Edible Olympics

 

 

 

 

I have been involved in a few projects like yours over the years and although I was traditionally trained as a painter, I have been labelled as "artist/builder". I can work with various building materials, enjoy using wood metal and glass.

"The Angel of Narberth"

I enjoy building zany constructions , often referred to as "outsider art". My work can often have a fairy-tale kind of side to it, almost cartoon-like, but with a slightly dangerous surreal edge to it.





The office at Friction Arts "The Edge" (with Harry Palmer outside)

My family moved to Pembrokeshire in 1970 and settled on 8 acres on a hill, surrounded by forestry. I am used to working outside and having to improvise with what comes to hand. In fact, I feel that having to work within that kind of discipline can give the whole thing a certain edge.

I like to scavenge and recycle – a sign of the times. 

Cockerel from "Inside St Martin's"

I like the idea of helping to "tie up" a project or event, formulating a starting point and moving through it - joining it up, making it readable. I see it as an organic process

 

Design for a wooden gate at the Cube in Wilton Market, Erdington.

It's not the total output of my work, but I like to build things for other things to happen within. 

Almost like a folio that carries the art work.

Design for a wooden gate at the Cube in Wilton Market, Erdington.

It's not the total output of my work, but I like to build things for other things to happen within. 

Almost like a folio that carries the art work.

 



Design to embellish a chicken run

Bird House

I would love to be involved in your "Edible Olympics" scheme especially over the summer in an organic kind of way. I am good at bouncing ideas off people and like to work as part of a team, I can improvise onsite.



I am quite prolific, prepared to get stuck in and if I got this project would certainly do it for the chance to work within a site that I believe in - the chance to help make something better from within.

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C. V.

I split my art life up into two areas:
Pre M.A. and past.

Before the M.A. I was concerned with painting - sols and group exhibitions and also a lot of mural work, mainly in South Wales.
I also spent a few years abroad in mainly in Turkey and India.

The M.A. loosened me up and allowed me to bring in other media often in conjunction and opened up a way to engage in larger projects.
Often with an emphasis on why something was happening rather than what was happening.

martin.humphries@blueyonder .co.uk
DOB 22nd September 1951
Brought up in Shepherds Bush, London.

1974 Dip AD 1st Epsom Sch. Art x Design.
The course was based around learning traditional painting skills.

I lived for the most part in Pembrokeshire during the seventies holding various small shows of landscape paintings.
1978, Finds Assistant U.C.C.
1979, Building Adventure Playgrounds in Gilfach Goch and Cardiff.
1980, Spent a year and a half in India.
1983, Six months in Kashmir.
1985, Team Leader, painting murals in the Rhondda Valley for 18 months.
1986, Six months in S.E. Asia.
1988, Four months in Western Turkey

Between 85 and 89 I held:
"Immediate Response" Brixton
"A Journey in Progress" Camberwell
"A Wooden OM" Cardiff
" For a Colourfool" Cardiff
"Achilles Shield" Cardiff
"Spirits need Homes" Haverford West.

1989 - 1993, Living in Istanbul, teaching English and painting.
199 - 1998 moved to Birmingham, involved in small scale mural based projects in various schools from kindergarten to secondary, based mainly in North Birmingham.
1998 "You caught me floating in my sleep" show in Nuneaton
1999 "Johnny Eidetic" show in Narberth.

Between 1999 and 2001 I did the M.A. course at U.C.E. Margaret Street, Birmingham. This shook up my art practice and I started to look more at how that I make stand in their own particular environment, I also started to want to give my work its own life, instead of simply being a comment or story about something else.

 

Drinks Cabinet

Cabinet with distance and direction to the Balti Houses of Birmingham.

 

2002, March. "@" exhibition of pictorial e-mails involving up to 50 people.

2002, July, August. "Inside" an exhibition of "Directionals" (3D installations) in St Martin in the Bullring.

2003, "Re-location" involvement in rebuilding the X-Ray factory in Smethwick, transforming it into an alternative arts centre.

 September "Radioactive" the first large show at the factory in which I was heavily involved.



December, "Grotto" a Christmas show involving local school children, the factory was transformed into a "Winter wonderland"



2004, "Utopia" first show at the "Chameleon" gallery in Walsall a group effort where we turned a jewellery making area into a gallery space.



part of "Utopia" (with Alan Cheeseman)

July - September. "Live/Work1" - an art building project taking over a large area of the X-Ray factory.

Punch and Judy Stage

"Tent City" -hidden in an alcove amongst the building.

