Rough with the Smooth...........

Test driving the new boots!...

My first chance to get out with camera  in a while...so I seized the moment this weekend and tried some mono long exposure shots of the rough seas around Scarborough....

Sea defences at the Marine Drive, Scarborough with rough seas advancing...charge!

                                               

White wash.

                                               

Sea covering the steps ....and it's not even high tide yet!

Up, up, up and over!        

Setting off for an early start, leaving everybody else in bed...ok so its the weekend and most sensible people are in bed at 5.00am! ... I wondered down to the  Marine Drive. Janilaine had bought me some new walking boots so feeling confident I decided to put them to the test...I started  clambering over the rocks to get  a good position perching on the rocks to see the local sea defences.

I set  my tripod and camera up battling with the wind to try and capture the power, size and speed of the waves coming towards me. 

Feeling quite nervous but knowing Janilaine has my life insurance at maximum payout!...and praying to multiple Gods at the same time I put the camera to work.  I stayed on the rocky bed for as long as possible but the tide was coming in very quickly so it wasn't long before I had to make a sharp exit  left...especially when a pounding wave crashed a little too close for comfort! Setting off to a safer area, with smell of bacon sandwiches and coffee in the air from the local cafe, I moved to the steps leading down to the beach. The steps have very smooth concrete from years of crashing waves, which had a good covering of green algae which is notorious for being slippery..... however thanks to my new trusty boots not for me!... The tide had come in quite away in a very short time but it was still rough so with the water crashing up and over the steps I started to get covered in sea spray....time for just a few more  photos before being finally enticed by the aroma of bacon butties and coffee!!
.........cheers kev.

creative rubbish!....

ok....

...first day of the kids holidays and I really need to get on top of all the stuff I seem to gather/collect/hoard! so I was looking around and.....

...we have loads of shadow boxes...and the likes around our home but as you can see the shelves are starting to buckle! these are just some of the fossils, pebbles, shells and skulls we have....I must admit I am a massive fan of Joseph Cornell and Barton Lidice Benes, I really love their organised collections, their clever interpretation of the mundane,  or a new word i learnt today...quotidian - ordinary or everyday, esp. when mundane.

 Cornell's "Sandboxes" are just amazing...

Robert Heinecken, V.N. Pin Up (#1 of 2), 1968. Collection Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, gift of Daryl Gerber Stokols. © 1968 Robert Heinecken. Photo: Nathan Keay, © MCA Chicago.

I really enjoy incorporating maps into my work at the moment, junk shops, flea markets  and car boots are proving their worth in interesting memorabilia at the moment....I've re-looked at Benes...

Barton Lidice Benes - Curiosa 2002

This is a  great piece of work ...his aunty used to write to him and he decided to use excerpts from her letters within his art...really clever interpretation and use of the everyday!

...and  think I might try and make a few more box's like the one I recently sold...

 anyway....after trying to get into the loft to look for bits to make some boxes I found loads of plasterboard, laminate flooring, paint and an old installation piece I had taken to pieces....so as I said first day of the hols and lets get busy...and make a very large box of sorts...

...just some of the junk!

...we decided to make our dog Keah a Kennel...

..the weathers so hit and miss so she can stay outside and not get soaked...and we needn't worry if we go out for the day and leave her outside....and the house may stay cleaner too...bonus!

....we measured her bed and worked around that...the only thing we did buy was some clear plastic roofing £7.45...it took a whole day to build and paint the kids and I had a good laugh, even Kevin ended up helping in the end!  we ended up finishing it off in the conservatory as guess what....it started to rain!...after insulating and painting the plaster board my daughter printed dog bones in silver for mock wallpaper, we pasted mock picture frames with their photos in them along with a home sweet home print and we just had to put  a picture of 3 ducks near her bed!  the outside was then painted purple, we even insulated the floor before putting the laminate floor down!!!

...preparing to print the wallpaper...

...and there we have it pooch pad...fit for?!....anything if it rains!!!

...ok maybe not quite what I had planned to do originally but the  good thing is I have a bit more room to store my finds!

enjoy! 

techno....I am not!...but Bronte grave still looks great!

There are somethings better left to the professionals....

