The Storytelling Machine

Just recieved this copy of an image of the Storytelling Machine in postion. Hard to make it out, but it does look suitablly old and spooky.

Plockton ideas

Where the animals hide (2007)

Inital colour test sketch for a painting inspired by the book "The testement of Gideon Mack." Will try and complete this and a further series of 6 paintings by this time next week.

Hmmm can't decide if pen and ink overlaid looks good or not http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1277/589423855_fab8a2ee37_o.jpg

Wormy

I'll be showing work as part of the Plockton Gallery show from the 14th of July. Plockton is a beautiful place like a pirates cove and the gallery has a fantastic array of work every year. I'm really looking forward to being part of it. For more info - direcitons openings times etc follow the link. www.plocktongallery.co.uk

The man with a cardboard box for a head

Explorations

On Monday night we went to hear a talk by explorer extraordinaire Sir Ranolph Fiennes. He gave a rather excellent account of several of his amazing explorations around the world - the main one being his trip around the Earth on its axis. Starting in the UK heading south through Antarctica and the south pole, then back up the other side, though the north pole and back home to UK. The whole talk was illustrated with amazing photos of some of the places he had been and some rather disturbing images, explained in a Sir Ranpolph's very dry black sense of humor showing some of the disasters/ injuries and diseases that befell them on the three year journey. These injuries included the skin on the soles of the teams feet going gangrenous and falling off, blisters on hands freezing up to the size of tennis balls, loosing fingers by not being careful when going to the toilet and people cracking their heads and their eyes filling with blood. To give an idea of the tone of the talk Sir Ranolph finished this segment by saying that after the eye blood problem his team mate just wouldn't stop whinging.

After the talk we stayed around for the free wine and some of the best canopy treats ever . The little tiny raspberry cheese cake was one of the tastiest things I've eaten. All in all a very interesting night - even including bumping into the most boring man in the world during the networking. Not realising why you recognise him until its to late and you have engaged him in conversation. Lucky I ran out of cake and did a runner, leaving the others to entertain him.

Shetland is open

Hmmm it was the opening of the new Shetland gallery and museum yesterday for which I designed the above storytelling machine. Sadly I didn't get to go to the opening or I could have met up with Charlie and his mrs and the Queen of Norway. Instead I had to make do with listening to a tour of the new museum on Front Row on Radio 4. Big Charles gave it two thumbs up.

Sadly also meant we never got any really good photos of the piece finally put together but it still looked pretty cool in its construction phase. Take a gander here.