Voluntary work in Heartlands Hospital erecting a children's garden containing various art works based around wild animals.
2005 July - September. "Live/Work 2" - the follow-on project based in and around a disused Methodist church in West Bromwich.

2006 July, "The Green St Show" - a large two man show in Digbeth.

 



The Balti Chariot

2007 July - September, "The Festival of Xtreme Building", Birmingham. Design of stage and various other installations around the site

2008 winter Five murals in Perry Barr Bus Depot, painted in situ and depicting 70 years of bus service to the local community.

Also building a cross cultural web site with "Unltd", involving as many diverse cultural origins as possible.

2010 summer " The Argonauts" A large mural in Birmingham Central Library



Proposed sign for an on-going project at Edible Eastside

In recent years I have been working on a series of contemporary pub signs, set of paintings based around the Roman Calendar whilst building various outdoor structures.

 

Dog house at the "Spotted Dog" 

http://martinumphries.wix.com/specific-site#

 

 

L.S.A. Genesis

I have been meaning to revisit this for a long time.
It started at a London Surrey Arts meeting in Pembrokeshire in 1981.
A few original images have disappeared and by and large the definition in day to day terms becomes blurred.
My intention is to get them out - nail them down as it were and adjust later.

I found that for the moment - the child's version is easier to follow!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

Recent Work

At the moment, I am still sitting on a pile of wood from old furniture passed on to me from my migrating neighbour (down the road).
I am and have used a fair amount of offcuts to make small panels for pretty well one off images.

On Saturday 23rd March, I decided to stop concentrating on sketch book images and try to put as much preliminary stuff onto domestically sized odds and sods.
This was due in part to not getting any opportunities to work on or create projects and also in part to a fair amount of positive criticism of my paint-work. (Not taking into any account of what it was supposed to be about etc.)

I took a handful of these boards (covered with cloth and primed) to the Hill.
I was quite busy whilst there and this gave me a chance to produce small but larger pieces of work that would be easily recognisable.

I'm still working on pub signs and wish I was spending more time in my Ladywood studio, but the more immediate stuff is certainly more compelling at the moment and easier to produce as a possible body of work.

It is about time that I had a solo show of work - I suppose it doesn't really matter where, its just a case of proving I am still in the frame.
Maybe a quiet library type one here and something in Narberth - where on a small scale I would be able to ship a shows worth up in (probably) one car load.

The Hill in May

It was a comparatively pleasant and uneventful trip to Shipping Hill this time.
With thoughts very firmly fixed on installing at least one log burning stove.
We did buy a new chain saw and I managed to saw a fair pile of firewood and swept all the chimneys except for the Wellstood in the kitchen which has external screws that will need drilling out. something I was unable to do as tools seem to be get from beyond my reach.
x

Mind - the new chain saw didn't last an awfully long time before seizing up! Is it just me and machinery?!

We managed to clean and make the place semi-liveable although the drive is almost impassable and desperately needs a load of mixed stone to be added thoughtfully to individual puddles.
x

The chestnuts I planted with my father in the early 70's are looking better than they deserve to, and can do with further clearing of large saplings in and around them. This would also help to create a down hill, shorter drive.
x

We discovered a lovely pub at Creswell Quay with mum, it would make a lovely painting looking back from up the estuary.
Also had fun walking the dogs at Wiseman's Bridge followed by a bottle of wine afterwards. (another possible pub portrait!)
x
x 

Big Day Out

 

I came across some old sewing bobbin bits in a trunk.

There was a sheet of newspaper there as well, dated 1971. Though that was when the family home moved to Pembrokeshire and I recon the bits and bobs were a fair bit older than that.

I immediately saw them as being very comparable some of my frequent doodles, normally carried out whilst relaxing with a can of beer in front of the fire and decided to build with them.

 

There follows a series of sketches, the first being the one I chose to use.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My neighbour has just sold his house and gave me a few items of furniture.

Unfortunately, most contained a fair bit of woodworm, I am currently using the unaffected bits to build with.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Underlying Art Speak

An underlying repetitive theme, explainable in the right kind of words.
 
I wrote this out on the 2nd April, in a fairly narked frame of mind, I will type it out as it went down.
It was to do with applying for a studio visit from "Turning Point" and also the application for a show at "The Bond"
Since writing it, I have received a reply from Turning Point - but unfortunately the cap still fits many people and organisations who set these projects,  jobs and opportunities up.
Non reply to applications should be sent to room 101!

The right kind of contemporary artist.
Re; Turning Point studio visit.

