Inspired - Warhol and Cocker

I've been absent for a while... ...what I've been doing, is finding inspiration.

As a writer, a musician and an artist I often find it hard to figure out what I want to write, play or paint . This is not because I'm not creative; rather, uninspired. Which, thankfully, isn't permanent.

However, after finding my way with my art and watching an interview with Jarvis Cocker, I am suddenly the most inspired I believe I have ever been. Something about Jarvis Cocker has grabbed me ever since I saw Pulp at last year's Leeds Fest. Maybe it's his lyrics, fantastic lines spring to mind such as:

"Mister we just want your car... Cos we're takin' a girl to the reservoir."

"I seem to have left an important part of my brain somewhere... Somewhere in a field in Hampshire, alright."

Is it the warped realism? God knows, but whatever it is the man is a genius and has inspired me in so many ways. If you ever need inspiration, of the feel good, f*ck-yeah, life is a wonderful thing sort, Cocker's your man.

I happened upon him this afternoon at the Graves Gallery in Sheffield, too. He had loaned his Damien Hirst spin painting aptly titled, 'Beautiful Morana Dysgeusia Painting for Jarvis (with Diamonds)', to support the Sheffield Museums Trust. I love Hirst's work for its expert sensationalism and have seen lots of his work at his exhibition at the Tate Modern earlier this head, at the V&A and in Burger King Leicester Square (Beautiful Psychedelic Gherkin Exploding Tomato Sauce All Over Your Face, Flame Grilled Painting 2003).

But the main attraction was Warhol, with today being the last day of the exhibition 'Andy Warhol - Late Self Portraits'. With fascinating insights into the life of the artist who in many ways became a machine the exhibition itself was curated to echo that unique intimacy. Some great screenprints were on display along with a brilliant Warhol drawing 'Shadow' done in graphite.

This exhibition really made me think about the human condition and how people brush aside their differences to avoid society's eye. Warhol was someone who allowed himself to be seen exactly how he was and much like Cocker, he had his own way of doing things and the way he still plays with people's minds is to be admired.

Also at the Graves was a great collection on display as well as other small exhibitions, including work by JMW Turner, Cotman, Moore, Gaughin, Sickert. Original works by Sir Terry Frost and L S Lowry were also on display, jogging my memory to remind you all we have signed prints by both artists in stock.

So, to round off, inspiration is a great thing and when you find it, it's the greatest thing an artist of all mediums can obtain. So drop by- I think you'll be inspired.

The Graves Gallery in Sheffield is open weekdays for limited periods of time- check their opening times, they are well worth a visit!

Getting Into Photography

Good Morning... Afternoon... Evening... Whenever you're reading this... It's morning for me anyway and I'm spending it sat in a branch of Starbucks in Manchester, waking up with a lovely limited edition praline mocha (oooo aren't I a consumer!)

I thought, since I have been hoping to write about our November artist of the month Mr Colley, who you can read about at www.Gallery42.com, and we haven't quite got his work ready yet, I'd share with you a sneak preview of some photography myself and my cuddlesome friend and colleague Alex Wright have been doing in the Gallery.

We've been using his Canon 600 series SLR, and I've been crying because it isn't mine...

(Just to clarify I haven't actually been crying, there is more to life than brilliant branded plastic... So I'm told)

Anyway, you should see some really great artistic shots of our arty hive appearing on't tinterweb some time soon, lad (or las, political correctness n' all).

(Excuse me Yorkshire outburst, a been watchin' Tad Gram Style on't YouTube. Bang 'er in't bar, she'll come up straight away... What a double entendre :L fantastic video in aid of Children in Need that promotes our motherland! Gives 'er a right good name.

Anyway, I took some photos of Alex using my iPhone, and these were my favourite shots. You can see I've been a right arty bugger and used our magnifying glass to replace his head with his camera.

Really I'm quite into photography at the moment; I wanted to let you all know this photography was taking place. If we snap you in the shop, do let us know if that's a problem and we shall eradicate your existence (from the camera, fear not).

I'll post up some highlights towards the end of the week, when I will also be able to link you to our Dropbox. Don't try and get on it yet; as it doesn't exist you'll find it very tricky as well as a colossal waste of your time.

For the time being, last chance to get some of Mr Luker's great, original and framed acrylic ink artworks! Don't miss them...

Light - My New favourite toy! Also, a few other things...

As I write this, I'm sat miserably in a car on the way home from what until now has been a brilliant day in Liverpool. What makes it no longer brilliant; indeed the cause of my misery; is the fact we have travelled 30 miles in almost 3 hours. Apparently the world and his wife are leading a mass migration out of Manchester, and reluctantly we've been dragged along kicking and screaming.

The only things keeping me sane are writing this blog and listening to Robbie Williams (I don't care if you don't like him, because I do).

Let me tell you about my brilliant day then! Well, after lunch in the Tate's Cafe, my stepdad and I enjoyed a nice lengthy look around the galleries upstairs. Interestingly, I had a completely different experience this time around than when I went for the Turner, Monet, Twombly exhibition a month ago.

