March 2021

 A Brave New World

Installation view of the 'Garfield Weston' gallery,
 MK Calling 2020, with the vitrine my art was displayed in (right)
Picture credit: MK Gallery. 

Contemporary Drama

MK Calling 2020 is the longest-running exhibition I've been in so far. This group exhibition, at MK Gallery, opened in February 2020, temporarily closed for lockdown late in March and finally re-opened with an extension until November 2020. In all that time, I managed just two visits in person, as I've being at home every since the first lockdown. 

Of course, like many other people, I was hoping the COVID-19 pandemic would be over quickly and wondering when, or if, we would get back to 'normal' life. Initially I was optimistic that I'd catch up with my reading, make art, maybe start designing an online arts course. The reality was that my productivity ground to a halt. Instead of breaking new ground online, my broadband struggled as everyone around me logged on at home. Eventually my creative outlook re-emerged to focus on drawing nearer to home, as I've done in the past.

Installation view during MK Calling 2020,
including the vitrine with my art display
Picture credit: MK Gallery. 

Creating New Pathways

However, I was heartened to see lots of other people launch online art clubs and events, making the most of people's extra spare time as they worked from home and spent less time travelling. The availability of events, using Zoom and other online resources, has hopefully squashed a lot of arguments against flexible access, where travelling distance, time and costs have meant that some events have been inaccessible to many. The ability to screen and record events for sharing online, engage with communities via social media, run live interactive events on various platforms and even set up 'stalls' and promote work in international online events, mean that a lot of invisible access barriers have been flattened in the last year. If the arts want to support diversity, then this is one step closer to equal access for all.

In 2021, the availability of vaccinations and the natural optimism of Spring, is bringing hope to everyone. Whilst there is a temptation to simply return fixed locations to share art from, I'm hoping that some of the more distance-learning methods of sharing the arts will be here to stay. Here's to a more fluid and flexible access path to arts and crafts in the future.

Artists are always innovating and a more accessible approach to participatory arts and associated funding could be the start of a more connected era in the arts. If our brave new world has learnt some useful tricks from this pandemic, maybe some long-lasting benefit will have come out of it after all.

Installation view of my artwork 
 in the vitrine display of MK Calling 2020.
Picture credit: MK Galley / S. Raymond

MK Calling 2020

The MK Calling 2020 show, opens this weekend at MK Gallery​, with over 130 amazing artists. This exhibition includes two framed drawings of community events and four of my sketchbooks. The sketches on show cover the period from roughly mid-2017 to the present, many featuring scenes in Milton Keynes. These look at public and community spaces, and how they are used. More recently I have started to focus on how these spaces are used to provide peer support.

Saturday 15 February- Sunday 17 May 2020

FREE ENTRY

Gallery blurb:

Featuring over 130 artists across five world class gallery spaces, MK Calling is MK Gallery’s first open call submission exhibition in the majorly developed and extended building that reopened in March 2019. The exhibition will showcase a range of established and up and coming artists, very much celebrating what is happening today in contemporary art.

MK Calling will be showcasing the most dynamic work being made today including work by Royal Academicians, and alumni of The British Art Show, John Moores Painting Prize and New Contemporaries.

The show features numerous pieces that address and challenge many contemporary issues such as the environment and the political climate, as well as a number of playful and performance works. With the exhibition taking place in the new town of Milton Keynes and with a third of artists local to the area, a lot of the work also looks at cities and architecture.

Artists:

Ikran Abdille | Miraj Ahmed | Saint Akua | Giuseppe Alfano & Roisin Callaghan | Chris Alton | Bronya Arcsizewska | Artist I. Relevant | Astrid Baerndal | Bill Balaskas | Bianca Barandun | Pietro Bardini | Charlie Barkus | Namen Basil | Anna Berry | Daniel Blumberg | Boyd & Evans | Eleanor Breeze | Melanie Bush | Lil Cahill | Nathan Caldecott | Ciara Callaghan | Phil Carney | Priya Chohan-Padia | Sarawut Chutiwongpeti | Jonny Clapham | Dovile Dagiene-Doda | Shona Davies | Dave Monaghan & Jon Klein | Charlie Denning | Edward Durdey | Lee Farmer | French & Mottershead | Doug Foster | Archie Franks | Abi Freckleton | Emi Fujisawa | John Garrad | GLRGNYNK | Fiona Grady | Garth Gratrix | Thomas Gray | Lucy Gregory | Habib Hajallie | Emily Hawes | Aaron Head | Rebecca Herbert | Fabienne Hess | Dave Hilliard | Len Hollman | Gareth Horner | Will Hurt | Dawn Iles | Hannah Jean Moulds | Permindar Kaur | Judy Kendrick-Simonsen | Neil Kilby | Adam King | Jane King | Kyle Kirkpatrick | Anna Lann & Jonathan Tritcher | Penthouss | Karolina Lebek | Fei Li | Dasha Loyko | Andrew Macdermott | Henrietta MacPhee | Rachel Magdeburg | Nick Malone | Morag McInnes | Sean Michael Pearce | Verity Millest | Elisabeth Molin | Callum Monteith | Stuart Moore | Nazanin Moradi | Adam Neal | Raymond O'Daly | Kate Parrott | Jam Patel | Sharda Patel | Marion Piper | Lisa-Marie Price | Jonathan Purnell | Paul B Rainey | Suzanna Raymond | Thom Rees | Dorothea Reid | Yande Ren | Graeme Roach | Dave Ronalds | Linnet Panashe Rubaya | Rekha Sameer | Mark Scammell | Abbie Schug | Christina Shelagh Mongelli | Martyn Simpson | Cecilia Sjoholm | Rebecca Smart | Ritu Sood | Stephanie Spindler | Bob Spriggs | Johanna Tagada Hoffbeck | James Tebbutt | Tracing the Pathway | Sebastian Thomas | James Owen Thomas | Elizabeth Tomos | Roxy Topia & Paddy Gould | Anna Townley | Dina Tses | Anna Turner | Miles Umney | Guillaume Vandame | Wai Wai Pang | Vilas | Elizabeth Walker | Lufeianna Wang | Sally Waterman | Emma Wilde | Mark Wilsher | Arianne Wilson | Iain Woods | Josh Wright | Rachel Wright | Cherilyn Yeates | Henry Yeomans

Sketchy Plans 2019

My first sketching event was outside the newly refurbished MK Gallery

A Short History of Drawing Around Milton Keynes

It turns out that 2019 became the year I started running events for a Milton Keynes sketch group. This is a Facebook group that I initially took over from local artist Dave Hilliard, who had run a few events before I showed up. As another local group had ground to a halt after three events, I knew that if I wanted to see more events in the area I had better start running them myself. So I took the opportunity to try and create my first local arts programme for sketching in urban spaces.