...I have managed to do so much with my web and blog pages on my own but  I really seem to get stuck when it comes to RSS feeds and attaching widget thingys to Http and the likes!!! I think I am going to call in the pro's!....

....however I did sign up for "TweetDeck" today to try and make things  - as in my social networking -  more manageable....I now have to sit and figure out.....                                                                                               a. if I am doing it right      b. does it work       c. do I like it?      d. ................!

....that means more time sat in front of the computer and not in my art studio....not good really!

But on the plus side I did venture out today...and got totally drenched!!! what is going on with the weather at the moment? so while faffing with the computer I thought I'd upload the photos I took on Thursday ...the last day I managed to get out for a walk and did a spot of  sight seeing.....

loving the colours, texture and shapes ....but not the smell or the flies!

...how big was this dog...the paw prints were massive!

...along marine drive and then up over the castle and just to show you i even took a picture of  Anne   Bronte's grave...just so I could get my breath back after the long climb up hill past the castle.....

The first three novels  by the three Bronte sister's were Charlotte's 'The Professor', Emily's 'Wuthering Heights' and Anne's 'Agnes Grey'. Charlotte also then went on to write  'Jane Eyre' ....Annes next book The Tenant of Wildfell Hall was released as three volumes in 1848. It followed a character named Helen, and her struggle to gain freedom from her alcoholic husband, Huntingdon. Her brother, Branwell, and his disintegration into alcoholism provided the basis of the character. 
Although  her style if writing was more conservative writer than her sisters, her work attracted controversy. Alcoholism was apparently not an appropriate issue for women to deal with or write about!  also Helen - the main character's -  struggle for freedom, although reflecting Anne’s own feelings towards Haworth, may have given other women ideas  that men would definitely not want to encourage!

You can find this grave at the northern end of St Mary's churchyard, Scarborough beneath the wall. 
                           
                                                                ....Well worth a visit...

busy...busy...!

....ok the walking lasted until the heavens opened!...when it stops I will go out....I thought that 3 days ago and it hasn't really stopped yet!....so I've eaten some chocolate to commiserate the fact!

It's been a fairly busy weekend really..."Seafest" a local maritime festival held in Scarborough, North Yorkshire was the venue for me exhibiting my work for the first time...I wasn't really sure if I was going about it all the right way but seemed to go ok, I only ended up showing my art on Sunday (thats another story!) so Saturday we were free to go out and about...

...So we - thats my family...went over to The Joe Cornish Gallery in Northallerton to see Kevin's (my husband!) photo that was being shown there. I was so, so proud of him...his first open competition and his work was chosen out of over 200 entries to be shown with 70 others! It was absolutely heaving and way too crowded to be able to look at the work and appreciate it! Joe Cornish was there as well as Steve Gosling - I really do like his work in mono - but sadly I didn't see Peter Hicks.  Heres there web addresses if you want to look at their work...
www.joecornishgallery.co.uk
www.stevegoslingphotography.co.uk
www.docbrown.info
...The photo was displayed above a door so I couldn't really get a good picture of Kevin next to it....I am sure he wont be too pleased I have put the photo on my blog...but I think he's just fab and what a result, hopefully its the first of many...

Kevin under his winning photo!

  ...So on Sunday after I'd set everything up in the music marquee at Seafest... I wandered around the other Marquees....they were absolutely buzzing...heaving with craft and art stalls...opus! my  lonely display was err....definitely not attracting much attention...the fact that people had to pay to get in was a major turn off!! however, the singing was actually very good, infact some of it was really beautiful...and I'am not a massive follower of folk and sea shanties...and eventually people did wander over....the music organiser had used some of my artwork for the t-shirt designs so I was given a t-shirt to wear too!....

first attempt at exhibiting my work...never thought about the floor!!!

my cantilever parasol stand is just fab for hanging my installations!

 ...anyway...glad to say I sold two pieces of work and some cards, and no haggling either...so quite pleased. ...
...things to remember: receipt book, bubble wrap and wrapping paper and tape! don't drink too much as you have to pay to use the loos - spending my profit not a penny!...

....as I would never have thought of showing my work until after my degree I was very apprehensive, but the feedback I got from my visitors was both positive and lovely so I might look elsewhere!....

