Proposition (Cherry; Raspberry)

Above is the prepared canvas, primed with a white emulsion/pva mix, with diagonal strips of faun matt paper, photo gloss paper and some yellow cartridge paper glued to the surface. The joins are unimportant as my intention is to eventually cover the entire canvas in fruit/salt solution.




Here are the initial stages of painting; I'm using dark cherry and two varieties of raspberry: one redish and one with a more pinkish hue (at least when wet). I'm going to allow these first applications to begin to dry before adding more material, this evening or tomorrow.

Culturally, cherries and raspberries are an unusual combination - not impossible to assemble, but like most fruits each having its own separate world.

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Talking of unusual combinations here's 'Stardust' and 'Black Coffee' by the lovely Sarah Vaughan being stirred together in the cup of chance by Jim Andrews: Stardust & Black Coffee

Auger

Well June (Joon) melted into July melting into August.

Teo arrives next week and I can't wait.

Been ill for a sustained period now -but thankfully feeling better even as I type. Going to do a Lightning Technique course soon, so will report on its effects. Have noticed good quality of sleep really makes a positive difference. This year has been a slog, though, so far.

Degree Show has been and gone, but with a group of students continuing to show their work at the DegreeArt.com gallery, 30 Vyner Street, London from 6th to 16th August. Go and see some beautiful work.

Have had many more submissions from Consemblers including Ted Houghtaling, Emma Payne from fedbybirds, Steve Moshier (excerpts from his 'Brief Encounters'), Cem Gurney, Jukka-Pekka Kervinen and Dave Dellafiora: 'Hi Paul, you should get the cd in a few days as it was sent last week. As I said before please feel free to cut the music up. The method used was one I copied from one of the autistic guys I work with, playing youtube with a number of windows open, all playing at once and rolling back the sound almost like scratching effect.'

-and more, with more sounds promised!



Painting has focussed on exploring the effect of using different papers (often to make birthday cards for family and friends). Have recently been using gloss printing papers and matt card with cherry, raspberry, blackberry and strawberry salt solutions. In fact, I'm all ready to go with a prepared canvas this evening. In fact, the reason I am writing this blog is to escape from the noise of kids outside my flat so I can pass the time until they disperse. In fact, they're gone now...

Joon

Bed, 2009

Colour gamut

Strawberry field

Elected to Vote

Went to vote today just as the weather improved. It has been can'tsleep hot but was forecast to be averagejune cold. So the sunlight streamed through the Karate Club voting hall as the tumbleweeds blew across my path. Apart from the administrators there was no one else there - it actually felt as if I was the only St Thomas resident who was going to mark his X. I toyed with the Greens but finally went with the Reds, if only because it looks as if the simplistic media presentation is going to swing a Labour 'meltdown' from a reactionary public at a time when we should be questioning rightwing Capitalist thinking rather than the presentation skills of Gordon B.

It saddens me to see a BNP rep for Europe on a Ballot paper, especially in Devon.

The focus has been removed from its rightful position - the examination of the raw greed of the very rich and the desperately poor quality of management (outside of government) that pervades this country and beyond.

Bank of Holiday Monday

Still recovering myself.

Trying to diary a future.

Degree Shows coming up.

No composed music for a short while, although still listening to 'Last night the moon came...'

Looking through the annual Field Report still better than going to a Biennale...


Bank of Holiday Monday pays golden coins of rest.

Sat All Day

After a very full and tiring week at work, Saturday - time to rest and catch up.

Consemble Son count is very healthy with a couple of months to go:
Consemble C2 - 54
Consemble E - 35
Consemble F - 39
Consemble G - 31
(all out of a maximum of 60)
Quite a few of the recent ones are from composers via NetNewMusic.
I plan to add some wah guitar to E and some drawing sounds (the sound of stylus on papyrus) to G quite soon.
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Finished the Bourriaud and enjoyed it, then discovered to my delight there is a book called 'Non-relational Aesthetics' by Charlie Gere (and others), who I knew at Middlesex and who has gone on to great, if unrelational, things. Not everyone is a fan of this response but I will certainly seek it out. Also found some interesting online perceptions of RA. One criminal omission is any real discussion of sound or music - it seems to me that an average, intelligent Rock concert fulfils many of Bourriaud's requirements for an art of contact. Should also mention that RA is no longer all that contemporary and the debate has moved on. A few more coffees and I may chase after it.
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Small painting show now moved to early Sept. though the 'canvasses' continue to build up. It's recently occurred to me that a 'Fragaria' accompanying bookwork could contain some scans of sketches for work, as well as text and photos. Still thinking about how to represent it online (without being ripped off).