Recently I went to the new Creative Network Breakfast Meeting which has moved from The Old Electric to Creative Blackpool. And this first meeting acted very much like a launch event for Creative Blackpool where they outlined their initial programs and what is coming next as week as interviewing some of the local creatives like Garth Gratrix and Harry Clayton Wright what they are up to.
It was an interesting meeting and since then I have been fixing my computer, and then I applied for their Creative Seed Funding, which has been submitted.
For those in the know I used to paint live on camera at The Old Electrics meetings, usually acrylic on C5 envelopes, because they cope with the wet media without buckling. But also I like the shape, especially with them being mainly Blackpool it feels like them being love letters that you would post and send to someone. I have tried to look at getting envelopes printed, as I want to make this envelop project into a book, and I though envelopes would look good. But I would have to get thousands done for a manufacturer to do it . Other than that it means DIY so that is a possibility, but I would need to test it, make a template maybe so I could make them faster.
As I was packing to go I didn’t want to take my acrylics, because a spill would be a disaster. So I opted for jelly gouache being water-soluble so if I spilt paint on the floor, it would be easy to clean up with water, this was paired with some small test pieces of toned Canson paper that I have painted on before. I wasn’t certain I was going to paint, but I was asked if I would so I did.
So the meeting was inside the Blackpool Winter Gardens, so it made sense to paint the building.
The Renaissance Room in the Winter Gardens is vastly ornate, with gilding and I didn’t want to make a mess. I sat midway through the crowd and sketched the presenter and audience. I had never been in the Renaissance room before, so wasn’t sure what to expect. (yes that is a Blackpool Tower that was on the TV during their presentation.
All in all, I would have preferred to paint in acrylic but after being there I made the right choice, although I didn’t spill anything I would have been gutted if I had.