Indian puppet man

Photo's by Anand Raj 

This is a photo of a puppet man in Delhi India. This puppet man is a duppelganaer of Norwich Puppet man and of similar age. In just a few days this photo has been shared around the facebook community majority of the people in india and he seems to be as popular as the Norwich Puppet man. 

I only came across the photos because a in 2010 I went out to Indian to stay with Anand Gurnani who is India's animation guru. Anand had a company called Animation Xpress and he makes the Indian animation popular. I have illustrated one of Anand's storys, because I became friends with him through my Facebook group women cartoonists. I also really liked the story that he wanted to tell. I painted the illustrations in Acrylic on paper and put them in my portfolio and set off for Mumbai and stayed with Anand's amazing family. Anand introduced me to some amazing people and we even went to meet Mumbai's deviant artists who were meeting up from the networking website for the first time. We made a claymation in his bedroom of the story thanks to the help of his top claymation friends. Then he took me on a photography holiday with a group called Life away from Life. We took a sleeper train to Rajasthan and hung out in Bundi. 

When I got back to the England, I made friends on Facebook with all my new friends from India and that is how I came across this photo from one of my friends Facebook pages, when I was posting about my new group exhibition Slick or Slack at The Art Project Shop in Norwich which runs for one month.

I sent the photos to the EDP newspaper in Norfolk but they are too lazy to publish the story so I thought I might as well publish the story on my own blog. A special thanks to Anand Raj for posting on facebook.

This is what was written with the photo. 

Last saturday I met a Sales Man With Puppet!!!!!(A note from Anand Rai)

I saw him last saturday around 6.30 pm in F block, Inner Circle, Connought Place. He is Well Dressed wearing ironed full-sleeved shirt which is tucked into trouser that has a black leather belt and a stick to support his steps.

His hand is covered with a puppet gloves which makes a "PPPPPIIIIPPPP" sound that enable him to attra

ct passerby.

I am curious to know about his life. What I got ! I wanted to share with you guys!

Let's meet Mr Sahay he is a live example for the people who scared from struggle. He is aged 75 

At this age he comes daily from rohtak with a bag full of puppets and a water bottle which is heavier & makes him uneasy to put each step.

He has a railway pass which enable him to commute daily from Rohtak. He earns for his wife, married daughter and her children. 

He is Retired Bank manager. He had a son who done chartered accountancy, he has spent all his saving for his carrier.

His son moved to Bahrain without informing him and after some time a news comes to him that his son died in an accident.

Now he is the only bread earner for his family.

Please buy a pair of puppet which cost Rs 40 to support Mr.Sahay! Not for Sympathy but to Salute Mr Sahay !!!!!

Slick or Slack private view

Slick or Slack private view opening night Tuesday the 23 October 2012. Here is one of the artists standing by his work which is the green painting on the left and the red painting on the right. It is a group show and will be up for a month. The Art Project shop/gallery has a new printing machine so prints can be made of the work. In the near future they would like to run art workshops.

Here I am having a laugh with the other artist. I only met everyone on the private view. The gallery is run by a group of people from NANSA and volunteers. They all had a meeting and decided who's work was going to be shown and then a group hung the work. Paper work was done by one of the volunteers. I just had to turn up at the private view which was fantastic. I had done some twittering and face booking of my own for publicity but the gallery did all the proper publicity.

Everyone was offered drinks and nibbles. My friend Ann Nicholls the photographer also know as Dandy Snap came along and her other half Roland.

Lots of discussions were had and everyone had fun.

Volunteers up since 8am hanging the artwork and adding finishing touches.

More fun to be had, Richard had been having fun with the new wall cabinet. Which they hope to put more expensive art materials. At the moment they sell brushes, paint, canvas, frames, art books and lots of very useful art materials.

A reflection in the mirror of the artists and visitors to the gallery.

Richard photographing Sarah Cullum with her dog paintings which she started painting when she went to art college. 

Here is the visitor's book, price list and posters.  

Ladies who came in to look at the work and got very excited by the paintings.

Richard on the left is an abstract painter and also works here at the Art Project Shop.

The gallery filled up with people coming to the exhibition.

A reflection in the window of the art on the walls and the scaffolding outside through the window.

Robert and Ann arrive by bicycle which is the best way to come to an art opening.

Earlham house shops in Norwich is under going some huge renovations which hope to be finished in February but this has not effected the shops like the Art Project Shop.

Stuart Cullum the artist standing with his portrait paintings and Richard photographing him.

Here is the words about the show taken from the website. 

Slick / Slack 24.10.2012

SIMON CARTER SARAH CULLUM STUART CULLUM

PAUL HACKETT ANTHONY HARRISON RICHARD MANN ELOISE O’HARE MARTIN PAYNE URSULA SPOTISWOODE

This show explores the far reaches of painterly taste. We have thrown into the pot a veritable clash of styles and idioms.

Edouard Manet, the original slick/slacker, turned the whole world of painting on its head in the 19^th century and set in motion the “decrepitude” of this medium. This show is a roundabout tribute to his achievement.

We invited a range of painters to submit to this show, and only a brave “few” have responded to the challenge.

Can “he” paint; is it “art”? How many times are these questions aimed in a barbed way at this subject? Since the mechanisation of the reproduction of three dimensions on a two dimensional surface the craft of painting has been put into question and the question of art too. So be it, we continue anyway!

Is knowledge of this debate a help or a hindrance? Well this show won’t necessarily help us answer this question but it is worth asking all the same. All the artists in this show have a way of tackling their medium as they see fit. There are those who take the paint by the scruff of the neck and go for the immediate effect - we are taking about Simon Carter,  Sarah Cullum,  Eloise O’Hare,  Martin Payne and Ursula Spotiswoode, its not simply expressionism, as we know it, but it is in that region. Others have a more considered approach and act as a counter to the ‘anarchy’ that is breaking out around them - Stuart Cullum and Paul Hackett represent this tendency. However Richard Mann approaches his subject with very little regard for any convention.

