Artist talk tomorrow!

"Order & Chaos" : Copyright © 2012 by Martin Herbert

In my experience, if there's one thing artists (at least representational artists who do stuff that's a bit 'wierd') get asked more than any other it's "Where do you get your ideas from?"

"Functional Pumping Heart Model (Self Portrait 2011)" (Detail) : Copyright © 2011 by Martin Herbert

Well, now we have the means to answer this most important of questions - the Artists Talk!

"Pan in Ireland" : Copyright © 2012 by Martin Herbert

Accordingly, I will be talking tomorrow about my current exhibition at the Mid Wales Arts Centre in Caersws, addressing such matters as the inspiration behind the work, the techniques used in its creation, and a little about the meaning of each piece, as well as going on to talk about the latest project and where it's all leading! Want to hear the story behind "That Tracey Emin Says My Art Looks Like a Plane Crash"? This is the place to be...!

Not only that, but you can partake of a wonderful Sunday afternoon tea featuring MWAC owner Cathy Knapp's home-made cakes - Chocolate & beetroot, anyone?

Artists Talk by Martin Herbert
The Mid Wales Arts Centre
Sunday 6th April, 3:30

Free Admission

Click here for map.

Also on show is work by Julie Jones and Daniel Roberson, a rotating collection of work by other artists and the permanent collection of sculpture by Stephan Knapp.

A bit of a tidy up again - found a couple under a blanket

Hi all ...

First of all many thanks and congratulations to Roger, who secured the Welsh Grand Slam print on ebay at an advantageous price ... time for another Thing I Found in a Corner...

"Double Running" : Giclee : 2006 : 96 x 46 cm : Original unique monoprint : Copyright 2006-2012 by Martin Herbert

"Double Running" is a one-off print which I made for an exhibition at the Welsh Quilt Association gallery in Mid-Wales in 2006.  It depicts a male/female couple in running posture under a large sheet of draped gauze-like material.  The printed area is almost a metre high and half a metre wide.  The predominant colours are sepia, pink, and light turquoise and there is an overall 'grainy film'-like texture.

It symbolises concealed courtship, coyness, misunderstandings, misdirection, coupled with an optimism that it will all turn out in the end - the couple are madly pursuing one-another, but somehow keep going round in circles and never quite making connection ... their understanding is clouded by the gauze which lies over them.  They will make it in the end ... but they're going to have to learn to stop both trying to make the running and figure things out together.

It's an unusual piece ... not really like anything else I've done, and is unique.  The original digital file no longer exists - only these web-resolution images, so it is impossible to ever print another copy - I'm offering it at a very knock-down price as part of my studio-clearout series ... things I found in dusty corners that I'd forgotten I had!

Click here for happy bidding action!

More things I found in dusty corners coming soon!

New drawing - "Mediator" - entry for the Jerwood Prize

"Mediator" : Ink, chalk and gouache on tempera-washed handmade khadi paper : 64 x 52 cm
Copyright © 2'012 by Martin Herbert

My entry for this year's Jerwood Drawing Prize.  Delivered last weekend to the Cardiff School of Art and Design, and now en-route to London.  The Jerwood prize is held every 2 years, and is one of the things I´d most like to win as it actually carries a certain amount of ´street cred´ in the art world!  Well - winning is highly unlikely, judging by the usual number and quality of entries, but it would certainly do no harm to be shortlisted.  The shortlisted entries are all exhibited in a touring exhibition, and it's a good chance to get something into some decent galleries .... Announcement of selections next Friday 6th of July - watch this space - if it doesn't get selected it's going up for sale on Saatchi in the near future ...

This is one of the 'organic abstract' (note to self - must think of a better name) pictures which I'm producing as part of the Synthesis project - a six month Arts Council of Wales funded development project in which I'm exploring the fusion of digital 'new media' (in this case the digital construction of 3D fractal objects), with classic drawing techniques to create 'portraits' of entities and machines which exist only in potentiality.

A new drawing just completed ...

"Order & Chaos" : Original drawing in sepia ink and terracotta pencil on handmade paper : 28 x 22 inches
Copyright © 2011 by Martin Herbert

Hi all,

Just finished a new drawing which I've had in my head for some time.  it's now available for sale on etsy.com.

The perfection of the Fibonacci spiral, based on the golden mean, contrasted with the representation of mortality, decay, and devolvement into chaos. Entropy rules! The skull image may be a complete contrast with the perfect mathematical fluidity of the spiral - however the spiral form is appropriated by nature for the horns - all things are linked. The mathematical expression used in the background is the equation for the spiral itself.

Finally got around to making it, so here we go....

It's a unique original drawing in the most traditional media I can muster - similar to what my hero Leonardo Da Vinci would have used; sepia ink and terracotta (clay) pencil with white highlights, on rough 'deckle-edge' handmade paper prepared with a red earth egg-tempera wash. Overall size of the paper is 28.5 x 22 inches (72 x 55 cm).

Please go take a look!