Taxidermy ASSEMBLAGE artist
I have a new project underway to create two significant sculptures. I'm indebted to my friend and talented filmmaker Mikey Corker who is going to document the process.
Plus my good mate George Barrett, aka Fisherbilly, who brought in his new digger to help set the foundations for this artwork. What's happening? All will be revealed in the coming months, but I can say I will also be working with Broomhill Art Hotel and Sculpture Gardens again...
Until next time.
As the art scene continues to flourish in North Devon, Ilfracombe stages its inaugural film festival over three days later this month (April 22 - 24).
Among the packed programme of feature and short films, you'll have the chance to see the mini-documentary about my work as a taxidermy and assemblage artist on the big screen for the first time. It is showing at 2pm on Sunday April 24th on Screen 2 at the town's Embassy Cinema.
Ilfracombe Film Festival organiser Julia Knight said: "We're really looking forward to the diverse range of films on offer throughout the festival and pleased that Paul's film can be part of it. There are so many talented and creative people in North Devon, and this is a great opportunity to showcase them." Other films showing on the Sunday afternoon include 'Every Dive is an Adventure' and 'The Deep'.
The 3-minute film about my work was made by award-winning filmmaker Mikey Corker, another talented North Devon resident. We have more mini movies in the pipeline. For a full programme of festival films, please click here.
We're lucky to have a huge pool of talent among our friends here in North Devon - earlier this month we launched the short film about my work by fellow surfer and award-winning filmmaker Mikey Corker; now we've commissioned the textile artist Emma Cocker to create a bespoke piece for us.
Emma creates what she describes as; "quintessentially English characters, fabric sculptures and illustrations inspired by the coast and countryside here in North Devon."
Her work is crafted in knit & stitch, combining antique, vintage and reclaimed textiles with British wool. From ethical textile taxidermy in the form of stags' horns and a dapper fox dressed in his best hunting suit, to a crew of salty seadogs - Emma likes to create pieces that surprise and question.
Emma is creating a portrait box of our four dogs that we're looking forward to having in pride of place in our home - Black Labradors Pablo, Lola and Modigliani (named after artist Amedeo Modigliani), and our Jack Russell girl Winnie.
Emma works mainly on commissions, so if you're inspired please get in touch - you can find a selection of pieces for sale on her etsy shop and at a small number of UK stockists, plus key exhibitions around the country.
I'm delighted to release today the first short film by award-winning documentary maker Mikey Corker that follows my work as a taxidermy and assemblage artist.
The film is available to watch and share on both Vimeo and YouTube, and it examines where I find inspiration for my work, and why I started out on this creative journey. The featured piece towards the end of the film is a new work 'Conscious while the world sleeps', which was created as a tribute to one of my favourite paintings by Mary Krishna.
North Devon based filmmaker Mikey Corker has won awards for his work at the prestigious Waimea Ocean Film Festival in Hawaii for a documentary about the British big wave surfer Andrew Cotton, and from the National Trust at the annual London Surf Film Festival.
Here's a little trailer for the new short film by award-winning filmmaker Mikey Corker, looking at my taxidermy and assemblage art. It will be launching very soon!
There is a huge amount of talent here in North Devon, and I have been honoured to have award-winning filmmaker Mikey Corker following my work this week.
Mikey is a fellow surfer, and has built a global reputation through documenting another local man Andrew Cotton in his quest to surf the biggest waves on the planet! I'm keen to record the process behind my taxidermy art, and the techniques that are used in the modern era in this ancient practice.
In the photos you can see me working on a carp that died from natural causes at a local lake. While I love re-using antique taxidermy pieces, I have learned how to carry out taxidermy myself so that I can achieve exactly the effect I want when I assemble my new works of art. Mikey is not only filming me in the studio, he's going diving in the lake to show the habitat where the fish live - now that's real dedication in a British winter!
We plan to release the first completed short film by Mikey Corker in the New Year, watch this space.
