throwing ideas and galleries and affordable art fairs about... come get involved...

So now, where were we, this week has been taken up with talk of collectives, of gallery space, of DIY and doing things ourselves, raging against the art machine as it were... paint has hardly touched canvas (or cardboard or vinyl) this week, only Wednesday morning, paint must be thrown at least once a day though, thems the rules and some rules should not be broken... Hop leaves are out and ready to be painted...

So here's an update just for the record, blue vinyl, 7"blue vinyl, another bit of old ORG records stock, everyone who ever ran a small label must have loads of unwanted bits left over, I'm painting all ours and leaving it on the street... that one was a Dream City Film Club/Rhatigan split single, limited to 1000 but we only sold about 800 so... nothing is ever thrown away here, everything can be turned in to a canvas....

The Gallery space we are now working with is in the basement area of a friendly bohemian cafe/venue called Patrick's Harvist, good coffee, great looking cakes, really friendly people, a breath of fresh air is this part of NW10...

I really didn't plan to get involved in running gallery space but now it has happened I'm rather excited about the idea... After my years of putting on hundred of gigs (thousands, really think it got in to four figures, that's one hell of a lot of tedious sound checks, drummers, people counting to two, guitarist's egos, singers turning up late, fights, beer, broken stage drivers in hospital runs) , no, I really didn't want to get involved in putting on art events and being the one doing all the organising again... seems I must though, galleries in London really aren't that artist friendly are they, I'd rather do it all myself then take all their money grabbing crap...

So we start off with the simple idea of an Affordable Art Fair in early June, with bands, events, and four days of doing it all the Organ way (damn, more band soundchecks!). Loads of fresh exciting art in the gallery area.... all I need now is a whole load of exciting/excited artists to come join in. I want to make this a monthly event, got to make the first one work though. can't do that by myself...

And then there's the first group show straight after... two weeks of paintings on walls... four or five painters sharing walls, I'm one of the four or five, if you think your work fits on the same walls as mine then come yell... if you don't think it fits and you're thinking, no, I don't want to share space with all those leaves and that spray paint and almost (but not quite) out of control paint throwing, but you still fancy the space and taking advantage of our organising energy and publicity drive then please come talk to me about ideas for the space, for your show, your group show... I'm open to all ideas, all art, I have to respect the place, the people, the cafe so Ron Athey style naked upside down and bleeding type performance art I maybe just have to pass on with regards to this space right now... Wonder if Ron paints pretty flowers?

The Collective idea... still chewing on those ideas, if you have any add them as comments... say hello anyway, who are you lurking there... And yes, I did do the "Please Choose One" miniature pieces drop, I hid with a camera and spied on you taking them... well I was near by, not that hidden, they all went in about an hour, did it on the South Bank by the Thames, I'll tell you about it when I have a moment... must paint...

The Gallery Space is at

PATRICK'S HARVIST GALLERY SPACE
underneath PATRICK'S HARVIST CAFE
45 CHAMBERLAYNE ROAD
KENSAL RISE
LONDON NW10

Go have a look at it if you want, be aware though, the art currently hung in the basement was not hung by us, lthough I do rather like some of the work there, and I'm wel aware that I need to do something about the lighting before we kick off in June.... Actually, if you are going to lok at the space give me a shout, I'm just around the corner and I don't bite... right, sun out, time to sling paint...

THE DAFFODIL - Mixed media on recycled canvas

THE DAFFODIL - Mixed media on recycled canvas 60cm x 90cm (April 2010)

Just been reminded by You that i hadn't put a photo up of the final Daffodil, here it is, just for You... Thank You...

Recycled because the piece is painted on an unwanted untouched, (untouched besides by the hand of filthy weather), found on the street canvas - this one found and weathere-white in a pile of rubbish outside a house... I kind of like that idea lots more than going out and buying a new one, this is my idea of street art... find it on the street, paint it, put it back on the street...

NEW GALLERY SPACE...

