more swindon culture
Tuesday, March 30, 2004
Had a chat last night with someone about culture, and how it’s neglected in curriculums, and how to bring it to the attention of your ordinary person wandering down the road.
I have an exhibition coming up in West Swindon Library ( hang on, it’ll begin to make sense in a moment ).I’ll have to write a bit of blurb about me to stick up on the wall, and following on from this conversation, which was a general ‘how to make stuff accesible’ and to show that artists are not all ( as this person thought I would be ) pseudo-intellectual wankers I was debating how to make it sound as if I at least vaguely knew what I was talking about and how to write it so I didn’t sound like a pseudo-intellectual wanker.Tough thing to do.Still haven’t finished it.
Which brought me in a roundabout way to my website, because the photo’s on it are absolutely appalling ( all taken by me 
) and so I thought, right, get them done properly.Which involves spending money etc.
Which brought me round to thinking about how people see things, and marketing and selling.
I want to paint what I paint, and I also want someone to like it enough to buy it ( not even going to attempt to generalise and say ‘people’)
To do that, I spend money on supplies, I will be paying someone to photograph my stuff properly, I will be paying out money in all sorts of ways.
The person I was talkin to plays in a band.They bought their own equipment, they spend their money to get to gigs etc etc.So art and music go together in that.Writing too probably.
Even when I’m skint, I can always find a way to buy supplies I need to paint.
So this is not a complaint, this is something that I want to do, to bring it out to show people, I need to spend money or barter for services, and I’m willing, able and happy to do that, because I think I’ve got something that people might be interested in, or might like, or it might make them smile a little bit.
If no-one bought a painting off me, ever, I would continue to do the above, because I want to, and because I can’t not.
Misguided or not?
swindon culture
Friday, March 26, 2004
Finished number one of the Magpie lot, will be probably be starting number five next
went to a talk last night at the Museum in Old Town, Swindon by Richard Morphet,the guy who used to curate for the Tate, and has curated for Swindon Museum for 38 years.
I was quite shocked to learn that Swindon Borough Council allocate a fucking measly �3000 a year for new aquisitions.
This is the same council that has been promising a new library for years, the current one being housed in portakabins and has been since the 1960’s.
Seems like Swindon Council doesn’t really give a shit about anything but giving planning permission to new pubs and whacking up shoddy housing on estates without any amenities and then fucking complaining about the crime statistics.
rant over….
local colour
Thursday, March 18, 2004
Someone has very kindly mentioned me in their weblog, it’s much appreciated, so thank you very much Carolyn Zick ( bloody good name for a site too).Not to mention the fact that her site is well written, informative and I really like her palette
Been messing about yesterday and today, doing basically what are painted versions of the text stuff in my sketchbooks( or basically, wanking on canvas as I call it ).I can while away hours in the pub with coffee and whisky, a newspaper, scissors and some pritt stick.People have even become to see it as quite normal now, so I don’t get that many funny looks anymore, nor that many people asking if I’m composing ransom notes
always pick landscape
Been very busy lately.I found Number 1 the other day, lovely bloke, and no qualms about me taking photo’s either ( made a refreshing change, although I can’t blame people for being camera shy since I will always run a mile before I let people take photo’s of me, a definite case of…Pot:”Kettle, you’re black”)
Went to see Da Skywalkers recently, a Swedish punk band, they were, or I thought they were, fucking fantastic.Turn out wasn’t great, but they played like there were hundreds, all credit to them.
Going to have to redesign this site before long too, it’s getting a bit messy and hard to navigate, with links all over the place etc.
Playing with my new sketchbook too, will have to stick up some selected stuff at some point.I love the hardback ones, with creamy thick paper, can’t stand the flimsy white stuff, it’s like drawing on tissue paper, blech.
