JUL:Y 2010
Although bad health has threatened to slow me down somewhat recently the work doesn't stop pouring in and I've regretably said 'no' to projects I would otherwise have lapped-up. Consequently workshops this summer have been reduced as I also don't have my 2 able assistants with me to assist. Hayley (as some will know) is still poorly and Amelia is off on her travels. Amelia will be journeying across Europe visiting various cities and towns in 9 countries on her 2 month tour and will return to Liverpool at the end of September. I will miss her too yet wish her well on her ventures and I expect she'll have a few stories to tell on her return.
Art - The Open Studio project ... this is a no-no as I simply don't have the time to be available to restrict myself to 3 weeks of studio work and personally I don't enjoy opening up my world for all to see ... an artist's haven is a very private place where the spilling of emotion onto the canvas occurs on a regular basis. I'd hate to inflict my emotions when in full flow ... especially accompanied to wild, loud trad ! With 7 commissions to finish this summer the studio won't be the place for visitors :(
- Celtic art sessions ... ongoing as are dance and bodhran workshops as and these are only a few hours at a time they are easy to accomplish.
- Exhibitions - again ongoing in Scandinavia, US and UK this season.
- Refugee Week Workshops ... 2 days of art fun and frolicks in the art rooms with 60 kids to entertain. Both Peter and myself were worn out at the end of it all but the kids went away happy. It was a real pleasure working alongside Peter Sek, an African artist - 'twas great to share stories too.
- Music - Bodhran workshops - Two of these sessions were enjoyed by teenagers from the coimmunity project and it was good to see the boys finally behaving themselves n lettin off steam as they belted for Ireland!
Irish Dance - Three adult classes in Essex at the beginning of June. Not that it wasn't sucessful, just give me kids anyday please - adults are so serious - I think they forget how to have fun !
Voice sessions - ongoing and hope to culminate all efforts into a full and lively music festival in October
- My own singing and voicework has been occupied recently with 4 events in the past few weeks ... choral work in various country houses in UK and Eire and a fun evening with the Ensemble at the new Narthex complex belting out a medley of Beatles numbers. This is something I really generally avoid as I'm not a great lover of 'popular' song but as the Abba one went down so well surprisingly they asked for a Beatles medley this time. I'm generally a Trad or even a Choral girlie but I must admit I did enjoy the occasion which culminated in a rawkus few rugby songs to which even the staff joined in ... I'm a great believer in audience participation but this lot didn't even need prompting!
Literature - Literature shone it's pretty head in the shape of a lovely lady, Hayley Long, author of the Lottie Biggs Sagas for teenagers. We shared a wonderful day together and I thoroughly enjoyed her presentation to the students as well as her enthusiasm at each of the 3 sessions we delivered. The book signing was the highlight for many of the youngsters and Waterstones representatives went away very happy.
Another literary moment occured at the launch of a new novel by Stephenie Meyer (no I hadn't heard of her - it's a teen thing). The kids were absolutely appalled at my lack of knowledge concerning the Twilight series , books films etc but I truly don't read the press so I didn't understand the hype it would cause ... and cause it , it did. Maybe this peep is a rival for Harry Potter judging by the excitement of the girls? - I'll apologise here as I haven't seen or read any of these either .. so HP and Twilight will be sadly missed by me????
What's to come? ;;;
- Voiceworks choir recitals and rehearsals culminating in the annual festival in October (I'm praying we get the majestic Mike Brewer again this year)
- Greeting cards for a new cake company - working on at moment
- Cards as well as a calendar for 2012 (no not nudie one ... where would I place the brushes?)
- The Hayley collection of Bunnies will hit the shops early springtime next year with all proceeds to the Cancer Care Trust
- Exhibition in London resulting in a dedication ceremony of dignitarys and famous peep n me ! (no I won;t wear a suit)
- Yet another Cathedral piece to be designed and worked on .. a HUGE window this time .. worried that I don't have the space in my studio to place eveything for this one .. solution needed
- Four large sculptures to create for trail in 2011.
This should keep me out of mischief ... and the doctors tell me to rest!!!!! They're misled for sure
Slainte xx
MAY 2010
It is with a sad heart that I write to say that a close friend of mine is suffering with what is now terminal Cancer. She was and is still a valuable right-hand girl to me and she has supported my workshops and sessions over the past 9 years. I will sorely miss her warmth and love and although before she met me she never danced a step in her life, never took up an instrument or sang like a loon she can now boast and add these accomplishments to her CV when she hits heaven!
