Tame Foxes

Foxes are beautiful. I have loved them for years. Perhaps it began when I was seven years old, when I stumbled across an adolescent fox whilst walking alone in a corn field where my dad was working. I froze, we stared at each other for three magical seconds, and then she disappeared in an autumnal blur. Five years ago two red foxes appeared at the end of my garden, basking in board daylight and suffering from mange. We slipped medicine into broken up honey sandwiches, and they stayed for a few months before moving on. At the time I was doing an illustration project at college and took advantage of their presence by photographing them from my bedroom window.

Recently I have been investigating getting a collie dog, but the thought of having a fox keeps straying into my head. Whilst I have known about tame foxes for many years – I have a fragmented childhood memory of a documentary discussing the breeding programme – I wasn’t aware people could have them as pets.

In 1959, Russian scientist Dmitri Belyaev headed an experiment which sought to find out how dogs developed different physical features from wolves during their evolution. He believed that by breeding only the tamest silver foxes physical differences would begin to emerge as a result of their hormonal and neurochemical changes. Starting from one month old, the foxes were tested on tameness based on their friendliness, preferred company of foxes or humans and likeliness to let the experimenter pet them whilst being offered food.

This experiment went on for fifty years and over forty generations of foxes. Just two years into the experiment, the second generation foxes were already showing a genetic lack of aggression towards humans, by the fourth generation they began to wag their tails like dogs, and by the sixth generation they began lick humans and follow them around. Supporting Belyaev’s predictions, the foxes developed physical changes to, which included shorter or curlier tails, floppy years and longer reproductive seasons. They lost their musky smell, and their colouring changed. Many of them developed piebaldism, which is extremely rare in wild animals, and refers to white patches on the fur such as those found in Pinto horses or Jack Russel Terriers.

Part of me questions the ethics of breeding foxes. I’ve always had concerns over the health issues surrounding pedigree animals, but with these foxes I also worry about what happened to the ones that weren’t selected, the ones that displayed neither tame nor aggressive qualities.

Nowadays it’s possible to buy a rather expensive tame fox from www.sibfox.com. If you live in America. Not Britain, apparently. It’s worth a look though, to see some of these beautiful creatures, waggy tails and all.

SLR Blues

I have recently been feeling a sense of loss over the digital SLR I borrowed from the tech store at university. We only had one precious week together, but it was a week filled with beautiful focus and wonderful photographs even when I wasn’t trying too hard. Everything was easy, it flowed. We never argued and when we did have disagreements we worked it out quickly, and no tears shed. That SLR never let me down; it was always producing wonderful and accurate colours, and reassured me that my choices were okay: whether it was offering me files types or light balance, it went along with my decisions, without a question asked. It made me a better person and a better photographer. I could depend on it and I could envision a long and happy future with it, filled with photographs and multiple lenses.

But it wasn’t to be. I had to return that SLR to the tech store when I finished my course. My train journey home felt empty, as I realised it would be a long time before any SLR would share my life again. In my desperation I turned to my old camera, a Canon A360. No SLR, to be sure, but lovely in its own way. I remember the beginning of our relationship, when I set eyes on it in the shop and realised how much I needed it. I lusted over the ability to alter aperture, depth of field, light balance and focus on a point-and-click sized camera. I admired its light, small frame and its charming swivel screen.

But now I’ve tasted better things and what I loved beforehand is bitter sweet. Five years since taking that Canon home and the swivel screen has scratches on it, there’s dirt in the lines of the casing and smudges on the lens. 10 megapixels doesn’t seem what it used to be and four AA batteries don’t last long. Despite all this, deep down I remember my love for this Canon, and I know its positive qualities, the qualities I had longed for in a camera. And I know that I never fully appreciated these, with the exception of manual focus, so now I am taking time to appreciate them. I am re-exploring it, testing out aperture and depth of field and light balance – the little things that make it different from the rest, the things I loved about it. It will never be an SLR, but if I can improve my photography skills it won’t matter. And because one day another SLR will come into my life, and on that day I will be able to appreciate it properly.

Taken about three years ago using my Canon camera.

