The month of May, as well as being busy season for silhouette cutting at weddings and other events, is also "open studios" season here in Reading. As usual Mays Barn is open for two weekends in May, giving me an opportunity to show a set of the new hollow-cut life studies which I've been working on over the last year or so, as well as an excuse to friends and artists over for a drink this Friday. Do get in touch if you need an invitation!
The Orange Cushion - pencil and watercolour on scissor-cut paper
The inspiration for these half-drawings - half-silhouettes - came out of the research I did for my recently-published book 'Mastering Silhouettes'. They are based on a technique of 'hollow-cutting' with scissors, last used in early nineteenth-century America. My idea was to take this technique into the life room and experiment with a much more contemporary style of work. The work is still quite experimental, but I've taken a selection of them and mounted them in a set of double-glazed frames, allowing whatever wall they are hung on to show through the 'hole'.
There are a number of guest artists and craftspeople from the Caversham Art Trail joining me in the barn this year: Lousie Spiers , Sophie Waite, Peter Quarmby and Brenda Graham (see www.cavershamartstrail.co.uk ). We opened last weekend to bright sunshine and a record number of visitors, and are hoping this weekend will be the same.
One of the spreads from my new book 'Mastering Silhouettes'
As well as the range of art, copies of my book also be on sale, with me there to sign them. If you don't already have a copy, this will be a good opportunity to remedy the situation.
If you can't make it this Friday do pop in over the weekend. I'm working at a couple of events on Saturday - one at least of which sounds rather alarmingly grand - but I'll be around all day on Sunday to sign books and indulge in conversations about art. It would be great to see you if you can make it, but if not I'm sure well meet at some future event.
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