Tag Archives: Dorset Art Weeks

Dorset Art Weeks: Venue 141

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Photograph of David Smith's studio

The studio is transformed to gallery

I am opening up my studio as part of Dorset Art Weeks. Everything is set up and looking good ready for the public opening at 11am on Saturday 28th May. I am delighted to be showing a good number of brand new pieces: work that I have produced this year! I am also showing some of the “Black Squares” work I exhibited at Black Swan Arts, Frome, last November which hasn’t been seen in Bridport before.

Photograph of David Smith's studio

A mix of Black Squares and new erased field drawings ready for DAW 2016

The new work picks up where I left off last year before committing to the Black Squares theme for the Frome show, but clearly it has been developed with the experience of that focused process at play. There are new field drawings in colourful Inktense pencil, double and triple erasures and redactions, expressive ink drawings, new asemic text works and some sparse new pieces inspired by the coast which I have been wanting to do for almost a year!

Photograph of David Smith's studio

There’s work to suit a range of space: from small to large

Because there is so much new work – mostly imperial size or larger – I have had to hang more like an art fair than a gallery, which is fine if you remember this is just an open studios event!

I am not open every day during Dorset Art Weeks so check the opening times before you come. I will be open between 11am and 6pm only on the following dates: 28, 29, 30 May, 1, 3, 4, 5, 9, 10, 11, 12 June 2016. Other times strictly by appointment only.

I get a tiny mention in Evolver this issue

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It was nice to have a little mention in the review of DAW in the latest issue of Evolver. The article was written by the artist Fiona Robinson who said nice things when she was here. Thank you Fiona. This is the picture they used of me looking a bit gormless next to Outfall 2 with The Blessed and the Meek behind.

Picture of David Smith used in Evolver

Picture of David Smith used in Evolver

After We’re Gone

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After We're Gone - Ink drawing on paper by David Smith

After We’re Gone
Ink on paper 210mm x 297mm

Today’s #arteachday post on Twitter today was this little ink drawing on watercolour paper. I have been mounting some stuff today that isn’t going to get framed right now and this might be one worth doing for Dorset Art Weeks.

Still Protecting

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Mixed media artwork on paper by David Smith

Still Protecting
Mixed media on handmade paper 279mm x 381mm

This piece from last year was my #arteachday post on Twitter today and created some possible buying interest! If not sold before it willl be available during Dorset Art Weeks at venue 121. it has been framed in my usual style of matt white hand-painted frame float-mounted over polar white card. The piece itself is on Saunders Waterford paper with collaged black paper, scotch tape, watercolour and ink.

Attack

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Attack - collage by David Smith

Attack
Collage & watercolour 279mm x 381mm

Today’s #arteachday post on Twitter was this piece on handmade paper from last year. It has been framed floating on polar white card in a matt white frame St Ives style. It is of course for sale and will be on display at Dorset Art Weeks venue 121 from 24 May – 8June 2014.

Aleph’s Flux

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Aleph's Flux - Ink drawing on paper by David Smith

Aleph’s Flux
Drawing – ink on Somerset paper 559mm × 762mm

Today’s #arteachday post on Twitter was this large “field” drawing. Ask me about the title if you visit me during Dorset Art Weeks!

A challenging day

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Outfall 2 - drawing in ink and watercolour by David Smith

Outfall 2
Ink & watercolour on paper
559mm × 762mm

I’ve had a difficult day. Busy and demanding for the most part and deteriorating to “challenging” to put it mildly. The biggest culpits were technology and the fact that four of my pieces at the framers in preparation for Dorset Art Weeks have got damaged – one at least irreparably and two other fair-size works I have doubts that they can be returned to their pristine state, So I wait anxiously till tomorrow. I had hoped to work on getting this and my other websites into better shape and uploading mor images, but my time has been eaten by woes!

A Little Bit of Bread and No Cheese

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A Little Bit of Bread and No Cheese Drawing by David Smith

A Little Bit of Bread and No Cheese
Drawing – ink on paper 152mm x 220mm

Today’s #arteachday post this morning was a little drawing  in ink on paper collaged on to Khadi paper. Apart from my #Letter365 piece I havenot been able to work much today. I’m concentrating on preparations for Dorset Art weeks which is only 17 days away now. There’s lots to do and i will have to settle to the fact that a lot won’t get done. C’est la vie! I’m off up the studio now for a little bit of planning and prep work.

I never stood a chance

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Drawing experiment: ink on handmade paper

Drawing experiment (detail)
Ink on handmade paper

A busy day today where it was clear form the start that I wouldn’t get much time in the studio to actuall create anything, but I did some important work selecting pieces and delivering them to the framers in preparation for Dorset Art Weeks. I also spent a long time at the opticians where I had an eye test (all healthy and only the tiniest of changes in one eye) and got my favorite specs fixed (I sat on them!). They also adjusted my other specs that I got elsewhere and advised me on lenses for some studio specs. Absolutely excellent service from the team at Robert Frith in Yeovil helping to keep a visual artists equipment in top condition!

The piece illustrated is my #arteachday piece, a detail of some drawing experiments on watercolour and printmaking paper that i was fiddling about with this evening.

It’s time I started to use this website properly!

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Detail from A Small Homage to Max Ernst, a drawing by David Smith

A Small Homage to Max Ernst (detail) Ink on Somerset paper 381mm x 559mm

I set this site up before Bridport Open Studios last year and got overtaken by all the things I had to do in preparation and have never really got back to it. I have used the excuses of being busy with my #Collage365 project and now my #Letter365 series; and the fact that I wanted to decide on an appropriate design and format for the site; and my problems with making good photographic reproductions of, in paticular, my larger pieces on paper, for not doing it, but now with Dorset Art Weeks rapidly appoaching, it is important that I start to populate it with images. An easy way to ensure at least something get up here is to post the image I am putting up on Twitter each day under the hashtag #arteachday. At least it will begin to demonstrate what my work is about even if i don’t manage to get good reproductions produced or sort out the design for the site in the short term.

Today’s image is from an abstract fine pen drawing I completed today of half-imperial size. The ring is a reference to the solar/lunar disc that appears in a number of Ernst’s works and is a reminder to me to revisit him, especially since my foray into collage through #Collage365 was so fruitful.