I can't remember when I began banging on about having artists gatherings to my artist friends, and my partner in crime, Christopher Cook - who was thankfully not only up for it, but helping all the way.
Thinking of Louise Bourgeois and her 'salons', we wanted to create a space for artists who courageously and against all odds, create rare, unusual and exquisite art for the world, to come and discuss their work, their practice and to have the crits - that I and my fellow MA-ers found so helpful at Uni - in an environment that would hopefully help nurture their practice in some small way. And now, after the years of dreaming and then the scheming, planning, building works, the builders, and all the builders' teas, came the first group exhibition of an exhibition called 'Miniature'.
Collectors, curators, framers, gallerists, critics, writers, poets, neighbours, and even a horse whisperer, and of course, the artists themselves, came to the show.
To wrap the show up with a flourish, we held the first gathering of the artists whose works were in the show (and one charming neighbour who snuck in). Though ice, snow and road works threatened, there was a warm welcome, and we all settled down surrounded by the artworks, to an animated talk lead by the painter and Head of Fine Art at the Art University Plymouth, Richard Kenton Webb (striped top) with playful interjections by his fellow Royal College of Art-er, Christopher (seen here giving the very warm open-armed welcome).
Downstairs in the studio kitchen, coffee and chocolate brownie in hand, musing on how to get a word in edgeways next time, I was moved and quietly, yet wildly excited that theundergroundstream is now fully up running and flowing.
Who knows where it may lead...
