Pecha Kucha MK

A photo posted by Suzanna Raymond | Artist | (@srfirehorseart) on Sep 6, 2016 at 11:05am PDT

Creatives Talking

Since recovering from a bout of illness, I've dived back to the fast-flowing stream that is 2016. Last week I attended the local gathering for comics and zine creators and indie publishers hosted by Milton Keynes Gallery.

It was great to have such a buzzing session where everyone seemed to find someone to swap ideas and stories with. The idea was to have a space where the kind of creatives that attended MKomix in 2012 could meet up. We're making use of the existing MKomix Facebook group to keep the conversations going after the event and a similar opportunity to get together should happen again early in 2017.

Pecha Kucha MK

Even though I thought I knew what Pecha Kucha was, having heard the term applied to a couple of gallery events, I didn't realise it had an international and licensed format. Milton Keynes now has an official license to hold Pecha Kucha events, with the interesting twist that the creator of this format and platform used to live in Wolverton, Milton Keynes, where the first talk will be held.

The first event will be free to attend and I will be one of its speakers. My slide show (20 slides, 20 seconds each) will talk about my experience as a new emerging artist. The presentation will cover my creative interests in urban & social landscapes, contemporary art. urban sketching, comics and zines.

The first PK event will be on Wednesday 19th from 7pm, see this link for more details.

Back to Sketching

A photo posted by Suzanna Raymond | Artist | (@srfirehorseart) on Aug 10, 2016 at 2:42pm PDT

A Return to the Drawing Board

My plans for 2016 were many and varied but tackling problems this year has turned out to like wrestling a many-tentacled octopus - as fast as you tackle one arm another appears. As such I have been short of time and energy, so I had to focus more on opportunities as they presented themselves rather than chasing more ambitious plans. Learning to be more focused and efficient with my time could be a good thing in the long run.

So, here's what has actually happened with my work in 2016:

I've spent a lot more time on Instagram - it's a quick way for visual artists to share their work on social media, if you don't need to edit your images much first. Although the site lends itself better to high-impact images rather than conceptual projects, if you can tick both boxes you're onto a winner for promoting your work. Whilst people can and do comment on pictures, if you want a longer discussion you may be better off on Facebook.

Instagram has inspired me to return to sketching and, as my interest is in the urban landscape, this has meant urban sketching. Urban sketching is quite a big thing it seems, with international groups (chapters), so I'm enjoying dipping my toe into this new world.

One of my urban sketches became the basis of a page of comics artwork for the GirlFrenzy to CroneFrenzy zine, which was published online and the artwork was printed for an exhibition with Rachael House's event at the Supernormal arts festival in Oxfordshire. Girl Frenzy editor Erica Smith created the event's online zine https://issuu.com/ericawordsmith/docs/gftocfissuu

The same page of artwork is now heading off to show in an open call exhibition at Winchester Gallery, Winchester School of Art as part of the Small Press : Independent Comics and Self Publishing event 24th - 28th October 2016.

My foray back into comics also led to a conversation with Milton Keynes Gallery about running another comics-based event. The last one, the MKomix event, was linked to their show of Pushwagner's comic book inspired work in 2012. The gallery agreed and the Thursday Scratch Nights MK Zine, Comic and Indie Publishers Meet up is happening on Thursday 13th October from 7pm.

Something Old Something New - 2016

A photo posted by Suzanna Raymond (@srfirehorseart) on Oct 9, 2015 at 10:00am PDT

Welcome to 2016 and congratulations on getting through January if you've just done your tax return (more on that in another post)!

As luck would have it, my art year started with a photography competition that was easy to enter. I just had to point the organisers to an image (see above) I'd shared on social media last year. Once the photo made it to the shortlist, all the finalists then went to a public vote, which you can still help me with ...

Please help me out by voting (until 5th February) for 'Car Park Drama' at the MKsmart photo competition public vote page. Many thanks!

It was interesting for me to note that my image, created with a smartphone camera and app, joined a shortlist of pictures taken on better equipment. The size of my image means that any prints would be relatively small but the fact that my picture made a shortlist proves to me that it's worth making the most of timing and a good viewpoint, regardless of what camera you use. It would more professional to use better quality camera kit but I find that a smartphone allows for more freedom when taking quick shots. It lets me get away with taking a lot of shots that might have never happened if I'd had to keep a D-SLR slung around my neck, or in the boot of my car. As smartphone cameras improve, I expect to see a lot more photography entries like mine in the future.

Part of my preference for using a smartphone for urban photography is that few people question anyone stopping to take a shot with a phone in a shopping centre or busy public space, as it is currently such a common activity. Also my cameraphone is always on hand, whereas a D-SLR might require more than one trip if I needed to plan the shot. Some locations that put restrictions on photography may require asking for permission to take a picture with an SLR or a decent pocket camera but smartphones don't seem to attract the same scrutiny, unless there's an over-zealous security guard around.

I'd be interested to know if you value image quality and print size over capturing the moment. What do you think is more important for your favourite images?

---

Winners of the online vote will be announced at the exhibition and networking event at Gallery 200 in Milton Keynes College. Click here to book your place at the event on Friday 5th February.