Happy New Year 2012 !!

Ish:ra:el:

  ישראל 

Israel. What can you say? History, religion, politics collide hard. Mountains of Jordan brooding, push menacingly in from behind. 

אביבתל

 Short but intense work trip to Tel Aviv. Smart, towering, seafront hotel. Purest, clear, bottled-water sea.

Only 98 years old, growing up fast -Tel Aviv seen from neighbouring Jaffa

 ירושלים

Jerusalem vibe - unsettled, paraplegic, trapped, claustraphobic. Male-dominated, yet not mysogynistic. 

Via Dolorosa, now with security

 יפו

Jaffa calmer but with underlying cautious contrasts. Spiked cactus, soft cat. 

 

 

 

המערבי  

Western Wall tight, hard, tired, soft, strong, safe, rhythmic, wailing.

smiley Prof Ron Milo, physicist and his amazing illustrator N.O.

dear Uri Moran, physicist, gentle guide and companion

 

"If I gave up my arms could you teach me...

....how to be happy? 

 Just give me your love no matter what!"

Upbeat Energy and Inspiration

The mother who received this bright, powerful piece looks at it every 
day. It is situated on the wall at the end of her bed and delights her with it's spontaneity, texture and sparkle and lifts her up with it's inherent message. 

“Amateurs look for  inspiration; the rest of  us just get up and go to  work.”  

 Chuck Close   >

“The advice I like to give young artists, or really anybody who'll listen to me, is not to wait around for inspiration. Inspiration is for amateurs; the rest of us just show up and get to work. If you wait around for the clouds to part and a bolt of lightning to strike you in the brain, you are not going to make an awful lot of work. All the best ideas come out of the process; they come out of the work itself. Things occur to you. If you're sitting around trying to dream up a great art idea, you can sit there a long time before anything happens. But if you just get to work, something will occur to you and something else will occur to you and something else that you reject will push you in another direction. Inspiration is absolutely unnecessary and somehow deceptive. You feel like you need this great idea before you can get down to work, and I find that's almost never the case.”   Chuck Close

http://www.chuckclose.com/

P.S: the first Atelier Monday meeting was great! Come on over and join in...

"COAST" reminder*

“Sea Change” (noun)

1:  a striking change, as in appearance, often for the better;   2:  any major transformation or alteration;  3:  a transformation brought about by the sea

 

 
So. Run out of time, as so much has been going on here. Bex and I are hanging the show in "The Stables" at the back of the Sheringham pub http://www.the-lobster.com  in 3 DAYS TIME!!!  

>

I should have finished tweaking/framing at least 10-15 amusing, intriguing collages, photos and assemblages for this small exhibition by now. Just seem to have had total creative paralysis. Autumn Drop Brain Stop. Unlike me to freeze up quite so completely. (I should be in the studio right now) Ah well.. I can usually pull something out of the bag, under ludicrously immense pressure... hee hee, what joy...

See you sometime between 22nd and 29th October?

http://www.casaf.co.uk/2011taster.htm

 

Atelier: "Make-It-Monday"

atelier:  noun: 1. workshop; shop; studio; shed

Further extreme, ongoing attempts to stay out of the studio. Frozen? However...

 ...a plethora of plentiful new ideas sparkling fast around creating a crazy, creative:-

  (Afternoon-Hands-On-Bigger Picture-Workshop-of-Limited-Size)

“Make-It-Monday!”

 

...more infomation soon...

Very Still Life

Finding it rather tricky to get back into life drawing just now.

(will still never use one of these though)

http://collectionaday2010.blogspot.com/

  http://lisacongdon.com/about.html

 

Stay hungry. Stay foolish.

dad - David Harry Pikarsky: rower. R.I.P.

Steve Jobs: calligrapher. R.I.P.

Steve Jobs, the Apple of many an eye, died today at the age of 56, the same age my father was when he died.

Both entrepreneurs, both highly creative engineers in their own way, both driven by an energy to see a product or a business system succeed at the highest level.
           

Both surprisingly good at a completely different skill not many know about.

Final catalogue - 1971

What a waste.

Watch:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hd_ptbiPoXM&feature=relmfu

"Stay Hungry"

taken from the  last

Whole Earth Catalog

"Stay Foolish"

‘I want to put a ding in the universe.’ ~ Steve Jobs

Lost marbles

I emailed many friends, colleagues, etc recently about being out of action for a few weeks. Our doors are always open, as you who know us well will be very familiar with, but now, sadly, they will have to be firmly shut. 

Me marbles are rolling all over the place and I was trying to convince myself, not anyone else, that I have to now really get on with it, - so apologies if it sounded a little brusque..

The high-octane deadlines are all speeding towards me fast now, so I can’t prevaricate, procrastinate or dither any longer!

The "Coast" exhibition in October and a possible flirt with NaNoWriMo again in November, various trips away, a sale of delights in December to prepare for, workshops to attend and proposals to write for further potential work.

I’ll have caffeine, Radio4, and an old Calor gas heater to keep me alive. Wish me luck...And when it’s all over, please come over for a cup of tea, a bit of cake and a cavort.

Thank you kindly, in anticipation, for your patience and consideration.

With love, Mad

an Arm and a Leg

  

Here you go. A few more very quick ones from John Bardell's great life drawing class. 

Two hours every week of deep concentration, deep observation, and no cheating.... Back again for the autumn term next tuesday the 13th.

 

Highly recommend you come and join us (not scary): 

Cringleford Pavilion: Tuesdays; 10.00 a.m.

