Wall Reliefs

Wall Reliefs, originally uploaded by Feltbug.

I have been going through some photographs of my past work. These were made between 2002 and 2005. I am thinking about making some more. I have had a week off from my day job and I can feel my creative mojo coming back. I have another week to get started on some new projects.

Happy Chinese New Year!

Symbiotic associations.

Twig, covered with pages from the yearbook of the US Dept. of Agriculture 1904, glued and drawn on with ink pen.

Lichen on the dead gooseberry bush.

Twig, book pages glue and ink.

Apple tree with lichen.

I have been visiting my sister's allotment this month and it has been a huge source of new ideas, with everything starting to bloom and even the dead wood has life growing still. I have been taking photographs of the amazing forms of the lichen on the branches, it has a symbiotic relationship with the plant that it grows on.

Then this week I started a new project with twigs, papier-mache and drawing combined. I had not seen the relationship with what I had been studying intently on the allotment until I started constructing this post for the blog - then I suddenly saw the symbiotic relationship of this new work with the natural forms I had been taking pictures of. In the last 2 years my work has become more spontaneous, the materials suggest the form and as I construct new work I begin to find associations within it. Making art has become such an integral part of my life that I don't even think about it - the art just evolves. Meanings reveal themselves as part of the process.

Chickens in the high street.

Happy Easter !

Seed

Paper-pulp, gouache and indian ink on canvas board. 1991 10x7inches

Metamorphosis of earrings

A bag of earrings from the car boot fair. They are mostly china with some plastic.

Seedling 2005. Papier mache hand with earrings inside.

Laylah Ali has a show on in London until the 24th February, I haven't seen it yet but it looks good - lovely drawings.

Reflecting on red

I have started a new group on flickr today, drawing red

Mortal and pebble

Mortal (without reflection) 2002 and Pebble 2004.

Egg box sculptures

Mortal (with reflection) 2002. These small paper pulp sculptures were inspired by a wooden sculpture I saw which came from the Congo in Africa. It took the form of a man with a hollow, glass fronted body which contained relics or medicines used for healing purposes. I liked the idea of the body being a container, relating to conception and birth, and the notion of keeping a precious object in a safe place. Bird 2004. The pulp I use is made from recycled egg boxes. I made my first one in 1990 and then put the idea to one side for 12 years and started making them again in 2002. I use a combination of found objects or collage, paint and embroidery for the insides.

Light in the afternoon

A photograph I took this afternoon with Matt Durran's glass sculpture in the foreground. In the background are some of my papier-mache sculptures with found objects framed in a crumbling plaster frame.You can find out more about Matthew Durran here

Red Sculptures

In the studio

These are 2 sculptures I made in 2005 for a group show in London, in the background are 2 of my pictures and an adjustoform mannequin wearing a linen tunic and a felt covered water bottle. All items found in charity shops or at the car boot sale. The sculptures are made from wire and papier-mache. The one on the left is called Otesanek from the Czech fairy tale and was inspired by the film Little Otik by Jan Svankmajer. On the right is Backbone, a piece created from looking at the ribcage.