After scaling up to celebrate the We Are All Artists second anniversary a couple of weeks ago, I’ve been thinking of ways to scale back down again. Carole and I took a walk along a few miles of the River Wandle earlier this week, and the river has been on my mind since.
Last night I picked up a small hardwood tile and began to draw and paint.
Several hours, and many coats of paint and varnish later.
I’ll be hiding this very soon. It’s a sunny day today, can’t wait to see how the sun makes the art sparkle.
Footnote:
I hid the art by a waterwheel in The Grove, Carshalton, here’s a photo taken on location. It’s since been found and has a new home.
The next free art drop is about to hit the streets. So what? This one feels a little special to me, as it marks the second anniversary of the We Are All Artists free art project. 104 consecutive weeks of making and hiding art, most of it in and around Wallington and Carshalton, with occasional trips further afield. There are 151 pieces of my work in the collection so far, plus an additional 7 made by other people.
I’ve been working on this second anniversary piece all week, and it’s now finished. Here are some photos of the work in progress.
Good Fortune
Painting
Spraying
Placing
Cutting
Finishing
The artist and his art
This is the biggest piece I’ve made for the project so far, a 40cm x 80cm canvas showing a koi, a Japanese symbol of good fortune. It might prove a little tricky to hide, but I’m looking forward to finding a super sneaky place to leave it.
Thank you to everyone who has supported and taken part in the project so far. It grows into itself, and beyond too. When I look back at my work over the past 24 months I can’t imagine being without this experiment, it currently informs so much of what I do.
In case you are interested, the symbols in the lower left corner are my attempt at Chinese calligraphy. They signify ‘developing, becoming different.’
Footnote
I thought you might like to see a photo of where I eventually hid the art (long story short a mix of bad weather meant I tried and failed to hide this piece on two previous occasions – this was third time lucky).
I spent last night at The Wallington Arms, along with most of the rest of the town if the crowds were anything to go by. It was the annual community awards night – a chance to meet folk, catch up with friends, hear some live music and celebrate some of the good work being done in the community.
Goodbye
I hid this piece of free art in the Christmas tree in the pub last night. It was found and is off to a new home. It’s a sketch I painted in 2012, one of my favourite early pieces. Parting with this work was a great reminder for me that I started the free art project to help me learn to let go.
Hello
I was fortunate to be part of the live music set up last night. Most people in the area who know me, do so through my free art. Last night gave me the opportunity to say hello in a different guise. I’m very nervous when it comes to musical performances and the crowd were really supportive. I played one of my favourites, City Of New Orleans, and Fairytale Of New York. Loads of people sang long with the second song, that was lovely to hear, thank you. Amelia played, and so did Chloe Ray and her band – great fun!
Thank You
The free art project was nominated in two award categories, and I came home with two runner up prizes. It is lovely to be recognised by your peers, particularly when it’s for doing something you love. Thank you very much to everyone who nominated and voted for me, I appreciate it very much. It was great to see fellow artist Jason Goldrick receive a nomination too, and well done to all the nominees and winners for your contribution, and the recognition you received. And finally, thank you to Carole and Keira who encourage me and give me the time and space to allow the free art project to breathe, and to develop. I couldn’t do it without you. xx.
