Inspiration comes from the strangest sources

I love weekends: what could be better than to start the day sitting outside on the terrace at Paradou on a fresh spring morning, drinking coffee with friends and debating the state of modern art after a stint of brisk dog walking around Crystal Palace Park, such simple pleasures. I sat back soaking up the weak rays feeling contented and inspired to do some thing creative. However after spending the day tackling the weekly house hold chores I realised that the most creative thing I achieved was to put the duvet on back to front. Still may be Tracy Emin started her ‘bed’ installation thingy, doing the same thing all I need to do is leave a plate of cold baked beans to fester under the bed and pair of pants strategically placed with a few fag butts and the Saatchi or the Bigger Picture Gallery will be knocking on my door. I’m sure my husband would understand that’s its all in the name of art.

Talking of being creative there has been a lot of interest from local artists and creative people in the Bigger Picture Summer Exhibition and we are all really hoping for a good response. I personally can not wait to see the art and work produced by the local community. All the details and entry forms are available on the website http://www.biggerpicturegallery.co.uk . The last submission is on the 15^th May so you all have a month to produce a work of art.

After my weekend set back I feel inspired again to enter something especially after watching the programme about the MA students at Goldsmiths on Monday night: I can’t decide on doing something creative with a paint ball gun or where to eat an object and wait for it to pass out the other end. It’s not just about painting; the good thing about ART is that anything goes (or goes through)!

Following Easter, the rabbit ears have been packed away and it is back to a flurry of activity with preparations for the official launch night and their first solo Exhibition with  Guy Beggs. As you can image there is a lot of work to be done and a steep learning curve to climb having to deal with promotion, media and sponsorship amongst other things. It was rather exciting and last Tuesday the local press arrived to do a photo shoot.

Angel has been ill this week and has been spotted on more than one occasion this week in her ‘cheeky monkey’ PJ’s busy on her lap top which I am sure has now morphed into her body as a strange appendage. Poor Angel, she won’t stop working and I fear that she will just collapse in a crumbled heap if someone doesn’t take her batteries out soon! .

Paul (who I shall tell you more about next week) has disappeared off the face of the Earth or rather it feels like that and taken himself off the Norfolk- why I hear you say? Well, apparently he is on a mercy mission to provide holiday cover for the dogs, ducks and other fluffy country creatures whilst his brother goes on holiday but I can help feeling that he is still upset about not winning all the sweeties from the piñata on Good Friday. Apparently he is working hard up there in between egg gathering and ploughing or what ever else he is up to in the country and plans to skype in to the next bigger picture team meeting. Isn’t modern technology great?

We are looking for volunteers to help us with the gallery, summer exhibition and events so if you would like to help out and get involved please let us know.

The Bigger Picture: Cacao, Bunny ears & Guy Beggs

It has been a really busy week for the Bigger Picture team, meetings, project plans, press releases to issue, the new look website to launch, in fact Angel and Huw having been working into the small hours and going to bed as I have been getting up for work (not together I might add), in fact I have hardly seen them at all apart from our Easter Bunny luncheon party on Good Friday. As you can imagine, having such creative friends things are never dull especially at our parties. Roy had somehow managed to source some cacao in its raw form (best not to ask too many questions as he has to protect his source). So Roy and Huw decided to do a Mexican feast using cacao in every dish in keeping with a traditional Easter (chocolate) theme. I managed to buy a piñata (a giant chick shaped creation) as my contribution. All the team (with the exception of Vienna- who was leaving the smog for a week-end in Hampshire) were very excited at the thought of smashing the poor piñata to death with sticks and were a little disappointed that the piñata (for 3 years old plus from M & S) required string pulling rather than beating in order to release the goodies inside.

I had asked every one to bring a small gift to place in the piñata and rather naively I was expecting an assortment of little Easter eggs and fluffy chicks, although a few were to be found in the giant chick it also contained play do, a plastic dinosaur, glittery stars and a pair of false teeth (is there no sense of occasion!).

Angel was a vision in pink! I’m not sure what sort of vision but she definitely made an entrance wearing a little summer dress, pink rabbit ears, a dog collar with her name on it (I’m so glad she liked her gift from our last holiday)  and matching high heeled Barbie pink shoes. We started off with chocolate vodka based bloody Mary’s and/or  tequila with blue bols ( the blue cocktail clashed terribly with my outfit) followed by such delights as chocolate bread with pepper soup, lemon & lime sorbet, chilli and chicken moula, all made with cacao of course and you will never guess what was for desert, hot chocolate sundae. Having overdosed with vast qualities of the brown stuff and all a little hyper active from too much sugar the poor giant chick was about to meet his fate.

A little fresh air was the order of the day and the group took them selves off to the gallery on Anerely Hill to show Paul’s parents the new space. It was great to see that people weren’t put off my Angels rabbit ears and felt comfortable to come in and look around.

