POWYS ARTS MONTH AND OUR CONTRIBUTION (EXHIBITIONS, OPEN STUDIO)

This is the Llandrindod Wells Museum
 where part of the exhibition is on show

Both Martin and I had artwork accepted to the Arts Engine Open Art Exhibition for artists of the county of Powys at Llandrindod Wells, unfortunately we didn't realize you could enter three pieces for the entering fee of £ 12 (which was quite a lot for the two of us). Oh well, at least we were there and had an enjoyable evening. The general standard wasn't as high as it was at the national open exhibition at Machynlleth where we just picked up our works from. However, our work were well hung for once, in a really good place with good lighting. It's also an opportunity to sell cards, it's great! There is also a catalogue about the artists and their statements.

I talked a bit to one of the artists, John Wragg, who does translucent sculpture with lines that indicate a strange perspective or optical illusion. He was upset that the piece (Fourth Commandment) was not placed so that the translucency and the lines were more evident. I said to him that in passing his piece I was dead scared to spill wine on it! It was placed so low. It's a shame when these things occur because of lack of a bit more consideration from the curators.

My small mixed media collage "Where There is Hope - There is Life"
 is hanging to the left of Martin's large oil painting
"Give Me the Head of John the Baptist" in the middle. 

OPEN STUDIO!

Our (Martin Herbert and Vivi-Mari Carpelan) studios will be open during the Powys Arts Month in October 2011, please see catalogue for details. A lot of art will also be on show on the walls of the house and older art at greatly reduced prices in a browser. You will probably be seeing us working on our current projects (drawing and collaging). Tea and applecake (from a recipe from the Finnish archipelago) will be available. The address is 14 Shortbridge Street, in the centre of Llanidloes down the road from the old  market hall. Our house is open roughly three prolonged weekends in the afternoon in October.


Read more on Martin's blog!

My studio - please see previous blog entry for more photos

Our walls are full of artwork for the visitors too see

We will be working on our art projects

BEATRICE HAS AN OPINION...

"Don't mind me, I am just loving your artwork. Though there is, of course, no greater artwork than myself..."

THE SECRET LIVES OF OBJECTS

This is a follow up of the photo project I did on my studio. Here are photos of objects in our home, their existence and relation to each other... Objects have a mysterious quality, in my mind, they have an almost metaphysical presence at times much as Giorgio De Chirico suggested back in 1907.

FOOD FOR STARVING ARTISTS

Vivi-Mari's Lentil & Coriander Soup

Like other creative people, cooking comes fairly easily to me. I have created many recipes and have contributed to cookbooks. This is part of our lifestyle. My attention span makes it difficult for me to follow recipes, but in all honesty I guess I also like the creative challenge of cooking something up spontaneously, not always knowing how successful it will be. While Martin is a slow food cook (though normally he does the dishes so I prepare dinner), I am a fast food cook - this means I take very little time to cook and I have been told by some people that the whole process looks quite mind-blowing because of my rapid moves. 

I am not going to inundate the blog with recipes but I thought to share this variation on a classic British theme, as it's cheap, tasty and nutritious. Lentil soup is something you buy in a can or a plastic container in every supermarket. Here is a tastier version:

VIVI-MARI'S LENTIL & CORIANDER SOUP

250 g red lentils (you can use green ones but you have to experiment with the volume), cooked

5 small carrots, cut in  medium sized pieces

Small piece of celeriac, cut in medium sized pieces

3 potatoes, cut in medium sized pieces

1 can of chopped tomatoes

2 tablespoons tomato puree

2 tablespoons Swiss Marigold vegetable stock (powder)

Salt and white pepper to taste

1 l boiling water

> Add all ingredients to the water and simmer for 5 mins. Then add the lentils as well as

1 dl double cream

Fresh or frozen coriander, a handful (frozen is handy because you can just squeeze the bag to a powder and throw it in)

Bring to the boil and simmer for 15 - 20 mins until soft. Blend gently with a handmixer or in a food processor.

If you leave it overnight it will be even tastier the next day!

"I WOULDN'T GET ON A PLANE THAT ALREADY LOOKS LIKE A PLANE CRASH"

This suggestion for a design using the olympic rings appears not quite to have been to Tracey Emin's liking....
There were others, for instance she seemed to have been more in favour of the simpler and more colourful one.
Quotes from athletes cover the plane as well.

