Grace in the frame!

Yesterday I explained how I was getting the frame I'd designed for Grace's Pre Raphaelite portrait delivered to the studio and it arrived courtesy of Tom the carpenter this afternoon. I absolutely love it! Here it is with the portrait in situ.

As you can see it has a wide flat surface and little roundals in each corner. The roundals are going to have small wooden butterflies placed inside. The butterflies are there to continue the theme of the painting. This being a celebration of transgender femininty, the butterfly is a symbol of transformation and beauty which I think is very fitting.

I based my design on frames that had been designed by Pre Raphaelite artists to enhance their art work and show it off it it's best advantage. Nature; flowers, animals and insects were a usual sorce of inspiration in the symbolism they used.

A detail of the frame for Holman Hunt's The Scapegoat showing Heartsease and Egyptian Palms to reflect the story of the Scapegoat

 

This weekend I will cover the frame in gold metal leaf so it will look something like the frames you can see above. Sumptuous, yet simple and stylised. I think it will look gorgeous! Once again thanks to Tom for making such a wonderful job of my frame. 

 

This work along with several chalk studies of Grace will be exhibited at the Cornerhouse from 31st July next week until 9th Sept. There will be drinks in the bar 6-7pm  on Thursday so come along and say hi and see the finished thing!

Gemma ***

A trip to the framers...

Last week I took a trip to Frames in Didsbury to get some of the chalk studies I've done of Grace Oni Smith framed for the upcoming exhibition at Cornerhouse next week.

 I don't usually frame my work so this was a whole new experience for me. I went in and asked for 'some gold frames please'. I never realised you had to think about cool and warm tones when chosing mounts and frames, and consider colours that would enhance and not overpower the art work. The lady at Frames was so lovely and helped me choose a frame and mount combination that was contemporary but with a nod to the classic style you find in art galleries.

The reason I was so sold on gold is because I am having a frame made specially for my painting of Grace which is inspired by Pre Raphaelite designs, and I want this golden theme to continue throughout the work. I got very excited today as I got some photos of how the frame was coming along from Tom the carpenter who is the go to man around Manchester for all your carpentry art needs!

You can't see it yet but it will eventually look like this rough sketch I did.

Like the frames often designed by the Pre Raphaelites to best show off their work, this frame has a symoblic purpose to enhance the message in the painting it will surround. More to tell about this tomorrow, as the finished thing is being delivered to the studio. I can't wait to see it and show you!

Gemma***

Girl with a curl, or two

So this week the end finally looks in sight, and I have to say I am loving working on this portriat of Grace Oni Smith my beautiful transgender muse! I really really love this picture! This week I have been finishing off her hands and tattoos and filling in her masses of hair. Nothing says Pre Raphaelite goddess like a head full of glorious tresses.

I enjoy painting hair very much and this was no exception. There's are still a few little highlights and definitons to be added but this crown of curls is the definative statement of the painting. Next to add is the rose in her hair and just a suggestion of clothes (if you know Grace you'll know that's about usual for her. See her perform live if you don't know what I mean!)

I cannot wait for my specially designed frame to be made to finish this piece off once she is fully painted! Now I still have a few drawings to tackle and a trip to the framers for those. So keep posted and remember to put 31st of July in your diaries as this is the opening night for this work Cornerhouse.

More soon...

Gemma***

Tips on how to write a press release

 
Hello hello! It's a lovely sunny day and the bright skies are making me feel all inspired!

Today I am writing the press release for my upcoming work to be shown at the Cornerhouse next month. Anyone who has ever written one of these will know it's not as straight forward as you may think. 

So here are my top five tips that you won't always find on 'how to' websites. I hope these help you if you ever want to promote an upcoming event or exhibition. (this applies to all subjects not just art)

1. Check the newsworthiness of your story.

You may be sending your press release out to blogs, newspapers or mailing lists, but in all instances a subject matter that has interest and will catch the imagination of the public will always be preferable. So think about your target audience and try to keep the 'golden thread' pulled tight throughout your press release.

