HAT (Hadleigh Art Trail) 2012 (6 - 13 October)
I was allocated the bike shop Velo Virtuoso midyear and, as I had been lucky enough to get a ticket to both days mountain biking at Hadleigh Farm, I took along my video camera to see what came of it.  In the end I produced a piece using 369 still images (and, therefore, 1476 bits of WhiteTak) accompanied by a looped video of the events.  Sam, the shop owner, seems to like it and I've had good comments.  Only trouble is if they want to keep it, as I had been thinking of adapting it for the Rochford Art Trail later in the month. Ah, well, back to the drawing board...  You can see some images on www.maxdolding.net . HAT at www.castlepoint.gov.uk/arttrail

Too busy to blog...

2012 been busy, firstly instigating the first Essex Schools Showcase for the Arts in Chelmsford which started as an idea to get students to organise and run an arts event around March time. By May, thanks to Jo Bridgeman (Greensward Academy) and Jacqui Watson (Chelmer Valley High School) we had made a plan, they had recruited some of their work experience year 12 students and a week long celebration of the Arts was put on, based at High Chelmer shopping centre, with ten schools participating, filling 3 large galleries and large showboards within the centre with 2D and 3D artworks, students running creative workshops and two days of performance including bands, choirs, dancers and drama.  Thanks to sponsors High Chelmer, Gepp & Sons, Lorica Insurance Brokers and Sterling Insurance, the whole event cost nothing. International artist Grenville Davey judged and presented prizes; Cllr Ray Ride awarded commemorative certificates.  I came up with the idea, organised sponsors and helped co-ordinate plans but all the hard work was put in by Jo, Jacqui, their organising students and all the teachers and students who did a magnificent job within a very tight time frame at a very busy time of year.  Congratulations to everyone - a very satisfying project and the first of an annual event, we hope.

Chelmer Valley High School Olympic Dancers at the Showcase

Link to BBC Essex Interview

Rayleigh Windmill Installation:

Next, I have repeated my film and sound installation at Rayleigh Windmill which runs until 30th September.  I have added a temporary extra sound installation right up the stairwells within the old windmill which seems to have been a success, bring a bit of life to the building, and which I hope to convert into a permanent sound installation in due course.

Item on YouTube c/o Bradlee Nelson at Portfolio Place

Link to BBC Essex Interview

Next: HAT& RAT again...

RAT, the last of the Summer of Art...

Just managed this afternoon to install my display in venue 10 of Rochford Art Trail (RAT).  The unit, 'Beyond the Sun' is awaiting redesign and the owner, Robert Dye, gave me pretty well free rein to install around his eclectic mix of things for sale.  K.I.S.S. (keep it simple, stupid) was my approach.  The unit is not always open, so my work is visible from the street - window screen printed vinyls, mono prints and pastel portraits.

The Trail is on from Saturday 22nd to Saturday 29th October. See this link for details and a pdf Trail Map download.

HAT's off...

HAT (Hadleigh Art Trail 2011) is on this week.  My venue is in the back of beyond in the Regeneration shop.  Originally advised it was an empty shop, I discovered it is still operating 4 days/week at strange hours.  So, my 'view from the street' display of 4 old tellies showing my silent film of the rush hour seemed relevant to the plans displayed within to regenerate the Hadleigh centre and get a little more 'hustle' into this part of town.  So, my experience of exhibiting video is slowly growing (Rayleigh Mill was two projections, this one is multiple monitors).  Next step, I hope (I'm seeking some professional guidance) should be video wall effects.  I have in mind a great pile of old TVs (the Hadleigh ones were £6/each from Sue Ryder) showing various combinations of film.  It's whetted my appetite to extend some of the trial ideas I had around 3 years ago for sound/vision installation.  We shall see...

The display also included some linocuts...all to be viewed from outside the shop.

Chelmsford Arts Trail kicks off...

I have been busy with some carpentry these last few weeks - constructing (after some very dodgy initial  trial designs) a faux transmitter to install in front of the BBC Essex building in New London Road.  They apparently liked my last year's effort which was a window vinyl display alluding to the signals that carry the programmes. 'Carrier' has been allowed to remain up for a whole year so, this year I decided to take another step up the distribution chain with 'Source'.  More images on my website .  Chelmsford Arts Trail 2011 runs from 10th - 18th September (http://www.chelmsfordartstrail.com).  BBC Essex is venue 1.  I'm also in venue 60, Axis.

Clip of Dave Monk broadcasting from outside BBC Essex, New London Road, Chelmsford 9/9/2011:

Sketching trip to Shoreham, Kent...

Enjoyed a lovely day out with five others from my local Leigh Art Group, strolling past a hop plantation through the fields of wheat and lavender along the Darent Valley Path, with the tree covered North Downs as a backdrop.

Even my scrappy sketch brings back to me the aroma of wheat and lavender in the warm sheltered Darent Valley.

I must have another attempt back at the studio at capturing the lavender at Castle Farm which was at its absolute peak...

Rayleigh Windmill Installation closes..

My installation at Rayleigh Windmill closed on Saturday 23rd July 2011.  I met some really interesting people during the run and all were enthusiastic of the 'life' that I had temporarily brought back to the 200 year old building.  During the twelve days worth of 3 hour sessions, our best attendance was 41 and lowest was 10.  Comments received were very encouraging, such as: "This display is really unique and should be here permanently", "Mesmerising", "Fascinating, atmospheric, hypnotic!" and "...the window quite ingenious".
Here is a taste of the installation, followed by the main screen edit...
http://vimeo.com/maxdolding/videos