These memorable words were uttered by Turner Award nominated Tracey Emin when she saw one of Martin's design ideas for the Great Briton's air plane design project. Well... she is known for her sardonic witticisms! I am finally allowed to say a few words about the outcome of the contest as the winner has now been officially announced. Sadly, it was not Martin but an industrial designer/artist, Pascal Anson, who is already well established and whose furniture is on display in prestigious places. I'm sure his designs are extraordinary.

This is a detail of one of Martin's abstract and digitally based images
 from a series called "Unlikely Realms".
His ideas for the British Airways air planes were related to this,
but he was going to add the human touch of the brushstroke
to the designs. The software is only a tool with which you create
new and fantastic 2D and 3D objects to be used in images.

My impression of the contest when we found out about it was that British Airways wanted to encourage people of all walks of life to contribute with something exciting, and that this would be an opportunity for them to get recognition and a career boost of sorts. There was an art, food and cinema section. Instead of choosing some young exciting talents they went for people who are already well established within their fields. To me that looks a bit like a safe bet. 

Martin received a package from BA with instructions and a model airplane to play with... (ok just joking!)

Don't get me wrong - Martin and I both got a lot out of this exercise, which helped us both think deeply about what we want to say with our art. He was chosen as one of the ten people who actually got an interview with the panel of judges (including Tracey Emin), and this seems to me to indicate that he really has a wealth of ideas to offer the world! As we talked through his concept and I tried and challenge him with tricky questions, he came up with wonderful ideas of how the Olympic ideal can be seen as a universal theme of man overcoming adversity, challenge and gravity - and we can see this in the human endeavour of flying aircrafts, too! The material as opposed to the immaterial, or how the two really go together... these are great thoughts and I know he would have been fantastically erudite if he had been chosen (as the process is made into a film of sorts that will be shown on the in flights). 

So one could say, why bother when you have to be famous in order to become more famous, and though we are sad about the outcome we still feel it was an interesting experience. We regret that it cost us a lot of money that we don't have, it would have been great to get a little pay on which to survive over the next year, and maybe some thrilling experiences, but on the other hand Martin now has time to dedicate to his true calling.

Martin has written about his experience here, it's a lot funnier than my account...

WELCOME TO MY ARTIST'S STUDIO

Since I was about 17, I've been quite obsessed with the beauty of objects. It's only natural that I get an urge to photograph items in a way that enhance their beingness in the world. "A thing of beauty is a joy forever..." (Keats)...

During Powys Arts Month, Martin and I will be keeping our studios open for the general public. You can see us presented in this virtual catalogue, which will hopefully soon be in print. We will be working on some concrete art during that time and there will be lots and lots of art on the walls.

I have promised to talk about lifestyle in this blog, and this is something that is very important to me in relation to my workspace. In all honesty, my studio is also my private space, so I have opted to have quite a lot of my personal possessions here. It's very small, and there is very little storage space, as my big cupboard didn't go up the stairs! We are not sure what to do about that.

Artmaterial...

Boxes....

Books and  folders...

Storage...

For the time being I have to live with open shelves, which is not really my favourite choice as I like to be fairly organized and have a clutter free space. However, I like to organize my stuff in ways that are pleasing to me and so the following is a peep into the way I perceive beauty in physical objects and how I combine them. In some of the pictures you will see my grandmother, who was a prima ballerina.

Decorative details, compelling images and favourite objects...

Lastly, a few images of the space... It's quite obvious which my favourite colour combinations are. The accessories are among other things cards and prints, a work table from Ikea, an old weathered oak desk, red velvet curtains, white printed cotton curtains from Ian Snow, Indian printblocks, an old metal top for a stove, a lot of small charity shop finds and as much natural material as possible.

WILLIAM MORRIS'S IDEOLOGY:

“The true secret of happiness lies in taking a genuine interest in all the details of daily life.”

"Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful”

“Simplicity of life, even the barest, is not a misery, but the very foundation of refinement; a sanded floor and whitewashed walls and the green trees, and flowery meads, and living waters outside.”

“If I were asked to say what is at once the most important production of Art and the thing most to be longed for; I should answer; A beautiful House; and if I were further asked to name the production next in importance and the thing next to be longed for; I should answer; A beautiful Book. To enjoy good houses and good books in self-respect and decent comfort, seems to me to be the pleasurable end towards which all societies of human beings ought now to struggle.”


(You guessed it, Morris is my hero).

However, in order to feel fulfilled you must be able to eat and drink...
(Sheets of music and a Russian poster of the revolution)