My intention was to run a few events using my community engagement experience. I was also aiming to shed more light on the benefits of urban sketching, activities that were proven in more established groups in Bedford, Northampton, London and other areas. Taking a  few pointers from Dave, who had been part of the Northampton group, we made a start around the time that the refurbished Milton Keynes Gallery was due to re-launch.

Our first event took place in Margaret Powell Square, which sits just outside MK Theatre and the art gallery. Our second event was inside the galleries, taking advantage of the first exhibition called "Lie Of the Land", which seemed quite appropriate for an urban landscape sketch group.. In August we made it to our landmark fifth event. This means that I have now run more urban sketching events in MK than any other local organiser. I've taken a short break, to attend to other matters, but I hope to get back to scheduling more local events soon.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Suzanna Raymond (@srfirehorseart) on Jul 21, 2019 at 1:44pm PDT

A Day Trip to Regents Park

To make sure I understood the basic model for sketching events, I joined the Urban Sketchers London group in July for an all-day sketch trip around Regents Park. This was a fun, informative event and I even got one of their badges! Their 'Draw London' event ran from 11:00 in the morning until 3:30 in the afternoon. These sketch gatherings were run as free events with no booking required.

As I arrived in Regents Park a little late, due to misjudging how long it'd take me to get to the start point, I was worried I'd miss the group. However, the group leader had stayed by the inner circle gates long past the start time to direct latecomers. As a bonus, I also ended up meeting local contact Sophie, who had started the Bedford urban sketchers group, and she gave me a few pointers. We formed a small group with a guy visiting from Hamburg and London member Elvin, who knew the group leader.

Our group went looking for a spot to sketch from and ended up diving into the Benugo cafe when it started to rain. We had two other sketchers join us at our table. As I wanted to know why everyone was there and what kind of sketchers they were, I was keen to chat to everyone. In the end we learnt a lot about each other while were sketching. After lunch, when we relocated to the next meeting point, I had a similar experience seated next to another sketcher on a bench facing a fountain.

Sitting in a central public space also turned out to be a good way to meet up with people you know, as I spotted graphic novel legends Paul Gravett and Peter from Comica London and Escape books taking a stroll around the Triton Fountain. We had a bit of a catch-up chat before they continued on their way.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Suzanna Raymond (@srfirehorseart) on Jul 23, 2019 at 11:32am PDT

In the end I stayed for the whole thing, including sketchbook throw-downs and group photos. From my point of view the event was a success, as I found out that my events are run in a similar format to that of a more established group. I also found out a lot about how and why these groups are run and what else may work for drawing sessions in my own area.

It turned out, from speaking to others with more experience, that becoming an official urban sketchers group is something that'll have to wait until we have more active members. Otherwise, we seem to be doing fine, albeit with less strict guidelines about what members post to the MK group. I look forward to hopefully enticing more people out of their homes with a sketchbook to explore their local area.



Links:

Drawing Around Milton Keynes (Facebook)
Urban Sketchers London chapter

Drawing Breath in 2019

Sketchy Plans

Bit of a slow start to the year but it's one of those times in life where apparently no-one has a clue what is going on, so we can be forgiven for winging it.

MK sketch group outside the new MK Gallery (Feb 2019)

Milton Keynes Sketchers

A couple of years ago I discussed the idea of setting up an new MK sketching group, as the one I'd joined had ground to a halt after three events. A neighbour gave me space on her Meetup account and I was also invited to take over a Facebook drawing group. Both of these sat relatively dormant until this year when I started to run events in February.

We had our first sketching social event in February, during a few days of unseasonably warm weather. This made for a lovely, sunny first event, where we sketched outside the new Milton Keynes gallery, which was in its final run up to opening in March.

The next event for the group will return to the gallery on 24th March, so that we can have a group tour of the building, catch the first exhibition and socialise in the new cafe.

If you like to join us you can find out more about the group and event details here:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1451140798544828/
Meetup: https://www.meetup.com/Milton-Keynes-Sketching-Meetup/

The New MK Gallery

The MK Gallery has had a fab, shiny new £12m makeover and I'm looking forward to seeing in on its open day on Saturday 16th March. There was a private view on Thursday, which seems to have been very well attended. I'm buzzing for the official open day, which will have lots of free activities to indulge in from 11 am onward. I love free stuff.

The first exhibition looks like it'll be fantastic for fans of urban landscape, like myself.

"#TheLieoftheLand charts how British landscape has been radically transformed through changing attitudes to free time, culture and leisure." - MKG publicity . 

There are tons of articles about how the gallery has been redesigned by 6a architects with input from artists Gareth Jones and Nils Norman to create a City Club harking back to the early days of Milton Keynes. Also, the new building incorporates a much-needed cinema and performance space, a stylish new cafe and a refreshed paint job inside and out.

