RCA Secret Blog Interview

Well it’s that time of year again and the RCA Secret postcard show is almost upon us. It seems to come round faster every year and as usual I only just made the deadline for getting my cards into the show. This year, because of other mounting arty-farty commitments, I left things a bit late and was working on my six entries (three cards as Wayne Chisnall and three as Chig, the name I used to illustrate under and the one I'm more commonly known by back home) up until 3AM the night before the last handing-in day.

For anyone that fancies finding out what I and a few of the other regular contributors the RCA Secret think about the show please feel free to check out our interviews on the RCA Secret blog.

Here are a couple of my entries from last year’s RCA Secret show.

This one, Werecrow, under the name Chig…

And this one as Wayne Chisnall.

Calling All Artists

If there are any artists out there who would like to put their talents to good use and help out the Oli Bennett Charitable Trust by creating one or more postcard sized pieces of artwork then please check out the details below.

I’ve just started working on my cards and here’s my first one. As you can see this pencil sketch bares a startling resemblance to one of my Orifice Box sculptures – although this one seems to be spawning or something (don’t ask me what it means – I only drew it). I’ll wait until after the sale before I post images of the rest – it supposed to be anonymous after all.

The Oli Bennett Charitable Trust (Registered Charity number: 1090861) is asking for donations of artwork for an anonymous postcard art show which will be held on 20 June 2011.

Oli Bennett was a young man killed in the 9/11 world trade centre attack. The charity is set up in his name to provide funding and grants for young people with business ideas, many of who are from an underprivileged background. It operates in a similar way to the Prince’s Trust. The fund has helped a wide variety of young people in the past set up businesses as wide ranging as wood recycling, sports coaching, fashion designing, jewellery making, ceramics, Car valeting, cake making etc.

The sale will be along very similar lines to the Royal College of Art secret postcard show RCA Secret.

Artists are asked to create postcard sized works of art in any media. They will be exhibited online for a week and then sold on the evening of the event for the sum of £20 each. The twist is that the artist signs the postcard on the back so the buyer doesn't know whose artwork they have got until they buy the card and then turn it over. All proceeds from the sale will go directly to the charity.

Any artists who would like to help by designing one or more postcards for the sale would be much appreciated. Please email your postal address to: olipostcards@btinternet.com

We will then get some cards sent off to you. The deadline for returning the cards is 1 June 2011.

If you would like to come to sale you would be very welcome, it will be on 20 June 2011 at Westminster School in central London. If you’d like to come let us know and we will send you more details. Thank you so much for your help.

Gone Postal

I must admit that I have been a bit slack lately when it comes to playing my part in the postal art project, Collaborations, that was recently set up by the Finland-based photographer and artist, Adam Monaghan. Although I completed the first two of the four pieces straight after receiving them many months ago – I have only just now got round to completing the second two and posting them all off to the next artist on the list. Now I just have to get round to starting the next four that have arrived.

 

 This is the third piece in the set – BEFORE I added to it.

This is the third piece in the set – AFTER my addition (note the naughty tentacle).

This is the fourth piece in the set – BEFORE I added to it.

This is the fourth piece in the set – AFTER my addition. I’m not quite sure where the long armed egg thing came from – I think it was getting late and I was getting tired.

The basic premise of the project is that Adam sends out sets of four 18 x 18 cm paintings/collages (that he has started) to various artists around the world. These artists then add to the works and post them onto another artist in the group, who does likewise. Once an artist feels the work is complete they return to Adam. Eventually, when all the works have been returned, we’ll have a small show somewhere and exhibit the end results. The artists currently taking part in the project are Tony Deleon in New York, Dale Devereux Barker in Ipswich, Katie Waller in Brighton, Larry Crittenden in Texas, Irene Runayker in Eastbourne, Carmen Dominguez in California, Kunigunda Dineikaite in Lithuania, Saara Konttinen in Helsinki, Peter Scribetta in New York, Adam Monaghan in Finland and myself here in London.