The Sweet Melissa

I've been looking for ways to help my art pay, so a few months ago, I decided to make something that would commemorate the Womens Golf, being held locally at The Royal Liverpool in Hoylake. I'd decided to depict  a golfer, which one though was the uncertainty. I did a typically male google of a ladies golf swing, and I must admit, there were a few pictures out there that tempted me! But after reading further, I came across the story of Melissa Reid, you can read about it  here.



 Once I'd read that, I knew I wanted her to represent not just the spirit of the Ladies game, but that of life itself. To overcome something so hugely tragic like that takes a special kind of person.
I was completely isometrically ellipsed out after carving the ball from a block, and I realised, to get the look I wanted would take two separate castings. It took a few days, but I was happy with the finished piece. I've done a generic backing of Hoylake, so if anything else is happening, I've still got the mould, and I can just make a new centre-piece. Theres not as many hanging on walls as I'd like though, the Gallery in Hoylake that was selling them Seagrass, suffered less visitors during the golf than normal. All the traffic and visitors were guided away from the shops, and over a muddy field to access the golf course that way. It was in the local papers, all the shop keepers were up in arms, restauraunts had bought extra food and hired extra staff. You can read about it on this link. A bit like the Olympics in a way! Theres still a couple at Seagrass. I must go photograph it in the window before all the Xmas decorations go up!

I displayed the Sweet Melissa at my recent exhibition, Deliverance, at the Albert Dock in Liverpool. It was really well received. One couple who came in on the final day started asking me about it. I told them, and it turns out the guy plays golf with her dad every once in a while, and he took my card, and said he would tell her dad about it. I never did contact Melissa about it, so I do hope she gets in touch. Be a fitting end to the piece to truly home the most important one!

guess i'll be seein you. seeing her seeing you seeing me

just a hint of green

she took a punt, she made it pay

hold onto your hat. sometimes you win, sometimes you lose

watching, waiting, staring in one direction

Horizons

Long time no see

Its been too long, best do a blog. Long time since I've seen this too. It's a Japanese flag I made, to support the cause 'Liverpool for Japan', a collective of creative fund raising activities to support the 2011 Tsunami affected victims and their families in Japan. The carved central piece depicts the Liverbird with the Japanese symbol for Japan in its beak, set against my interpretation of a cracked and crazed land with water flowing  through. I called the piece Liverpool for Japan, and used simple and iconic symbolism to convey. It was selected for  inclusion in an art auction, together with work by 13 other local artists,  including Adrian Henri, Willie Russel , Bernadette O’Toole and others, and held its own on the sale floor amongst them. 

This picture got sent to me a month or so ago, and its the first time I've really had a chance to look at the piece. Deadlines being deadlines, and me only being able to devote time to it after the day-job, it got taken out of my oven at 5.15, (where it had been drying) and driven over to Liverpool and handed over at 5.55, on sale for 6.00!
Like so many of the things I've created to date, I'm so busy doing them, then I hand them over to somebody else, and never really ever get the time to look and appreciate. I'm quite proud of this looking back, and pleased somebody took a picture of it, else like so many other creations, it would be another one I'd never see again.