Julie Caves - A busy Artist!

There are so many group exhibitions through the artistic community of Walthamstow that many artists will have work appearing all over the place. Julie is one of those, she will have a main exhibition but you will be able to find her work all over Walthamstow part of differant themed exhibitions. She tells us about her exhibitions and where you can find them all:

1. Please tell us about the work you will be showing in the 2012 E17 Art Trail?

My main exhibition is at Blackhorse Lane Studios. I will have many new paintings displayed in my studio at the Open Studios and four paintings on the wall in the corridor in the Silent Auction.  I use painting to investigate colour, because you can investigate the world with art as well as with science.  I will have my back catalogue of artists’ books out to read as well.  We are no.4 on the map, on the middle weekend of the Trail.  Like last year, look for ‘clean graffiti’ directions to the studios on the pavement – chalk and stencils.

I am also participating in 8 other exhibitions and events in The Art Trail:

• I have illustrated a gorgeous poem by Julie Ridlington for the Walthamstow Poetry Trail. The poems will be shown in the windows of participating estate agents along Hoe St. Walthamstow’s very own fine letterpress printers Paekakariki Press will publish an anthology of the poems. No.57.
• I have a bird box sculpture in the Bird Box Avenue installation on Coppermill Lane. No.29.
• I will be putting out art to be “picked” from the trees each Saturday morning of the Trail along with many other members of the Waltham Forest Arts Club for Art Grows on Trees. No.76.
• I have a tiny bird painting in HideBird2012. No.128.
• I have a painting in the Gifted exhibition at The Mill on Coppermill Lane. No.29.
• I will be putting a piece into the Happy in Walthamstow exhibit at the Hornbeam. No.164.
• I have four small paintings of the sky at Significant Seams in Wood Street Indoor Market that are part of their clouds-themed display. No.113.
• I am almost finished with a sculpture that will be exhibited in the Oxfame exhibition. No.26.

2. Is this your first time in the Trail or are you an E17 Art Trail veteran? 
This will be my fourth year.

3. What are the challenges of getting everything ready for your Art Trail event?
Sometimes I paint quite large and my studio is getting more crowded so space is always an issue.

The other challenge will be time – getting things finished and polished up in time and the time to go see all the other exhibitions I have marked on my guide.

4. Do you remember the first artist that really influenced you? Does that artist’s influence still have an impact on your work?
Albrecht Durer has always been a favourite artist and I have liked Marc Chagall, Wayne Thiebaud, Rembrandt, and Odilon Redon for ages.  I guess I have been influenced by everything I have ever really looked closely at.  I love Peter Doig’s early work; it is scrumptious. Recently I have been looking at Alex Kanevsky and Frank Bowling.  And Manet’s pastels are amazing. And Jenny Saville.

5. The E17 Art trail has become bigger every year. Do you think it is because more artists are calling it home?

Not necessarily.  I remember a few years ago artists talking about looking at the map and realising how many other artists lived on their street.  I think there have always been a lot of artists in Walthamstow; we just didn’t see them.  The Art Trail has made them visible.

6. What has E17 bestowed on you?

Awesomestow has given me a wonderful community, that sense of fellowship that William Morris spoke of, and a big part of that has been the Waltham Forest Arts Club.

www.juliecaves.com

Mark McClure - New Works in Wood

An insight into Mark McClure's exhibition. It is number 154 in the trail guide and sounds like a real interesting project that will really capture Walthamstow's landscape:

1. Please tell us about the work you will be showing in the 2012 E17 Art Trail?
Taking cues from graphic design, Constructivism and Futurism - as well as drawing on contemporary graffiti and urban art, the works I'll be showing are the latest in my wooden sculptural pieces, exploring the idea of landscape and structure that make up the environments in which we live. Solely using reclaimed wood and other materials - they evoke urban landscape through both composition and medium, with the additional depth and dimension of sculpture opening up the idea of numerous viewpoints and enabling an additional level of interaction.

2. Is this your first time in the Trail or are you an E17 Art Trail veteran?
This is my first time! I moved into E17 18 months ago - so am excited to be getting involved with the local scene.

3. What are the challenges of getting everything ready for your Art Trail event?
The E17 Art Trail has coincided with my own open studios - and have also marked the start of a new body of work for the Moniker Art Fair in October - so it's all happening at once! It's meant I've had to plan how I use my found wood - not wanting to use all the best pieces at once. Beautiful hard wood with a good grain & patina is a rare luxury to find - so I need to plan how I use the pieces I have in the studio!