"artists Gareth Jones and Nils Norman have collaborated with 6a architects and graphic designer Mark El-khatib to create City Club, a sequence of new public spaces in and around the new gallery. This includes the foyer and café, plus a playscape, garden and a new façade for the existing gallery building." - a-n News

So pleased to be @MK_Gallery for the opening - what a fabulous space and a brilliant #exhibition ... great signage too! @MKComFoundation @ace_national pic.twitter.com/BsesWqkLNw

— CultureMK (@CultureMK) March 14, 2019

Sketching for MK Lit Fest

Sketch of the MK Lit Fest launch event for the MinK zine.

Live Event Sketching 

In September I was very pleased to take on an assignment for our local literary festival (now in its 2nd year). The MK Lit Fest organisers had seen an artist in residence at another literary event and approached me due to seeing my own sketches of last year's MK Lit Fest event on Instagram.

Sketching at an event is a fun an interesting mix of observational drawing and listening to the speakers. There are many ways to go about this but the one I use is to sketch 'live' on location, adding notes while I work or after the talk. I also take colour notes as I like to add watercolour washes to my sketches.

Another way to work might be to use the sketches as the basis of a more finished looking piece, possibly stringing together a theme or bullet points from the presentations. At this event we went with the immediacy of the loose sketching style which I use for urban sketching. My first sketches took in the launch event, including contributors to the MinK zine, followed by the first star guest. My notes are a mixture of comments from the speakers and background information which I researched when I got home.

VG Lee reading at MK Lit Fest

Sharing on Social Media

When the pictures of my drawings went up on social media, we also tagged in the various writers and local arts organisations. My literary festival sketches seem to have gone down particularly well with the writers from the Polari Literary Salon, based in London, who were delighted to find out that they'd been sketched whilst they were on stage. Other sketchers may have gone for a more flamboyant approach and could have made sketching more of a performance piece but my style is to sit quietly in a corner and to do candid observational sketching.

The organisers told me that posts on Facebook seemed to encourage more clicks and posts on Twitter seemed to generate more discussion. Overall the experience seems to have been a great success for both myself and the organisers, so I'd consider doing this again for another event.

Live Sketching Tips

For anyone looking for tips on practising this style of reportage, I'd recommend investing in a couple of sketchbooks, some pens or brushes that you feel comfortable drawing quickly with, a portable set of pan watercolours, watercolour pencils or gouache colours. Find a comfortable place to stand or sit while you people-watch, if you perch quietly in one place then people and animals tend to feel more comfortable than if you fidget or announce your presence. If you're uncomfortable with drawing people then start practising by drawing the environment and take some life drawing classes to improve the way you draw figures.

Also look at examples of urban sketching on websites. There are local sketch groups in Bedford and Northampton if you want to embrace the social side of sketching and a Facebook group for sketchers like myself in Milton Keynes.

To see more of  my MK Lit Fest sketches, please take a look at my Instagram account @srfirehorseart.

Note: an earlier version of this article appeared on LinkedIn.

Eventful sketching

MK Lit Fest 2018

MK Lit Fest 2018 announcement

Residency

It is the second year of the new literary festival for Milton Keynes and this year the organisers have selected me to be their artist in residence. This will be a new experience for both of us, so I'm excited to see how it'll work out. I'm always happy to sketch indoors with tea and books on tap, so it should be fun.

Last year I went to MK Litfest mainly to see how the event represented diversity and I was pleasantly surprised. I ended up enjoying the talks more than I expected and took some sketch notes at the event which I shared on Instagram, tagging in the event's authors and publishers.

The organisers liked my drawings so much that they've asked me back as their artist in residence. I'm looking forward to sharing my best sketches with everyone via Facebook and Instagram. I've already shared a sketch I made at one of their 'taster' events at MK Gallery.

I'm also looking forward to seeing a print copy of 'MinK, their new 52-page literary zine, at the launch event on the 21st September. There should be an online version too for those unable to attend the festival.

This year's event runs from Friday 21st through to Monday 24th September at the Holiday Inn in central Milton Keynes. You can find out more about it here: https://www.mklitfest.org/

Location sketching

If you want to see examples of other people sketching on location I'd recommend Dutch illustrator Maaike Hartjes for a cartoon (comics) based style, Canadian journalist and war artist Richard Johnson's line drawings, artist and author James Gurney for painting on location, plus a whole raft of urban sketchers.

Maze Life

Twists and Turns in 2018

One time I attended an event in a hotel that had some amusing notices posted up by a witty attendee. These read ' YOU ARE IN A MAZE OF TWISTY LITTLE PASSAGES, ALL ALIKE'. This phrase, I later learnt, has its origins in a computer game developed for the PDP-10 * about which you can read more here.

My feeling about most of the first half of 2018 is also summed up by the above phrase, which is why I haven't written any updates until now. If I wanted to get more philosophical I might reference Plato's allegory of the cave but I think that can wait until another post.

In June - July I had my first exhibition of the year, for Arts For Health Milton Keynes, with MKDAD 2018-You See Me-moving forward. In this I was happy to show a bright, bold paper collage of mine that I'd made as part of an MK Gallery workshop with the English National Ballet. You can see more about the show on my Instagram feed here.

In July I also hooked up with Avant-Gardening and Lisa Cheung, who are artists running some art-linked outdoor play events this summer, as part of the MK Festival Fringe 2018. You can read more about their events here.

Anyway, things have started to pick up again now and so my next bit of news is that I made a new page of artwork using some of my urban sketches. This was put together specially for a new Milton Keynes literary zine called MinK, which is linked to the second MK Lit Fest literary festival. My page was selected and will be included in the zine but ...

.. if you'd like to make sure there is a print version (and bag yourself some rewards) then please support the MinK zine Kickstarter campaign by 4pm on the 8th August. They're most of the way to the target and just need a few more supporters to reach the goal but there's only 3 days left!



* many years ago I programmed a PDP-11, so I know the kind of kit they refer to

MK Calling 2017

Celebrating the urban landscape of Milton Keynes.

