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What Will The Neighbours Think?

7/23/2013

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PictureA rough idea of what the orientation panels might look like. Early days
Today i begin work on the initial sketches of the Brighter Bushmills tourist map. We met last week at the French Rooms and discussed the next stage in our plans. What goes through a local artist's head when drawing his own hometown you might wonder?

As in any given town, there are many houses and many areas in which a local resident will be very familiar with. Everyone is a judge, and i mean everyone. That does not mean they are a critic in the sense that they will vocally show their disdain for your work, but everyone naturally decides whether they like a particular thing or not. An illustrated heritage map of a town is no exception. This will be my first major showing of my artwork to Northern Ireland. As mentioned elsewhere on this website, i have had my work published in America a total of three times, but in three very different ways. My first work was Run Run Catch Me If You Can by Texan author Bette McBride which was a childrens book and released as a print on demand title at Xlibris. My second work, King's Journey Tarot was self published by it's author C Bayless through a printer in Colorado, and finally Simply Deep Tarot was published by Schiffer Books of Pennsylvania. These works were seen and bought by those from all over the world. In 2011 i started to produce local souvenirs from my own studio for distribution throughout the local shops and so in that sense my art has been already introduced to the town.

PictureDundarave hangs in the balance folks, but we'll see

what happens


There is something very different however in depicting one's local town in an illustration. People can be very proud of their little patch of the world and so care must be taken. Thankfully i have been given some artistic license, and i feel you really need that if you want to create a visually interesting map which also poses as a piece of art. You do find yourself wondering however "what will the owner of this garage think of my depiction of their establishment?" or "will the residents of Dundarave Rd notice if I've literally cut corners?" (Don't worry Dundarave people, I'm just using that as an example, don't get the magnifying glass out). However the map is taking shape and things are looking good.

Thanks for reading
James




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Brighter Bushmills Heritage Map and Brochure

7/21/2013

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The second week of being in touch with the Brighter Bushmills Group saw us all have a meeting on Friday, just a few days ago, down at the French Rooms. Originally I had met in the French Rooms the previous Monday to meet with the group and to accept the news that my art style was what they were looking for. On Friday past, Roy Bolton, owner of the French Rooms and member of the group, along with local photographer Art Ward and architect Winston Boyce were in attendance with a few other members of the group and all went well.

One thing i must say about the French Rooms, and it is to both Roy and Stella Bolton's credit, is that it features many of the classic Art N
ouveau works and admittedly on occasion my eyes were wandering in their direction. I found it slightly amusing because it was the Art Nouveau feel i was veering towards in my designs for the illustrated town map. Also, many of the Art Nouveau artists had the opportunity of decorating various towns and cities throughout Europe. I noticed this in the streets of Prague. Even in Glasgow, Rennie Mackintosh's work can clearly be seen by those with an artistic interest.  I should not imply that designing orientation panels for the town of Bushmills is the same, but it is certainly an honour nonetheless. Any artist would want his work incorporated into his hometown, and indeed his own country. I have to laugh at myself at times because my mind is fired up and rearing to go, imagining all sorts of ways in which the town could be improved and i can hear my lady, with a smile, saying "Concentrate James, the MAP first". As they say, behind every successful man there is a woman. Maybe there is some truth to that.



PictureTaken with a disposable camera in those days, the sight of Greenland in the distance made

me realize the world was more vast than it looked on the map
I think what's even more interesting is that i have a previous interest in maps, long before being chosen for this project. I feel my first real interest in maps came upon looking out the window of a passenger plane and seeing the snow capped mountains of Greenland.

I believe it was ever since that time that i enjoyed learning about other countries. I also became interested in the stories of the voyages to discover America. My favourite book is called
New Worlds: Maps from the Age of Discovery by Ashley Baynton-Williams and Miles Baynton-Williams, a heavy brute of a book, but has maps going all the way back to the 1400's. In it you can find the very first maps of what is now the United States. Interestingly enough, you can even find mythical lands like Frisland and Hy-Brasil included in very early maps. Another good book is Atlas of Exploration, published by Philips. Ever since i have enjoyed seeing maps of different places in the world. Why? I could not honestly tell you, as i do not really know. I thought it fitting however, when i was asked if i would like to illustrate the map of my own hometown


PictureThroughout the years maps have been of interest to me.

Here is an artwork from 2008 entitled

"Lost somewhere between here and there"

So far the designs seem to be agreeable to all. I'm aiming for something that inspires, fires up the mind and senses. I am glad the Brighter  Bushmills Group are agreeable to the idea of having a more Giant's Causeway themed Park and Ride orientation panel at the top of the town, but as anyone who creates work in a group setting, designs can change over time. Over the years i had designed a portfolio of Giant's Causeway related imagery with the intention of it being used by the National Trust. I think some of these designs could lend themselves well to the Park and Ride orientation panel. We're thinking for the other two orientation panels we will use both a "Bushmills Distillery" and a Salmon Fishery theme.

