This image is an experiment for the "set" version - am toying with whether to include the sequence where Morten's hand appears, but not sure if this would require too much work at this stage. I have built a 30cm square "set" which needs finishing touches and is still in development.





Mirror Nijinsky Sequence



Preliminary sketches - rabbit character development.



White Rabbit sequence "down the rabbit hole" - simple animation sequence where the rabbit shrinks (relates to Drink Me).



An early doodle

Alice In Wonderland animation work

I've not blogged for a while, work for Alice has been sidetracked by other things, admin for the LAN, an A-ha gig / exhibition in November, the LAN Christmas Market, then a whole series of unfortunate events occurred. Some financial difficulties were only compounded by the sudden death of my father just before Christmas 2009. However the exhibition is ongoing and is now picking up momentum, I have work in sketchbook, and need to start the animation now my ideas have finalised into something definitive. The A-ha gig in November provided some intriguing research material. It took place on Nov 4th, the same date as when Through The Looking Glass is set.
Having read "Alice In Wonderland" on the tube and worked in my sketchbook on the journey to London, editing rabbits into the Take On me video, this became the central concept, cemented by the fact that 2010 is A-ha's final tour.
I also came across a rabbit sculpture near The Mall galleries, which I have since discovered was by Barry Flanagan. In particular, his "Mirror Nijinsky" sculptures seemed to me to evoke the White Rabbit in The Matrix, and also a metaphor for Tweedledum and Tweedledee.



"Mirror Nijinsky" - Barry Flanagan



Below you can see how I adapted the sculpture to become the White Rabbit character for my animation - the White Rabbit has a kung fu element of Neo in the Matrix - I like that dynamic.



The animation is constructed of four frames. Each frame will have a different simple animation in, with re-appropriated imagery from the Take On Me video. I'm waiting to find out whether I can access a projector to display the animation in the cinema space. I plan to make a 3D "set" version of a scene from the animation to exhibit. For this, I'm interested in the scene when Morten's hand appears out of the comic and the girl is drawn into the comic world - that relates directly to Alice In Wonderland, when she goes down the rabbit hole.
I do plan to make these available as DVDs and upload onto Youtube, but ideally want to project the animation onto the 3D "set" or onto the wall.
Each animation sequence will be very simple animation - for one sequence, it will be the two rabbits in a "bullet time" motion, where the camera pans around the TOM frames.

Alice In Wonderland exhibition

As well as being an artist, an illustrator and a lone parent, I've set up the Lincoln Artist's Network as a group for graduate talent and artists in Lincoln, funded by a bursary via Enterprise Inc at Sparkhouse Studios.

The LAN has been slow to get going, partly due to delays with the Summer Holidays and funding, but we exhibited work for the Summer Gala alongside my own Lady Of Shalott work, and we're now working on an Alice In Wonderland themed exhibition to exhibit in collaboration with Lincoln Odeon for the release of the Tim Burton film in March 2010.

I am in the process of creating a proposal for new work for this, work which will draw from the Lady Of Shalott, and will no doubt involve animating dolls.

I've been accepted onto the AA2A scheme at University, which means I can access facilities such as using the imacs and Flash for animation, sewing machines, and I receive a small payment to cover materials and/or childcare.

It will enable the LAN to have a continued presence at Greestone again, although I do attend the artist's talks at The Collection which are organised for lectures anyway ;-)

Purchasing work

A range of my work is now available to purchase here:
http://www.redbubble.com/people/blackbird76

Including prints, cards, posters and t-shirts. Lady Of Shalott cards are available to buy here - I will upload some more, so keep an eye on this link!

The Lady of Shalott @ Lincoln Summer Gala

If you were at the Lincoln Summer Gala, you may have spotted some of these mirrors around the Brayford Pool.



"Down she came and found a boat
Beneath a willow left afloat,
And round about the prow she wrote
'The Lady of Shalott."




"I am half - sick of shadows" said The Lady of Shalott @ Odeon cinema, Brayford Pool, Lincoln







"For ere she reach'd upon the tide
The first house by the water-side,
Singing in her song she died,
The Lady of Shalott."



" And sometimes thro' the mirror blue
The knights come riding two and two:
She hath no loyal knight and true,
The Lady of Shalott."



"And up and down the people go,
Gazing where the lilies blow
Round an island there below,
The island of Shalott."



The Lady Of Shalott Rose @ the University of Lincoln, courtesy of the Tennyson Society - rather fitting to the poem, the flowers are dying.....









"Out flew the web and floated wide;
The mirror crack'd from side to side;
"The curse is come upon me," cried
The Lady of Shalott."

Always look carefully around the city of Lincoln, you may find The Lady Of Shalott in places other than The Collection art gallery ;-) They are not graffiti, (they are temporary and easily removed) they are not random, they are works of contemporary art designed to encourage you to appreciate art in unusual places, to look for poetry amongst the everyday banality of the cityscape. If you see them around, please do photograph them and send them!! I may continue to create and install more Lady of Shalott mirrors in future.....

dolls and mirrors

For the Summer Gala, the mirrors (that is the mirrors with text from The Lady of Shalott shown previously in this blog) will be installed around the Brayford Pool area, the dressing table with mirror will be a focus point for the installation, upon which to exhibit the doll and related work (which I'm currently working on).





It should link The Lady of Shalott with The Cupboard Project, for which there's a meeting next Tuesday at Grove Tea Rooms on Steep Hill for members of the Lincoln Artist's Network who will be taking part in The Cupboard Project.

I wasn't impressed with the Artist's Market. No one actually bought anything. No one seems to realise that they're getting some nifty fine art for a fraction of the cost it's actually worth! I made the grand profit of £1 for the second one last Sunday, and have now decided that Artist's Markets are not my cup of tea unless promoting LAN activities.
Besides, I was selling work for far less than its market value if it was sold through a gallery or accepted by Illustration agents for publication. I'm going to submit one of the pieces for the AOI Images 34 competition instead!

I did come up with the adaptation of making the mirrors double-sided, with the quotes written backwards one side, and normal the other.