To start again

I have been finding it increasing harder to get put my art hat* on and have decided to start again. I am going to be starting a new work timetable which, all being well will allow me to have every other Wednesday off. Yippee!! I am under no delusions that every minute of this day will be used to its full potential but even if I spend the day hoovering (unlikely!) at least it will free up other time.

*If I had an art hat I would like it to look a bit like this; across between a satellite dish and a clock.

I have been tidying up my studio space today and I had done some before and after shots, which to my horror look very similar to one another. I am sitting in my studio as I type, and that would not have happened this morning. This bank holiday has been a pure crafty delight!

Going, Going, Gone

Everyday I get on the bus and I sit on the left (unless the heating is on that side and it is the middle of summer) and I look out of the window and wait. I am not waiting for the bus to stop and let me off to begin my world of Administration, there is no urgency there. I am waiting to drive past my favourite view on Mansfield road, the car wash.

This is not just any old car wash, this is a particularly interesting car wash with huge amounts of character and colour. I had an idea that I was going to go and ask if for the price of a car wash, I could photograph their car wash site. They have now gone and I missed my chance. The route to work feels like something is missing and all I have is these mobile phone shots that do not do it justice.

Boating Discoveries Part 2

On the second day of boating, Al and I went for an explore and found a chair graveyard. I was very over excited and started to climb to find more. It was amazing how disguised the chairs were amongst the undergrowth. I have yet to find an appropriate word for how it makes me feel when I spy new chair sights, but it is a lot like the feeling of finding something you forgot you had.

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Boating Discoveries Part 1

This weekend we went on a boating adventure! It was so relaxing, I was almost mute (which for anyone who knows me is hard to imagine). Caroline and I sat at the front, with our feet up, cup of tea and comfortable jumpers. Everything feels right in the world when you’re on the water. It’s so blooming calming and for a serial neurotic like me, it’s wonderful.

We went for a 30 minute sail before we stopped for lunch (if we had walked it would have taken 10 minutes which shows how much it slows down life). We walked past some beautiful buildings.

There were some incredible reflections too.

Gifts Galore

The week before last I was given so many weird and wonderful gifts. Thank you Phil (Water bottle and envelope dobber), Grandma (homemade bear and necklace) and Stevie (Dee Dee’s paper clips, embroidery apparatus and treasury tags).

Death row

I went to Birmingham this weekend to see my family and friends, which was great fun! I happened to have lots of furniture related adventures too. The first was on Friday when Theo told me he was throwing out his TV and taking it to the tip. I mentioned that if it was put outside the house with a pleasant note attached, that someone was bound to take it. It was agreed that this was a plan (I thank you) and I was put in charge of writing the note!

Unfortunately some school kids thought it would be mighty clever to remove the taped down remote and throw it to the floor. Faith in humanity when down many notches at that moment but was soon restored by a gentleman in a van who picked up the TV. Stevie went out to give him the previously confiscated remote and to help him load it into the van. He was very grateful and it was a lovely exchange. The second was on Friday evening when I spied these chairs next to Jo’s house hiding in the bushes.

The third was initially received via photo text message. I went to visit Jo’s Studio space (The Lombard Method) which is a wonderful space and Stevie text me to say he has spotted 6 chairs that were being thrown out at his office and whether Jo would like them. Jo did, so on Saturday morning we went to the office on our chair collecting mission.

On the way home is where my fourth experience happened. There was a line of discusting, fake leather cream sofa’s and arm chairs. They had been vandalised with red paint which in my opinion improved them ten fold! I decided to do a photo montage of what looked like furniture death row.

I wonder if I spent all of my time having experiences like this, whether I could somehow be employed to do so. Advisor of ‘good home’ furniture? Documentary Street Photographer? Manager of the Furniture Exchange Programme? I can dream.

I heart furniture

Caroline has seen two amazing discarded furniture sightings on the way to work. (Thank you!) This chair was found looking like it had a serious night on the town. This definitely wins the award for most precariously found chair!

The next day this couple were found. I think they had argued and made up but not totally forgiven each other. You can tell by their body language.

Free to a good home

Over the years, some of my favourite experiences are when there is a message left with the furniture. I think it restores your faith in humanity that just because they don’t want it anymore, they appreciate that it’s life isn’t over. I had no idea until I just collated these that they all said the same thing ‘Free to a good home’. I love the idea that they have specified what type of home the chair should go to.

Coincidence

This weekend I stayed at my friend Laura’s house in London (It was so lovely!). I was sat on her wonderfully comfortable sofa when out of the corner of my eye I saw on the book shelf the words ’100 chairs’. I leapt up and almost jumped for joy as I saw it was the book ’100 Chairs in 100 Days in 10 Ways’ I had previously discovered last week. What an amazingly great coincidence! I sat and perused it with a lovely cup of tea. Great end to a great weekend!

Breakfast time

I have been working on a new piece based on the most important meal of the day, breakfast. I decided to start by hollowing two eggs which is a lot harder than it sounds. A bit like blowing up a balloon that just wont budge. I then wrapped string around the first one for the length it takes to cook a hard boiled egg and the second for a soft boiled egg. And last but not least, you can’t have a breakfast without a cup of tea!

I would really like to exhibit this work on a white shelf at the height of a kitchen work surface.

My hero

I found a leaflet in the Lincolnshire Poacher after a tiny version of the picture below caught my eye. It was for an exhibition ‘Profusion’ that I have managed to miss or at least will miss as I canny drive! Today I googled the artist, Martino Gamper who had created the chairs and I was blown away!

In the last few hours he has become my hero as he not only collected ‘discarded chairs from London streets (or more frequently, friends’ homes)’ for two years but he the spent 100 days reinventing 100 chairs to transform the ‘character and/or the way it functions.’ So let’s just recap, he is a collector and is interested in discarded chairs. It has absolutely made my day!

This is just one of the blooming brilliant chairs called ‘Plastic-Fly’

Please go to the website to see more: www.gampermartino.com. You will not be disappointed!