December 2013

19th December: The above pic is of Chantall and Diane. Iwas taking portraits of Diane as part a series that I am doing with Chantall

A little over a month ago I talked about PPC and the possibilities of winning a prize. Well I did win the Functional Prize, which was nice. Well actually getting my work selected for the competition was nice. Being shortlisted for a prize was very nice. Winning? well that was extremely nice. The funny thing was that despite having a healthy cheque in my hand, I had no cash to go and celebrate with. Nada. The bank account was empty empty empty. And with life being what it is, well the winnings have soon been swallowed up by needing to pay for it's necessities.

November 2013

Wow this is worse than having to wait for Christmas day when you were a kid! Last week a got a couple from the organizers of the PPC Young Sculptors show asking me to come along to the pre opening media dance as I have made it into the top seven. As ever when one gets a phone call from Nandi you are not sure what she is going to say. She has perfected the art the dead pan phone call. Only problem is that your immediate thought on hearing hear voice is 'Oh shit, is there a problem'.

OK, from what I can see the prizes are split up as follows:

Fine Art Catergory: A first prize, a runner up prize and the two runners up = 4
Functional Art Catergory: A first prize =1
Peoples favorite, for which the voting closed yesterday =1

So that's six which makes the seventh a mystery. So my amazing powers of deduction make me think well...... I have either won the Functional prize or maybe the mystery seventh prize. Hopefully the mystery prize is not going to follow the story line of Martin's Marvellous Mini when after entering a hill climb race and driving up the hill in reverse, Martin and his co driver won a first prize of a hundred pounds of ....... spuds. Ba boom

Going back to my process of deduction ....I can't have won anything else as a: I didn't enter the Fine Art catergory and b: the voting for the people's prize had not been finished before I was notified. 

October 2013

25th October: Wow I see that it has been well over six weeks since my last blog. What has happened since the 7th of September? Well I got into the finals of this years PPC (2013) competition. My solo show at Parts and Labour opened. This is going to close this Sunday (27th Oct). Doesn't seem a lot but when you are working around the everyday things that have to get done, earning money etc, well then life is frantic.

September 2013

7th: You put you left leg in,your left out, in out in out shake it all about, that's what the Thami Mnyele Fine Arts Award Exhibition is all about. I think that the team at Thami Mnyeli have been watching what's been happening at Sasol and have come up with a plan to counteract all the 'Who Ha'.

Step one: phone up all you entries and tell them they haven't got in: Step two; gauge their response,if they sound like they may be a trouble maker then consign them to the dustbin: Step three; if they sound like they are not fussed then accept them into your exhibition.  I tell you this is no conspiracy theory it has actually happened to me...

Two years ago - got a phone call to tell me I was not in. I didn't question the decision. Went to pick up work and was told no actually it was in.

Last year - got a phone call to tell me I was not in. Because of the previous year I asked "are you sure?". What ever the reasons this was a bad mistake as it obviously earmarked me as a trouble maker.

This year - got a phone call to tell me I was not in. Again I asked no questions and low and behold two days later I got another call to say that I was actually in.

I rest my case

Just made the cut off time for my PPC entry. What should have been a slow and easy process of assembling the piece as the process turned into the worst nightmare of it's kind possible. Pieces that were the right size suddenly were too short. Pieces that were re-cut to the size needed suddenly became much too long. Screw heads started to mess the operation of the device. Needless to say the odd fuse or two was blown. It's amazing how objects that are completely inert can reduce you almost to the point of tears. So the down side is that my entry was entered with a few issues still unresolved - the up side is that all the other entries into the functional category of the competition were pieces of jewelry. 

August 2013

30th: This may sound like sour grapes coming from an extremely disenchanted loser but anyway - The entry that was selected to be this years winner of Sasol New Signatures was ..... I can't find anything online at the moment to show you but anyway it was a combination of a kak painting with a kak video of said kak painting. I guess that the judges must have thought that they had the Midas touch and that by selecting the work it's kakness would be turned into something of pure wonder. Sorry, no, this is the the real world, what is kak remains....KAK.

Before I get taken down for attacking the winning artist I would to make it clear that my issue is not with Dot. She I imagine, like all the other artist's that entered, entered firstly with the hope that what she was entering would get selected for the final show and then maybe get a prize of some sort. She did not select herself as the winner.

So what we have above here is a pic of my entry to this years PPC copetition. It is a camera. Well it is actually two. I have just got to decide which parts I am going to use

For a definition of kak please follow this link  http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=kak

July 2013

So Sasol - There was a time when it seemed that I was only ever going to be selected for Sasol New Signatures every three years. 2005 - 2008 - 2011 - as regular as you like.No need to be bothering with the in between years, well frankly because I had EF all chance . But then something really bizarre happened last year. Got both of my entries on. Yes it was 2011 so if you added 2 to 1 and then times that by 1 you could end up with three. I guess that's one reason for the anomaly, but now it has happened again. I have been selected for the final show. 2014 was supposed tobe my next successful year of entry but now we have three years on the bounce in which I have been selected. So yes we have a three again, plus its 2013.....that's another three. Then of course 2 and 1 make three as well. So I am just checking over the charts here and apparently Mercury is in retrograde which of course means plans can go awry. But then if you couple that with the characteristics of 3, (imaginative, creative, expressive) you of course get a load of twaddle. So anyway both works have been selected for the final show which is taking place end of August. 

Pic is of the piece I did for the 'Don't let that horse show'.