It seems that I don't give the right answers to/for contemporary art speak opportunities.
It seems that there is a specific way to be an artist nowadays
- holding specific views, stance and producing specific out put from a common ground, understood by "curators" trained to spot the " the right kind" of statements.

I thought that the main function of being an artist was not to come out with the right kind of answers - the right kind of readable formula - the right kind of goals and explanations.

The Bond

Paul Hirst.
I noticed your invitation in Turning Point News letter with interest.
I didn't realise that the Bond held any kind of art events antmore. I believe the last time I saw anything there was about ten years ago!
I do remember feeling impressed with the nature of the place in terms of holding quite an intimate and friendly art show.

During the last few years, my public creative output has been in the form of projects both solo and collectively.
During this period of time I have continued to paint and have a fair number of pictures that have never been shown. I would very willingly show you a selection of them, but I'm not sure what you have in mind as regard to the Bond: how similar is the lay-out to what it was ten years ago and do you have any guide lines in terms of what you are after in terms of a show.
I can also supply you with a more detailed C.V. if you so require.

How open to the public is the Bond, would it be possible to pop in for quick look around?

This is a link to a free web site that gives connections to a broad selection of my work, although, some of the face book links dont work (so I am told) unless you have a Face Book account.
http://martinumphries.wix.com/specific-site#

Look forward to hearing from you,

The Hill x The Bush

 

 

Returned from Shipping Hill on Thursday evening the 21st.
It rained hard in South Wales and the wipers started to pack in in the middle of it.

 

Whats left of the gypsy caravan

It was a hard fortnight,
The place is a mess, run down and filthy.
At least Ive cleaned it although there is substantial stuff wrong with the place.

Simon Rich got stuck on the drive and had to get a local garage to pull him out.

 

The Wendy House still exists!

 

I have much to add to a couple of the blog sites, but I'm trying to sort out documentation and face book stuff first.

 

 

Big Jim Mulligan
Shipping Hill 74(?)
 

I'm still quite involved with the perennial stuff and also thinking hard about some old images from Shepherds Bush.

I have decided to make a few one off type canvases to give/sell/use in their own right. Immediate transaction as it were as oppose to relying on other people to help me set up a specific project. (the man who cannot throw a treasure away at need is in fetters)

 

 

An old Water Colour favourite

Shipping Hill (slight return)

 

 

 

A difficult departure, we have been meaning to leave for ages, but its difficult.
Much to sort out, but at least the keys will be left for me and I am waiting to see how much the place has deteriorated.
I am taking a fair bit of possible work up with me, low and behold - a childrens version of Genesis:

In the beginning there was no earth or sky or sea or animals. And then God spoke in the darkness: “Let there be light!” And right away there was light, scattering the darkness and showing the infinite space. “That’s good!” said God. “From now on, when it’s dark it will be ‘night” and when it’s light, it will be‘day’.”
The evening came and the night passed and then the light returned. That was the first day.
On the second day, God made the earth and over it He carefully hung a vast blue sky. He stood back and admired His creation. “That’s good too!” said God and the second day was over.
The next morning God looked around and thought, “the earth needs to be a bit more organized.” So, He put all the water in one place and all the dry land in another. When He had finished that, God made plants to cover the land. Dandelions and daffodils appeared. All sorts of trees and grasses began to grow. “It’s looking great”, said God and that was the end of the third day.
On the fourth day, God looked around and though, “the daylight still needs a bit more work and the night is just too dark.” So, He made the sun to light the sky during the day and the moon and stars to add a bit of sparkle to the night. He hung them in the sky and stepped back to look at his work. “This is coming along very well,” said God.
The next day, God turned his attention to the water he had collected in the oceans. “I want these waters teeming with life!” As soon as He said it, it was so. In no time, there were millions of small fish darting through the shallow water and huge fish swimming in the ocean. God made birds, too. He sent them soaring through the air. “Ahh, that IS good!, “said God. The dusk fell over the water and the sky grew dark and that was the end of the fifth day.
On the sixth day, God added creatures to the land. He made lions and tigers and bears. He made rabbits and sheep and cows. He added everything from ants to zebras to the land. But He still felt something was missing. So God added Mankind to enjoy and take care of all that He had created. God looked around and was happy with all He had made.
After six days, the whole universe was completed. On the seventh day God had a nice long rest and enjoyed looking at all He had made.


I have been working pretty solidly of the perennial album of calendar images, although there still seems to be a long way to go before I finally tie it up.