LOCKDOWN JOURNAL: COVID-19.6 (Nicholas Vaughan)
Since the outbreak of Covid 19 The Art House where I have a studio has been forced to close, and because of this they are offering two months where you do not need to pay the rent. I am currently working on a series of mixed media pieces for my up and coming project and residency at BAP, and I was half-way through transferring the images to the boards when this happened, so it was easy for me to transport the work to the house, where I have an allotted space that I can use as a temporary studio.
The Art House is open by arrangement only so it is possible for me to go and collect more work, if what I have in the house run outs. If the period of Corona continues, I may need to rethink my whole approach towards making and using the space here though, as what I have planned, I need a space for making sculpture. It might be a case of allotting a new space outdoors.
The fact there has been a lockdown though generally, has been a great boon as it has allowed me to have an uninterrupted period of focus that was completely unintended. Usually working through an agency in a school to pay the bills, this work has dried up and I am now working with my wife, helping her to run The Crows Rest Bakehouse. This itself has allowed more time than expected to continue with my artistic projects as we are both based in the same building so it is easy for me to do a morning in the kitchen, then to spend the rest of the day painting.
I am attaching an image of the piece I was working on ‘Brexit Brain Ghost Train’, and I will post more of the others on following posts. This is a series that are looking at the current Brexit crisis, but that also put a magnifying glass up to the events of today, and how we have found ourselves living in a society that almost verges on authoritarianism, banned from moving or leaving the house. The two Brexit heads towers that support the common man of Gulliver, represent the two evils of despotism and xenophobia, two social ills that we are suffering from ever more. Through them ghost trains twist and weave, bringing together the imaginations and destinies of the people and politicians, in a woeful and fearful tale, that gives reminiscence of the recent referendum.
This original mixed media artwork is for sale for £600 but will be required for exhibition in Leeds from November 2020 to February 2021. High quality, limited edition, Giclee prints are also available on Hahnemuhle paper with delivery included for £150. To enquire about either please contact me by email: ndmvaughan@gmail.com or telephone: 07810700850
To view Nicholas Vaughan’s Artist Profile on our website visit https://www.basementartsproject.com/nicholas-vaughan