29 March 2014
Greenwich Dance Today
Are you a teenager interested in joining me at Greenwich Dance today between 11 and 3.00pm to create a large City-Scape which will be part of Divercity on 5th April, tag, draw, make a wire figure to add to the artwork write comments about our city to tie onto life size wire sculptures.
See what the youth dance students created at Trinity Laban last Saturday
DIVERCITY 5th April. 6.30pm
16 March 2014
Last opportunity to see my etchings at The Fountain Gallery, 26 Bridge Road, Hampton Court, East Molesey, Surrey KT8 9HA Hampton Court. 020 8941 5865 www.fountaingallery.co.uk
The show closes today at 5.30pm
12 March 2014
I have printed an etching using the same images as the backdrops for No Strings Attached, the dance choreographed by Charlotte Edmonds in Yorke Dance Project’s Figure Ground. Edition of 30, printed on zerkall paper in burnt-orange coloured ink, can be supplied framed (floating in black box frame) or un-framed.
Print £110,
Frame £50
sales: sallymckay@btinternet.com
10 March 2014
Read a great review given by Luke Jennings in The Observer plus 5 stars given to Yorke Dance Project’s triple bill, I designed and painted the backdrops for Charlotte Edmonds No Strings Attached, the first dance of the evening. I worked from drawings I had made during the rehearsals last summer.
8th March 2014
Eleven Greenwich Printmakers exhibit at The Fountain Gallery
An exhibition of affordable handmade prints. I am exhibiting 6 etchings available framed or unframed.
Sunday 9 March from 1.00pm join us for a drink and Special Viewing
Exhibition runs from 4 – 16 March 2014
Open every day 11.30am 5.30pm
The Fountain Gallery, 26 Bridge Road, Hampton Court, East Molesey, Surrey KT8 9HA
020 8941 5865 www.fountaingallery.co.uk
5 March 2014
Yorke Dance Project perform Figure Ground at the Lilian Baylis, Sadler’s Wells
A week ago at the Lilian Baylis, Yorke Dance Project performed a wonderful preview performance of their touring programme: Figure Ground, an evening of 3 dances from the company. I was commissioned to create the set for the first work of the evening: No Strings Attached, choreographed by Charlotte Edmonds. I spent 3 weeks drawing during the rehearsals in the summer of 2013. Working from the drawings I painted 3 backdrop panels using acrylics each measuring 4m x 2m. I negotiated 6 days in the high ceilinged No Format Gallery near my studio, to paint the canvas so had to have them complete in this time-frame.
It was great to paint on such a large scale – a first for me! In 2012 I created figurative wire sculpture to be on stage with Yolande Yorke-Edgell in Noted.
On Tuesday evening fellow Greenwich Dance Resident Artist, Theo Clinkard, will perform with his company of 6 his life affirming and heart wrenching dance Ordinary Courage, at Laban S. London. I drew this work in 2013 when it was performed at Greenwich Dance in February with Amstatten choreographed by another Greenwich Resident Artist, Robert Clark. I displayed the drawings of Amstatten during the evening and entered the sketchbook into the selected exhibition Sketch 2013 at Rabley Drawing Center. The exhibition has now moved to Black Swan Arts in Frome, Somerset until 8 February.
So see Ordinary Courage, the dance, in London and the sketches of the dance in Frome.
26th January 2014
On Wednesday I completed the 3 canvas’s for the back-drop to No Strings Attached, the dance choreographed by Causeway Young Artist in Residence Charlotte Edmonds for Yorke Dance Project‘s upcoming performance at the Lilian Baylis theatre February 27th and 28th. They measure 4m x 2m, too big for my studio walls, so I worked at No Format Gallery, which is on the same site as my studio, with a high ceiling and lots of wall space.
Because of the size I worked in a landscape format, even though they will hang Portrait. Although tricky, easier than climbing a ladder, because Charlotte Edmonds, the Choreographer and Yolande Yorke Edgell, the Artistic Director, haven’t seen the backdrop yet I cannot post a picture, however I’m sure its ok to post a close up of me in action.
I have never worked so large, but I hope I have the opportunity to so again, I loved it.
30th December 2013
An unexpected lunch in the Autumn sun with my step-sister’s husband… a casual question about the skiing they do as a family… within a few days a skiing trip is being organised! My 3 teenage children and I are to stay in their friend’s apartment in the village of Montchavin in the French Alps for our Christmas break. Plane tickets, train tickets, thermals, ski jackets, salopettes, ski pass, ski lessons, hire of equipment. Oh my, not a holiday to be taken lightly, Ebay was very helpful.
The last and only time I skied I was 19, the same age as my eldest son, a spur of the moment trip to Switzerland to join a group of friends already there. I had a fantastic time, loved skiing and thought that was the start of a new sport for me, but a couple of years later I met the man who became my husband (now ex) and the father of our children and skiing was absolutely not on his agenda.
I carried my small sketch book in my pocket and drew up the mountains every day. Sometimes Gaby, my 14 year old drew too, beautiful sensitive sketches; Max, the eldest drew in the evenings – abstract images but very influenced by the mountains. Jerome just skied and skied until he dropped.
Ist day and the 1st of 4 lessons with Cyril our brilliant and talented instructor, very quick to understand our individual characters and abilities, told us he would be “like your Grandaddy, I don’t want to see any of you hurt”
My kids watching a film on the laptop after a hard day skiing
Christmas Eve was magical, the professionals skied down the mountain with torch flames, Father Christmas arrived with them in a sledge pulled by huskies with sweets for the watching crowd. Fireworks on the mountain side followed by mulled wine and hot chocolate.
Christmas Day, on top of one mountain looking over another
On the last morning, Jerome and I left the apartment early, him to ski one last time with Cyril who was taking him to the top of the mountain to a red-run and me to draw.
After our last day skiing all together, we all agreed we wanted to ski again, Max said “I’ve learnt a new skill and that’s the best Christmas present I could have had”
13 December 2013
During the Autumn Term I worked 1 morning a week with the BTEC Dance students at Lewisham College, South London. They were devising short works for the Choreographic Platform examination and performance, I drew them as they progressed through the task.
In my studio, using my drawings of the students as reference I painted a back-drop for their performance of 3 banners, painting directly onto canvas with acrylic.
I asked the students to draw each other to encourage them to observe movement through a different means and look closer at their peers while they worked.
Student’s drawings of each other dancing
In September 2012 I invited Lewisham College BTEC dance students to dance in no format gallery where I had a solo exhibition, they created dances inspired by my work which were performed in the gallery at the end of the week. A video was made of their performance.