Plymouth University Artist residency
It's early days for my residency at Plymouth University. The students are still only just getting to realise that I am there and why the course even has an artist in residence. I moved into my large blank-walled studio space a couple of weeks ago and starting breaking up the visual silence with some quick, large-scale charcoal+chalk drawings. This was a great way to let the students come and find me at their own pace and start talking art. From the few I have met so far, they are a good bunch... this is going to be an exciting year!
MB Solar Systems website goes live
You may have noticed recently that our Government have suddenly decided to alter their policy on feed-in tariffs. This has been a massive blow of uncertainty to the solar energy industry. One of my clients, MB Solar Systems in Bridgwater, Somerset for whom I am doing branding and website design work are obviously affected by this. But like any good company they are seeing what some may call a crisis as an opportunity to diversify. I was half way through designing their new site when these changes hit, causing them to need a review of their services. They are making changes that would mean the website we planned a few weeks ago would now be out-dated at publication. Not good.
So what's required? Well... I wait. The Government deciding to bring the feed-in tariff deadline forward by 4 months has caused a sudden rush of demand meaning they have little time to discuss marketing with me. The extra stipulations on qualifying for a feed-in tariff means MB will most likely need to introduce new services to their portfolio which will mean a new structure to their website (and marketing model as a whole) to deliver a load of new information to customers. In the meantime I have published a stripped-down version of our planned website that delivers just the basics in a clean format. See http://www.mbsolarsystems.co.uk/. Come the new year we can adjust our plans and commence development.
I am proud to be able to offer this level of flexibility to a client and I am also very pleased to have another eco company on my books.
Absolute bliss. An empty schedule and a bottle of solvents.
* WARNING: SELF INDULGENT AND SENTIMENTAL BLOG POST *
The most meditative thing I know how to do is spend an afternoon tidying my studio and cleaning my tools. This rare biannual occurrence feels like a free shopping spree as I refamiliarise myself with things I forgot I had. I found spray caps, pieces of wood and drawing materials that I had no idea I owned! I sorted waste into the recycling and put receipts in date order. It is a time of reflection as I wipe away smears of grease and pigment, left on rubberised handles by art projects. In my mind I am revisiting moments from recent events, triggering memories and galvanising my understanding of technique. Simultaneously committing to memory the results of past experiments and preparing my tools for future projects.
Now that I am one of four artists in residence down at Plymouth University my studio practice is split into two spaces with an 80 mile gap in between. I get incredibly frustrated if I can't lay my hand on a tool when I need it so risking travelling down to South Devon for a few days and leaving my trusty staple gun in Taunton is not an option. I'm going to be writing check lists that would make a military officer feel ill-prepared.
The most satisfying moment of today was when I was sorting through a box of charcoal sticks and chalk that had got mixed up. In the mix were a few rubbers, completely blackened. So I took a piece of plywood and rubbed them clean. I thoroughly rcommend it.