4. Do you remember the first artist that really influenced you? Does that artist’s
influence still have an impact on your work?
Futurism, Cubism & Pop Art were the big three that got me hooked at school.Whilst many artists from these movements still have a major influence on my work,I think Robert Rauschenberg has played the biggest role in my own ideas. He covered all bases - and his work still makes my hairs stand on end.

5. The E17 Art trail has become bigger every year. Do you think it is because more artists are calling it home?
It would appear to be. I'm impressed at the way it seems to be growing. I think because it's geographically more "self contained" than the likes of Hackney and Dalston - there's perhaps more of a community feel.. which gives it a feel different to other areas. There certainly seems to be a creative under current. 

6. What has E17 bestowed on you?
As I've not long been in the area - and I came from the mayhem of Dalston - Walthamstow has bestowed a sense of calm and being settled. It's also bestowed a postcode that makes me chuckle and start singing "Stay" every time I hear it mentioned.

http://cargocollective.com/markmcclureart

Sarah Ezekiel's exhibition will now be on longer!

Sarah Ezekiel's eagerly anticipated exhibition 'My Life of Brain' will be running through almost the whole trail now! It was just going to be on the 1st September at Walthamstow Library along with a talk she will give about her work, but now it will also be on from the 2nd-14th at the Arts and Crusts Fox Office. She must have heard all the pencils scribbling her exhibit as a must see in their trail diaries.

If you were not aware of her exhibition here are all the answers.

E17 Art House

This splash of colour against the grey neighbouring insurance building is a perfect example of Walthamstow’s artistic boom. Just two years ago the building was a bricked up storage room for the Tax Office, but with hard work, dedication and creative magic it was transformed in to the E17 Art House; a welcoming gallery space and a real experienced framing service. The imaginative duo behind the bang of tax storage to storing local art is Kirsten and Elaine, both long time residents of E17. They actually sprouted the shop only one week after the high end framing shop they were working for on Portobello Road closed down.

So, in one week they set up shop, and in two years they have carved out a real sparkling gem for local art in East London. Because of their real quality and experience in picture framing, it has become a favourite and established relationships amongst artists and designers; so you can find in the gallery fantastic prints, cards, limited edition works and more from a diverse and exciting group of emerging and established local artists and all for real great prices. The gallery has become so popular that come October they will be expanding it, so you can find even more fresh and exciting East London talent.

During the trail there will be two main exhibitions on show, illustrator Robert Ball will have his fantastic prints on display in an exhibition ‘East 17x17’ that really captures Walthamstow’s diverse and unique collective culture. Alongside this artist-printmaker Kirsten Schmidt will have up ‘The Magical Flute’, a collection of bright drawings and prints making ethereal creatures from birds, squirrels, rabbits and more.

Both artists work have lots of charm and flair, so it is really worth checking them out. There is a private view on the 6^th of Sept. where you can meet the artists and weave around the work with a drink in hand to some live east-end piano jams…there will also be 10% off all exhibition work on sale.

If you come on a weekend you will also be able to experience the ‘Magnificent Magical Drawing Machine!' It is an incredible invention that you can enter and somehow the machine draws your portrait...a total mystery! Depending on the day you visit, the machine will be set to specific artistic types so make sure to come see this great invention.

If you have already visited the exhibits, come again on the 9^th and bring your kids because Kirsten will be holding free printmaking workshops; get messy with paint and prints and walk home with your own artwork. ‘The WanderingScribe’ will be paying a visit too.

Scratch this place into your trail diary; it is a great representation of Walthamstow’s friendly, welcoming and talented creative community. See some great exhibits, get your portrait drawn by a ‘machine’ and find yourself a bargain find of local art.

6-10 Church Hill, Stainforth Road entrance

E17 3RY

http://www.e17arthouse.com

Fashion's Dirty Secrets

Esther Freeman brings together an exhibition that is important and expressive. Be sure to fit it into your trail diary, it is no.6 in the guide. Esther tells us about the project and her ideas:

1. Please tell us about the work you will be showing in the 2012 E17 Art Trail?
I'm curating the first ever ethical fashion photography exhibition. Called Fashion's Dirty Secrets, the exhibition reveals the real lives behind our clothes and includes photos from campaigning groups Greenpeace, ActionAid, Anti-Slavery International and Traid. The aim is to inform, education and inspire people in to taking action to clean up fashion. We'll also be helping to raise funds for the organisation who have kindly donated their work at a fundraising event at the Rose & Crown on Friday 14th September.