NEW GALLERY SPACE... So us Organ team thought it was time for some action, had enough of how most galleries here in London treat artists. We've been looking for some space in a place where the people in control of that space have the right attitude to life, to art and the way of doing things. Most of these London gallery venues seem to be about nothing more than an operation in seeing how much money they can squeeze out of art makers. So we're looking at opening up spaces and doing things in a slightly more resonable and balanced way, First space is in a basement underneath a rather friendly cafe, over here on out home turf in NW10, Kensal Rise...

Motivated excited pro-active artists get in touch, organzine at aol dot com. First combined two week show is set for June, opeing night first week of that month. Come at us with ideas and vibrant energy...

motivated pro-active 2d artists/painters who want to collaborate

Organart is a long standing, compact, ever-evolving, small collective of alternative creative people - artists, musicians, underground gig promoters, bands, small press/zine makers, animators, radio show makers. Over the last 20 or so years, we've had many people come through and right now we're looking for fresh blood....

I know I said No Organgrinding here, but this is a touch of Organgrinding...

Today we're looking for a small band of motivate 2d painters/artists and this is something we've been posting elsewhere today...

We're North West London based and right now we're looking for motivated pro-active 2d artists/painters who want to collaborate in terms of exchanging creative ideas, energy, sharing gallery space, projects, the seeking out of alternative space to show/make work. We want a new collective of five to ten 2d artists to join us and to bring something of your own to the group.

You can be London based or you can come at us with ideas from wherever you are. All thoughts and ideas are welcome. Organart has been about in one form or another for over 20 years now (we're experienced when it comes to doing rather than just talking), come throw some ideas and get involved, come introduce yourself.

Gallery exhibition space and more waiting for those motivated enough and with a style and outlook that lines up somewhere near ours...

Contact me directly

I BELIEVE IN BOB & ROBERTA SMITH... (and Resonance FM)

Sunday is day two of the Resonance FM fundraising marathon. Here's five fresh pieces of still wet black (or blue) seven inch hand-painted vinyl that will be auctioned on air tonight somewhere after 9pm... Tune in and find out more via www.resonancefm.com where Bob And Roberta Smith is anchoring the second day and we shall be on air with Cardiacs goodies and some other bits to auction. There's already some gig tickets for Boredoms at the London Forum that you can go bid on...

Come on, support Resonance FM, and help us keep this fine and uniquely special arts radio station on air...

Today's Mayday find, today's Beltane find

Today's Mayday find, today's Beltane find, today's quarter day find on the street was the biggest found piece of canvas yet, quite a body of new work building up now and all on recycled canvas found on the street... This one is, or was now - was because the piece has been in my work space for a few hours and paint has grown on it - this one was one of those giant mass produced canvas art prints you can buy in places like Ikea, and now it is reborn and coming to live with real painted leaves growing in a Trillion green kind of way. By the end of next week it will be ready to be shown, graff marks will grow on it, leafhearts and shapes will unfold and drip on to it in some kind of paint-fuelled bloom, indeed if it was raining (for the first time in about a month here in London, no rain here since April 2nd I think I heard on the radio), if it wasn't for the heavy rain I'd be outside now with spray and paint-stink annoying sunbathing cats with the shaking of spray paint... And it turns out this one was being thrown out by a man who was once in that 70's vocal group, The King Singers, here's a YouTube of them in Boston. There's a story to each of these pieces of found recycled canvas... and now this one has green leafhearts on, come bac kthis time next week and see what else grew on the canvas...

Anyone intersted in sharing some gallery space in London NW10?, Kensal Green...

fund raising weekend at Resonance FM

Today, Mayday, is the start of a marathon fund raising weekend even at London arts radio station, Resonance 104.4fm... Loads of art, music, experienced and more being auctioned over the weekend... It really is a privilege to get to DJ on the the station, I really do agree with the New York Village Voice when they called the station the best in the world... None of us get paid to work there, we're all volunteers, no expenses or anything, it costs us money each week, we do it for the pure pleasure... and there's no advertising on the station either, all funding is from donations, besides the little bit that comes from the arts council (expect that to be cut if those damn Tory get in next week) so the station really does need the life blood of donation... (please)

More about it on the Organ website via www.organart.com

You can explore Resonance via www.resonancefm.com