First and foremost, Thanksgiving is a mere 2 days away. !!! I felt that it needed to be said. And while no one I've met here seems to share my enthusiasm, there will be a Thanksgiving feast in the old ArtFunkl abode, Thursday November 28th. The guests have been invited, the menu has been decided, there will even be candles. Excitement is not a strong enough word to express how I feel.
This week Gloria and I decided to tackle the Manchester Gallery scene. After a lot of backtracking, stranger asking, moderate swearing, and crappy map consultations we managed to find a few of the locations on our list. The Center for Chinese Contemporary Art had a really cool exhibition on by artist Cao Fei. It was a zombie film called "Haze and Fog". It was funny, disturbing, and stunning. Here is a LINK to CFCCA. We also got to see an exhibition called "The Vanity of Small Differences" by artist Grayson Perry. Here's a LINK to that. A group of six vibrant tapestries hung on the wall. Each one was filled with sarcasm, humor, and hostility. They were huge and expertly crafted. They made me LOL and I loved it. One small side note to our gallery and museum adventures in Manchester is that they were all free to the public. Yup, FREE. It blows my mind.
I took a few photos from this adventure. That gorgeous building is Town Hall.:
I also got to venture into an old cotton mill called Quarry Bank Mill outside of Manchester. It was SO COOL. Not only do they have all the old cotton cloth making machines, they also have live demonstrations. That part was mega interesting, while being a little disconcerting at the same time. At one point one of the demonstrators kept switching from speaking as herself (a middle aged, collar-t-shirt-clad demonstrator for the machines) to some fictional mill worker from the early 1800's. You could only tell by the slight lowering of her voice and subtle lack of expression in her face when her role-playing began and ended. It was oddly terrifying. I also got to witness a woman spinning thread on an old spinning wheel. Afterwards I felt like I knew exactly what I wanted to do with my life: Pick up another antiquated hobby. Let me know if you hear of any cheap spinnin' wheels about…
They started a new tv series on the BBC about this mill, surprisingly called "The Mill". I wasn't feeling good later that day, so I ended up watching 4 hours of it. From what I picked up from the show and my time at the mill, life was grim. Now I feel a real respect for that kooky demonstrator. She is bringing history to life. I just didn't understand.
And to finish off this post: SOUP
This week Gloria and I decided to tackle the Manchester Gallery scene. After a lot of backtracking, stranger asking, moderate swearing, and crappy map consultations we managed to find a few of the locations on our list. The Center for Chinese Contemporary Art had a really cool exhibition on by artist Cao Fei. It was a zombie film called "Haze and Fog". It was funny, disturbing, and stunning. Here is a LINK to CFCCA. We also got to see an exhibition called "The Vanity of Small Differences" by artist Grayson Perry. Here's a LINK to that. A group of six vibrant tapestries hung on the wall. Each one was filled with sarcasm, humor, and hostility. They were huge and expertly crafted. They made me LOL and I loved it. One small side note to our gallery and museum adventures in Manchester is that they were all free to the public. Yup, FREE. It blows my mind.
I took a few photos from this adventure. That gorgeous building is Town Hall.:
Gloria! The artist at the residency with me.
This is an image from the antique and craft section of the Manchester Art Gallery. It made me "heh heh heh". Maybe you'll get a kick out of it too. By the way, this is the only part of the museum (apart from the gift shop) that you could touch. Heh heh heh.
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They started a new tv series on the BBC about this mill, surprisingly called "The Mill". I wasn't feeling good later that day, so I ended up watching 4 hours of it. From what I picked up from the show and my time at the mill, life was grim. Now I feel a real respect for that kooky demonstrator. She is bringing history to life. I just didn't understand.
Quarry Bank Mill
The Big Ole Water Mill under the Cotton Factory.
A Magical Cow living near the Quarry Bank Mill.
And now the reason I am really in Manchester: to work on my art. Here are a few photos of what I've been messing around with this week. I'll put little descriptions underneath each photo to give a little background if needed. Otherwise, you're on your own. As always, feedback is much appreciated. Thanks to everyone who has let me know what they think so far, it really helps.
9x12''
Maunsell Sea Fort Study No. 1
I am in love with them. This study is in pencil and ink.
Unfinished: Messing around with the Conwy Castle and SHEEP from last week's Welsh castle adventure. It has an awkward feel to it right now. Can't tell if I like that or not.
Below are a few color studies that I've been working on with a fall theme.
9x12''
Fall Study No. 1
9x12''
Fall Study No. 3
9x12''
Fall Study No. 2
(aka subconscious Thanksgiving study)
10x10''
Alexandra Park - Autumn 2013
Below are the two photos of Alexandra Park which the above drawing is based on. This park is right next to where I am living and I like to run in it every so often. The photos are taken only one week apart in the same area.
Lesson of the Day: Leaves fall fast in this part of the world.
And to finish off this post: SOUP
I hope your fall is warm and welcoming. Wishing you a very, very Happy Thanksgiving this week. Let's make it one for the memory books, eh?
Heh heh heh.
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