See You Next Year, if Not Before in Brighton!

Time was called upon my participation in SEOS 2010 at 18.00hrs Sunday 20th June. I have had 86 visitors over the 8 days I was open and sold some work to new and past buyers. So to those new collectors of Rod McIntosh, I say;

"Thank you, and welcome to a journey I hope

we will continue to take together."

Sales are great; it is rewarding putting money in the bank to pay the fees and subscriptions I have. However what again I was surprised at were the conversations I had. From those who came out of their way to find me (thank you for your persistence with SatNav and maps) and those that rambled across me or were out in the car. I would like to share some of their comments.

• very zen
• great location, so peaceful, what a space to work in, what a view!
• the poppies moved me, the drips of blood red and then almost erasing of the marks, like a memory that should not be forgotten
• your textures and surfaces are delicious
• the little ones are like glazed gems
• like ceramic tiles, remind me of Delft ware, would love to see a whole wall full
• the circle piece is haunting
• when are you running classes?

Thank you!

To check out what I got up to in the studio visit my Flickr site and for news of courses send me an email at rod@dawltonbarn.co.uk

Of course my involvement with SEOS does not stop here. As Chairman I look forward to reviewing this year with my team and members, holding our AGM in July and starting the planning for making SEOS 2011 even better than this year.

Artists wishing to participate in next years event visit the website and register your interest with the Database officer. I look forward to welcoming you next year.

Open for Business

I am back and OPEN as usual for this last weekend of Open Studios.

Your last chance until September to see the progress of the daily pieces and to see how I am doing with the 'big ones' in the corner of the studio.

Sunday is Father's day; so bring a dad, buy for a dad or be accompanied by your dad and receive 10% off. Just say you saw my blog! I will honour internet enquiries with the same discount, just in case you are not in the eastern Kent area over the weekend.

Important Update to Opening Times

It is with regret that I must inform you that I will not be able to open my studio as planned tomorrow, Friday 18th June.

I will look to continue with my last weekend of Open Studio on Saturday, bright and early from 11.00am till 6.00pm and offering special incentives for last chance to buy on Sunday, Father's day.

Silence of the Lambs

'Baa-ter or Barter Economy?'

It has been a pleasure this week to discover that the president set pre-middle ages, of a barter economy amongst village folk along the Pilgrim's way (that I read about in Chaucer) is still alive and gamboling; for a wee bit longer at least! in the hills of Kent in 2010.

I have traded a painting or two, from the 10x10 daily series as above, for half a Kent lamb grazed on the local hills and slaughtered and to my front door within hours.

Not that I suggest you turn up to my last open studio weekend with livestock or poultry under your arms to see what is going for fair trade. But it is good to see that the creative economy can benefit from old fashioned yard haggling.

I should try this on my consultancy clients.....

Work in Progress

In his book "Jamming', John Kao describes 'Going to the woodshed' as a place and a given time that someone has the opportunity to go and 'destroy what we know to get to what we don't know'.

It is a luxury to have several hours in a day and several days in a row to go to my studio and unlearn having an expectation of finishing something that day and letting the minutes run into hours where I can play, destroy, break the rules to only master them again and find I have changed my mind. Anything is possible.

Visitors today saw the alchemy unfold as fluids mixed, repelled, scorched by salts or fixed in a stasis by an enamel fix.

Scale has been taunting me for sometime. Not wanting my 10x10 daily obsessions to become mere studies for larger pieces I stand before my 50x50 (on the floor of drive) and wonder what they may become.... watch this space.

Opening Night

"It was how big?"

Making sales and having conversations are a couple of the drivers for me to open my studio annually. This year I had an additional motive of inviting neighbours and friends to a little Preview on the Friday evening. It was a gloriously warm evening and the wine and critical discourse flowed.

We have lived in a small Kent village for 8 years, it was the move that slowly enabled me to reconnect with my art practice and have the space for a studio. However not having children at the local school, not being church goers (although Frank now is on the church grounds grass cutting rota) and not having a village pub; the opportunities for us all to get together are what we create for ourselves. It was a pleasure to spend time in the company of our neighbours and get to know one another more than a nod over a steering wheel in a lane or a wave above hedgerows as we ramble and walk with dogs.

I was happy to reveal some of my processes and share an enthusiasm for living and being inspired by such an idyll. Thank you all for coming.

Put the following reference in google maps and find the location of Dawlton Barn, take a street eye view of the village Elmsted and see what else is around. 51.159538,1.023161

Open for Business

11.00am, 4th June 2010

The pips on Radio 4, blasted out of my studio as I walked the 'A' board out to street side and said good morning to the recycling men. Curious as to what I was doing, they asked and popped a nose through an open window to see what lies within...

'ah modern stuff' one offered as a nod of approval.

The other, a younger fella took his time and said;

'I did well in my GSCE art at school and I like the big black shapes!'

I thank them and wish them well with their day.

'Good luck mate.'

I hear them cry as they jump on the white wagon and drive odd noisily.

I have opened well, I think as I walk back into the cool of the studio and switch to Classic FM.

525,600 minutes.... How Do You Measure a Year?

Where has the last year gone? from applying to join SEOS for the first year, to becoming the Chairman and learning out about the business and taking it forward. Now again I find myself preparing to open the doors of my private space, making public my studio to visitors; buyers, neighbours and friends alike.

I make no apologies for the fact that paint will still be drying and the smell of boiling rabbit skin glue barely out of air, it is indeed an open studio. So come visit and take in the Ashford area art trail available here.