Pictúir Mark Two and Speedpainting

Agent Orange's lab - Oisín McGann

Remember Pictúir? The exhibition I waxed poetic about last November, an exhibition on children's book illustration here in Ireland?

Pictúir's coming to its close tomorrow, so today there was a last hurrah of activities - It being Laureate Na nÓg Niamh Sharkey's final event as such, too (I know I've had a very good and educational year due to her ideas and family days, having volunteered to help today and during the summer and then attending some events myself!).

"I want to go... HOME!" - Niamh Sharkey

 For a good amount of the day I assisted with Story Building, in the lunchroom with Gráinne Clear, who was fabulously sweet and enthusiastic. I think we all had a blast with it, when each child was finished they could exhibit their work at the end of the room on well lit fabriano! Seeing children scribbling away, or s grin spreading across their face as they listened was beautiful. Their eyes lighting up as they're reminded that really, anything can happen, it's their story, and they have full control. Seeing them write and seeing them create was inspiring in itself - I could have done it all day. I think we all need to aim for our uninhibited childhood again (Tempered by the skill and knowledge of adulthood). As always Children's Books Ireland and Niamh did a wonderful job in organisation- despite the fact a good few hundred kids flooded through IMMA today, it went off without a hitch

I'm hoping that it's true IMMA (Irish Museum of Modern Art) are thinking of continuing on with exhibiting illustration, and in encouraging children in! Reaching a variety of audiences is something Different, and everyone  benefits from this.




In other news, because sleep is something I evidently don't need at all (hah), I decided to try my hand at speed painting last night after speed reading through a tutorial in Imagine FX's pin-up issue. It was pretty inspiring and took the fear of speed paint away. While the image I've come through with could do with some tightening and more clarity, I can't help but feel it's a good start.

RHA

So we had a wander to the Royal Hibernian Academy yesterday.
Wander being the small group of us who showed. Christmas causes so many disappearances in terms of attendance it really must be a magical time of year, no?

We're illustrators.... So the fine arts... aren't usually our calling - But I tried to keep an open mind.
"Okay" I thought to myself "So here we are, I'm going to a fine gallery to see art I'm not used to.." And to be honest, the prospect was quite exciting?

Unfortunately, in the end, I - and indeed, most of us, understood very little of what the art meant. It's hard to concentrate in a class group of people, constantly moving, but even then, I'm not sure if I'd have experienced more epiphanies  if I'd been alone... - A tour, perhaps, would have gone down well, but it wasn't something we had booked for.

It's unfortunate, that I feel fine art has lived up to the less complimentary comments about it after this experience, but I tried..

Above: Attempting Fine Art Appreication

The only thing that I took interest in was really Neil Carroll's work; paintings with odd but lovely geometrical shapes, nice colour and wonderful grounds -including acetate. That I took some inspiration from, having an interest in installations and playing with light, personally.


Now here's the good news; we also got a tour upstairs; to see the places where workshops took place, where their life drawing sessions are held and to learn about the studios - Every six months, a new artist takes up a residency in the RHA, working from one of the studios. Not only do you get lovely room for working and a central location, you also manage to mix more with other people - and other artists. It sounds fantastic. With these studios, and the Open competition each year, work depends on quality, rather than style, we were assured, interesting, and perhaps, something to shoot for.

We also learnt that in the new year, probably towards summer, there may be free life drawing lessons, to encourage students and younger artists into the RHA, I'm really hoping this happens - I'd love to have the opportunity to keep up with life drawing during the summer (And possibly onwards from there too - The future is an uncertainty right now!).

We also got to see some of PJ Lynch's work, drying, which of course, was awesome.


I'm toying with going back.
I do want to know what it means. It must mean something...

World Press Photo exhibition

It's been a while, hasn't it? I can only offer apologies and the excuse of life.

In order for this to run smoother, here's a little background on World Press Photo;

"World Press Photo is committed to supporting and advancing high standards in photojournalism and documentary photography worldwide. We strive to generate wide public interest in and appreciation for the work of photographers and for the free exchange of information. [...] World Press Photo is run as an independent, non-profit organization with its office in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, where World Press Photo was founded in 1955."