2. Make it as CLEAR AS POSSIBLE. 
Imagine you're a busy journalist, and you have hundreds of press releases to go through every week. You are going to use the ones that are easy to read, concise, detailed and basically ready for print. Make the journalists job easier:

• Always write from their perspective (unless you are quoting someone).
• Use a clear font
• Keep it short (no more than two pages).

3. Proof read, then get someone else to proof read, then proof read again!

Sometimes simple errors in grammar can let a whole piece down and ruin your chances of it being used.

4. Good photos mean a better chance of being printed.

So spend time to get a good high resolution image that doesn't need any adjustments and relates exactly to your written material.

5. Research who to send your press release to. 

Don't send it to everyone at a publication send it to the most relevant person. If in doubt, contact the publicatiopn and ask. Also:

• Send your press release in the morning
• Never send at the weekend

 Writing this has reminded me of so many things I need to do in my own press release, so I better get on! Updates of my work to come soon :)

 Gemma***

Exhibiton plans

I think it's about time I shared with you the plans for my current art work. If you've seen this blog before you will have noticed I've been posting updates about my portrait of trans gender beauty Grace Oni Smith, who I've been working with for about a year now.

The finished Pre Raphaelite style portrait along with a selection of studies in chalk will be shown as part of Cornerhouse Projects between July 31st-Sept 9th to coincide with Manchester Pride. You can read the official write up on the website here: http://www.cornerhouse.org/art/art-exhibitions/cornerhouse-projects-gemma-parker-layla-sailor

I'm really excited to show this work in progress (I plan to continue exploring this theme after the dates on show) not least because I am also getting a custom made frame for the main piece made to my own design! It will very much in the Pre Raphaelite style and will further extend the theme of transgender and transformation. I'll share this with you as it is created.

I've got about 6 weeks to finish the portrait, and so far I'm pretty happy with it. Every time I sit in front of it I make about a million little alterations and changes. It's true that spending time away from your work really does allow you see what needs doing. I get about one full day to work on it per week at the moment so I plan on upping that, sticking some Kylie on full blast and making each studio day count!

Here's where I got to last week. I was having awful trouble with her neck the week before but I've managed to see where I was going wrong and put the foundations down for the right shading now. I'm going to put her tattoos in next week so that will be fun too! Can't wait to get going on her hands and all that hair!

Come back next time to see how I get on

Gemma***

We're Born Naked The Rest Is Drag

Last week I went along to one of The Beauty Project events at Selfridges in Manchester; 'We're Born Naked, The Rest is Drag: Identity, Fantasy and Beauty beyond Gender'

Upon reading this title I would have bought myself a ticket and gone along anyway! However the added draw was that Grace Oni Smith, the subject of my current portrait exploring transgender femininity, was one of the guest speakers on a panel consisting of drag queen Cheddar Gawjus (AKA Dr Micheal Atkins) and Dr Sally Hines Associate Professor of Sociology and Gender Studies at The University of Leeds.

It was a brilliant talk and gave me me lots think about. Grace spoke from the heart and gave us an insight into her life as a trans gender female. How her discovery of make up was a tool she used not only to transform her appearance but also transform her life.

     
Taking inspiration from strong androgynous role models like Siouxsie Sioux David Bowie Grace Jones and Boy George, a teenage Grace began to experiment with her looks and built a goth persona who wore her make up like armour. Still living as a male in a small rural town, this act of deliberate defiance to the norm brought her much attention, most of it negative resulting in being beaten up for being different.

As the panel explained, gender is something we perceive through learnt roles and behaviour. We copy it from others as we develop and there are certain acceptable characteristics we associate with men and women. However as in Grace's case, these ideals are malleable, they can be played with, broken down and rebuilt into new and sometimes confusing formats that challenge society and make people uncomfortable.

Take for instance this years queen of Eurovision, Conchita Wurst. An undeniably beautiful drag artist who just happens to wear a beard along with her lipstick and wigs. Many people's reaction was one of bewilderment, even disgust; It was too provoking to flaunt both genders at once.

