The last post I did was saying my exhibition was now up at Turnpike gallery in Leigh, this week the exhibition is coming down, it's been received really well.
But what have I been up to since then?
Mostly zine related business!!
My friend Em and I finally collected together some awesome stories from working class folk around the subject of work and put them together in Poor Lass zine. The reaction to the zine has been great and we're currently working collecting more pieces for issue two, get more info on our Facebook page.
I met with some uni students who are making a body image zine with highschool students in East Manchester and chatted to those guys about making a zine and how is nothing to be afraid of!
I got commissioned to make a zine for a brilliant pilot scheme based in Manchester called The National Ugly Mugs Scheme. A scheme that aims to make sex workers safer. More information on the scheme is on their website. I really enjoyed making this zine and I hope the scheme manages to carry on.
I had a (far too rare) trip across the Pennines for Sheffield Zine fest. It was loads of fun, gotta to see lots of my favourite trans pennine faces, sell some bits, chat to new people AND go down a helter skelter slide!!!
More fun was had when Kandy and I fulfilled a lifelong (teenage!) dream of dressing up as Cher and Dionne from Clueless! Here's how we did it!
I'm, as always, working on Sugar Paper with Kandy, we're on #11!! who would have thought! This issue has a loose circus/seaside theme. Hopefully be out late spring (you now when it's actually stopped snowing!)
Also working with Kandy and our pal Alison on something super exciting that should materialise late spring, watch this space!
This weekend was meant to be spent working on those two projects, but yesterday it was announced that one of my favourite bands (and biggest inspirations) are to be no more. If you have seen my work, you know that My Chemical Romance feature heavily in a lot of it.
I won't go on about it here, my friend Holly wrote a blog post that sums up how I feel about the whole thing.
So yesterday was mainly spent feeling a bit blergh and so I went and got a new tattoo. I will miss them, but have to remember the good times and remember this....
My exhibition at the Turnpike gallery in Leigh went up last week and is up until March 28th.
It was really exciting seeing my work all up together and then seeing the looks on friends and family's faces as they saw it too.
Here are a few pictures....
More details on my exhibition and the one it accompanies HERE!
I will be exhibiting my Make a Cup of Tea, Put a Record on collection at The Turnpike gallery in Leigh.
I will also have two other collections in the showcase cabinets at the gallery. More information can be found HERE!
So I got my techno savvy friend to update my website (thanks!) some stuff added to felt works and commisions, more zines AND a super exciting collaboration called...
What Special Agent Dale Cooper Really Dreams Of!
I got to work with one of my best friends, who is a super awesome photographer, Nickie, AKA Pam Van-Damned visuals.
I made some outfits and we hit up my local park and took some photos!
Check out the whole shoot HERE!
As a side note, we later found out the evening we were in the park a dead body was found in the park, some Lynch shit righ there!
I've always liked collected things. ALWAYS! when I was younger I collected stickers (I still do now) only I collected them and stuck them on my wardrobe door!
I would collect anything from a merit sticker from school to free stickers from Smash Hits magazine, from the stickers you get for being good at the dentist to the labels from bubble bath bottles (honestly soooo many Radox stickers on my door!). But my favourite stickers were the few Garbage Pail Kids ones I got.
I love Garbage Pail Kids!
Whenever I came across any stickers or anything in my adult (and the bit in between that and being a kid) life I would get super excited.
A few years ago I got to see the Garbage Pail Kids film! My friend Alison got a copy, bloody loved it!
I think GPK are trendy again as now they're everywhere. I even got a book full of GPK artwork this year, eeek.
So I thought it was time to finally use this (very long) love of GPK in my art and so I present....
Garbage Felt Kids!
One of my nicknames is Snaileena, It's a joke because I am quick at pretty much everything I do.
I hope to do many more of these, for every GPK lover out there, your very own felt trading card!
Get in touch if you want to commisson one!!
I admit it, I'm a voyeur, but mostly when it comes to folks creative spaces. Whether that be fully working studios, a corner in their living room or their bedrooms, I proper love it!
So I though it only fair that I put my creative work space out there for all to see. At first glance it may look like a lot is going on (for those that prefer blank, open spaces, look away!) but it's organised chaos! I love a good bit of clutter, but clutter that has it's place. I am very particular about where things go and super organised with it. If you moved something of mine an inch from it's place I would know. And because I have sooooo much stuff I do know where everything I own is (and probably where I got it from, but that's another story about my super memory!).
My work space happens to be the walk in closet of my bedroom. For some reason there is a false wall in my room. So one end houses some of my clothes and shoes whilst the other is for all my making and doing. It is cramped and I would love a whole room, but then I would just fill it with more tat!
corner of desk. globe light. embroidery threads. darning mushroom painted by Alison. Scissors engraved from Kandy. Novelty pencils in Bertie Bassett mug.
other corner of desk. two sewing machines. pots of ribbons and buttons and zips. Lego desk tidy. notebooks. masks. craft books. John Waters and Divine.
top view of desk. desk recycled from my sweet shop hence all over mad print. coaster. wooden owl holder my grandad made.
notice board. my first cross stitch. Knit and Destroy brooch. Polaroids.Bad reputation patch. Fawn Gewheiler purse. Gameboy watch. photo of my cat. Jared Leto's autograph.
first shelf. colour blocked felt scraps. Lego mini figure collection. Empty sweet jar that often houses Skittles.
second shelf. craft books. pom poms. art by Sunny Buick. John waters art by Jessicka Addams. Rosie tin. ray gun. tiny sewing machine.
Sugar Paper stuff. kits. stickers. un stapled and stapled zines. master copies. Kandy's Heartthrob.
Lots of fabric. lots of stuff I have made. more masks. bag of yarn I hardly ever use. Tara Mcpherson colouring in.
This is the piece I made for the Tino zine I complied. I embroidered a rather stoner-esque looking Tino, complete with French knot spots (a result of a full time stoned/Chinese take away/never seeing daylight kinda lifestyle!)
This and other contributions from other artist will be posted with MUCH MORE Tino related stuff on Has Anyone Seen Tino? Tumblr!
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