So! Before I fell completely ill last week gone, I went to the 2013 World Press Photo exhibition in the CHQ (IFSC) here in Dublin. I wish I'd been able to write about it when I got home, honestly - all the emotions were fresh and raw, very raw.

Raw is a good word in general. This is an exhibition of photo-journalism (world renowned no less, with a new collection touring the world each year) from all over the globe. While this includes some fantastic animal photos and London Olympics pictures, it also contains images from Gaza, Syria and Afghanistan which I cannot describe better than "raw".
I wish I was talking about the file type.

 These photographs were the exhibition for me, you hear about it all on the news, but I have never felt so close to what is going on before.

Paul Hansen, Spot News, 1st Prize Singles

I stood on front of these pictures and I felt goosebumps and I felt tears. I felt shock, wonder and morbid curiosity.
I also wondered at the photographers/photojournalists themselves... What kind of a person takes photographs like these? How?

I also can't help but marvel at the beauty in some of these photographs. Even when the content is horrendous or disgusting, I still found myself enjoying some of these photographs aesthetically.
A certain Yeats quote comes to mind, these days it tends to be tossed around a lot, it's cheesy now, but I feel the gravity of these photographs counters any flippant use of it; "A terrible beauty is born".

Some of these photos are horrific but amazing. Truly, amazing.
If you can go see it, I highly recommend it, for a fiver it's well worth it. You can view it on the site, of course, but in the flesh it's something more - If there's a chance you can come see it, don't look yet. See it when you're standing on front of it.

It really needs to be seen. Not written about (bar as a recommendation to pay up that fiver Gladly)
- Please hurry, it closes the 22nd!!
[Following exhibitions will be in Italy, Kazakhstan, Belarus, Israel and The Netherlands]

Making Space - The Project Twins

So on Thursday, The Project Twins opened their show in The Library Project in Temple Bar. Making Space are a group trying to make use of space that's currently unused and going to waste around Dublin. Arty use. There's a few groups starting to do this, and it's wonderful, really wonderful (Support them, guys, from there it's art studios like they used to do in Drogheda, and from there, the World!). The Project Twins evening was also supported by Tiger Beer. Yes. Free beer. I don't even drink beer, but it was free. I drank the stuff.

So, I don't know if you know The Project Twins. If you don't I'd go check them out now. I'll wait about in the quiet tab over to the left. You'll be gone a while.
Quick and sleek, beautiful and simple, their work is pretty damn divine.
I'm sending you, in particular to the A-Z of Unusual Words. It was my introduction to them and it sprang forth new love. Come join me.

Ultracrepidarian
A person who gives opinions and advice on matters outside of one’s knowledge.

It was a different exhibition, that's for sure. And I can't say it struck me out first thing, that'd be a lie. Here's the crux though. I feel safe with these guys. There are times I look at art, and I don't get anything. I don't know where the person is coming from and often times, I don't trust the person to have thought deeply enough to have a reason for everything that's in the image (I know that's probably petty and deeply conceited, but it's partly embittered experience too, honest). These are The Project Twins though. I stuck around.

I also had a bottle of beer in my hand so I couldn't leave.

It was a good ploy, you can't bring drink outside, to finish, you had to look about and use your brain. Good plan. At least, that's how it went along for me.
I really liked some pieces, others' meanings eluded me/still do. I enjoyed many of them.

The best thing is I was thinking about it the next morning. Rephrasing things. "Creating space" instead of "making space" suddenly had me gasping on the way to the bus stop. I'm glad the road was deserted (the one time I'm glad for a half seven bus). Gasps of quiet accomplishment.

Did I mention there were free postcards?
Four of them. Chuffed.
It was interesting to see the work up close. While it's not been my favourite exhibition, or my favourite work from the twins themselves, I'm still glad I went. All in all it was pretty good. I encourage everyone to keep an eye on The Project Twins if you aren't already.

Cacodemonomania
The pathological belief that one is inhabited by an evil spirit.