Cheddar Gawgus pointed out that while Conchita was challenging for many people, the fact they were introduced to a new concept of what gender can be was a positive step.

For Grace, her gender is no longer the same issue it once was. As she rather fabulously put it, she is 'a new person'. But it hasn't been easy to get to this positive stage in her life. As an individual of transgender she still scrutinizes her looks on a daily basis and it isn't easy to escape that very marginalised view of what acceptable beauty is in western society.

Cheddar illustrated this perfectly by showing us results of Google searches for 'Beautiful women' and 'Beautiful men'. Both searches showed white young symmetrical flawless faces and slim lithe bodies.This is not a representation of most of the worlds population. Yet so many people strive to attain it or as close to it as possible.

  Grace, Cheddar and Dr Hines all suggested drag was one of the most powerful ways of subverting our narrow view of beauty and gender and I found this the most interesting aspect of the discussion.

Despite drag making somewhat of a comeback in mainstream society thanks to shows like RuPaul's Drag Race, the idea of what drag can be is still to be fully explored. Traditionally viewed as a man dressing up like a woman to become an extreme character, it was argued drag can actually be a platform for anyone of any gender to play with roles and looks. Women men and people of transgender can all be drag queens or kings. However, sometimes drag doesn't even fit into these roles, as in the case of artists Leigh Bowery and Cindy Sherman. Their use of drag is both surreal and without limits.

It is this total freedom to play with the carefully constructed boundaries we put in place as we grow, and the unobtainable ideals which we try to achieve in everyday life which makes drag an awesome device to navigate your personal identity.

It really made me think. As the title to the show suggested ('We're born naked, the rest is drag' a wonderful quote by Ru Paul), we all indulge in drag to some degree to create our outward persona. From applying a dash of mascara to choosing which shoes to wear we are constructing the story we choose to tell each day. Drag, in it's fullest sense is just an extreme form of this. If you chose to ignore the learned patterns that keep our identities in check and felt free to wear anything and act in any way, how would you choose to leave the house this morning? 

I'm so glad I went to this event, I enjoyed every minute and I'm sure I'll be applying these ideas to future art work, and maybe next time I sit down at the dressing table too!

 

Gemma***

International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia

Exactly a week after seeing glamorous bearded transvestite Conchita Wurst win the Eurovison Song Contest, its now International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia. The timing is excellent don't you think?

To celebrate this important date I'd like to share with you the latest progress of my painting of trans gender stunner Grace Oni Smith. 

Grace's portrait as a Pre Raphaelite lady is really beginning to take shape now. I have been working on building up the contours of her face whilst keeping the many variations of skin tone and colour in order to give her that fresh glowing from within look that the Victorian muses had. 

But unlike those girls of yesteryear Grace is a drag queen and was in Pre Raphaelite drag when I photographed her. So I have also been working on getting the balance of classic beauty and stage diva just right. I want Grace to shine through but I also feel her make up is an important extension of who she is so I want that slightly over the top quality to add impact. 

As you can see in the photo above I test out lots of mixes of colour on a separate sheet before applying the paint, to make sure I've got what I want. You can also see the reference photo I'm working from and a glimpse of Dante Gabriel Rossetti's painting, 'The Beloved' fixed above the canvas. This painting sprang to mind as I was working, as one of the models in the background has a similar pose and gaze to Grace.

One of the biggest visual anchors that both Pre Raphaelite women and contemporary drag queens share is big kissable swollen lips! 

I've been working quite intensively on getting Grace's smackers just right as she naturally has a very Pre Raphaelite look to her mouth.

 I think I'll make them slightly more red, but I'm pleased with how bee stung they currently look! For me, getting the right attitude and look to the features is the main thing when painting someone. I always strive to capture who that person is and this is the most time consuming part, but I love every minute!

I'm back in the studio on Tuesday so join me soon to find out more

Until then, I hope you are all having a fabulous weekend and a great International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia :)

Gemma***