And check out 

The Big Draw 2011 

on: 

http://www.campaignfordrawing.org

Sweet Thing

...and now for something completely different...
Pop the kettle on and have a five minute sit-down with a cuppa and watch this sweet thing.

Behind The Light
by Liberty Smith
Documentary 
Running time: 6 mins 21 secs
Year: 2011
From Shooting People's 'Film of the Month'

https://shootingpeople.org/watch/96853/Behind-The-Light

Australian musician, songwriter, author, screenwriter, and occasional film actor, Nick Cave, comments: "Behind the Light, about the lighthouse keepers, sad and elegaic, spoke strongly of those who fall through the fault-lines of progress. I was very moved by this film and think it deserves to win Film of the Month" 

quick look at Sevilla

Chalk bar tab at Los Principes


< Traditional display of Seville oranges


Breakfast meeting

Our 17thC, 1* hotel. Reception  >

...more doors...

Gold, silver, wood, plaster, flowers, candles - the tronos - and the sinners preparing to carry them for hours through the streets, on the thursday of Corpus Cristi.

Their necks will be bleeding after a few hours.

Staggering under the weight.

Pine and rosemary cover the streets.


 

<  Museo de Bellas Artes gardens

Most of these photographs were grabbed unplanned - fresh, quick, simple observations. 

Taken free and fast, with 100% absolutely no tweaking in Photoshop whatsoever. No time for that right now. Or indeed any inclination. As usual.

Bars frenetic, businessmen late, doors open into cool courtyards, gardens water-tiled. Music. Catholic colours and candles. Calm layered with Energy. Night heat in the streets. Beautiful.

Turnip Prize 2011 at Take5

Extraordinarily surprised: a truly delightful shock. Utterly unintentionally, my rather frivolous miniature - with apologies to Archimboldo and Chanel - has won the much coveted Take5 gallery/restaurant's 2011 Turnip Prize! (which was very humbly and graciously received.) 

This year's theme was "Spirit of the Turnip" and the competition attracted the work of several serious artisans on the Norwich scene, including the likes of the highly skilled Dave Chedgey and Dr. Robert "collage-is-crap-anyone-can-do-it" Short.

^  Robert Short:

 "...renowned Author on Surrealism, Poet, Playwrite and Connoisseur" (and Hon. President "COAST" Festival 2011)

The Press Release:-

For Immediate Release
Turnip Prize

A “homage” to the Turner Prize – the Turnip Prize – has been held here in Norwich for the second year running.

Highly amusing. Many well-recognised local artists participate, including such creatives as Robert Short and David Chedgey, amongst others.

Following the stunning success of Norfolk's first Turnip Prize competition in 2010, Take 5 Gallery and Cafe restaurant have just held the Turnip Prize Awards this month. Local artists were invited to partake again, with all submissions presented anonymously, - all entrants’ true identity kept completely hidden.

Maddy Pikarsky was this year's winner of the much coveted Cressida Lindsay 2011 Memorial Prize trophy and prize money, with her witty, tongue-in-cheek pastiche, - a collage with apologies to Archimboldo and the perfumiers Chanel.

The exhibition runs until 24th June, in the upstairs gallery at Take5 in Tombland, Norwich.
Photos can be available if required. For more information contact Maddy Pikarsky on 01508 493270. 

The Bear and I are off to Sevilla, Cordoba and Jerez for a few (phew) days.

The Bigger Picture

Back in May 2004 "The Bigger Picture" was formed by  Nigel Orme and Maddy Pikarsky. 

An informal group of like-minded artists wanted to develop both the practical and the intellectual side of the creative process in a positive, constructive environment. 

The aim was to find an approach to the challenges faced by non-professional visual artists, to provide an opportunity to share and talk through ideas. We would bring in pieces of work to discuss. We empathised, interacted, and supported each other, and finally put it all together into a wider context - to  see ourselves within a Bigger Picture.

We had become increasingly aware that we were all working in a very challenging and solitary environment.

The group met over six years, every month. The results were tremendous - confidence, enthusiasm and inspiration grew, practical outcomes were achieved, satisfaction in further creative successes re-assured. 

It became my precious baby.

Meetings may yet be resumed, by popular demand.

Long time; no sea

Sorry to have been away for so long. Looking forward to:

Cromer & Sheringham Arts Festival:

 COAST2011

my next exhibition "Sea Change" will be held at

 The Stables, The Lobster,  Sheringham, North Norfolk on

22nd - 29th October 2011

I'll be sharing the space with sparkling sculptor Bex Cross. 

The blurb reads: -

"Maddy Pikarsky currently works as a successful artist, designer and photographer, using skills developed from a strong foundation of drawing and design. The unique compositions incorporate various found objects - ephemera collected over many years. Richly textured collages and mixed media pieces demonstrate an eclectic combination of techniques. Some quirky and spontaneous. Some soft, harmonious and serene."

 www.casaf.co.uk

Please do come and have a look. 
Back soon with more exciting news to regale you with.                                         

Springsperation

Spring has almost sprung. There's a sparkly snowdroplet of energy twinkling up from below the dark woolly-winter blanket of hibernation we've all been snuggling under.

Venture out into the low, lemon light at about 4 o'clock and just listen to the magical.... 

...twittering * singing * chirruping * peeping... 

 

  

Then Pause and Wonder gently.  

Marvel. Learn. Imagine.

Take your time to breathe it all in sweetly and slowly. No mobile. No TV. No iPod. No laptop.

And just plan one or two Delightful tasks - just for YOU. For this weekend.


inspiration is on it's way, never fear