I am taking part in the Fabrica fundraising Draw-a-thon on 24th February 2018 and am asking if you would like to support me by donating to my JustGiving page here.

Fabrica opened its doors in March 1996 in the deconsecrated Holy Trinity Church sited at 40 Duke Street, Brighton, BN1 1AG.

It commissions contemporary visual art installations specific to the building. A place where artists come to make work, Fabrica supports and encourages artists to be adventurous and test boundaries. Open dialogue between artists and visitors is encouraged and the gallery provides an integrated programme of education and audience development activity. This strives to remove barriers to access, engagement and understanding.

Fabrica works with many vulnerable and isolated people in Brighton and thousands of people are able to see the most up to date contemporary art, because entry is free.

You can read more about the core six strands that define Fabrica here.

On Saturday 24th February 2018, Fabrica will be hosting a Draw-a-thon and Writing Relay.

You can come and watch this non-stop stream of drawings unfurl throughout the day and read new stories as they emerge on screen. The event starts at 11am and ends at 4pm.

“Individual artists or artist teams will draw for five hours non-stop.
Writers will to do sprints of 30 minutes in a relay.”

I will be drawing for five hours and like all the artists participating, I’ll be using graphite and graphite pencils only, drawing on cartridge paper.

There will also be a a public drawing wall, background music and refreshments for sale and CAKES! So come and say hello and join in too if you’d like to.

I studied at Brighton Polytechnic 1984 to 1987 and continued to live in Sussex for a number of years after my degree (in Fine Art/Printmaking). During this time I had a studio at Red Herring studios.

I met and made friends with many wonderful artists and craftspeople at Red Herring and through those people met many more.One of the artists all those years ago was Matthew Miller. Matthew became a good friend and we lived in a shared house (five of us in total with a constant streams of friends visiting and staying) where every Saturday ‘Summer in the City’ would go on the turntable which meant it was time to get up and clean. Strange the memories that stay with us.

Matthew was the friend I sat next to on a bean bag during a party and just quietly watched the world going on around us, without needing to speak.

But Matthew was big and noisy in his own way. He was one of the founding members of Fabrica along with other artists from Red Herring and he was a co-director along with Liz Whitehead.

A fabulously original artist, he was in his unique way a “visionary leader, a meticulous project manager and a man who was totally dedicated to his task.” (Fabrica website)

To me, Matthew was a dear cherished friend. Quietly present in my life although not always physically present. He inspired me every time we met, he encouraged me to think widely about my creative interests and all while I didn’t realise what was going on, until, in 2011, he suddenly died.

Seven years on I still mourn the loss of this dear talented friend and am proud to be able to take part in an event that supports a cause that was so much part of Matthew.

You can read about Matthew and his talents in his Guardian obituary.

Through the years I’ve visited Fabrica many times, been able to immerse myself in art that I otherwise wouldn’t have been able to see and experience. I feel this gallery is a really important part of the current art scene, it supports so many people in so many ways. I feel a need to, and feel privileged to be asked to be part of this team of people helping to, keep Fabrica open.

The Draw-a-thon for me is a way to support this wonderful gallery, a way to remember my dear friend, and a way to let people who may not have heard of the gallery, know about Fabrica.

If you would like to support me by donating please visit my JustGiving page here.
and if you’d like to come along and support us on the day:

Saturday 24th February 2018
11am to 4pm
Fabrica
40 Duke Street
Brighton
BN1 1AG