Contexture Organising

Things completed today:

1. Made a beautiful colour coded programme for Contexture
2. Printed a rather dull black and white version of this programme
3. Emailed colourful programme to all involved in Contexture so that they can correct errors
4. Corrected these errors
5. Was bossy: got Adam to nail wood together to make signs and made Adam to cut cardboard to cover the windows by the back entrance, so that Emma can decorate them with signage tomorrow
6. Stained wood for doll stands, and made holes in the wood for the wire
7. Scrabbled around and collected all the names of work and then printed off, mounted, and cut out labels for all the works
8. Set up camp bed and marked out where two of my pieces are going
9. Hunted artists for images of their previous works
10. Printed images of said works on A3 paper

Things that I did today which I said I would do tomorrow:

1. Moved some of the easels and boards into the cupboard into the life drawing room
2. Moved the chairs and sofa into the life drawing room
3. Generally made a mess of the life drawing room by trying to rearrange furniture by myself

 Things that were put off until tomorrow:

1. Sewing fabric pieces and scraps to make beautiful patchwork creations to decorate the cafe
2. Putting up A3 images of previous works

Things that I did today which I didn’t plan at all:

1. Cut my finger on a vicious easel
2. Washed clothes
3. Spoke to Paul White about photographing works and planned when was a good time for him to come

Things to do tomorrow before 3pm:

1. Finish tidying/cleaning/moving things in the life drawing room/cafe
2. Sew fabric pieces and scraps to make beautiful patchwork creations to decorate the cafe
3. Decorate the cafe
4. Buy some ribbon/ string to mark the path round the back
5. Put up this ribbon/string
6. Decorate/make signage
7. Put up signage
8. Set up work
9. Make doll stands
10. Steal a lovely rustic table from the workshop to put doll stands and dolls on
11. Put up A3 images of previous works
12. Put up labels
13. Print out a beautifully coloured programme on A3 paper

Car Boot Frenzy

An amazing car boot sale haul today in terms of arty goodness. A few treasures include:

A loom – handmade and small, but perfect for little adventures into weaving. I could spend time making one, but felt £1 wasn’t much to part with.

Two little boxes with compartmental shelves – I plan to paint one white, and use them to store miniature things.

Blue polka dot cotton fabric.

Dylon die – A lovely woman who was selling packets for £1 each, instead of the usual £2.50 – £3, so I indulged myself with 5 packs of my regular colours.

The most amazing stall in the world. Not so much for the art materials, but for my own personal joy. A man selling what seemed to be end-of-line stuff from one of those shabby-chic shops. Everything was 50 pence or £1. I got some polka dot forks, Griselda Graham heart candle holders, and a metal heart shaped magnet board, which I will soon be covering with fabric.

Lightbox

It was such a shame I missed this project this year because I wasn’t in the Bristol area, as it seems like exactly the type of thing I would love to be involved in.

Light Box: The Happiness Project provides a series of free art based workshops that promote a healthy psychology and positive attitudes. The workshops focus on different areas of well-being by suggesting different intentional actions, which make positive differences in happiness levels. I really want to get involved with this project if it is running next year.

http://wearelightbox.co.uk/page/

Our Vision: A society which promotes and supports emotional wellbeing for all, and understands the importance of long-term investment in good mental health.

Our Values: We believe that being creative is a key constituent to good mental health. And a proactive, creative approach to our lives increases the resilience and happiness of both the individual and the community.

Our Mission: To inspire people to work together to create a healthy and empowering society, making use of the scientific research on positive psychology.

Sketchbook Sunday #1

Techniques for Making Art

1.      A new sketchbook which is taken everywhere.

2.      Go running four times a week to clear your head.

3.      Keep a journal and keep track of thoughts, ideas, process and inspirations.

4.      Meditate.

5.      Arrange a drawing session once a week with artist friends, even if drawing hasn’t been part of your practice for years.

6.      Seek out existing artists who deal with thesubjects that interest you. Get ahead on research. Plan outings to exhibitions.

7.      Choose some tea that will become your CreativiTea. Drink this every time you are thoroughly into your art, and begin to associate the two. Eventually the tea will bring out this mood in you when you feel blocked.

8.      Make lists. Try to write ten creative ideas aday. They can be fragments, subject areas, or fleeting images, but don’t sensor them and be sure to make no promises to create them or develop them. Allow them to be recorded as a creative idea you have had, and come back to them when you are ready.

9.      Surround yourself with beautiful things. Make a studio space that inspires you. Find out what inspires you.

10.  Keep the channel open. It is not your job to decide what is good or bad, it is your task to keep the creativity flowing.