Bodkins' Bar

Of course I'm writing about it, haha.
Yeah, this week's been buzzing with activity, I'm kind of glad I didn't go to Eirtakon (Even if I did, sadly, miss a birthday party). I arrived home on Monday at about half eleven or so, trudging through the dark, after making stencils with three beautiful people.

Then on the Tuesday, it was up bright and early, waiting to get to work on Bodkins Bar.

Bodkins has been open for over twenty years and has gone through many changes. This time, it's Mexican. The back's been converted into a gorgeous, casual littler mexican food haven, with butcher paper "tablecloths" everyone is encouraged to doodle on. The food's superb.

Through Facebook we found out that, having repainted the front of Bodkins, the owner wanted artists to come on over and decorate the place up a little, we volunteered.

Yes. Yes. I can hear you all screaming "No. No you don't do it for free!".
And had we been working each on our own, I reckon we'd be screaming with you, but instead we took it as a group and simply enjoyed working with one another. We got down to business and cooperated, it was pretty beautiful, if I do I say myself. Illustration's a lonely business. Group work can be nightmarish, I know, but with such a common and clear theme, a look the Owner wanted, I feel we could pull through very personal preferences and interpretations.. Also we got a meal and drinks for free and we're coming back another night for food and cocktails. Ahem.

"They're students, they'll work for drink, right?"

It was a good experience for all of us, one to be remembered, and hopefully one which will open the door for us to work together even more.

It was a great pleasure to work with Megan, Joe and Kelly,
Go pooch - their work is well worth looking at.

Children's Books in Media

Oh friends I am so sleep deprived, why am I making a blog post. This is wrong.
It really is.
I know, right? But I'm falling behind. So here we go
Maybe you should make bi-annual zines instead.
Ah but can you network with that?
Do both.
Both is good.


AHEM.
Well blogspot, it's been a while. I've been busy doing things I'm too tired to write about. There's a fine, even balance for doing this and I do not have it. If all one of you are hungering for more regular updates, hop onto twitter, I'm managing the 140 characters alright.
What's that? Get on with it?
Fine.

So Children's Books in Media - Where do children's books belong in the press? was an event I attended a week ago today. This was yet another CBI event, hosted as part of the Dublin Book Festival. Indeed, it was the only festival event I managed to get to, which was somewhat unfortunate. Due to all my magical illustration adventures around Dublin recently, I wasn't expecting anything too new, but in the end it was an interesting insight and I learnt that later, in theory, I could actually study children's literature now. It's opening this year and it looks super fab. It's a year long course. Maybe someday I will...

Anyway, the talk (Which was hosted in Smock Alley Theatre) was more of a discussion, with four main panelists to talk about issues/perspectives and answer questions (More information here). Children's books get very little coverage from media (they are in fact, usually the bestsellers, but as they're kids' books they're not counted into the lists). Children's books get roundups and that's about all. A line of text as a review, nothing in-depth, which the panelists were saying was a big issue as far as coverage goes, of course. As is the norm, in other countries, children's books do get the attention they deserve, and picture books are acknowledged as the craft that they are, but unfortunately over this side of the puddle particularly, there's very little at all. Saddening stuff.


Many publishers aren't submitting for reviews for one thing. Eithne Shortall, of The Sunday Times was saying that they've gotten no children's books to review at all this year?? Missed opportunities, no?

Another issue brought to light was a lack of format for children's books reviews. When a reviewer reviews a book are they writing for the parents? Are they writing for the kids? Many reviewers are also uncertain as to how to review illustrations - Something extremely important when it comes to children's books. You may get an in depth review of everything types along with one or two words on the images...
_{("very nice" /groan groan)}

It's something that needs changing, but for now all that can be done is to reveal these problems. I'm not certain I'd worry too hard though, hopefully within a year there will be new M.Phil. graduates in children's literature spilling out of College Green and striding up to papers and magazines.