2. Is this your first time in the Trail or are you an E17 Art Trail veteran?
This is my second year on the Art Trail. Last year I ran a pop up shop showcasing local designers who work in ethical fashion. This year I've moved more into the campaigning side, to use art to encourage people  to see that they can be more than just passive consumers of fashion. It's all about people power, which living in William Morris ward I think is quite fitting. As an environmentalist and socialist I like to think the big man would approve!

3. What are the challenges of getting everything ready for your Art Trail event?

I set myself the challenge of partnering with four different organisations who work across the globe. It's not been easy to coordinate, and as they all work with very vulnerable people there's been lengthy discussions about photography ethics. Fortunately there were some images we just had to drop from the exhibition because of the risks some of the subjects face, however we've still got some very powerful images and stories that I think will move people. And with images from China, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, we really will be bringing the world to E17.

4. Do you remember the first artist that really influenced you? Does that artist’s influence still have an impact on your work?
There's a very famous photo taken on one of the early Greenpeace actions in the 70s. It features a huge whaling ship targeted on whale. A lone Greenpeace activist has positioned himself in between the two. The image makes me feel both terrified and deeply moved. To me it says so much about the power of photography to inspire people in to action.

5. The E17 Art trail has become bigger every year. Do you think it is because more artists are calling it home?

I think Walthamstow has a big artistic community, but I think the key word here is community. I dread to think that we'd loose that and just become a home for artists. I think the Art Trail mainly gets bigger every year because the community inspires others to get involved.

6. What has E17 bestowed on you?
A sense of belonging.

http://www.mswandas.co.uk/

Last Minute Inspiration

Duncan Holmes project Walthamstow in Perspective is almost done, but not finished as he is always finding new angles to approach his subject:

I've just about finished with photographing places in Walthamstow for this year's exhibition (no. 11 in the Trail Guide) - in fact I can hardly face the idea of taking any more photos. Last weekend though, a moment of inspiration led me to the rooftop car park at Sainsburys, where you can get an excellent aerial view of the pedestrian crossing half-way up the market.

The photographs for the show focus quite heavily on buildings, since it's about the architecture of the area, although not in the ghost-town way that architectural photographers seem to like. Even so, I wanted to have something in the show with actual movement.

On a sunny Saturday morning, the pedestrian crossing is the perfect place to capture a sense of movement: a well defined space with a constant flow of people and cars in both directions. People gather at the roadside, lined up along the kerb, then pour across the road the moment the traffic stops for the lights, or the cars just grind to a halt and people dodge in between. It never stops while the market is open.

I set my camera to shoot one frame per second, and took the resulting 500 images home to work out how to combine them into a reasonably smooth animation. I suppose video would have worked but I wanted a stop-motion effect, so you can follow individual characters across the screen in slow motion, but it's not too obvious. Nothing particularly exciting happened, but the intersecting paths of cars and people are sort of fascinating. It seems to work.

SoulBrush Art at the Delli

Great to welcome another first timer onto the Trail. Jocelyn Rossiter's paintings will be at the Deli in Orford Road - Venue 138.    

1. Please tell us about the work you will be showing in the 2012 E17 Art Trail.
I will be showing several pieces all with the theme of ‘Bestow’, interpreted in different ways. My art is modern, abstract in style, created with love and soul. There is a strong ‘African’ thread running through my work.

2. Is this your first time in the Trail or are you an E17 Art Trail veteran?
This is my first time and I feel honoured and excited to be amongst so many wonderful artists.

3. What are the challenges of getting everything ready for your Art Trail event?
As my art is already on display in the Deli, one of my challenges is to create a fresh new look to my exhibition for this trail.

4. Do you remember the first artist that really influenced you? Does that artist’s influence still have an impact on your work?
Yes, definitely. The first artist who I fell in love with - and still adore - was Picasso. I also love Frida’s work for it’s emotional and soulful content, as well as Modigliani. But my first love and guru will always be Pablo.

5. What has E17 bestowed on you?
My son, daughter-in-law and grandchildren have lived in Walthamstow for 9 years, and they love it. I spend a great deal of time with them, and have got to know the area and find the wealth of opportunities enviable. There are so many avenues open for people to expand themselves, to learn and grow, in a friendly and happy environment. I can’t wait to see all that the Art Trail has to offer and look forward to becoming more and more involved with the activities in this area.

My exhibition: 138
Venue: Deli Café
69 Orford Road

Preview:
Thursday 30 August 8-10pm

General viewing:
Mon-Sat 08:00 – 18:00 Suns 10:00 – 18:00

I will be at the café in person, pop in for a chat with me:
Saturdays and Sundays: 15:00 – 18:00

www.soulbrush.blogspot.com

www.etsy.com/shop/soulbrushart