The next MK Calling exhibition at Milton Keynes gallery previews on April 20th. This show was an open call for artists interested in architecture, construction and links to Milton Keynes. I'll be showing my urban sketches as part of this event, which fits in well with my current work. You can read more about my urban sketching in MK on my new page: https://srfirehorseart.blogspot.co.uk/p/gallery.html

MK is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year and the gallery is opening the space again for this show before the site is re-developed over the next two years. When the refurbished gallery re-opens it should have more space and facilities like a cafe.

This spring, MK Gallery showcases new and exciting work by over 70 emerging and established artists in MK Calling 2017. This exhibition is designed to celebrate the breadth of creativity around Milton Keynes and will include a wide range of art forms alongside a dynamic programme of events and participatory sessions.

- from the MK Gallery website http://www.mkgallery.org/exhibitions/mk_calling_2017/

It's great to be showing at the gallery again, with a theme that I'm currently exploring. Everyone is invited and MK Gallery are promising music, food and drink (as well as the art of course) at the preview.

The exhibition runs until 27 May 2017.

Tarting About

A post shared by Suzanna Raymond | (@srfirehorseart) on Oct 13, 2016 at 9:49am PDT

T'Art Zine

The T'Art show for International Women's Day 2017 has opened at Bones & Pearl Studios, in London. It's a group exhibition celebrating International Women’s Day with participatory zine making!

Following the Sweet 'Art group on Instagram led to me spotting an opportunity to contribute to the T'Art zine that forms part of this year's event. The page I submitted is the same one that has appeared in Girl Frenzy to Crone Frenzy but it will hopefully get a new audience at this event.

The T'Art show runs 7th - 9th March, with an opening event in the evening on the 8th March. See more about what they do at http://www.wearesweetart.com/

The CAS PostIt Exchange

Following up a link I saw on Facebook, I'm pleased to say I have been selected up to take part in the Chapel Arts Studios Post It Exchange. The CAS project, based in Andover, is about putting together artists to collaborate on items they post to each other. The results will be shared on Instagram with the #CASpostitexchange tag. My Instagram name is @srfirehorseart.

The project has just launched in pilot and they're still open to including more artists. More info on the project is on their website:  http://www.chapelartsstudios.co.uk/events/event/pilot-cas-postit/

Seventy Percent Admin

As has been observed elsewhere, an artist's life is only somewhat about creating wonderful things, the bulk of it is everything else. That means working to pay the bills, filing, submitting your tax return, DBS updates, insurance, networking and so on. After all that you may be able to squeeze the creativity into the last 30% of your time.

Likewise with my own life. So I've just updated my CV and artist's statement and have applied to another MK Calling exhibition at MK Gallery, this time with some of my urban sketches. Wish me luck!

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.

Friezeing Out The Emerging Artist

Friezeing your butt off?

London Art Fairs 2015

As I've been a bit busy recently, I almost missed the fact that we'd crept up to Frieze week again. Yes, it's that time in October when the whizzes at Frieze lure wealthy investors art buyers into Regent's Park in order to part them from their money in exchange for some cultural assets. Frieze London obviously have a sense of humour as there was even a talk asking Can Artists Afford to Live in London?,which is available as a free mp3 for those too poor to attend in person. If you got a free ticket or are an emerging artist working at the fair then well done to you!

If you read my last post you may be aware of the existence of The Cultivist, a new venture who will whisk impatient people with money past the boring queues and straight over to a curator and a glass of champagne, and quite right too. Also, I'm sure that with the proper advice, these same lucky folk can go to some lectures on how to spend money on art and skip the hard part of trying to understand why anyone likes it, after all if it's worth a lot of money it must be worth having, right? No need to spend time thinking about what an emerging artist is developing if you can just pick up something by a recently dead famous artist. Chin, chin!

If you happen to be one of those aforementioned poor emerging artists, you can commiserate with your fellow artists flogging their work, and those curators who taking a break from Frieze, by heading over to The Other Art Fair / Moniker where there are somewhat more affordable artworks and snacks. If that's not your style there are sure to be a couple of other art fairs on in the same block at the Old Truman Brewery.

If you're looking for actual creativity, rather than just shopping, then head over to Sluice, which is back after a year's break from London, This is the one of the art fairs that I've enjoyed the most, as you actually get to talk to other artists and small galleries. Busy curators presumably head over there on Sunday after Frieze shuts its doors, so no one need miss the fun.

And finally, this Twitter exchange, with fab Leeds-based artist Emily Speed, summed it all up for me ...

When curators suggest a meeting at Frieze and you're like, NO DUDE, it's £36 and I'd be paying for my own ticket.

— Emily Speed (@speedina) October 15, 2015

@SRfirehorseart @sluice__ aye, Can I do a studio visit? Sure, my studio is here... reply - oh, well let me know when you're in town next...

— Emily Speed (@speedina) October 16, 2015

Happy 2015 to all you lovely London art fair explorers! :)

Disma Life and The Emerging Artist

Sign for the closed Madcap arts venue, Wolverton, Milton Keynes.

Business Development Opportunities

Business Development Officers at art galleries and museums were probably on tenterhooks watching the public’s reaction to Banksy’s 5-week Dismaland in Weston-super- Mare. The event slash mass-installation has been a hit to the tune of an extra £20m of business to the seaside town. That may be enough to reassure the galleries that are banking on big names to draw in enough visitors to shore up their funding deficits.

In a Spiked article Brendan O’Neill (who also writes for the Spectator) says "Banksy is modern capitalism’s loss of faith in itself made flesh." Yet, however much Mr O’Neill and various critics might like to lambast this particular vein, they seem to miss some key points when they pause to mock. This successful graffiti artist with art world links is simply on the money about what the public want to see right now - Banksy has become the validated Jack Vettriano of street art-meets-fine-art. Key figures in the contemporary art establishment have embraced Banksy's work, as he bridges the gap between popular art and in-your-face 90's contemporary art bling. It makes sense that Damien Hirst, a past master of monetizing the art statement piece, was in the Dismaland show. Yet it’s not all about showmanship, as Banksy represents a socially-aware sentiment with Pop Art overtones that is acknowledged by noted artists like Sir Peter Blake. Emerging artists who are currently weeping into their student loan statements could do well to note where public sentiment and art world interests overlap. The verdict of the average man on the Clapham omnibus carries more weight in an art world returning to holding its cap out for private investment.

