All posts by David Smith

Oh no, the special #Letter365 box has gone!!!

#Letter354 No103 can't be posted!
The #Letter365 box has eroded away!

I could pretend that I was surprised and deeply upset that the special #Letter365 box in the Bridport Arts Centre foyer had disappeared when I went to deliver No103 by hand. The truth is that Polly had been kind enough to let me know in advance that another installation was using that space for a few weeks and a very interesting array it is too!

The email Polly Gifford sent
The email Polly sent

So I had to post this piece into the hands of lovely Dee, who finally appears in a picture with enough of her face showing to be recognisable. You will note the worsening state of the printer errors front of the envelope. My annotation about it on the back appears below:

Back of #Letter365 No103
Back of #Letter365 No103

Chaos makes its mark on No102

Unexpected printing on the envelope of #Letter365 No102
Printer errors wreak havoc on the envelope of No102

The great thing about exploring the interplay between chaos and control is that when it all fucks up it is just the effects of chaos in the ascendant. In other spheres at other times marks on envelopes or any other unforeseen mistakes or problems would have caused me a lot of unhappiness and anger,

The marks on today’s envelope are quite attractive and it would be gret to be able to reproduce the effect at will and they did mar what should have been just neutral grey and red. You might notice that the red is hardly red. I have been blaming the paper, but I fear the printer is on the blink. I might have a little investigate one day soon.

Reverse side of envelope of #Letter365 No102
Reverse side of envelope of #Letter365 No102

Love it, hate it

David Smith delivers first #Letter365 to Polly Gifford - article in Bridport News
Nice piece in the Bridport News today

I am going to have to get used to seeking publicity. I hate having my picture in the paper and doing self promotion, but I know that it is a vital part of the business of being an artist. So I am pleased to get a half-page slash in our local paper the Bridport News and know I have to aim for plenty more pieces – locally and further afield – if I am to make a real success of the #Letter365 project.

I wrote the outline of the press release and the Arts Centre tidied it up and sent it out but I am not sure to which other publications it may have gone. I think I need to build my own list of helpful press release recipients. Please help and let me know the best people to send out to.

No20 goes in the box as the sun went in

#Letter365 No20 goes in the box
Yup, another picture of my hand, an envelope (No20) and a bit of post box!

Well the sun went in but I had already printed the envelope – though I expected change so was hesitant!

I was a bit disappointed that the Post Office had run out of the Bridport News so I was unable to maximise my journey 30 yards down the road!

I spoke to Pete Bryan at Arts Development UK today (I set up their website) and he thinks I should apply for a grant from the Arts Council. Should I? I could make the application process part of the art process. Anyone got any thoughts?

All comes good in the end

Yesterday I was surprised that something other than the idea I had planned wanted to get made. Today it was me that doubted myself: I had a clear picture of what I wanted to create for today’s piece but as I was making it I began to doubt if it would work. I was beginning to thing I might bin it and start afresh and just made a final adjustment and bingo it suddenly became perfectly what I was aiming for. It’s magic all this!

Wine and art – a perfect pairing

Polly Gifford accepts #Letter365 No19 in the Arts Centre bar
Polly Gifford accepts No19 in the Arts Centre bar

“Wine and art – a perfect pairing” is what we called the preview evening for our group show “Five artists at the Chapel in the Garden” last August.  Tonight’s delivery of #Letter365 No19 was a much quieter affair. Polly bought me a drink to celebrate successfully completing #Collage365 and the film was good so a fine result all round.

Sunny Sunday No17

#Letter365 No17 gets posted on a sunny Sunday evening
No17 gets posted on a sunny Sunday evening

This one took ages to dry – now there’s a hint: glue or paint or ink maybe – so I am pleased I started it early. I spent part of the day painting in the garden – black paint on a solar wax extractor – not sure that is going to dry properly now that the temperature has plummeted, but I don’t have to send it off to anyone only find it a place out of the weather.

I like the colour on this one very much. Perhaps I’ll stick with it.

No7 goes from Dorchester

Dorchester post box swallows #Letter365 No7
Dorchester post box swallows No7

This must be terribly exciting for someone. Yes it’s a different post box and for all I know it may be of particular interest to post box aficionados. I once thought I would do a photographic book about post boxes and still occasionally take pictures of postboxes in unusual situations or with various creatures in the frame. I hasten to add that I am not so sad as to know anything about the different models – yet!

Chaos plays its part so soon

Chaos rules already
Chaos rules already

The pale ghost that is #Letter365 No7 is ready to go, but as I have to go to Dorchester this afternoon I’ll post it there. Quite pleased with today’s piece in the end, though it was a struggle before I was quite happy with it.

The envelope was a struggle too. Even though I have the saved artwork on my screen with No7 on the top left, somehow I managed to use an earlier saved version to transfer to print! Ah well, that’s all part of the unfolding process of things.

I thought I’d missed the post

#Letter365 No6 handed to the postman
No6 handed to the postman

I have been out all day and didn’t manage to finish my piece before I left this morning. I set to work as soon as I returned and thought I had missed the post. When I got to the box it had already been emptied but the postman was just coming out of the Post Office and agreed to take the letter.