I have always been happy in her company and the children delight in her childlike presence ... "ever the child" is a lovely way to be and she has taught me that from the beginning. If I get the chance and she is still well enough I will certainly include her in the Celtic summer sessions she so adores.
A strange thing to share with you all but one of her passions is 'bunnies' ... she is rabbit mad! so, I made up a wee pattern to make a few of these felted creatures and named them "Hayleys" ... 
I hope to be able to market them at a later stage in her honour and will ensure that all monies go towards the Cancer Care Trust. I'm pleased to say that she is chuffed to be a part of this venture and she's made 4 already.
Hayley, you have touched the hearts of so many - I love you xx
A creative venture (the SAW Project) aimed at gifted and talented youngsters was well received and I was really pleased to see the kids enjoying their spell of Science, Art and Literature in a very futuristic setting. It was great to watch them getting so messy with wax and food colourings - not so great for mum's who had to wash their uniforms afterwards tho' (apologies).
The Design Council invited me to talk at one of their lectures earlier on in the month which I was slightly apprehensive about (I don't really 'do' grown-ups) and as usual I got lost (in London), turned up a tad dishevelled , 10 mins late and without my notes but still smiling! ... Needless to say, once I get talking about something I'm passionate about there's no stopping me and after my presentation I was warmly congratulated on delivering such an informative and interesting piece to the assembled audience (dare I say it but to me the recipients seemed a rather boring bunch of dark-suited acountancy types - the type of person who goes to a session and just sits still !!!! Ooooh, my wicked side thought it so tempting to introduce a spot of audience participation here just to see their startched dry-clean outfits splattered and the horror on their faces! Just shout the word "interaction" and watch them cringe he he ---- stop!!!!!!!!!! - ye can tell I'm not at ease with corporate clothing types who show no individuality.) - rant over. However, the organisers were wonderful people and seemed really keen to join in with the mess and laughter I didn't need to prompt them at all as they clearly showed a sense of fun.
The presentation was minuted and reported as:- "Maire clearly proved her unique style and delivered with a rather retro approach showing an individuality which opened up the minds of others by offering an insight into the world of colour and design" - Ha, who needs notes eh? I think I did something right in the end!
Art - I am looking forward to wokring with Peter Sek from Africa next month and we are busy preparing art workshops on the theme of Refugee Week - highlighting the plight of refugees from African countries and looking at their cultures. We will be making African Masks and I will ask the lads to post these onto the site for ye all to see.
The studio seems to be groaning with commissions at the moment and the canvases, paper and glass pieces are taking over! Although I do my utmost to ensure the client is always ok with my somewhat loose-deadline I always stress that the work will be finished when I'm happy with it ... I detest being rushed and will dig-my-heels-in not to complete work when I'm tired just to meet a deadline!
The opening of a new building in London is looming ever near and 2 of my windows will be erected - I hope to go along to the opening ceremony when it happens. This was planned for later this month but has now been moved back to accomodate dignitaries - more suited peeps - oh no!
Music & Dance - rehearsals continue and 2 new dances for the troupe to learn is proving hard work- more practice is required obviously but with no free time slots to offer at the moment. it's proving trickier than I thought - we'll get there in the end I'm sure - I have every confidence in them xx
Literature:- I was exceedingly lucky to be able to work alongside the talented author Jim Carrington for the day - he proved to be a very knowledgeable fella and was an absolute delight to work with.
He provided plenty of chat and was happy to answer questions from the children after a rather thought provoking spell of readings from his latest novel which is about teenage life based in a school.
I look forward to working with him again.
Slainte xx
APRIL 2010
This month's work was brief - it consisted of:-
CAFOD workshops x 3 ... 5 large glass pieces to be erected in the cathedral in Norwich, UK accompanied by 200 smaller pieces all depicting images of Advent across the globe ... to be exhibited at the end of the year and on into 2011. As you can imagine with such a large commission it is not yet complete and I will tackle this job during the coming summer months ahead.
Irish dance and bodhran workshops continue for a short while but are soon curtailled as I am trapped at home due to the clouds of ash descending on the country thereby grounding all flights back to the UK (oh dear, an extra week at home ... hurrah) - however, as I write this I can't wait to return home to Eire in a few weeks
The stained glass workshop at Somerleyton has been postponed until October due to restrictions on the building works on site and as it is a historically listed building I need to behave and abide by the laws! - ok " you win!"