....a few photos of the singers and characters from Sunday afternoon...I loved the fact that they sang the sea shanty song I have used within my "Sea garlands" installation, that was a goosebump moment!.... enjoy...

Carmen Mills - who just finished her Fine Art Degree this year won the songwriting competition - very talented lady!

...keep blogging!

.....bright colours for a bright morning!'

...out and about early this morning....

I think the walking is actually doing some good too! so walking along the Northside about 8.30am and the suns trying to come out, its nice and quiet the beach is almost deserted.....well almost...I had that "Marley & Me" moment when I saw a dog running loose on the beach preparing to relieve itself....nnnnnooooooooooo!!!! there's a beach ban on dogs from May to October  on this part of the beach - not even on a lead! - and there's this giant of a St Bernard lolloping along the beach thoroughly enjoying itself! ....My dog would be gutted to know other dogs are still running free and enjoying themselves!!!**

....so the chalets were looking good this morning, what do you think?...

....the only problem is that although they are cheerful a bit further down on my walk I came across the old mechanism for the cable car system....they've been there for years but the cable chairs went decades ago, however... the steel structure that would have held the cable for some strange reason still remains....and the rust on the main cog was fantastic!...

...this is the huge wheel that used to be at the end of the cable ride...

...the old once bright and smooth red paint now gnarled, peeled and faded against the flaky, mottled rust is just wonderful...the textures, shapes, layers and colours  together are really quite vibrant in parts  considering there age! 

...this one is my favourite...I really love the deep rust colours against the  faded paint...the holes give it another dimension, might have a go at re-creating this on. 

...I forgot to say I've finished another 2 of my rust pictures...will put the finished results on the blog after the weekend.. bye

Kevin's Successful first photographic competition...

Joe Cornish Gallery “Photography Summer Open Exhibition” successful photo...

                                                                 "Erratic Formation."

...What a result!...

After entering my first ever photographic competition....The Joe Cornish "Summer Open Print" competition...I was so surprised that I had been chosen to be able to exhibit my work amongst the other winners, no  "gob smacked" would be a better description... what a fantastic feeling it is to be recognised. My photo can be seen at the ..........Joe Cornish Gallery, Northallerton  from the 16th July to the 2nd August 2011.

The picture in question is called.... "Erratic Formation"...taken at Saltwick Bay, Nr Whitby. Its a mono photograph of the strange rocks and winkles, with a wreck just appearing from the sea with Whitby piers in the distance.... Strange thing is that Janilaine will be her exhibiting her work at "Seafest" on the weekend of  16th & 17th July 2011......how amazing is that?!

Marine Drive morning walk...

Monday morning and the weathers glorious....typical everyones back at work after a weekend of torrential rain and the sun decides to come out!!!...

....as the doctor ordered I am out trying to de-stress, exercise, motivate myself and be positive...thats all fine and good if the weathers nice!!! so I have set myself this goal of walking 3 miles everyday this week along Marine Drive -  I think its about 1.5 miles long so there and back = 3 miles!....

....day 1 - (in a Northern Geordie accent!)...

North Bay view from Marine Drive, Scarborough

South Bay view from Marine Drive, Scarborough

...I decided not to take the dog then promptly felt guilty when I saw loads of people walking their dogs...bad start!...took some photos...mainly of patterns but also of where I was walking around ...just to put you in the picture, so to speak!...

...I had to add this photo as it made me laugh out loud...not sure if this is the bast place to park your bike!?....

...anyway...

...enjoy your day and  I'll post again on the findings from tomorrows walk...

It's official...Janilaine Mainprize website is now open for business!

...well....after weeks, and what feels like months of tweaking, adding, deleting and generally going stir crazy....we posted my official webpage for all to see!...

www.janilainemainprize.co.uk      or     www.janilainemainprize.com

....as we have never done anything like this before....its definitely been a learning curve to say the least!
I am sure over the next few months things may change....but the initial intention is there.
I feel that although the website is now up and running your comments and feedback would be very much appreciated....it's a 'tad lonely working in cyberspace so I need to keep in touch with reality!

Thanks to all of you who keep a check on my blog...glad you are finding it interesting, keep visiting...

