news from the studionews from the studiohttp://www.everydayjoy.co.uk/studio/2010-09-26T19:31:14ZSquarespaceSeptember 2010http://www.everydayjoy.co.uk/studio/2010/9/26/september-2010.htmlKelly Harcus2010-09-26T19:24:19Z2010-09-26T19:24:19ZIt's been a tough year in the ol' studio. Last autumn, I was excited to start a 'professional practice for artists' course. It seemed like good timing as my practice was solidifying, I had a sense of place and direction for my work. Unfortunately, and for reasons I won't go into here, it just wasn't right for me. By the time I accepted it and left, my creative impulses were squashed (temporarily, but still!) and I was just tired of the whole thing. 

Then I made the move back into full-time employment, and underestimated how exhausting I would find that. Now though, life is settling down, I can feel the creative energy flowing again.

In the works:

  • experimenting with texture
  • a mind-map gone wild 
  • prolific art-journalling

]]>November 2009http://www.everydayjoy.co.uk/studio/2009/11/25/november-2009.htmlKelly Harcus2009-11-25T22:14:47Z2009-11-25T22:14:47ZI've spent a lot of this month working on the new website. I was chatting recently with a couple of artists about how important it is to find the balance between three things, if you are running a business with your art. You need time to create, to grow new ideas and feed your creativity. You need time to run your business, to update your website and pay your tax. You need time to make the product you're selling, especially if it is something you make in editions. So this month has really been a business month.

Part of the reason for that is the course I am taking this year. It's called Professional Practice for Artists and it has a lot of potential. We have access to the college studios, and projects and time to drive our creative practice forward. We have classes in business skills too. And best of all, we have a group of artists to bounce ideas off and collaborate with. It takes time and energy to adapt to a new group and a new learning environment and I have found it tough to adjust.

]]>January 2009http://www.everydayjoy.co.uk/studio/2009/1/1/january-2009.htmlKelly Harcus2009-01-01T10:47:00Z2009-01-01T10:47:00Z2008 was a very exciting year for me. I had a book on exhibition at the Victoria and Albert museum in London. Other books found their way into various established collections. I had a table at a book fair for the first time.

I'm currently studying my Foundation Year in Art & Design, and developing ideas for new books. I'm working with pen drawings, print-making and typography. Two main themes inspire much of my work. Like many people, I am inspired by nature, particularly our interactions with it, whether it is the changing aspect of a single location through time, or the meaning that we attach to certain natural images. At the other extreme, I find myself drawn to different aspects of the everyday technology that surrounds us on our commute, in our work and homes.

Having explored various paper arts over the past decade or so, I made my first artist book in 2005. At that time I didn't even know that what I had made could be called an 'artist book'. In 2007 I was fortunate enough to meet an inspiring group of book artists from San Francisco, at an art retreat I was attending. They opened my eyes to this fascinating art form. I begin studying artist books at the Mary Ward Centre in London, under Ciara Healy of Ignition, a wonderful source of inspiration, encouragement and practical support.

 

]]>October 2008http://www.everydayjoy.co.uk/studio/2008/11/13/october-2008.htmlKelly Harcus2008-11-13T23:55:00Z2008-11-13T23:55:00ZThe Conway Hall sale went even better than I had hoped. I met many people whose names and work I knew, and enjoyed talking through my books with students, book artists and people completely new to the art form.

I am mainly working on projects for my foundation year. One of these is "every journey is unique". It is based on our everyday journeys on the underground, and looking again at what makes today's journey unique. The book is made out of the free underground paper for that day, and contains sketches based on photographs taken on the same day. It is a book form I want to develop further, as it feels as though there is more to be said and done.

Also in the works is a text-based project that does not fit any conventional definition of a book. "Wings for my future daughter" will be revealed throughout January.

If you want informal random glimpses into my creative process and studio work outside the artist book format, drop by my blog through the link above.

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