All in all a good start

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The Fire of Inspiration

7/20/2013

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PictureGarden in summer
Over the fields the children play
Long after sunset
Voices wild with excitement
Just as the town lights come on
I know beyond the hills
Beyond the ocean
There is a girl
Who guides me home
To the dreams of my youth
Of a warm home
With mint Christmas cookies
In a gentle autumn night

She knows my head is a dream-scape
And she knows it very well
The eyes of the orient and dimples
Accompany a heart of gold
And the voice of God brings me home
Every time I see her, every time she’s close

She believes in me
Her kindness drives me on
Inspiring the peace of God in me

Gone, the age of romance
Revived with the P.R.B in England
Rosetti, Millias and Morris
And with Mucha, Livemont and those in Bohemia and Paris
And dies to come alive with the romantics in England
In the 80’s music scene
It dies, only to come back to life
She keeps it alive in me.
Like a burning fire I paint her
She weaves colours into my soul


James Battersby

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Restless Spirits

7/20/2013

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The long sleep
Where are you?
After the battle of the day has faded
And night closes in
Where you are long sleep?
To be comforted by an angel
To rest my wary soul
From heavy lidded eyes
And questions unanswered

As a younger man I was a fool
Believing I could save the world
I could not even save my own self
And fatigue awaits me around every turn

I recall the empty nights at the port
The drunks all out in the street
Incoherent conversation
The sea as dark as the night
No escape from the cold
No escape from ourselves

The shore smashes against the rocks now
Full of life and rage and restlessness
The cold wind whistles in the dunes
As I recall the years I’ve wasted
Long before I met you
Long before your calming words
That brought me from the pit


Written June 19th 2013
James Battersby


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The Critics

7/3/2013

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We all have them. Whether we are in the spotlight as a celebrity, or a waitress in some sleepy old diner in the middle of nowhere, there’s always a critic around the corner, always someone who has a problem with your performance, attitude, appearance and whatever else. When my art first become known in Tarot reading circles, it received it’s fair share of criticism (praise too but the criticism has a tendency to stick with you more). There’s really not a great way of taking criticism, especially, i feel, when it’s something we’re responsible for solely. We could be criticised as a team effort, but when you are responsible for something solely of your own creation, performance etc, you have to take the brunt of that criticism.


Some things to keep in mind though before you take things to heart too much. Everyone receives criticism. That’s a fact of life. Tastes are subjective. We all like different things. I also believe that people have a tendency to voice their opinions about something they don’t like as opposed to something they do, though that trend is possibly changing.


I was watching a Youtube video of Old Crow Medicine’s Wagon Wheel. The video received over forty three  thousand “likes”, while it received about two thousand dislikes. If you weren’t told how many people actually liked it, you’d think over two thousand dislikes was something significant. You’d think it must have been a pretty rubbish song or video...i’m sure it still is to those two thousand people. Putting things into perspective however, shows that less than five percent of the people didn't like it. It’s a pittance really.


I know creative people who hesitate to reveal their masterpiece for fear of how it will be received. Along the way i found someone who taught me to continually keep creating regardless of how it looks because your work is what it is at any given time, you’re always progressing, getting better. She was able to convince me that art is a process in which we build upon our skills over time. It was something i knew, but it does no harm to have a good woman at your side to tell you what's what ;)

 Some works are loved, even if the artist or musician are dissatisfied with the piece years later. It’s about creating what you feel and releasing it to the world. It’s important to, as best as possible, ignore criticism, especially if it offers no constructive input.


Today, more so than any other time in history in my opinion, it is much easier for people to openly attack creative people and their work because anonymous, and sometimes non anonymous, comments can be made without anyone having to take responsibility for their words.  It must be noted that those i refer to differ from genuine reviewers or critics of ones work. Most of these people wouldn't criticise a creative person to their face. The ability to hide behind a screen gives people the opportunity to say anything. Nowadays there is a name for those who love to ridicule people online for the sake of it. Known as Trolls, these people have little to do with their time but just generally be annoying. While they are usually talent-less with nothing to offer anyone, some can also be rival artists or musicians or authors who are so insecure about their own work that they try and sabotage “the competition”. Unfortunately it happens.


Another thing related to this is what’s known as “sock puppetry” (a term i recently discovered all of twenty minutes ago) where a person might create one or more persona’s to do their bidding. You can sometimes see this sort of thing happen in regards to amazon reviews, where an author might create a few personas to give his book critical praise and top stars, all the while ridiculing their rivals. Long before the internet, the author Walt Whitman was said to have used a pseudonym to give his work praise for example.

R J Ellory is a modern day example of such manipulation. He praised his own work while leaving negative reviews for others.


http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/booknews/9515593/RJ-Ellory-detected-crime-writer-who-faked-his-own-glowing-reviews.html

I think the moral of the story is to create what you feel compelled to and put criticism into perspective. Take from it what might make your overall performance better, but generally take it all with a pinch of salt.
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