A cold basement and a cold study
Went over to the gallery today to do some Pin Ritual. It went well, for the first 10 minutes I was feeling like I didn't want to do it because I'd spent too long doing Scatter over the last 2 months and was sick of pinning but then I got into the rhythm, relaxed into it and started enjoying myself. It does feel very different to doing Scatter - for one thing it's far less physically tiring because I'm on a chair instead of the floor but also I'm less precise with my rows and I can lose myself in it more.
I spent a good hour and a half pinning before my fingers and toes got too cold and stiff to continue - an unheated basement in February doesn't make the best performance space but I've actually pinned in colder places, Spike Island in November with the doors open springs readily to mind.
There weren't huge numbers of visitors, only about 10 or 12, but I had a couple of really good chats with people, including one woman who had come in specially because I'd invited her. She studies homeopathy, had seen my work in the Round The Houses art trail last September and had emailed me a couple of weeks ago because she wants to talk to me about pins. We're going to meet up for coffee after the show is down.
One woman walked in, spent about 2 minutes in the space and left, which is always sort of disconcerting but you just get that sometimes. I've learnt that I can't appeal to everyone: some people just aren't interested in my art and that's fair enough. I used to get bothered by it but I don't anymore. And to be fair, I do it too - if something doesn't grab me, I'll often just walk on by, especially if I'm doing an art trail where there's lots of art to look at.
It was more interesting to notice that every single person went straight to the walls to look at the prints and drawings first, often walking right past the sculpture to do so. Me, I would always tend to look at the sculptures first, which makes sense, I guess.
I took some pics, they're not great because my batteries were low and so was the light but I'll edit them and post them tomorrow - I'm too tired to do it right now.
On the way home I picked up a new fan heater for my study. Mine broke a couple of days ago and I've been bloody freezing in here. My study is in an extension right at the back of the house and it's like an icebox even with the boiler room just off it and a radiator. It gets no sun, doesn't have anything above it to insulate it and there's no carpet, just rugs over bare floorboards. It's easily the coldest room in the house apart from the basement. Actually, I think it may even be colder than the basement. I have a space down in the basement which used to be my main studio and where I now just do messy work. I used to work down there quite happily in the winter without getting too cold because having the whole of the house on top insulated it a bit. I suppose it doesn't help that I'm sitting at a computer and not moving around much but even with the little heater going full blast it's still damn cold in here - roll on spring, I say.
Damn, I just can't get warm, I think I'm probably exhausted again. Time for bed with a hot water bottle and my new library book about rings. I'm busy researching the Contained project by looking at lots of other jeweller's work and I might take my sketchbook to bed with me to start jotting down my ideas and do some quick drawings.
I spent a good hour and a half pinning before my fingers and toes got too cold and stiff to continue - an unheated basement in February doesn't make the best performance space but I've actually pinned in colder places, Spike Island in November with the doors open springs readily to mind.
There weren't huge numbers of visitors, only about 10 or 12, but I had a couple of really good chats with people, including one woman who had come in specially because I'd invited her. She studies homeopathy, had seen my work in the Round The Houses art trail last September and had emailed me a couple of weeks ago because she wants to talk to me about pins. We're going to meet up for coffee after the show is down.
One woman walked in, spent about 2 minutes in the space and left, which is always sort of disconcerting but you just get that sometimes. I've learnt that I can't appeal to everyone: some people just aren't interested in my art and that's fair enough. I used to get bothered by it but I don't anymore. And to be fair, I do it too - if something doesn't grab me, I'll often just walk on by, especially if I'm doing an art trail where there's lots of art to look at.
It was more interesting to notice that every single person went straight to the walls to look at the prints and drawings first, often walking right past the sculpture to do so. Me, I would always tend to look at the sculptures first, which makes sense, I guess.
I took some pics, they're not great because my batteries were low and so was the light but I'll edit them and post them tomorrow - I'm too tired to do it right now.
On the way home I picked up a new fan heater for my study. Mine broke a couple of days ago and I've been bloody freezing in here. My study is in an extension right at the back of the house and it's like an icebox even with the boiler room just off it and a radiator. It gets no sun, doesn't have anything above it to insulate it and there's no carpet, just rugs over bare floorboards. It's easily the coldest room in the house apart from the basement. Actually, I think it may even be colder than the basement. I have a space down in the basement which used to be my main studio and where I now just do messy work. I used to work down there quite happily in the winter without getting too cold because having the whole of the house on top insulated it a bit. I suppose it doesn't help that I'm sitting at a computer and not moving around much but even with the little heater going full blast it's still damn cold in here - roll on spring, I say.
Damn, I just can't get warm, I think I'm probably exhausted again. Time for bed with a hot water bottle and my new library book about rings. I'm busy researching the Contained project by looking at lots of other jeweller's work and I might take my sketchbook to bed with me to start jotting down my ideas and do some quick drawings.