This space between projects is the time I use for putting work out, reflecting on what I have made, and preparing for what comes next.
I have organised a small local exhibition, A Tapestry of Connection, opening at Ceann na h-Àirigh in Grimsay at the end of August. This was the site where I delivered all the project workshops, so it feels fitting to return the work there and share the outcomes with the community involved. The exhibition also offers a natural point to close this phase of the project before moving on to the next stage. Much of my practice begins with looking closely at the landscape around me, so being able to share the resulting work within that same community feels particularly meaningful.
Alongside preparing for the exhibition, I have also been putting my work forward for other opportunities. I exhibited a couple of my prints in the Uist Artists Association Summer Show, and as a result I have been invited to be one of the artists representing the organisation in the Highland Art Prize. It is good to see my work being shown in different contexts, get some feedback and have opportunities come from simply putting it out there.
As a member of Highland Print Studio I am entering an editioned print into the 20:20 Print Exchange, and I have been preparing new acetates ready for development.
I am planning a trip to Inverness and Highland Print Studio in the next couple of weeks, where I can continue exploring some of the ideas that have been developing in the background. I’m waiting for some new polymer plates to arrive before I make the trip. Unfortunately, the recent extreme heat in the south has delayed their delivery. The plates are sensitive to high temperatures and need to be transported in cooler conditions, so I am now waiting for the weather to settle before they can be sent north.
There are new images being prepared, materials waiting to arrive, exhibitions being applied for, prints being made and work from the previous project being shared. It is a period of pushing my work out while, at the same time, quietly preparing to move on -gathering momentum.
Nicola Neate 