Following on from my drawings in the Tearing Space Apart book, I have produced another drawing using a similar process.

• Take a sheet of tabloid newspaper, tear it into 4 pieces
• Tear each piece into 4 pieces
• Tear each piece into 4 pieces
• Lay the pieces out and number methodically
• Mix pieces randomly into a pile
• Take a fragment of paper and let it float onto a sheet of white tabloid-sized paper
• Draw lines around the fragment of paper. The number of times the line is drawn should equate to the sum of the numbers on the fragment of paper.
• Draw fragments of paper from the pile and repeat as above, the outlines should only be drawn onto blank space and not across existing lines.

My first exploration in producing an artist’s book will be on show and available for sale at Basket House Village Universe‘s residency programme which opens 1 July 2011

Tearing Space Apart #1-7 is a series of graphite drawings which explore the space of a piece of paper. More information on the drawings and the process used to create them can be seen in a separate posting.

Artists who entered By Way of Small Actions were asked to create a visual book of ‘small actions’ describing their working process and these will be on display and available to buy throughout the duration of the residency. Artists Gema Sainz, Joanna Peace, James Lowne & Andrew Stewart, Nicol Dourala and Victoria Adam have been invited into the gallery space to develop working ideas simultaneously in situ as a month long residency. Working across the disciplines of sculpture, video, performance, drawing and installation, the artists will have free reign over what direction their work might take over the course of the month. The gallery will be open to the public whilst the artists are at work, offering visitors a rare insight into artists working methods, and how the art works evolve and interact with the space and each other.

I recently produced a series of graphite drawings as part of a submission process for a residency which has set me off on an interesting path. Here i’ll show the process used and the final works.

Process:

• 3:1 format piece of paper
• Tear random shapes out of page until just a border remains
• Number shapes
• Use a chance method to select a quantity of pieces and which pieces to use
• From a height, allow the selected pieces to land on a new 3:1 piece of paper
• Use a variety of drawing methods (graphite powder, outlines, erasing) to mark the spaces on the paper

These drawings are inspired by my 2008 visit to Ryoan-ji gardens, a series of my drawings which can be seen here and the recent John Cage Every day is a good day exhibition at BALTIC last September.

Cover – Space torn apart

#1 Graphite – flat

#2 Graphite – flow between

#3 Pencil Outlines

#5 Eraser outline

#6 Erased graphite

#7 processes #1-6 combined

A successful meeting with Carly Lindon Forrester from Liverpool-based experimental performance company the The Rat Pit, will lead to a collaboration during 2011.

The Rat Pit also plan to work with Wendy Williams, Simon Jones, John Bernard, Matt Smith and Lee Tisdall

See the Rat Pit announcements page for futher updates.

A new graphite on paper drawing, currently exhibited at The Bureau gallery in Manchester as part of the exhibition We are all in this together.

Pick up a limited edition of Claire’s ‘Dot-to-dot 1’ tonight 6-8pm at the Brindley, Runcorn during the private view for the 7th Halton Open exhibition.

Exhibition open Saturday 28th May – 1 July 2011

The Brindley Arts Centre
High Street
Runcorn
WA7 1BG

This animation was produced by participants working with Chanje Kunda and myself.

Focusing on the architectural pillars of the Harris museum we matched the visual imagery of the columns with metaphorical poetry resulting in this short animation at the end of a packed three hours.

Thanks to all who took part.

An idea:
Can I get the public to complete a dot-to-dot, where the marks they make reflect the movement of a person completing a repetitive task?

This is an idea that I am currently mulling over, with questions over whose movements?, what are they doing? will this dot-to-dot idea work. So, with a deadline for the Halton Open exhibition looming I decided to experiment with the idea.

The subject matter? – Me filling out the application form for said Open exhibition.
The result, a hand -numbered series of 100 photocopies featuring a dot-to-dot exercise.

Download your own un-editioned copy here, or pick up a hand numbered limited edition version at the Brindley Gallery during the Halton Open 28th May – 2 July

Following her participation in the Light Bite exhibition in Nottingham in Februrary, Claire has had 3 works included in the Brighton Open magnet exhibition. Organised by artist Alban Low, artworks are printed onto magnets, for the public to collect on specified dates.

The Brighton Open took place on 7th May 2011 and looks to have been a great success, with one collector commenting on the work of Claire Weetman;

“It’s so interesting. Initially it drew mt attention because it reminded me of M C Escher, its curious – 1st thought it was dancers then rush hour people! Lots to grab attention.”