Feedback

I have asked some interested parties to give me some comments on how they think the exhibition has gone so far. I emailed members of the Moseley Society, the Local History Group and Moseley in Bloom with the following request:

"As I'm coming to the end of my MA, although I intend to carry on with the idea, I am writing an evaluation of the work done so far. I wonder if you could spare a few minutes to give me some feedback on how you feel the project has gone so far? Please don't feel you have to be polite, honest opinions are of much more use. I would particularly like to know if you believe there has been any benefit to the community and what the longer term impact of the project could be."

So far I have received the following feedback:

"Having your exhibition and project at the Dovecote has proved a real bonus. Initially I was cautious about the viability of the venture,using the Cow House as a gallery,but I could not have been more wrong. You, your visitors (your "public"), the gardeners etc., have all melded together well, and new associations have been formed. The Cow House, with its own historical connections has provided a fitting back-drop for your etchings, both pictorially and by themes. People love stories,and whether they had an experience to relate or were reading other people's memories, have found the exhibition fascinating. The etchings themselves have aroused much interest, both for the quality of the art work ,and the the complexity of the etching process itself.

I'm sure there are many more memories out there! I certainly think it's worth continuing the project through the Local History Group, the Exchange or through your efforts. Have you considered liaising with one of our local residential care homes, and running a project there?"

Helen Minovi  The Moseley Society

"-Your interpretation of the stories stimulates the imagination in the same
way that black and white photography encourages much more imagination than
colour. Your work has made a lasting impression on me - even though I've known
Verity for years, I now feel as though I know much more about her thanks to
your interpretation of her story.

Having your display of objects alongside your art has been a wonderful
addition to the dovecote and cow house this summer. Hope you won't find too
many spiders have set up home and want to go away with you when you remove
the exhibition.

Thank you - it's been a splendid addition to so many of our events this
summer"

Fiona Adams  The Moseley Society

"I would like to say how much I appreciate Sarah's work recording and illustrating residents stories about Moseley life. We all hear too much these days about celebrities including celebrity artists, and not enough about our own neighbours and communities. It was very good to celebrate a historic building and make it a focus for a community art project. Personally I found Sarah to be hardworking and positive about every aspect. Thank you for leaving the Cowhouse in a better state than you found it."

John Newson  Moseley Society member

"Thank you so much for choosing to illustrate my short memory of one afternoon at the end of the war - probably 1943. You have caught the air of menace from the gang of children. the pathos of children who did not know how to play with a normal part of modern childhood.

Your skill and insight have enhanced this summer for me. It was most enjoyable to spend time at the Cow House talking to visitors about your exhibition. I hope that you will not mind if I mention that when people come into the room their eyes slid round the exhibits and usually failed to connect - unless someone drew their attention to the details and method used. Then they became quite animated and often took part in the process."

Verity Montague-Smith  Local History Group
 

Hanging the latest prints in the Cow House.

The last three prints I have produced have come directly from stories donated by visitors to the Dovecote and Cow House since the exhibition opened at the end of June. I wanted to put these on display so that people visiting over the next couple of busy weekends can see them and, hopefully, be inspired to leave their stories. I have also invited the contributors back to have a look at them (see Moseley Stories blog).

I needed to take down two of the existing prints to accommodate the new ones, so I decided to remove 'Runner Beans', a print I have never been that happy with due to a thin aquatint, and 'Shufflebotham's Stores' which was taken directly from an old photograph.

 The new prints are 'Night Sister', 'The Fireman and Flash Gordon' and 'Moseley Pearl'.

After next weekend's opening, once the gardeners have finished on Sunday, I will need to clear the remaining corner of the Cow House to create a more professional exhibition space ready for MA assessment and a 'Private View' the following weekend. There is a great deal to clear and some particularly heavy water storage bottles. I am hoping I will have some help to do this.

Printing the 'Moseley Pearl' plate

The latest plate to be completed was the 'Moseley Pearl'. I had some difficulties with etching the aquatint stages due to a problem with the water supply in the print room. Instead of the initial 'bite' in the acid being 30 seconds, it was more like 2 minutes as I was unable to wash the plate straight away. I knew this would affect the tonal range of the aquatint, but there wasn't time to start the plate from scratch (having already spent several days on it).

So I had to go ahead and finish the etching and hope that I could rescue the plate at the inking stage.
As the background was darker than I had planned and some of the detail was lost, I used a burnisher to work into the aquatint to bring back some of the highlights.

I tried inking the plate up in several different shades of blue/green so that I had a range of prints to work on. I wiped the plate thoroughly to try and maximise the tonal quality that was there.

I then added spot colour to the prints using watercolour washes. I am still not that happy with the finished prints. When I have more time I would like to redo the whole plate.

Completing the latest lino cut prints

I've spent the week producing lino cuts for the quotes and printing them. I haven't recorded much of this process before, even though it is such an important part of the overall project. I wanted the time and effort it takes me to cut the words and the care and attention of the printing process to reflect the respect I have for each individual's contribution to the project.

Finished Print for The Fireman and Flash Gordon

I have completed the print based on Geoff Jones' story. The main colour is a metallic green/grey with red spot colour picking out the fire and Ming's coat in the comic book 'thought bubble'. I am happy with the treatment of the background. I feel there is enough to get a sense of the complex machinery, without overwhelming the figure or the intricate detail of the comic graphics.

The Moseley Pearl

I have started researching material for Naz's story (see Moseley Stories blog post 20th July). I'm still hoping he may send me some photos but in the mean time I have found some images that I can use.

 When talking to someone from the park about the story, they mentioned that fresh water mussels (images above) can be found in the pool and they will produce small pearls. I also walked round the park and took a selection of photos of the pool edges that could provide a setting for the story.

Using a combination of found images and my own photographs, I have produced a collage. This will be the basis for the print.

As with previous prints, I have been looking at some of Eris Ravilious' prints that were done when he was working as a war artist. In one particular print 'Submarine Commander' he used a circular devise to focus the viewer's attention on what the commander was seeing. As the mussel shell was so small, I have decided to feature an enlarged view of it in a circle in the corner of the print.

The Night Sister

I have completed the etching and aquatint based on Ken Watson's story about his mother who was a night sister at Moseley Children's Hospital. I am quite pleased how it has turned out, particularly the illumination of the windows and the car headlights, which was quite tricky to achieve.

I haven't put any spot colour on this print, as I don't feel it would look right for a night time scene.

The Fireman and Flash Gordon

I would like to produce a print based on Geoff Jones' story (see Moseley Stories blog Sunday 20th July) -  an image of a fireman stoking the firebox of a speeding steam engine, whilst dreaming up Flash Gordon plot lines. I have started to research some images that I could incorporate into a print.

Again I have used Eric Ravilious' war time lithographs as a source of inspiration. In 'Working Controls Whilst Submerged' and 'Diving Controls 2' he shows men working at highly technical machinery, but through the use of textured and graded tone in the background, he manages to avoid over-complicating the image with a mass of detail, so that the men become the focus.

I have produced another collage of images I want to use in the print, including a small section of a Flash Gordon comic strip in the form of a thought bubble.