Cult Cottage Industry 

Jonathan Jones (The Guardian, 2006), arguing against Banky's media-savvy public profile, told us that “Art needs layers of meaning. It needs ambiguity and a bit of mystery.”  That statement makes sense for most artists, providing you’re looking for depth in fine art. If you think that it also still means that buyers still prefer landscapes, Pop Art and abstracts then you’re only partly right. My recent quick survey (I asked the sales assistant), at a local art gallery popular with wedding parties looking for gifts and art to take home, had the response that what most of their customers want to buy right now contains a large element of fantasy or something to make them smile. Thus it makes perfect sense that David Shrigley’s tongue-in-cheek work was also featured at Dismaland.

The current economic crisis has everyone running scared, such that edgy art sells well now if it’s also immediately funny, loaded with irony or comforting in some perverse way.  One of my non-art friends would rather buy prints of blue-sky beach huts and cute cottages than art reminding her of the gritty realities of daily life. Even wealthy art buyers want the reassurance that they’re cared about when they visit the arts or make an investment. It is with those nervous and affluent buyers in mind that two entrepreneurs have launched an exclusive arts club. The Cultivist offers a service to handhold “people who are affluent and realise they need to do something with art”. This service includes fast-track VIP access to everything arts-related, a bargain at just £1,900 a year with no waiting in line with those who have merely obtained middle-income wealth. It’s a marriage of convenience that many arts business development officers must wish they’d thought of it first.

Arts Emergency

At the other end of the spectrum there are artists banding together to create a community conscience and bring back political comment into art, such as Bob and Roberta Smith’s Art Party campaign. Or you could support access to education for young emerging artists via the Arts Emergency mentoring scheme. If you are an artist frustrated with the skewed economics of austerity Britain, then you could also join a public group like the Manchester-based ‘Artists Against Austerity’, a grass-roots artist led collective, who aim to “come together as a community of artists and creatives to stage a series of events/exhibitions … to engage, reconnect and empower communities to join forces and oppose austerity”.  The AAA certainly got their wish when the leading political parties decided to rally their forces in Manchester this October.

The role of protest and representation of the poor is one that some artists have always occupied, one that is easy to sympathise with given the tendency for artists to take on part-time low paid work to support themselves if they spurn more commercial themes in their output. A quick survey of modern art history suggests that artists who highlight the plight of the poor, like Vincent Van Gogh, Gustave Courbet and Käthe Kollwitz, can produce work that gives us beautiful and moving accounts of the human condition. Certainly it is easier to deliver an ugly message when it is presented in an attractive wrapping. Whether these works initiate social change is a separate matter, but they do tend to provoke controversy and that leads to probing conversations on issues, discussions that must be better than just more political whitewash on unwelcome changes in society. If the UK’s recent surge of support for a return to traditional Socialist politics is any indicator of a change of direction, the time of the socially-aware artist may have come round again.

London Art Fairs, October - Dec 2014

Frieze London: Big art in a big tent.

Art fairs are one of several great ways to see contemporary art and for buyers to take their first steps to invest in an artist. They can also be good places for artists to gauge current trends, network and meet galleries, depending on the type of fair.

The a-n 2014 degree show guide has this advice on buying work by new artists

At this point I was going to write a bit about Frieze week but I've been very busy recently and there are some good articles in the press:
The Guardian - Why the Frieze art fair works and The best of Frieze art fair 2014 – in pictures
The Independent - Frieze: Co-founder defends 'Ikea for millionaires'

Your big fat London art fair diary

Frieze London & Frieze Masters,  October 15-18
Regent's Park / +44 (0)20 3372 6111 / http://friezelondon.com/
Frieze London is the main event to see contemporary art by established artists. This large show is an expensive ticket but has so far been very popular with the public. The project spaces are worth seeking out to see smaller galleries and artist's groups sharing their wares.
Sadly the ticket prices have now reached eye-watering heights, which I find off-putting as an emerging artist. The fair organisers seem unfazed by this, stating in The Independent that "We sell out all our tickets in advance". In fact their Student/Child/evening and Combined tickets have sold out but the other three ticket types still seem to be available when I checked on Thursday evening.

Sadly the existence of any other art fairs is overshadowed by Frieze, though they also benefit from galleries and dealers descending on London en masse, as some people visit more than one event and the following list of events reflects that fair-hopping opportunity.

The Other Art Fair, October 16-19
The Old Truman Brewery, 91 Brick Lane, London E1 6QL / +44 (0)20 7886 3062 / http://www.theotherartfair.com/
Blurb: 'The Other Art Fair is a unique platform from which [undiscovered artists] can independently showcase their work: to gallerists, curators, critics and collectors.'
In 2014 The Other Art Fair contained rows of white-walled stands, with artists apparently roughly grouped according to the type of work on show. In general the work was sometimes engagingly fresh but also predominantly commercial, with the occasional homage to/copy of better known artists. The Other Art Fair shares a ticket and floor space with Moniker, which had a slightly more lively approach to stand design, borrowing Frieze stand typography for its spaces and using a open floor spaces for performances by the bar area..