"Good afternoon." they'll nod, firmly placing their briefcases down on the editors' desks "I'm here to review your children's books submissions. It's time."
The editors will slowly double take and look around, a little wary, but eventually give in once they approach the window to find seven thousand people staring up demanding to know what kids books are hot and what are not.
"Never again" shouts a protestor, a young man named James with a rather doleful childhood behind him "Will Grannies and Grandads stumble blindly into bookshops and simply buy the first children's book that catches their eye! No no, we will have proper books for our children!! Something that will keep them reading for the rest of their lives!".
The murmur of agreement will ripple through the streets, and soon the presses will begin to pump, and teach us what's hip to the kids these days.
And everyone will actually live happily ever after. The end.

Also bring back the Funday Times,
Damn.

Pictúir

Pictúir, a children's book illustration exhibition opened in the basement of IMMA (Irish Museum of Modern Art) on Wednesday - it's running 'till the 12th of December. I went to the opening, saw the pieces and saw many names wandering around with their bodies.

Have the Oliver Jeffers picture they've been using for this exhibition:

Oliver Jeffers, An orang-utan to knock down the milkman..

Oliver got out of Ireland so he counts now.

Anyway, it's pretty big. Not only did illustrators get into a gallery space that's well-established, they were children's books illustrators. Excellence. (No, it really is). The gallery groups are talking a lot about inviting in a new audience to the galleries, getting them when they're young (not their words, but you know they're thinking it).

It was an interesting exhibition with some really really beautiful artwork. I loved Andrew Whitson's work so much. Wow.

Andrew Whitson, Cogito (Detail)

At the same time, while some pictures certainly stood on their own, some had lost their context, I think. I feel some of the illustrations lost power due to this..
Fortunately, the actual books were available at the gallery, which I thought was a nice touch; if you really liked the artwork, you could seek out its original form and its context.
While illustration should have narrative inherent in it, sometimes the text is equally important - in this case the pieces all had varying degrees of success.

A complaint I have about it is that some illustrations were placed not in the "rooms" but in the short corridor-type spaces between them. This encouraged you to move on, rather than to stop and look. Since we were there to see the art, many of us did stop, but that resulted in gluts of people blocking doorways and general stagnation. Another complaint: some pieces were placed on the walls above furniture, or in corners blocked off by furniture. You can't exactly go in for close examination when there's people sitting and drinking tea, giving you the evil eye as you edge towards them. I do understand that you must work with the space you're given, honestly I do, but I think it was unfortunate that some of the artwork had to hang in these awkward spots. New space please, IMMA, this show has been to Belgium, Vienna, and Bologna, surely the home turf can serve us well? (Even if it is illustration, eh?)

Something I did absolutely love however, is that the show kept its principals to the forefront. It was a children's book illustration exhibition, and so it was extremely child friendly. The dreaded reading pods were used (I say dreaded because I've had to help construct those things. Such confusion). No, they looked fab, though. There was one completely decorated by the artists in the exhibition when you came down the stairs which I love. Here's Steve Simpson's side, stolen off his Facebook (classy).

Steve Simpson's kids, helped by Steve, reading pod

Down the end (by the big case of books from the illustrators!) there's another pod decorated by a local school. This had cushions and blankets and torches. Kids were encouraged to head in there and read away together, very cute and very snug looking! The exhibition also put a small but lengthy cloakroom to use by making it a doodle room! Oil pastels and paper stuck to the walls ahoy! Kids (and adults, shhh) could draw to their heart's content. Adorable and perfect! Also when preparing the food, the kids were thought of. Sausages were served in threes, with thicker sticks, not sharp cocktail sticks, in small cups with generous amounts of tomato ketchup in the end. Brilliant.

All in all it was a very relaxed and welcoming exhibition, very child-friendly, which as you can see I absolutely love. It's been touring around the world and now, after travelling Ireland it's finished up in Dublin. It's well worth a look, there's a lot of variety in style and media, there's, if you'll forgive me, something for everyone.A good idea for a family day certainly, head on down, follow the café signs.

We're in the basement right now, but maybe in later years we'll climb the stairs.

PJ Lynch, The Christmas Miracle of jonathan Toomey