Of course the big buzz in town is the official release of the news that Guy Beggs is to open the gallery with a solo show on the 27^th April with ‘an invitation’ only private party to launch the exhibition which opens to the public later that week. How cool is that: an internationally renowned artist opening our community art gallery (and remember you heard it first of first on my blog). Check out the new website for more information.

I have of course purchased yet another little black dress for the occasion because the other ten hanging up in the cupboard are not quiet right and of course no little black dress would be complete with out a new pair of killer heels. .

Guy’s work is really amazing so beg, borrow or steal to get an invite to his opening night party on 27^th April …..I am of course open to bribes especially before my card credit bill arrives.

Is Crystal Palace destined to be the new Hoxton?

Join me for my weekly blog to follow the Bigger Picture team as they open the Bigger Picture Gallery in Crystal Palace. In a year the team have gone from pop up to forming a community interest company to put Crystal Palace on the map as a cultural destination.

Bigger Picture Project
The Art Gallery
2A Anerley Hill
Crystal Palace
SE19 2AA
(previously the Mercedes showroom next to the Grape & Grain)
Email: info@biggerpicturegallery.co.uk
w.w.w.biggerpicturegallery.co.uk

PRE PRESS GOSSIP!  Just between you and me I can leak that the renowned artist Guy Beggs (who has paintings in Tate Britain and the Museum of London amongst others…) is to officially open the Gallery with a month long solo exhibition in April. Keep reading regularly to find out more…..

Let me give you a little bit of background about the team, who are: Roy, Angel, Paul, Vienna and Huw; my friends!

Introducing Angel (and a little bit about me)

As a teenager I dreamed of being a struggling art student in Paris, tucked away in an attic with a pull out bed and a cupboard that housed a small but perfect formed kitchenette, long hot summers spent submerged in poppy fields, painting long into the evening and living off a staple diet of crusty bread, brie and absinth. Then I realised that not speaking French may be a draw back to the plan, developed hay fever, I couldn’t eat cheese without Branston pickle (a ‘guillotine’ offensive in France)

I definitely couldn’t stomach the taste or smell for absinth, despite repeated efforts, let alone paint a picture. All things considered I decided to go with plan B, a life of power dressing, laptops and a daily ritual of being cramped into a tin can of a train like a baby veal calf every day for a life in the Big City putting behind me any dreams of living life in a creative hot bed.

And then an ANGEL appeared on the door step like a little bedraggled puppy……

Day 1: Hanging the art: Roy admires the space whist it’s all a bit too much for Angel, who collapses from exhaustion.

One spring morning last year ROY my dog walking chum and the maker of the best chocolate brownies I have ever tasted (proving that the Americans do have a cuisine to offer the English) and an artist was bouncing around Crystal Palace park full of the concept of ‘ POP UP .
Who can resist Roy’s boundless energy and in a moment of over excitement and intoxication from the spring flowers on a cold spring morning we decided to do a pop up restaurant night and turn the house into a gallery to show case the work of Angel and Roy. This was to be start of the POP UP inspired art movement that was to take grip in our community.
After I got home and sobered up from the excitement of pop ups, I was full of fear: who would any one come, let alone pay to eat, drink and want to view the ‘in house gallery’?  I shouldn’t have worries as the interest in our pop up/ pop art restaurant was incredible.  We were over subscribed; I guess that the people of Crystal Palace have a bohemia streak and embraced the fashionable concept sweeping it way over from New York to SE19. .

It was pop restaurant day at my house and PAUL was in full creative swing, up a ladder and armed with a small (toy?), but deadly hammer. Having worked in a previous life for  Christies(may be it was gavel?), Paul knew a thing or two about positioning and hanging art and I knew that my new plastered walls were destined to bare scars in the name of art. My house looked came alive with a feast of colour.

The evening was a fabulous success but very hard work and I will never forgot Roy and HUW (my husband, the lawyer in a previous life and the best cook I know) slaving over a hot stove cooking in matching white t skirts and producing a gourmet five course meal for 16 paying guests whilst Angel and I put on our best little black dresses to attend to the table whilst our guests were treated to a visual feast of colourful art, food and unlimited wine.

Inspired by the local support for our pop our restaurant and interest in the paintings,  Roy approached Croyden Council with a view to using a empty shop to set up a temporary gallery and so the Bigger Picture Group was formed and the beautiful little corner shop next to the Alama Pub on Church Road was painted and brought to life  to house Crystal Palace’s first pop up shop. The shop has now been sold to a photographer proving that pop up really does have a place in promoting and supporting the community for regeneration.

Day 1: Huw, Roy & Paul admire the view (Is it Angel or Crystal Palaces very own Eiffel tower that is so interesting?)

So just before I go for this week….. The team are holding a summer exhibition this year so for all you artists please go to the website and sign up and tell all your friends. There are prizes as well as the opportunity for you to sell your work… I am off to dust down my old canvas and dig out my old paint a brush, who needs Paris for inspiration when I have my very own Eiffel tower here in Crystal Palace.

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