First Wednesday in the Studio

Today has been my first Wednesday in my Studio after starting my new hours. I am hopefully going to have every other Wednesday off work to do with as I please. This is what I have been up to today:

  • Writing
  • Researching mechanisms that turn
  • Playing with cardboard boxes and tubes
  • Drinking huge amounts of tea
  • Reading about book making
  • Eating a halloumi and vegetable baguette from Greek restaurant Yiannis
  • Making a sketch book
  • Remembering ideas that I had forgotten about

Lettuce (one of my cats) is not happy at the idea of me cutting up her boxes so is having a sit in protest. The cardboard tube and two half boxes is the start of me making a turning mechanism. It is a lot more tricky than I thought but I am enjoying the challenge.

I am extremely pleased to work in a job that has this kind of flexibility and I’m glad I have finally found a way of using it to my benefit!

Cardboard mechanics

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I have just found a super great video of  Cardboard Mechanics which is made by 4 students of the Utrecht School of Art and Technology, Saskia Freeke, Fin Kingma, Davy Jacobs and Sonja van Vuure

Print screen from video ‘Cardboard mechanics Installation.’

I would like to create a mechanism that makes my time pieces for me for two reasons. 1. To regulate the wrapping time, because a regular rhythm from human hands can differ depending on lots of factors. 2. I have developed Carpal Tunnel Syndrome which means that repetitive actions using my wrist are currently far from ideal.

Last weekend I made my living room into a cardboard cat city as we had six cats in the house. Too much fun was had! It reminded me how much I like making things out of cardboard. I think using cardboard boxes, tubes, string and maybe some metal as a pivot could work. I am going to start with drawing such an invention right now!

Birmingham walks

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I have had a lot to think about recently and decided to go to Birmingham to get away. I always enjoy seeing my parents and there is almost always a walk involved.

Stevie and I parked just outside of town as you get free parking and a nice stroll along the canal. We were en route to the Ikon gallery to see Donald Judd exhibition which we thoroughly enjoyed.

In the afternoon we made fruit compote from apples and pears in the garden. Ridiculously wholesome. I wasn’t the most help as was a serial yawner.

I can now do this from my fancy phone!

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First photo of a sofa taken on camera on phone. Heavy contrast so don’t know if you can make it out. Glorious autumnal sunshine though! I love autumn once you get past sad inducing September.

I am looking forward to writing from wherever I am.

I heart collage

I have recently been covering photo albums in collage for an extremely wonderful friend of mines birthday, Gemma. Ali and I decided to create two photo albums and I was in charge of the covers. I absolutely loved it! I became slightly obsessed with cutting pictures out of magazines. I ran out pretty quickly but fortunately Caroline popped in for a pot of tea and bought me round a huge pile of new magazines. They were the best types too, household delights!

They are purely decorative and have no deep meaning other than I like the pictures. That made it so much fun to put together and I’m really happy with the result and I think Gem was too!