I’ve been putting a piece of art on the streets of Porstmouth every Friday for close to ten years now as part of my Free Art friday project and this week I was invited by the BBC Culture show to be featured in a film about my project. ‘Dropping’ my art is normally a very solitary occupation but after a day’s filming on my studio I went up to that there London town where a massive film crew (with secret cameras and directors and runners and everything!!) followed me and two other free art artists round dropping work and jumped on anyone who dared pick the pieces up. All very exciting!
The feature will be aired on the 10th February, 7pm, BBC2
Aspex Gallery have launched a new exhibition ‘Say What You See’ and are looking for participants.
The show will begin with one piece and the exhibition will grow as an additional work is added each week.
If you are an artist living within a 60minute journey of Portsmouth and you feel that a work of yours communicates in some way, with other works on display then please submit an image of the work (jpeg) and a brief explanation (up to 200 words) to saywhatyousee@aspex.org.uk
Find the blog here.
At Sea, Joanne Hummel-Newell
Imagine being a teenager and being able to curate an exhibition, go on some awesome trips and meet some amazing artists. Well that’s exactly what the Futurators do! Helping to inspire young people and engage them in art and culture. On March the 24th the Futurators exhibition will open as part of the Lost Hour in Portsmouth, more details soon.
The group are currently looking for a small amount of funding, if you want to help check out the video here.
Sopranos on Palmerston Road, Southsea, has a new exhibition from Hayling based photographer Harvey Mills titled ‘New York Sketchbook’.
We’ve posted about Harvey more than a few times on Strong Island and his awesome skate photography, and even some of his NYC photographs for his website www.harveymills.com.
As well as being the guy behind the camera for Herbal Skateboards and Skateboarding Photo Magazine, Harvey is an accomplished photographer with 30 years of experience, and his image portfolio presents an eclectic and diverse range of subject matter. Talented chap.
In his own words about the project Harvey says “My challenge was to present an alternative take on vistas and aspects of New York City – a place where, with every corner turned, you stumble across familiar scenes and images. Even first-time visitors feel as if they’ve known the place all of their lives.”
All photographs are tastefully framed and for sale in Sopranos or at www.harveymills.com. And if you’re popping by to check it out you would be bonkers to pass up a bite to eat, especially considering they are running their 2 for £10 lunch menu. Meatballs! Forget about it……
They are always looking for artists to display their work for future exhibitions so get in touch if interested.
I’m excited to announce that this December Strong Island will be launching a 2013 calendar. Yes 2013! I know you may wonder why we are being so organised announcing it in January 2012 but we are planning to collate the calendar over the year using your contributions.
We’ll start accepting contributions from everyone next month. Originally we were going to run this as a photography competition asking people to send in photo’s from Portsmouth and Southsea area taken during the previous month. To reflect the wealth of creative talent in Portsmouth we have decided to open the competition to various art practices which include graphic designers, fine artists and illustrators. This will be a great opportunity for you to showcase their work.
The calendars will be available to pre-order from November and available early December.
More information on how you can make your contributions to for Januarys page will follow on Weds 1st February.
Contemporary Art Gallery Aspex based in Gunwharf Quays currently have two posts available. The gallery are seeking a Communications and business Development Manager as well as an Artist to work as an animateur. The animateur will use there creative skills to engage with the gallery audience and work on exciting and innovative projects.
Despite The New Theatre Royal undergoing it’s major redevelopment at the moment there is still much going on (as well as the cafe being open) including the upcoming Little Theatres art exhibition. The theatre wants to give the leaflet stands in the Dress Circle bar a makeover and would like people of all ages and artistic ability to get creative. The theatre would like you to create miniature scenes to fill one of the 44 leaflet stands, depicting the history of the theatre, or just what you love about the theatre. You can even get into the Dickens spirit and create your favourite scene of a Dickens classic. The only limitations are the space, so here are the dimensions to work within:
Height: 18.5 cm
Width: 16cm
Depth: 3.5cm
You can visit the Box office to pick up a leaflet stand to take home to work with (you will be required to leave contact details). You can also design stage curtains for your piece, or other backdrops of roughly A5 sizing if you wish. All miniature scenes must be set up on Monday 6th February by popping into the theatre on the day with your scenes ready to place or with the leaflet stand you collected.
This exhibition will take place on the 7th February and is just one of the many events happening on the day in celebration of Charles Dickens 200th birthday.
