This Will Kill That

This Will Kill That is a showcase of new talent emerging from Camberwell’s BA Illustration course. 2-5 July in Shoreditch.
My friend Sine Skovsen is in this!

Camberwell Summer Shows

Just back from Camberwell's BA shows. Some good stuff. Very warm inside...
My friend Sine Skovsen did Illustration.
Sine is showing 6 of the 17 illustrations for a children's book she will be putting together this summer.

University of the Arts London Camberwell : 2009

July Mail Art Project

I will be participating in a mail art project with Mark Philip Venema next month.

The rules state that each card must be unique (so not all 30 cards the same) and must be sent through the post (so not in an envelope) so that the handling process is visible on the work and perhaps even part of the concept, and all 30 made and posted in a one-month period.

I can’t wait!

At this writing there looks like there is still room in the group.
The limit is 30. (Then I think another group will form of the next 30.)

Playing for change

IMPACT print conference

It looks like I will be speaking at IMPACT in Bristol, about a painter's approach to colour when making digital prints (original work, painting reproductions and artists' books.)

Impact 6 : International Multidisciplinary Printmaking Conference

Open Studio Dates!

The Open Studio dates for my new studio group have been announced.
We will be opening the grounds and our studios to visitors on July 11th and 12th.

The Abbey Art Centre
89 Park Road,
New Barnet,
London
EN4 9QX

The nearest tube is Cockfosters on the Picadilly line.
The nearest overground is New Barnet.
Street parking is very close.

Colour: Design and Creativity

Colour: Design and Creativity Journal

The Bristol Festival of Ideas

I understand The Bristol Festival of Ideas last week was great. But I was away and missed it. Anyone have reviews? A friend says "Raymond Tallis was brilliant as always". I am now reading CP Snow's The Two Cultures because of this.

Hungary

The CREATE colour conference and workshop was very informative and enjoyable. I did not bring the correct clothes for the warm weather and suffered a bit for that. Who knew that Hungary was so tropical? I learned a bit of Hungarian and of course being able to say thank you properly goes a long way. I made new friends, too!

Kek is the colour blue in Hungarian. It is pronounced like cake.
Is that not fantastic!

Rainy day at the new studio

Still setting up things in the new studio. Took pictures of the lovely rainy day yesterday. As always, click on image for a larger one.

Rain on the window.

Looking out from my porch at all the Cow's Parsley or Queen Anne's Lace that has overgrown the area behind my studio!

Rainy day in the garden. My studio is to the right.

Looking from the bottom of the garden. My studio is behind all that.

The path from the lower studio to my painting studio has a flower covered arched tunnel bower. I didn't know what kind of plant it was until this week when it did it's thing!

Our Laburnum walk!

I'm back!

I was away for a few weeks to take care of some family problems.
But all is getting better now!

Next week I am off to Hungary for the CREATE colour conference and training session. Colour scientists mix with artists and try to understand each others language. Fun times!

Here is a new thing I am working on: analysing a finished painting by making changes in Photoshop to see if it could be better if it were painted with different values, hues or combinations. Have just started trying it, may be a tool to learn more about painting. We shall see.
I started it because I always have to colour correct my photos of my paintings, they are never right. And I always have ended up playing around with them and some looked better with the additional changes. So now I am going backwards and trying to put the changes to use back in the original painting or in another painting.

Original Painting

High key. Saturated lights and few darks.

Hue variation. Closer values and less saturation.

Hue variation. Dark values. Low contrast and medium saturation.

Original oil painting of a house in Florida.

Higher contrast with more saturated lights.

Less contrast with closer values at the dark end of the scale.

Hue and contrast variation. I love this one, looks like moonlight!

My new contact details:

Julie Caves studio
Abbey Arts Centre
89 Park Road,
New Barnet,
London
EN4 9QX

(Piccadilly line, Cockfosters station)

Recent studio pictures

Here is a batch of more recent studio pictures.

Spring is progressing and the gardens are really gorgeous. Forget-me-nots along the paths, the doves cooing by the drive, and ivy growing in through my wall. Life everywhere! (And as you can see, one of the former occupants didn't know how to repair a window. Luckily I can glaze.)

We finished the major part of the move this weekend. Exhausted but pleased. Yes.

As always- click image for a larger version.

Abbey Art Centre

The promised pictures of my new studio.
It is a walled oasis of countryside in the middle of the suburbs of North London!

So far just exterior pictures.
Click for larger images.

BABE is next weekend!

Next weekend, April 4th and 5th, is the Bristol Artists Book Event.

Over 50 artist book makers will have stalls, including me, Serendipity Press.

It is at the Arnolfini Gallery which is a lovely location.

I will have 2 new books and some new small stuff.

Hope to see you there!

New Studio!

I am moving to a new studio in North London.
The Abbey Art Centre.
There is a garden with kitties!
And lots of space to paint. And just in time for Spring so my work may have a different feel for a while- green grass and blue skies and such! What colour influences!

I will put up pictures as soon as I take them.

My art to purchase on-line

You can now buy my books and paintings on-line.
I will be uploading work every week.
Here is the link.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Even if you are bitter and cynical about Valentine's Day, you can't really say it is a modern invention to get us to buy cards, chocolates and flowers, because this holiday has been around since the Romans. Personally, I like to get chocs and flowers more than once a year (and luckily, I do!).
For our Valentine's brunch (nice that it is on a Saturday) I will be making fried bread with a heart cut out of the middle of the bread and an egg fried in the spot. Because I am just that soppy! Holidays, rituals and symbolism are nice, I feel connected with something I guess, a past, a culture maybe. Plus I love hearts and flowers!

Go spread some love!


This image is from the cover of my book Cut It Out!

Valentine's Day (almost)

Almost from Church and Steak on Vimeo.

Snowy London Town

It snowed here in London!
It is unusual and made the international news.
I took some pictures walking from my flat to my studio.
Notice the snow on the mosque in the bottom picture of the bus stop sign.