The Booth Museum is a museum of natural history near where we live. It is very small but full of glass cabinets of stuffed animals and animal skeletons. We visit it often and despite its size can spend lots of time there. Its a great place to go and draw. There are also jars and drawers of oddities. My current favourite exhibits are the bats and pretend mermaid..

We went to the Brighton Art and Design degree show yesterday and saw some interesting work on the illustration and graphics course. The rest was a bit a bit disappointing as yet again it was apparent that there seems to be a lack of academic teaching on the art courses.
Despite always being involved in art neither Steve nor I have studied a degree. For some years in my mid twenties I felt almost embarrassed that I hadn’t chosen this route as so many of my peers had but as I heard more and more stories of peoples experiences of studying I became relieved that I had escaped this route. It still seems that people who have taken an art degree are disappointed at the lack of structure and actual teaching of the academic aspect of the subject- colour theory, form, life drawing. An art degree believes in the development of the individual as an individual and the emphasise is on self discipline. I think this is something that is rushed in the creative person and is an area that develops with age. At the age of eighteen or nineteen when many young people embark on further education I think a structured environment is still very valuable. Self development should come much later- I have always compared it to trying to write an autobiography in your early twenties when you have yet to figure things out. However it seems apparent from looking at the work on display yesterday that there is still a strong push to conceptualism and style over first encouraging a strong ability to see and draw things. The worry is it breeds arrogance in the arts when emphasise is on twenty year olds to have decided on a style or way of thinking.
I didn’t study for a degree in my twenties I worked in many rubbish jobs and drew and wrote and went out in my spare time. I think most of us get there eventually and my wonky route through life has cemented by belief that if you are creative and eager to learn you will do that even if you work in a newsagents or video shop!

We have wanted to go to Margate and Broadstairs for a long time and finally made it this weekend. We saw all the things we wanted to- Shell Grotto, Turner Gallery and Morellis and also got to eat fish and chips on the beach in the evening, paddle in the sea, eat a lot of ice cream, see good shops and do some excellent people watching. Best weekend ever……

We found this gem of a place to stay..

“You live like this, sheltered, in a delicate world, and you believe you are living. Then you read a book… or you take a trip… and you discover that you are not living, that you are hibernating. The symptoms of hibernating are easily detectable: first, restlessness. The second symptom (when hibernating becomes dangerous and might degenerate into death): absence of pleasure. That is all. It appears like an innocuous illness. Monotony, boredom, death. Millions live like this (or die like this) without knowing it. They work in offices. They drive a car. They picnic with their families. They raise children. And then some shock treatment takes place, a person, a book, a song, and it awakens them and saves them from death. Some never awaken.”
Anais Nin.

I was told by someone along time ago that my fondness for sugar was due to my vegetarianism.. My mother told me that her favourite treat when she a girl was a cream cake dinner, which was a variety of bakery delights and a bottle of Lucozade. So I think its in the genes.
Apple Puffs, jam doughnut, fondant fancy(current favourite), sponge and custard, chocolate eclair, trifle, Angel Delight, Rocky road, chocolate crispy, tiramasu.
A meal out means missing the starter to save room for pudding.

Here is my drawing in honour of sugar, cream, custard, flour and eggs..

We went to the Wellcome Collection exhibition- Souzou an exhibition of Japanese outsider art. The artists are all residents or attendees of day centres. The images I have included in the post are some of my favourite from the exhibition.
The first artist Shota Katsube makes tiny action figures out of silver twisty ties and each one is different and full of detail. The second image is of clay figures that the artist moulds in their mouth to achieve the acquired shape. I also liked the work of Takahiro Shimoda who made different pyjamas with brilliant names: Fried Chicken Pyjamas, Salmon Roe Pyjamas and Pigeon Shaped Cookie Pyjamas. There was also the amazing maps by Norimitsu Kokubo who makes detailed and huge maps on a roll of paper that are semi fictional and also extremely imaginative.
We are never disappointed when we go to an exhibition here and the permanent collection is also a brilliant array of oddities.

My cousin Joe Presland is following the family tradition of choosing the hard path of being an artist. He is often disillusioned and baffled by the art world. A common problem for the unpretentious and talented. He has struggled with the confines of the education system and is now contemplating his future as the art world is not something he really wants to be involved in. Yet there is no disguising his amazing abilities, I hope he is snapped up one day and gets to make his way in the world doing what he is best at.. Art.

This is a new screen print produced in collaboration with my good friend Adam Sage. I drew the man and Adam designed the tattoos for him. It will be available from our website very soon with some more new prints but please email if you are interested in purchasing this now. We are hoping to produce more friends for this moustached man and I will post them when up when they are done.

We know it’s hard to take time off now we receive emails night and day and many of us are self employed so last night I made these for my daughter instead of doing our work. We are also taking days off here and there for Easter. It is still very cold out there but it also means we burn up more calories so we can eat more chocolate. Happy egging!