Because it’s not all about me, but rather about building communities.
Last updated & checked for dead blogs: December 2023
Download the entire blogroll as an OPML file (also includes this blog) for importing into your feed reader.
Agostino Veneziano (fl. 1509–1536), The Witches’ Rout (The Carcass). Engraving, c. 1520.
: “I’ve recently started reading Once Upon a Time: A Short History of Fairy Tale by Marina Warner - something which coincided with a visit to the Witches & Wicked Bodies exhibition at the British Museum,…”
Photograph by the author
: “So we decided to go for a walk on Christmas Eve in Stanmer Great Wood, on the outskirts of Brighton, partly for exercise and some fresh air, and partly so that I could take some photographs of the woodland…”
The author at his stall (photograph courtesy of Margaret Kemp)
: “This past weekend I ran a stall at the Brighton Bazaar with my friend & fellow artist Margaret Kemp selling our artwork. It's the first time I’ve done something like this—previously I've only sold…”
: “Apologies for the lapse in blog posts over the past few weeks. It’s been a busy time. However on Saturday 20th December I will be selling my limited edition linoprints at a stall at Brighton Bazaar…”
The Crow Priestess> (detail) by the author
: “In my somewhat pretentiously-titled post The present is haunted by the mythic ghost of the paleolithic wilderness a couple of weeks ago I wrote: What is clear to me is that there is a wider paradigm…”
: “On Monday I took the day off from my day job to get some artwork done. The first half of the session was spent doing three 40-minute life drawings, working in compressed charcoal on large (565mm ×…”
Photograph by the author
: “Do you ever have one of those moments where you realise that a number of seemingly disparate things you are reading, watching, or pondering are actually all connected and swirling around a central core…”
Read the rest of “The present is haunted by the mythic ghost of the paleolithic wilderness”…
: “Like most artists I create artwork because I feel that I need to - for me it’s a necessary process to manifest the non-verbal web of thoughts in my head, which when completed leaves me feeling exorcised,…”
A new set of postcards of my drawings
: “A couple of weeks ago I decided to get a set of postcards made of four of my drawings, and they’re now available to order on the shop section of this website (£3.50 for the set of 4 postcards, which…”
: “As an artist I’ve always been drawing, even when my professed medium has been painting, collage & assemblage, photography, or printmaking. “I still come closest to success with drawing.” Paul…”
Read the rest of “Drawing as a principle medium, or, “why I love drawing” (Part One)”…
“blank” bird mask by Seattle-based artist Cassandra Mélena
: “I recently bought this rather creepy “blank” bird mask by Seattle-based artist Cassandra Mélena. My plan is to paint and decorate the mask to use in another series of mythologically-inspired photographs…”
Detail from Bark Mask 01, by the author
: “I wrote about the more philosophical side of masks in a previous blogpost Masks, Deception, and Truth. This post is more about the history of masks. Get yourself comfortable - this one could go on for…”
Read the rest of “Masks - a bit of politics and a bit of history”…
: “I didn’t know what this charcoal drawing would turn out like when I started. I knew I wanted to—had to—work in a slightly different technique: the short, sharp, mark-making approach I used on the…”
: “I wrote about my ideas for the next series of photographs/prints in a post in February and since then I’ve been working on the mask and other props, and drawing out some very quick (5 minute) sketches…”
: “Looking back on my photographic work since 2012 I’ve got to the point now where I feel I’ve amassed a good range of these pseudo-mythological characters. There are probably a couple more female characters…”
Detail from Badb Catha (5), by the author
: “I was asked recently why I used masks that are obviously masks in my photographs, rather than using some digital manipulation to produce monstrous photo-realistic visages like those produced by special…”
The Blindfolded Seeress - sketch and print
: “I’ve started putting my ideas together for the next series of artwork, which will probably consist of a lino print as well as a series of photographs. It’s all based around another imagined mythological…”
: “Well, it’s come a long way from the first scribbled sketches I posted on this blog in January – the first 13ʺ × 10ʺ fine art giclée print is now up for sale in the online shop. I’ve never…”
Read the rest of “Blindfolded Seeress - first prints printed”…
: “About 3 weeks ago I posted some rough sketches and notes on this blog for a new project called “The Blindfolded Seeress”. I’m happy to say that the first stage of the project is complete, and you…”
: “15 metres of cream muslin, washed, scrunched up, and dried; 1 hand-made oak-leaf mask; 2 replica Viking knives. Yes, I think I have everything ready for the photographs next weekend……”