3rd: It actually happened last week at the opening of 'Don't let that horse' at Art Lovers. Sammy who runs the gallery asked, 'so are you going to be ready for next Saturday?'. 'you what?' I was completely clueless. Ready for what? I knew that I was supposed to be putting some work together work for a group show taking place in August, but next Saturday? What was I supposed to be doing? Well the curator who was/is down in Grahamstown had completely failed to tell men that the dates we had discussed had been completely changed. Marvelous, Fantastic, Awesome, yes that's just great. So with the submission date for this years Sasol New Signatures looming on the horizon like a freight train with no breaks laden with lead  heading down a 1 in 1 hill, I had to suddenly find the time and money to produce work for another show. Yes I managed to get something together but really, I wish people would stop thinking that because I am a carpenter I have the innate ability to perform miracles. Yes despite having no conjuring skills what so ever I do pull out the odd rabbit from a hat but there is only so much I can do.

So this Friday we find out if we have got in to Sasol and then Saturday is the opening of the show.

May 2013

24th So another month heads swiftly for the exit door. The show that we took down to Cape Town has found a new home for a couple of weeks, which is great as hopefully loads more bods will go and check it out. The space looks like it is a really fantastic space for showing. I haven't been there but the pics look fantastic.

The show at Intoto has come to an end. It got some great coverage in the press but not even a listing of my name as a participant. So yes, you have the whole build up of thinking cool lets read what they have to say. Then you read, and then read some more, reread, scan quickly, double check, and then oh....ok....nevermind, you finally console yourself with the thought that at least the show had some coverage, and that that means that people will have been exposed to your work because they may have gone to the show because of the article.Well yes yes yes positive thinkingand all that, yes yes yes I hear you, it has it's place and time, it will make you feel better, but in this case it did didly squat. Indifference is the hardest critique to receive. PS that's my quote so be sure to remember where you read it first. Thank you. 

April 2013

I had some images to show of some of my work up at this years KKNK but I really have no idea where I put them. There is a little voice telling me that I have in fact deleted them before downloading them.So what to show you? This lovely little pic of an aubergine wearing my glasses fits the bill perfectly.

Vague dates to put in your diary: Miniatures show at Art Lovers,some time in May. A show based on lions some time in June. Then there is some frame thing some time when I know not. There is also a group photography thing happening some time in August. A Chagall thing some time or another at the Trent Gallery. A solo thing not sure what I am going to be doing at Parts and Labor some time in November. There may be some other stuff too but I can't remember what or when, oh hang on, Back-light IV but I haven't been asked yet so I am just presuming that I am going to be in that one. That is in June. So there you are, Happy to say that everything is well organised and perfectly under control. 'Bravo' I hear you say....... Indeed, thank you.

This is Rosie. An extremely fat Pot Bellied Pig. What does she do? Sleep, rummage around for food, sleep. Every now and then she may complain that a step is too high but otherwise she seems to have a really chilled life. Nice.

So what's been happening the last few weeks? Well some of my stuff has been up at the KKNK in Oudtshoorn. The timing was perfect. We were on holiday in the area and so were able to pop in to have a look. So what is Oudtshoorn like? Hmmmm hot does not even come close to describe the furnace that we experienced for the couple of hours that we were there. It's dusty. There are some ostriches in and around the place, which is great if you like them but otherwise.......well, hmmmm.....yes.

I am sure that Oudtshoorn has a lot to offer but the terrifying music that was blasted out while we were there rendered us almost completely helpless. All our senses were stunned into shut down. It was as if we were fleeing the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse as we dashed down the street desperately looking for sanctuary. Our bodies were just moments away from been shaken to bits by a wall of unimaginable music inspired horror.  One thing is for sure, I am going to design myself a special protective suite so that if I find myself any where near Oudtshoorn and the KKNK, I will be able to protect myself from the aural nightmares that almost crushed me.

March 2013

This is one of the pieces that is being exhibited at Fried as part of their Autumn Show. Title You Say Potato - Part I.

Well got back from the trip down to Cape Town OK. I have been back now for over a week and I don't think that  I have recovered yet. Part of the problem is that there hasn't been a moment to just sit down and relax. So the trip to Cape Town? Well there was a stop over in Beafort West with no sleep, a pleasant drive, an irritating hanging system, strange beds, my first visit to a spur in I don't know how long, plenty of fish and chips, a quick glance up to the mountain, 2 minutes on the beach, a stop over in Richmond which was a pleasant surprise, roadworks and a forgotten jar of coffee. Would I do it again? Yes, as long as I could spend a bit more time on the beach.

Oh and the face is looking ok.

February 2013

Boerbol attack update: well the healing is going alright. The nerves on the lip still feel jangly and it is a bit difficult to form the mouth properly to form some words, but otherwise everything is good.

On the creative side I have been doing a little bit of experimenting. I  made myself one of these whcih I used to take the above picture. I need to play around a bit with the process but it looks like it might produce some really nice results.

Exhibition wise there are a few irons in the fire. Fried is going to take some of my work to this years KKNK, I am hoping to produce something for Gordon Frouds Tom Waits show which is also going to shown at this years KKNK. There is a photography show that looks like it is going to happen at Intoto come the end of April. This is going to be curated by Megan from Intoto and Michael Meyersfeld. Yes there is plenty to come but the bucks have to be earn't and time is as ever fast running out. Oh and there is athe little matter of a Group show of Gauteng artists whcih I am helping to run down to Cape Town Canonball Run style in a couple of weeks time. I am busy growing the tach in order to reprise the role of J J McClure.

January 2013

Awwwwww isn't he sweet. Hell no. I had one of these bastards mistake my face for it's dinner. So yes as a puppy it may be sweet but once it starts to reach maturity, then it is completely another matter. Was standing there with it's owner, idly passing the time and then chomp. The only thing that I can think of was that the dog was jealous of my curls. Happy New Year Indeed.