Sunday Art Fair, October 15 - 18
Blurb: Sunday Art Fair specializes in contemporary art.
35-100 Marylebone Road, Ambika P3 / sunday-fair.com

1:54 Contemporary African Art Fair, October 16 - 19
Blurb: 1:54 is a leading platform for galleries, artists, curators, art centres and institutions promoting African and Africa related projects.
Somerset House, Strand  / +442081443694 / 1-54.com

Kinetica Art Fair, October 16 - 19
Blurb: 'Championing innovation, providing a global platform for galleries, curatorial groups & artists working with interdisciplinary new media art.'
"This exhibition showcases interactive, multi-media artwork." - The Independent
In 2014 the ticket price I overheard was £16, which seemed a bit high to me, but the fair seemed popular with families who could put their small children in front of shiny, twirly art objects.
The Old Truman Brewery, Brick Lane  / +442073929674 / kinetica-artfair.com

Affordable Art Fair Battersea, October 23 - 26
Bills itself as "London’s friendliest art fair" The advertised ticket prices are more than The Other Art Fair but less than Kinetica, make of that what you will.
Battersea Evolution, Battersea Park, London, SW11 4NJ / +44 (0)20 8246 4848 / http://affordableartfair.com/uk/

Sluice Art Fair - last event in October 2013
This fair will be back in October 2015, according to Karl at Sluice.
In the meantime they seem to be getting stuck into #ExchangeRates in Bushwick, Brooklyn / 23rd-26th Oct 2014
/ + 44 (0)1273 488996 / www.sluice.info/ / https://twitter.com/sluice__

Big Deal seems to have morphed into Big Deal! Marvellous MIx-UpsX1, which happened in July 2014, so we've missed it already!
[Big Deal No 5 (2013) was held in the Cavendish St underground car park] / contactus@deal-big.biz / http://www.deal-big.biz/
Big Deal! Marvellous MIx-UpsX1 http://www.deal-big.biz/big-deal-2-shows.html



You can see my blog entries about Big Deal No5 and Sluice Art Fair 2013 on my Facebook page.
These fairs were both free to attend and I'd recommend emerging artists make time for them when they surface again.

For more art fair listings also see ArtForum's listings.

Art Picks for September

Installation view of mounted digital prints. All prints © S. Raymond, 2013.
These prints are being exhibited with ConNEcTWORK in Sept/Oct. 2014.

UK Art picks and reviews - September 2014 (last chance to see)

BP Portrait Award
Another popular open submission prize and exhibition. Mostly representational art and I rarely agree with the first prize selection, tending to prefer the runners up but I still love to go and see what is thrown up each year. The travel prize is also always interesting.
Top tips: Admission Free, open late Thursdays and Fridays.
National Portrait Gallery,  St Martin’s Place,  London,  WC2H 0HE / 020 7306 0055 / Until 21 Sept.
http://www.npg.org.uk/whatson/exhibitions/bp-portrait-award-2014/the-exhibition.php

Bristol - Jeremy Deller: English Magic
Jeremy Deller's English Magic tours to Bristol in April, for the second leg of its trip around England. This time the exhibition's local links will include include new installations and commissions made in direct response to the museum’s own collections; including paintings of the Bristol Riots of 1831 by William James Muller and a display of taxidermy, handpicked by Deller.
This was one exhibition I was very glad to visit at the William Morris Gallery, as I couldn't get to the Venice Biennale and I wanted to see English Magic in person. Jeremy Deller makes the kind of work I'd like to be making myself. I need to find my own way there, so I take work like his as an inspiration that the art world still supports artists making socially-inclusive artworks.
Top tip: See the the museum events list.
Bristol Museum and Art Gallery, Queens Road, Bristol, BS8 1RL. / Until 21 Sept.
http://www.bristol.gov.uk/page/leisure-and-culture/jeremy-deller-english-magic-exhibition

Mondrian and Colour 
Blurb: 'See over 50 works spanning Mondrian’s journey, many from the Gemeentemuseum Den Haag, which holds the largest collection of Mondrian’s paintings, along with exhibits from museums and private collections in Europe and the USA.'
Turner Contemporary, Margate, Kent CT9 1HG / + 44 (0) 1843 233000 / Until 21 Sept.
http://www.turnercontemporary.org/exhibitions/mondrian-and-colour

Mondrian and his Studios
The partner exhibition to Mondrian at the Turner Contemporary (above)
Blurb: 'This brand new exhibition, which commemorates the 70th anniversary of the artist’s death, provides fresh insights into Mondrian’s practice and explores his relationship with architecture and urbanism.'
Tate Liverpool, Liverpool / Until 5 October 2014
http://www.tate.org.uk/whats-on/tate-liverpool/exhibition/mondrian-and-his-studios

ConNEcTWORK
Last chance to see some of my work at a central Milton Keynes arts venue.
This open-call group show is around the theme of a 'Network', especially human networks and their cyclical nature.
Email info@artsgateway.org.uk to organise a time to come and view the work
Arts Central, 3rd Floor South Station House, 500 Elder Gate, MK9 1BB / 01908 241122
Extended until 3rd October.
http://www.connectworkexhibition.co.uk/
http://www.meetup.com/artscentral

Platform at MK Gallery
"A group exhibition of exceptional work by graduating students from around the region, selected by MK Gallery from University of Bedfordshire, Bucks New University and University of Northampton.
One Platform exhibitor will be nominated by MK Gallery for the South East regional Platform Graduate Award, for a chance of winning £2,500 and a twelve month mentoring scheme.
Now in its third year, the Platform Graduate Award 2014 profiles new talent emerging from universities and colleges in the South East region."
MK Gallery, 900 Midsummer Blvd, Milton Keynes MK9 3QA / T +44 (0)1908 676 900
Until 28 September
http://www.mkgallery.org/education/projectspace/platform/
http://frameandreference.com/platform-graduate-showcase/

More useful links

The Guardian - Art and Design http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign
The Telegraph's art exhibitions and reviews. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/art/10377204/best-art-exhibitions-London.html
Arts Gateway MK http://www.artsgatewaymk.org.uk

Invisible Sketch for MK Festival Fringe

Project - 'Invisible Sketch' for MK Fringe: Pitch (events in tents)

This year I returned to the latest Milton Keynes Festival Fringe as an artist supplying a project for their Pitch three-day programme. Having been one of the support volunteers at the last event, I was keen to get stuck in as artist practitioner. Also the theme intrigued me, linking in with my interest in subjects that pertain to the collapse of social structures.