...Many thanks, especially to Kevin (my fab Hubby) and our kids for all their support over the last few weeks....I promise to try and not be soooo grumpy and not to spend hours talking to the computer....well not for a few weeks anyway!

enjoy x

....Framed!

...I have finished one of my set of 4 Red Rust pictures to sell....it's a collage of oil on canvas and I'm quite pleased with it really. The cream frame I chose has red highlights, I wanted the image to stand out and works quite well with a light surround...

...close up of collage...

"Red Rust"

 oil on canvas collage,

(20cm x 25cm cream wooden frame)

I've got this week to try and finish another 2 ....that’s the goal I've set myself along with to walk 3 miles a day....if your familiar with Scarborough, North Yorkshire I'm walking around Marine Drive and back again....however I must admit I'm a bit of a fair weather walker and this weekend the weather has been amazing....if you like torrential rain and dramatic thunder and lightening!

...thanks for reading...I'll keep posting my progress over the week...

3rd year looms!...

.....thats it! I 've got to start and collect research and info for next years dissertation.....I wanted to read about Annette Messager and Louise Bourgeois so a trip to the university's LRC was in order...they only had two books about them and I've read most of them too! I even wandered around second hand book shops and the main local Library...alas...no books to be found and so sadly the bank has taken a hammering and I have ordered two new books...Annette Messager "Messengers" and "Louise Bourgeois - The fabric works"...I see them as investments - I love new books too! 


My main thread for the dissertation is the use of textiles within contemporary art with the added thought of how memories and history are often associated with the fabrics used. 


I remember a lecture we had on "Outsider art" and how I felt uncomfortable critiquing their work...as it was not meant solely as art but as a way of expressing their feelings, a visual personal diary, medicinal..... I have recently taken another look at their work but in a new light and realised it should be looked at on a more positive level and that they were able to express themselves in a way that is now classed as art is quite amazing.


what first blew me away was... 


...Agnes Richter, a patient in a mental asylum in austria in the 1890's, spent her days embroidering text on to the jacket of her hospital uniform in attempts to record her life story. agnes, who had been a seamstress before her incarceration, painstakingly embroidered onto every part of the surface, both inside and out, sometimes so intensively that the text was illegible....

                                                      Hand embroidered life....
...the painstakingly detailed way she transformed something institutional into such an expression of herself is fascinating and inspiring. How something as mundane as a hospital gown can be turned into such a beautiful piece of work through such horrific circumstances leaves me totally in awe.

I can see how Messager and Bourgeois are both influence by this.... 

...loads more to follow

...a summer of research to be shared with you all!

Art@41: The QR-3D Project...

Art@41: The QR-3D Project...: "...there are a few ways of trying to get your business, website etc recognised so...as I am trying to set up my own business, ok...test the..."

The QR-3D Project...

...there are a few ways of trying to get your  business, website etc recognised so...as I am trying to set up my own business, ok...test the waters as an Artist!..I stumbled across this competition to use textiles - one of my passions - and thought I'd share it with you all...

The QR-3D Project
“Make, share and exhibit textile QR codes”
www.qr-3d.weebly.com

QR-3D  is an invitation to anyone, anywhere in the world to make, share and have the chance to exhibit a textile QR code.

QR codes are traditionally a two-dimensional device used by barcode readers and camera phones consisting of smaller black squares on a larger square white background. The information contained within usually direct code readers to a website, but can also be used to hide text messages or other information.

After seeing a QR code for the first time, curator Sally Fort was instantly struck by how similar it looked to a knitting pattern graph or a patchwork quilt. This inspired the project inviting makers across the world to combine QR codes and textiles.

The project is open to everyone, people who make for fun or professionally. To get involved visit
www.qr-3d.weebly.com  Simply choose your website, turn it into a QR code (instructions are provided on the website) and recreate it with textiles. Then add it to the online gallery by July 31^st. Full details of how to do this are on the website. A guest panel of craft and digital professionals will choose pieces from the online gallery to go into the exhibition held at Cornerhouse, Manchester, UK, in autumn 2011.

...I have created my QR code of my "to be" website and I'am off to create!....enjoy