Conservation fieldwork training session offered over the weekend at the end of the month ... looked at wildflowers of the meadows and countryside ... very pleasant and gentle indeed.
Art group meetings all well attended and we now have a large number of pieces ready for display .. more on this later
With 4 commissions awaiting attendance in the studio I will need to crack on as deadlines loom !
I have asked the kind fellas who control this site to upload a few new pieces of work that have finally been finished and are currently being exhibited in galleries across UK, Eire and Scandinavia. - thankfully they have obliged and I really don't know what I would have done without them ... thanks tech crew .. you're brilliant! xx .. if you wish to view them please visit the 'eclectic mix' page on this site
Music and voice sessions? - all quiet at the moment but we are about to prepare for the coming season ahead .. more later
May promises an abundance of variety in the form of Science, Art and Literature as well as creative ventures into the world of recycling ... I will elabrorate in May !
MARCH 2010
Apologies at the ready ... due to time restrictions this months effort of 'blog creation' will seem like diary entries only (you lucky so and so's)
- Primroses for the crew and their little teams to pot up and hand out
- Susan Hodge - author of high repute to meet and work alongside with students on creating a masterpiece in the form of a history text book (my input here is to assist with the design, photography and coulour etc) - after which Interviews and photographs etc
- Grada gig in Norwich - fantastic night with handful of friends listening to this young band entertain the locals - I was invited to dance to the tunes and glady obliged (no change there then)
- World Book Day - celebrated throughout UK - loads of photography work here
- Meeting Bali Rai - one of the most inspirational fellas on this earth! A fantastic, moving, teenage author who I learnt a lot about during our day working together - A true genuis, genuine friendly talker and a lovely one at that!
- Cambridge visit to meet Antony Gormley - With what I thought would be the highlight of the year to date was unfortunately a rather dull and boring experience. After spending hours in his company I was releived to be asked to attend an Art History lecture after which I bade a hastry retreat home on the train- the only thing memorable from the outing was the cold weather
- Choir rehearsal and voice workshops arranged and attended by many - great stuff but leaving with sore throat
- New bodhrans arrive - need to warm them up into manageable instruments - nicely sounding after belting out many beats accompanied by Trad crews
More voice work - just as I'd started to recover - this time a 4 part harmony piece with grown ups - nice
Irish dance -and after feeling low and energy levels depleted my spirits raised after sound of music and off we go again - collapse in exhausted heap afterwards vowing to hang up the shoes as the left ankle is puffing up again after a fall last month - but with a show to do it will be buisiness as usual
- Two Bodhran workshops - noisy fun
- Dance show - moved date from wed to sat before gives us only 2 days to get it right - Plan B at the ready - all was well though with lots of hapy faces in the audience
- Exhibits for gallery to deliver - done
- Floods in studio - 11 canvases are destroyed for exhibition in Eire later in month - disappointment regins and have never felt so upset as it coincided with a negative review of a collection (even though all pieces sold) - found out a friend wasn't so and my work was slated further - God, talk about hurt !
- Inspiration lacking as needed - shake it off and fast!
- Bury myself in work with Science week at school approaching fast - reviews to write, interviews to do and photographs to take (a whole weeks worth) - I detest photoshop at the best of times and am much happier with a messy brush in my hand (apologies to all my ovely photographer friends of which there are many - I'll leave all this expertese to you guys)
- Another review of the collection was a postive one from an unknown source - thank you mr writer - I love you x
- Southwold for preview exhibition - colleague aplenty exhibiting this year and I will endeavour to place these on FB as they occur
- Dunwich Heath - walk required - inspiration to gather - will await the warmer weather - next week maybe?
- Food technology photograph project - lovely hour spent with a very clever and creative friend
- Rehearsals - nearly every day - I think I know all the pieces individually!
- Cathedral trip - to visit exhibition space for later in the year - 3 workshops will grow into this space and colourful glasswork will fill the rooms for a whole 2 months (more on this later)
- Spring show - art and craft works exhibiting in Suffolk
Spring Concert - musical event - well attended and enjoyed although exceedingly tired - all the hard work pays off in the end
Looking ahead is very scary as there's work coming out of my ears and I'm saying 'No' to quite a few people for once ... feels good to be in control of the year ahead at last and I will give myself so quality 'time out' this year to re-acquaint myself with old family and friends
- travel to Finland - hopeful - but would prefer to be accompanied ... anyone fancy a trip to the island of lakes?