All of the participating groups and artists were given a second-hand tent each, to create an event around. As this was the first time I'd designed my own public event outside a gallery space, I decided to keep this one simple. As our events were to be around the theme of refuge, I decided that mine would be a space where visitors could share their own stories about places they felt safe and happy. To this end I created a sheet that gave visitors some suggestions about how to tell their story and I also offered to help anyone who wasn't comfortable drawing or writing a creative piece on their own.

To find a balance between options for expression and creativity the stories could be written or drawn, using the pens, pencils and crayons provided. The resulting works were as varied as my visitors, some only in text, one drawn in monochrome pencil, others in bright colours. I was particularly pleased about the wide age range of those that took part - from 4 to 60 years old. All the finished pieces were on display for all to see, in and around the tent for the whole three days.

The three day Pitch event ( 22nd - 24th July) sizzled in the baking hot sunshine, which presented some problems for staying cool but ensured we all got a tan. The MK Fringe's 8 day programme ran alongside the larger MK International Festival 10 day arts festival, with the Fringe focussing more on engaging local artists and performers, including small festival productions.

See my Facebook album of 'Invisible Sketch' artwork and pictures of the other tents here:

Post by Suzanna Raymond - Artworks.

Art picks for June/July

Art picks and reviews for June/July 2014

Until the end of July is a great time to catch degree art shows and to discover emerging artists. If you're outside London, try go to an event near where you live to see work by new local artists before they are tempted to move away to the big smoke. Or look for exhibitions by emerging artists at local contemporary art venues over the summer.

A Stack of History, 2013.
Fine Art degree dissertation, art history books arranged vertically by size, paper slips.

Degree show guides and showcases.

a-n Degree Show Guide - Flick through this free magazine online or download it
Tips for art buyers  - A page of advice from a-n for buying work by emerging artists 
Free Range -  A guide to a season of FREE graduate Art + Design shows at the The Old Truman Brewery, Brick Lane, East London  (29th May - 14th July)

Exhibitions June/July 2014

Vikings: life and legend
It's got Vikings, as you'd expect, and I love the British Museum but this is a popular exhibition and so it'll be very busy. However, if you don't like slow-moving crowds (see review below) you may not be in a hurry to visit ...
Blurb: 'Discover the Viking world in this major exhibition – the first at the British Museum for over 30 years.'
Review: 'Vikings at the British Museum is hell. Terrible viewing conditions; like the slowest moving buffet queue in THE WORLD. Disappointed :( ' Emily Speed (@speedina) April 25, 2014
British Museum, London. Until 22 June.
https://www.britishmuseum.org/whats_on/exhibitions/vikings.aspx

Henri Matisse: The Cut-Outs
One of the first pieces of modern art that I enjoyed as a child is The Snail (1953), which usually lives at Tate Britain. Look out for the mini-snail inching its way around one of the bold slabs of colour.
The blurb: 'Henri Matisse is a giant of modern art. This landmark show explores the final chapter in his career in which he began ‘carving into colour’ and his series of spectacular cut-outs was born.The exhibition represents a once-in-a-lifetime chance to see so many of the artist’s works in one place and discover Matisse’s final artistic triumph.'
Top tip: Sunday evenings will be set aside for a quieter exhibition viewing experience, with visitor numbers restricted from 20.00–22.30.
Tate Modern, Bankside, SE1 9TG.  (0)20 7887 8888 / Until 7 Sept.
http://www.tate.org.uk/whats-on/tate-modern/exhibition/henri-matisse-cut-outs

Marina Abramović: 512 Hours 
At the start of 2014, I'd said that the exhibition that most intrigued me was the prospect of seeing Abramović at the Serpentine Gallery and a possible takeover of Kensington Gardens. As the first performance approached we heard that Marina felt intimidated by her prospective British audience, saying "The British are sarcastic. They make fun of everything.", and that has been bourne out responses in various articles have ranged from the unexpectedly emotional through to rebellious irritation at being directed by the artist and her assistants. This hasn't scared off visitors though and the queue to take part apparently starts very early and stretches into Kensington Gardens, with some people bringing chairs for their wait.
Top tips: Entry is free of charge and on a strictly first-come, first-served basis. There is no advance booking. Due to the limited capacity, visitors may be expected to queue outside, so bring  water, sunscreen and an umbrella for the time you may be required to wait. Galleries open 10am - 6pm, Tuesday - Sunday, plus bank holidays
Serpentine Gallery,  London W2 /  44 (0)20 7402 6075 / Until 25th August.
http://www.serpentinegalleries.org / Look out for 'A.G.N.E.S' if you fancy an interactive experience on the website.

RA Summer Exhibition
A vast sprawling exhibition in the main galeries of the RA, the show annually shows a wide range of work, mostly for sale. The joys include seeing work by well-known contemporary artists, the lows include sore feet as you reach the end. Judging by the reviews on BBC Arts, this year's most interesting curated room will probably be that by Cornelia Parker, who has selected around a black and white theme.
Blurb:'The largest open submission exhibition in the world'; 'Held without interruption since 1769, the Summer Exhibition displays works in a variety of mediums and genres by emerging and established contemporary artists.'
Top tip: If you want to buy something to take home you might also like Not the Royal Academy (below)
RA Main Galleries, Burlington House, Piccadilly, London W1J 0BD / 020 7300 8000 / Until 17 Aug.
www.royalacademy.org.uk/exhibition/15

Twixt Two Worlds
'This display maps the pivotal moment in cinema history when still photography evolved into moving images' A Whitechapel Gallery collaboration with the Contemporary Arts Society, using magic lanterns, slides withr pioneering cinema imagery and contemporary artists to revisit the history and techniques of early film.
Whitechapel Gallery, Gallery 7, London E1 7QX / +44 (0)20 7522 7888  / Until 31 August
http://www.whitechapelgallery.org/exhibitions/contemporary-art-society-twixt-two-worlds

