Dyke

From the exhibition Dyke of our Time by Tania Olive at The Photographers' Gallery earlier this month.

See this series on Tania's website here.

You can see some photos I took at the wonderful Photograhers' Gallery in April here.

Huddersfield Life Room

The latest in the Life Room series is of Huddersfield Art Society. Lots of contrast of colour and play. I hope you like it. You can find it here.

New Life Room - Jane Fielder at work

Suki and I have now published the next Life Room. It is one of our favorites with the wonderful Jane Fielder. We had fun with the photographs of Jane drawing with ink pipettes on a huge canvas while Suki was in the shower! You can also see her drawing the outlines for Washing on the Line paintings which were exhibited with others from the Aire Valley Art Group in an exhibition at the Bexley Wing of St James' Hospital in Leeds.

See the new Life Room, Jane Fielder at work here.

Haworth Life Room

It was a great evening at Suki's place on Sunday, I understand. She and my assistant Mike launched the three Life Room slideshows that we are releasing over the next few weeks. Mike tells me they were very well received and he even bought me back a piece of birthday cake.

You can see the slideshow of The Haworth Group here.

Earlier Life Rooms - Dean Clough and Chris Murray's Studio as well as a gallery, Artists' Hands - can be seen here.

If you do not already follow it do visit Suki's blog sukithelifemodel.co.uk and the serialisation of her autobiography A Small Life at http://www.asmalllife.co.uk/.

Is this the 'truth' about women?

I went to a private view at Leeds Gallery on Friday to see the Ashley Karrell exhibition, Expression of You, The Divine Feminine. I met Feisty Fraulein J , Bill Parker and Suki there. It was a great evening and I got into a lively discussion with Bill about the exhibition. I found myself wondering - is this  arrogant, pretentious and manipulative... or?  It raised lots of issues for me, starting with the title of it, and what it claimed to do. The concept supposedly behind it was that this was how the women wished themselves to be presented, their 'truth'. If these representations really were the women's 'truths', then I am very unhappy with the way many young women wish to be portrayed.

Insofar as the exhibition stimulated much discussion,  it was very worthwhile. I had a brief chat with Ashley and still felt that there were some issues with the concept - though enjoyed the debate it created. Later Feisty Fraulein J described it more eloquently than me on Suki's noticeboard this week, but summed up some of my thoughts.

I felt the exhibition as a whole was more stimulating than the individual photographs but Suki has bought one. I'm not sure she has bought one of mine yet!

There were at least five photographs of women in tears. I wondered who I should go to see if I want to cry. My therapist or a photographer?

life model

I had two of the poem pictures I made of Suki's poems exhibited at the Domestic Cherry exhibition at the Artsite & The Post Modern Gallery in Swindon. I think this one is my favourite.

Swindon Literature Festival

Suki, Helen Peyton and I were in Swindon at the weekend for the Literature Festival. Suki and Helen toasted the weeked with a glass each of red wine before we set off with me driving. We stopped at a service station on the way and had a picnic off the bonnet of the car in the car park eating the red caviar sandwiches that Suki had packed - she said it was all she had in the fridge!

On Friday we went to a lively poetry night for the launch of Hilda Sheehan's poetry collection 'The Night My Sister Went To Hollywood'. Beforehand we made lots of new friends in a small Portuguese tapas bar. Afterwards we drank lots of champagne to celebrate at Lower Shaw Farm where we were staying - Suki particularly liked the champagne!

On Saturday we were busy setting up for a performance of Under The Gaze. Suki also read from her poetry collection Kunst. Suki and Helen were brilliant. The audience loved it and there was a lively discussion. There is a review of the event here. If you missed it then do try to get to Grassington Arts Festival where it will be repeated.

Hilda drew a lovely picture of Suki at the event. When her young daughter, Flo, saw it she must have decided it was rude as Suki was naked so kindly gave her some clothes.

I like it!

PS A big thank you to Michael Scott for all his help.