- Home?- yes please - even if I sneak in the odd few days here it's always worth it
- Boat on the Broads? - will be visiting over Easter sometime - maybe a paint opportunity or is that a Pint opportunity?
Slainte M. xx
FEBRUARY 2010
A while ago I began to pen a short poetic article about one of my last treks across the surounding countryside and it began with:- "The whiteness of the snow changed everything; it covered the ground, dressed the trees and hills, brought a silent music and made the familiar strange. Despite unbroken sunshine the temperature refuses to move into positive figures. The day is crisp and cruel, the air sharp as a blade, and with any wind at all it woudl flay the skin from your face. The snow covering the marshland is topped with a brittle covering of ice which glitters coldly in the bright light. there is ice everywhere. Outside the front door it is black and transparent, varnishing the stone slabs to a treacherous gleam and so it with trepidation that I venture out .... "
I didn't get time to finish the piece somehow so I thought I'd simply pick up the thread and carry on today ... As you can imagine the weather has been decidedly chilly and the offerings from the surrounding countryside have been meager to say the least nevertheless, the birds are still flourishing in the gardens and visit daily to eat from their tables and feeders. I do miss my daughter's hand-made bird- food creations being mixed messilly accompanied with laughter in the kitchen, it's not quite the same as visiting the garden nursey nearby to purchase ready-made edibles for the wee creatures. Still they seem content in their surroundings so I will continue to keep up the good work as it were. Once the thaw really begins to take hold and the ground becomes softer I will get out there and dig, dig, dig!
The past month or so has been a busy one with the 'day job' leaving me with little time to work at home on projects and commissions. Nevertheless, appointments have been made for future exhibitions and workshops for the coming year so once again the approaching holidays and summertime will be a busy one.
I hope to be able to recreate the spledid Celtic Workshop sessions we had a few years ago incorporating many aspects of Irish Culture, Traditional music, dance, Art, Language and Legends. I have asked members of my crew if they would be interested and so far it looks hopeful - watch this space!
The choir groups are still flourishing and we are in the process of learning new material for the spring concert - with only 6 'official' rehearsal slots left we may have to sneak in a few more practice ones to ensure we all know our parts. The kids are in great voice as we speak and are hopefully learning their individual pieces this week.
Last week a few girls from the dance troupe performed for a group of important visitors and we managed to impress with versions of our 2 Reels, a Slip Jig and a Hop Jig. The team went away happy and left us with the hope of further dance work in the future. They were also pleased with the work that was taking place on the art side too; poster work and mask making - all wonderfully colourful and great fun.
I am really looking forward to a stint of photography work I've been asked to do next week but as I haven't really played with my cameras or equipment for a while I'm hoping the techniques I learnt in the past haven't been put to bed! I have some tremedously colourful and energetic subjects to work with so they will hopefully make my job a lot easier. I need to get my head around the new photographic software package that's recently been installed on my machine at home so I expect there may be some 'brief instructions' being glanced at followed by a lot of naughty words when I discover I haven't quite read it right!
I will need to restrain myself when visiting the parishes of Ipswich later this week as I have been summoned to attend meetings with some rather 'reverend' folk so I'd better scrub-up and be on my best behaviour! I don't know if they would appreciate how I am sometimes ... still, every artist must be allowed to create in their own style and the good folk that have hired me as well as my crew in the past have often popped by to see what was happening in the sessions and ended up getting just as messay as us and I can hoestly say they have always departed with smiles on their faces as well as little creations of their own! No-one escapes at all ! If all goes to plan we should have a few lovely week long workshops planned for the holidays for the Diocese as well as a few invited schools from Essex and Suffolk.
Something else just around the corner is the exciting project of working on a 'listed building'. I have been asked to make a window for a large doorway on a Grade2 L/B - I am relishing the fact that this has come my way as the 'norm' for me is to work on installations for new buildings so it is certainly something new for me. I will meet the Historic Building Trust people at the end of the month to learn more.
A few days ago it was my turn to be entertained and although I did my ususal bit of jigging and hopping along to the melody as I was one of the few people who refused to sit still, the lads from Eire played magical music for an assembeld audience in Norwich. Cathy sang along in her own inimitable beatufil way enhancing the experience. I caught up with the lads after the show and we swapped stories of Leitirm and Dromahair and they filled me in on all the gossip form home too. It was a great night out and good to catch up with old friends and if you ever get the chance to catch the band that is Dervish, do take the time to listen - they're the best! (for more info check out my links page ... they're on here too)
Slainte x
