Frailloops next show is...

Crafts For Christmas, Harrogate on the 6th to the 9th November.

Creative Recycling Gallery, Chorlton-cum-Hardy

Its me! With some of my work in the garden of the wonderful Creative Recycling Gallery. This was the first gallery who gave me the chance to sell my work - and I'm still there. Amazing gallery with lovely work (not just mine!) 

Create your own Sculpture

Here is the result of Nigel's day in the frailloop studio. He started the day with an idea, an envelope with a sketch on the back and an armful of metal. He ended the day with the completed sculpture in the boot of the car, all ready to be sited in his garden.

If you would like to create you own sculpture then give Gavin a call.

Excite, Inspire, Engage Erewash Exhibition

One of the results of our sand casting for the Metal Age project.

Excite, Inspire, Engage Erewash

This two year project is coming to at end with a couple of exhibitions, the first is at our rEvive store in Ilkeston. Most enjoyable opening on Friday and my first shift on Saturday. My little part was the Metal Age. Seeing the pieces that Dawn and I created with the students, well backed and mounted on the gallery wall was brilliant.

Sometimes I want to be a jeweler!

The completed grasshopper required serious help to reach its site on the festival field. The two of us managed, with some difficulty, to carry the beastie out of the barn so the loader could pick it up.

Grasshopper - part 3

The head is more bits of jack.

building the grasshopper - part 2

No real studio time this week, so he we are with a half made grasshopper. Mostly old scaffold and huge trolley jack.

Art in the Pen, Skipton

Back from a busy weekend at the Skipton event. Always a good event with a nice atmosphere, and nice folk all round. Weather was 'interesting' but the real heavy rain came during the day - and we stayed mostly dry on a quick walk out to Malham Cove during the evening.

Always nice to bring less back than I took, but why can I never pack the van as well to return?

Strawberry Fields Grasshopper

Last Monday me and my assistant from the Sir John Moore Foundation started worked. We looked in the skip and took what we liked the look of. Everything has to start somewhere, and this is how the insect was born.

Strawberry Fields Festival Sculpture

Well fingers crossed - next week I hope to be on site at the Strawberry Fields Festival during the build up. Me and young assistant working hard to design and fabricate a large sculpture, using the scrap the farm has collected over the year. We've got a whole 3 and a 1/2 days of work to do this. What can possibly go wrong?!

Well dressed...

Yesterday Frailloop took its wears a couple of miles down the road to be part of the West Hallam Well Dressing. Very busy. Great fun!

Art in the Pen Carlisle

Back home after a wonderful weekend in Carlisle. Hercules has found a new home and I need to spend some time in the studio making some new work.

From Shed2

Experimenting having walls for my stand. Off to Carlisle next week. Come and see me at the Cattle Auction.

Shed2 open studio 20 and 21 June

I will be visiting my friends at Shed2 studios on the 20 and 21 June. Come and see us!

WSB

Spent a busy weekend before the Bank Holiday looking after the Media at Donington Park. Quite possibly the best meeting I've been a part of. The down side is lack of studio time. Time to build up for Patchings.

Runes

Trying something new. Is this too cryptic? I wanted to create a rune-like script, but still keep it readable. Of course I know what it says, so can read it easily. Can you? I plan to post another picture in a day or so...

Making an entrance

Latest piece has been installed in the entrance of an school nice and local to the studio. The school is built on a steep hill with a view over towards the old Stanton works. 

Door stop dog

This little fella came out of the studio this week. Quite a small dog, but weighs in at 7.5kg to makes sure he'll keep most doors in the position you want it to be in.

No photo because...

the piece is not finished, and the client should see it before you do!

Not all fluffy art at frailloop.

So much for blogging every week. Holidays got in the way. The unit next door has a motorcycle painter. If he's not painting bikes, he's playing with his toys. If I understood bikes I would tell you what they are. I don't. However some parts are very rare - I was very pleased to make one of the pieces shown here. Basically I chopped it out of a piece of steel - with the hacksaw, angle-grinder and file. Carefully drilled out the holes and even cut the thread. It now lives inside one of his bikes, and the throttle cable is held firmly in the right place.

Pixar inspired. Not being a qualified electrician it's not a lamp, but the customer will be visiting the sparky next!  

Eay Up ...

This fella has been around the studio for about 18 months. Been re-worked a couple of times as it just didn't feel right. But a few pieces of metal came out of the skip and it clicked.

Busy week but not much studio time. Helping next door, some fabrication for another artist, and a couple of days taking care folk going round donington park as fast as their transport and/or talent would allow. This week I need to be ready to set up at the Ferrers Gallery - which will be next weeks big task.

The picture is the bell for calling time in the Crafty Crow. Strangely the owners did not reply when I offer to make a bell from an ex-fire extinguisher. I knew what I meant, and on seeing it, so do they! Should you find yourself in Nottingham head on up to the castle. Don't go in but cross the road and check out the Crafty Crow and lots of examples of my work. Oh - the beers outstanding too!

Tittering!

Here is the first crow - fitted. More to be made.

The other milestone this week was Donington Park reopened for the 2014 season. Great day - dry and sunny. One driver managed to invert his brand new clio, although you'd not know that if you read his facebook stage!

Crafty Crow

Spent all of last week in the pub. Without a drop of beer in the place! Sanding, filling and painting. Made the sign the week before, but thought the pubs management should see it before posting. Plan a few studio days this week. No doubt there will one or two more crow items along the way.

Not a lot of studio time this week, but three commissions done. If you would like a doorstop just email me... The Crafty Crow is coming along although opening may need to be pushed back a little as the landlord needs to fix the leaky roof. (Or it'll be a water feature!). The pub sign is resting on the studio floor at the moment. At a later date the crow logo may be added to the outside but for the time being its just the 'crafty crow' lettering at needs to be fitted over the door. Can't post that picture until its been seen by those who are paying the bill.

Sitting

This time of year tends to be a quiet time for artist so they tend to spend their time getting organised for the new year, booking shows, planning new work, sorting out paperwork. I spent most of the week crawling around a pub, the Crafty Crow, but without any drink (other than tea) involved. The pub is currently closed and undergoing building work. I was let loose with the sandpaper and there's not many places I haven't been rubbing down. One wall is very damp and the plaster fell off. So with angle-grinder and wire brush I created a 'feature'! Nice rough brick work.

I also viewed some land. Maybe the future base of the frailloop empire?

I did find time to be in the studio for some new work.

Planning? Next week. When I'm not in the pub. Or taking a second look at the land. Or ...

Welcome to 2014

So another year begins and again I will try to blog on a more regular basis than I managed last year. I'll start full of good intent, and then slowly decline... Sometimes I get caught up in a commission and feel I can't publish pictures before the client has seen the work. Sometimes life as a struggling artist takes a back seat while I go and do a few days paid work. Sometimes my life is so uninteresting self censorship steps in.

However onwards and upwards. Just like this fellow...