For more information and to register your interest, please email Cat as soon as possible at lm@newtheatreroyal.com. All entrants must register their interest by 10pm on Monday 30 January so get involved quick!
Photographer Matt Sills took over Portsmouth Indoor Tennis club last week for a photo shoot with Mark Pain the British Sports Photographer of the year. I popped along with my Strong Island hat on to take some photos behind the scenes. The shoot was part of an ad campaign for Focus on Imaging at Birmingham in March 2012. There is also an app available for download which was developed in Portsmouth – keeping it local again!
Photographers Robert Dowling and Perou have also been featured as part of this campaign. Behind the scenes footage can be seen on Matt’s website.
Mark Pain spoke to me about the incredible shot he took of Tiger Woods with the golf ball heading straight for his camera. Luckily for him it only damaged the camera hood and filter and earned him a lot of PR attention on live US TV. A well deserved award for a great photographer. Thanks to Matt for the invite – always good to see Portsmouth being used for shoots like this.
Below: Mark Pain’s shot of Tiger Woods.
Below: Final image by Matt Sills
Behind the scenes footage from Portsmouth Tennis Centre below
The Fawcett Inn, and Fawcett Road, are named after Lieutenant Alexander Fawcett. He was killed, aged 20, at Bejapore in India in 1853 during the Indian Rebellion, which is also known as India’s first war of independence. The Fawcett Inn is a grade II listed pub, which dates back to 1850, and has recently been remodelled and is under new management and they are looking for a sign that captures the spirit of the new Fawcett Inn touch on themes such as stylish, vibrant, friendly and welcoming.
There are amazing prizes on offer:
iPad – Courtesy of BSkyB
£200 worth of High Street vouchers – courtesy of Waverley TSB
£100 cash – courtesy of Britvic Soft Drinks
2 tickets to a Guiness Rugby Premiership game – courtesy of Diageo
For further information or to submit a design, please contact fawcettinn@hotmail.co.uk. You can hand in a hard copy submission if you prefer – just take it to the pub. Please be aware that hard copies cannot be returned.
The beautiful Lauren from Thread and Butter agreed to a little in interview to share her passion for crafting, creating, vintage and Portsmouth.
When did you realise crafting was more than a hobby and that you could start selling your work?
I have always been interested in everything creative since I was young. I’ve studied photography, fine art, and textiles throughout school and college, which lead me onto a foundation degree in art and design at Portsmouth University. I was then offered a place on an Illustration course at the Arts University College of Bournemouth, however I decided to withdraw from any academic studies and pursue art as a hobby. It took me a while to put confidence back into my work, but after becoming obsessed with blogs, creative magazines and craft/vintage fairs I felt it was time to get back onto the handmade path. I started by setting up a Thread and Butter blog which to my surprise received more views than I could of expected within the first month. This then inspired me to start selling my work so I enquired about craft and vintage markets around the South. I started by having a small section on a friends stall, but have now moved to having my own which is fantastic. I’ve recently set up the Thread and Butter online shop which is a fantastic way to reach people all over the world.
What do you like about the art scene in Portsmouth and what draws you to sell your work here?
From my time at Portsmouth University I was able to explore the city. However I’m sure there is still plenty that the locals could show me. I spent a lot of time in Albert Road, rummaging through the charity and antique shops. I love the small boutiques there which are full of a mixture of handmade local goods and vintage treasures. I feel every city should have a least one area full of creative gems. There seems to be a really nice community within the Portsmouth art scene which is very welcoming. I’ve had a stall at the Guildhall which was a great success; it was really fantastic to meet other local sellers and bloggers.
What inspires you? Other crafters/bloggers/artists etc
I find a huge amount of inspiration from creative blogs online. I find them a fantastic way to keep up to date with what’s going on in the creative world. I absolutely love magazines, and I’m always looking for new subscriptions to add to my collection. I also collect things from my travels including zines, leaflets, photographs, fabric, trinkets, basically anything I can squeeze into my bag. I love visiting local craft and vintage fairs which I always leave spilling with new ideas. At all time I carry a small notebook with me which I use to jot down any ideas I get throughout the day. Whenever I feel stuck, or have a mind block, a few flicks through this and I’m ready to create again.
Any plans for Thread and Butter this year?
I’m concentrating on keeping up to date with the blog this year, with lots more tutorials and DIY inspirational features. I’m really excited to be working on a few things with some magazines which will be out later this year. But most of all I’m looking forward to Thread and Butters 1st birthday!
Follow Us