Not the Royal Academy
A Salon des Refusés for some of the artists who didn't make it into the RA Summer Exhibition but nevertheless have commerically viable work. Worth a look if you want to see more traditional work suited to a domestic setting.
LLEWELLYN ALEXANDER GALLERY, 124-126 The Cut, Waterloo, London SE 1 8LN UK (Opposite the Old Vic Theatre) / Tel: 020 7620 1322/1324 / Until 16 Aug.
http://www.nottheroyalacademy.com/

BP Portrait Award
Another popular open submission prize and exhibition. Mostly representational art and I rarely agree with the first prize selection, tending to prefer the runners up, but I still love to go and see what is thrown up each year. The travel prize is also always interesting.
Top tips: Admission Free, open late Thursdays and Fridays.
National Portrait Gallery,  St Martin’s Place,  London,  WC2H 0HE / 020 7306 0055 / Until 21st Sept.
http://www.npg.org.uk/whatson/exhibitions/bp-portrait-award-2014/the-exhibition.php

Outside London

Bristol - Jeremy Deller: English Magic
Jeremy Deller's English Magic tours to Bristol in April, for the second leg of its trip around England. This time the exhibition's local links will include include new installations and commissions made in direct response to the museum’s own collections; including paintings of the Bristol Riots of 1831 by William James Muller and a display of taxidermy, handpicked by Deller.
This was one exhibition I was very glad to visit at the William Morris Gallery, as I couldn't get to the Venice Biennale and I wanted to see English Magic in person. Jeremy Deller makes the kind of work I'd like to be making myself. I need to find my own way there, so I take work like his as an inspiration that the art world still supports artists making socially-inclusive artworks.
Top tip: See the events list.
Bristol Museum and Art Gallery, Queens Road, Bristol, BS8 1RL. Until 21 September
http://www.bristol.gov.uk/page/leisure-and-culture/jeremy-deller-english-magic-exhibition

Mondrian and Colour
Blurb: 'See over 50 works spanning Mondrian’s journey, many from the Gemeentemuseum Den Haag, which holds the largest collection of Mondrian’s paintings, along with exhibits from museums and private collections in Europe and the USA.'
Turner Contemporary, Margate, Kent CT9 1HG / + 44 (0) 1843 233000 / Until 21 Sept.
http://www.turnercontemporary.org/exhibitions/mondrian-and-colour

Mondrian and his Studios
The partner exhibition to Mondrian at the Turner Contemporary (above)
Blurb: 'This brand new exhibition, which commemorates the 70th anniversary of the artist’s death, provides fresh insights into Mondrian’s practice and explores his relationship with architecture and urbanism.'
Tate Liverpool, Liverpool / Until 5 October.
http://www.tate.org.uk/whats-on/tate-liverpool/exhibition/mondrian-and-his-studios

More useful links

The Guardian - Art and Design
The Telegraph's art exhibitions and reviews.

Art Fairs, Jun - Dec 2014

London Art Fairs,  June - December 2014

Signs you're at an art fair.

Art fairs are one of several great ways to see contemporary art and for buyers to take their first steps to invest in an artist. They can also be good places for artists to gauge current trends, network and meet galleries, depending on the type of fair.

Artists Newsletter has this advice on buying work by new artists.

Fairs

Affordable Art Fair Hampstead Heath, 12 - 15 June
Lower Fairground Site, East Heath Road, Hampstead, London, NW3 1TH / +44 (0)20 8246 4848
http://affordableartfair.com/uk/
The Affordable Art Fair hosts emerging and contemporary galleries. Artworks priced from £400 - £4000. There's an emerging artist showcase too but this is limited to artists from University of the Arts London (UAL) art colleges.

Masterpiece Art Fair,  Jun 26 - Jul 2
South Grounds, The Royal Hospital Chelsea, London SW3  / +442074997470
http://www.masterpiecefair.com/
Art, antiques, design.

20/21 British Art Fair, Sep 10 - 14
Royal College of Art, Kensington Gore  / +442087421611
http://www.britishartfair.co.uk/
'British art with a focus on Modern and Post-War but also featuring contemporary work'

Frieze London & Frieze Masters,  October 16-19
Regent's Park (Frieze London is near Gt Portland Street, Frieze Masters is at the Camden end) / +44 (0)20 3372 6111
http://friezelondon.com/
Frieze London is the main event for contemporary art by established artists. This large show is an expensive ticket but has so far been very popular with the public. The project spaces are worth seeking out to see smaller galleries and artist's groups sharing their wares.

The Other Art Fair, October 16-19
The Old Truman Brewery, 91 Brick Lane, London E1 6QL / +44 (0)20 7886 3062
http://www.theotherartfair.com/
'The Other Art Fair is a unique platform from which [undiscovered artists] can independently showcase their work: to gallerists, curators, critics and collectors.'

Big Deal , TBC for 2014
http://www.deal-big.biz/
[Big Deal No 5 (2013) was held in the Cavendish St underground car park] / contactus@deal-big.biz

Sluice Art Fair - TBC for 2014
This fair appears to be taking a break in 2014 in order to fundraise? / + 44 (0)1273 488996
http://www.sluiceartfair.com/
A fair for artists and small arts organisations to network and showcase their work around Frieze week. In 2013 this event included a few small galleries from New York.

Affordable Art Fair Battersea, 23 - 26 October
Battersea Evolution, Battersea Park, London, SW11 4NJ /  +44 (0)20 8246 4848
http://affordableartfair.com/uk/

You can see blog entries about Big Deal No5 and Sluice Art Fair 2013 on my Facebook page. These were both free to attend and I'd recommend going when they surface again. No dates as yet, as I'm still waiting to see info on their 2014/5 events.

This guide was partly compiled from entries on Artforum:
http://www.artforum.com/guide/calendar=special&filter=8