The title of the show doesn’t do any of the work justice, we are not asking you, the audience, to try and squeeze what you see into these very loose categories, it is just a way of commenting on what is fast becoming a prevalent and fashionable style amongst painters today as they turn their back on art in general and re-discover the basics of modernist painting before the orthodoxy of Greenberg took hold.

April flowers

Flowers in my garden in April. Nettles with white blossem.

Dandelion in the green grass.

Close up of the Dandelion

Two dandelions 

Blue bells 

Yellow Tulips

Heart flowers.

Honey Heart.

Bluebells and bamboo

Pink bee lovers

 Dead daffodil

Art project shop Slick or Slack exhibition

Next week from the 24th of October for one month. I will be part of a group show at the Art project shop which is located at the Earlham house shops, entrance is at Recreation road and the gallery is next to the Green Grocers. The show is called "Slick or Slack" a show of paintings. Which you might be able to say is it Slick or is it Slack?, is it art? This is the most daring exhibition ever shown in the UK.

I am very excited about showing my work at the "Art Project shop". I recon this gallery is fab, they have big machines for producing really large prints. Also they sell art equipment and they recondition old brushes and sell unwanted paints and equipment. The location of the gallery is great too right in the heart of the golden triangle on Norwich. The Gallery showcases work by people from Nansa and Barrington farm and the wider community and also has training opportunities for young people with various abilities. The whole project relies on sales to stay open so is worth while supporting.

Clementine the living fashion doll at Norwich Puppet theatre.

Here is a cute little film to watch, if you have difficulty watching it try here

On the 17th November 2012 at 7pm. My friend Clementine the fabulous living fashion doll will be at the Norwich puppet theatre. Showing casing the best talent in the UK and performing a wonderful cabaret  Call this number now and book your tickets Theatre box office 01603 629921

St. Margaret church of art 5th year.

Last night I went a long to St. Margaret's church of art 5th year exhibition. It was a full house of exhibitors. Because of my lack of finance and because I do far to much volunteer work. I couldn't afford to exhibit any of my own work and pay the rental space. However a few days ago my good friend Moira who I haven't seen for years purchased some of my paintings in Oz, which brought me back to being normal. Normal as in able to buy food. I saw this art work made by Jon Richmond and had to buy it. The piece is called Van Gogh's other ear. Having had many operations on my ear over the last decade. I can relate to this piece. Its like a certificate to say I can now hear, thanks to my surgeon at the NNUH.

This photo was taken by my friend Ann Nicholl's who is exhibiting her photos at St. Margaret's church of art. Ann also put this photo and a write up on her blipphoto which is a daily photo diary.

Hospital arts nomination for a Hostry award

The NNUH hospital arts has been nominated for an Norwich Cathedral Hostry award. Which the Award night is on the 26th of October at 7pm. at the Hostry in the Cathedral. All red carpet, champagne and canopies. £20 per head to watch the winners and losers.
I am tempted to finish making my coat that I started last year. I have had an evening of frock finding with Emma Jarvis running backwards and forwards with more and more clothes, which by the end of the evening of being stuck in a closet of frocks came to the decision that I might be better off in a trouser suit, unless I get poured into an all in one 24 hour girdle.
Shoes is another needle in a haystack falling on fallen arches with feet that only fit supported ancle comfy trainers or fluffy slippers.
My teeth look like they have lived in through some serious poverty which comes with the fact artists rarely get paid. Hair has only been to the hair dressers a handful of times. I remember every occasion like it were yesterday. I been to busy working up to my elbo's in words and paint to have time to worry about my appearance.
So I was thinking and made the suggestion to Emma that we hire a young, pretty model or actress to go and pick up the award, when we win.
Last week a camera woman turned up from Epic studios in Norwich to film Emma and I, in amongst the sculptures and exhibitions out on the hospital street, with all the hospital life going on. She is making a one minute film for the Award night. I hope we get to see the film before it goes out on the big night.
I have been changing all the exhibitions in the corridors, which wasnt anything to do with the awards it was just the timing of new exhibition arrivals. There is large photos of homeless people. Photos of underwater scenes, watercolour paintings of flowers and more paintings. All spanning along 3 floors of the hospital on both sides of the walls.
I can feel the build up to Christmas happening at the hospital as the choirs and pianists get booked in to make the place feel cosy.
The award for the hospital arts is long over do. NNUH is a very arty place to be.

Bishops garden

Bishops garden in Norwich was open for heritage week. Being on the way to Costume World, which I was cycling to that day, to hire some shoes for a pop video. I thought I would pop into the Bishops garden and see how the land scaped.

Here a pond with a hazard warning, so God cannot save you from the Lilly's and dangerous frogs in his holy garden.

Lapping lawns of holy paradise.

The rose garden. I turn my head away from the delights of pollen heaven.

Even the angels of manicured topiary can not reach these weeds in the gutters of shame.

View to a tree.

Some people have fairies that live at the bottom of the garden, but this Bishop has a house of Angels.

I swung the swing on the old oak tree.

Strange seeds 

Bishops house and a big tree looking out of Norwich.

Bishops ruin.

Raspberry cage.

You can't beet a root.

Looking up at Mulberrys.

Lady in the Bishops row.

Dancing yellow flowers

Robert on the perpetual motion swing machine.

Robert having the time of his life on the Bishops swing

Swinging from the tree kinetically in the Bishops garden.

Scarred of being swung as a human pendulum