of it made its way safely back to the artists who made it as we were not told about any of this happening and only discovered it by chance.
The fact that things like this can happen so easily makes it very hard to want to do the things that you have to do as an artist in order to have your work seen – ie: just hand over your work to people – especially since the insurance that’s available to artists is either prohibitively expensive or just not that good (often it doesn’t cover the full cost of the work, or it’s only for one off exhibitions, not usually for long term loan on a sale or return basis) but then again the vast majority of galleries are not in the business of ripping people off and provide a good service to the artists they represent. I just wish there was some way of knowing beforehand if the person you are dealing with has a bad reputation or not.
Anyway, on a more positive note to end with, please do come along to the Arts Market and the exhibition at Edinburgh Printmakers if you live in Edinburgh and support local artists and crafts people by buying original Christmas presents – much better than 3 for 2 at a certain high street retailer! And if you come to my stall and tell me about 3 non-bog-standard presents that you’ll be giving people this year then I’ll give you a discount. For years I’ve been considering giving up on Christmas altogether – what with my being completely non-religious just for starters, but also because I can’t stand the ritual exchange of either absurdly expensive or absurdly crap commercial presents (especially since I can’t afford the absurdly expensive ones!) – but I’ve now decided that instead of giving up on it altogether, since there are aspects of it that I really like, that I’m going to produce a special print edition every year that will be exclusively for friends and family and won’t be sold anywhere and give those as gifts instead. If you were hoping for an unnervingly pink bubble bath gift set with matching eye mask you’re out of luck I’m afraid.
My exhibition is now up and running at the Tron Theatre in Glasgow until 5th September (open daily 10am – late). The private view took place on Monday night and was a really great night – thanks to everyone who made it along. Loads of people came through from Edinburgh which was nice!
A catalogue is available for the exhibition, with a 15 page introduction explaining what the project is all about. It’s available from www.blurb.com as a lovely full colour high quality perfect-bound book at £12.95 or as an e-book (no cover with the e-book) for £5 from www.lulu.com – in both cases just type in Sharon Whyte to find it (or use the link on the left for the blurb one).
Here are some images from after setting up and from the private view. You can see all of the images on my flickr photostream.
All images © Sharon Whyte 2009
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