You can read my critical(ish) review of it if you find the appropriate post on Gallery 42's Facebook wall, late Septemberish I think. There's a Gallery 42 button to the right on this page, it'll take you over to our Facebook page. You'd have to be dead or otherwise perpetually devoid of further existence not to be able to find us.

That said, as great as it was, If you're thinking of visiting the exhibition then don't bother, because it is no more. Its shut. You have successfully missed a bloody great exhibition. Feel bad, I permit you.

I noticed new things I hadn't seen the first time I had looked at the artworks on display. I was excited by this, and my sense of discovery was further excited by a visit to the nearby Maritime Museum, where there is a great exhibition on that runs until next April to do with RMS Titanic and it's relationship with Liverpool.

Were I to digress; because I'm obsessed with anything and everything Titanic; I'd need another blog post. Ideally another week. In fact, just give me a month. My knowledge still wouldn't be exhausted.

Anyway, brilliant day aside... This post is about what I'm doing now. What is that exactly? Why, I'm playing with light. I enjoy light. I'd lick it if I could, just to find out what it tastes like; a taste, if it were to have one, which I imagine would fit the description of 'hot and burny'.

Light is so much fun. You can do lots with it, including blind yourself; which is why you shouldn't stare at the sun. Halogens merely burn inconvenient shapes into your vision.

Personally I like to wave my iPhone around while taking photos. I don't have a camera with slow shutter, so this is the next best thing, and you can get some truly magnificent results!

Have a go; go on, treat yourself. You might enjoy it.

Clearly this works best at night, because not only is it counter-productive to go searching for artificial light during the day, but it's also momentously stupid. Wait until night, or in my case, until the Traffic God smites you and thousands of other motorists down on the M62 for hours.

I've included a small sample of the products of my almost effortless toils.

I haven't got much else to say really; just give it a go I suppose, see what happens. Just find some lights and move your camera in varying directions at varying speeds unless you have slow shutter capability. In that case you can google further details, because I'm jealous enough not to help you.

I want variable shutter speeds is all; nothing personal.

You can look forward to a less lengthy post about our new Artist of the Month of November, Chris Luker, as well as our wonderful new team member; the wall mounted microwave.

Do you have a suggestion as to what we should name the microwave? Good.

Please keep it to yourself, it's a microwave- it doesn't need a name. Especially if it begins with M, and even more especially so if your suggestion is Mike. You have no imagination.

I promise I'm not this cold really. I merely advocate sarcasm, and I believe it should be a criminal offence to create alliterative names along the lines of Larry the Lizard or other similarly disgraceful brainchildren. Cheerio!

'Yes, but is it art?'

Recently I was prompted to remember all the times I have asked myself, asked someone else or even been asked by someone else this question. When you actually think about it, how many times has this question cropped up within your life? No, that isn’t rhetorical. Let’s have some interaction on Twitter or over Facebook when you’ve read this blog and see what you all have to say! I had a chat with Clive Perry about a month ago regarding the Hepworth Gallery in Wakefield (which, by the way, is fantastic, I’ll write a bit on that in a week or two’s time) and postmodern/installation art. We discussed indeed ‘if it was art’, and generally concluded the description of art varies greatly but what is chiefly important is how justified is someone in presenting their work as art. He had a story or two about his life to tell me as well, which was great. A lovely man is our Clive; and a great artist, we have a thing or two of his for sale, including brilliant Jubilee prints.

So what is it that defines ‘art’? Well, I don’t actually know, nor do I believe anyone knows. What is art? Its film, its music, its thousands of canvases owned by Charles Saatchi, it’s a shark in a tank by Damien Hirst and its even a cous-cous sandcastle according to French artist Kader Attia (you can see that piece at Tate Liverpool alongside work by Jeff Koons and Arman to name but two). Truth be told, art is a great myriad of things and with that state of existence comes a great myriad of different ‘excuses’ for art.

If I was to cut a carrot in half, put it on a chopping board and name it Sally then a man in a very expensive jacket somewhere in the country side might see its ‘conceptualist value’ and purchase it immediately for lots and lots of money…

Or he may not. Now, whilst that all sounds very silly, it’s an extreme example of how whatever someone creates, however much time and effort they may put in to visualising their ideas, however minimalist they may be, it is all artistically valuable. I say that because art is to love, create and share. And if I wanted to love, create and share Sally the split carrot then what would stop me (biodegradation aside)?

If someone puts themselves into something then art is about us drawing them out and asking, “Why?”

Obviously we can rarely ask this to the artist themselves, so we must ask ourselves a lot of the time, but the thought is still there to be provoked. I suppose what I’m trying to say is that next time the question, ‘Yes, but is it art?’ Crops up in your life, ponder away! Indeed what is on the surface may not appear art, but sometimes the conceptual value can be considered art… But for conceptualist art I suppose really you have to be into modern and postmodern art (generally speaking)…

To me, a great piece of art is one I remember and share with others; it lasts, I remember it and I preach about it so that others share it also. This is why over the next few weeks I’ll be spotlighting some of the weird and wonderful findings I make in the ethers of Gallery 42 and asking, ‘is it art?’

With that in mind, watch this space, everyone. Don’t forget to check out our Artist of the Month wall when you next come in to the Gallery; with most of the month gone already, time is running out!