I’ve been so busy this summer with having a good time, and then starting doing some teaching at UWE that my website and blog have really suffered. Most of all I blame Facebook for this, as any spare moment I seem to spend checking it, rather than in more creative pursuits. My new years resolution is to post thoughts and photos much more regularly - we shall see!!

How to sell work over the Internet is a not easy. I’ve tried various options over the last couple of years, with very little success it must be said.

1. I used my site as an on-line image gallery, which looked good, but because it was hand-crafted in Dreamweaver was quite labour intensive to keep up-to-date.

2. I then discovered blogging and on-line artist galleries and signed up with isendyouthis.com this is a really well run on-line art gallery, but not really ideal for selling different sized images/finishes of photography prints.

3. Gallery 2C in Bristol were interested in my work, so I went through a lengthy process of selecting a range of work and uploading it to their site. Nothing sold, so I’ve recently pruned the selection so the body of work relates to macro textures and graphics based images. The jury’s out, so I’ll see how it goes. I replaced the isendyouthis link with Gallery 2C on my site.

4. After discussions with isendyouthis I decided to change the work on the site so that it is distinct from Gallery 2C. It has much more an art feel to it, and includes work I have exhibited and reflects the direction my work is heading in. I reinsated the isendyouthis link on my site!

so…. low and behold I got an email at the beginning of the week from someone wanting to buy £1600 of work. Wow I thought, all my time on the web has finally paid off. After a couple of days of email conversations I received a cheque for £2,750 (more than I asked for). However, some things did not really add up, and the whole thing seemed rather fishy. I talked to other local artists and it appears that quite a few SBA members have been caught up in this, a Nigerian scam based in Manchester. The long shot being that the guy invoices you for the balance to cover the overpayment. Luckily nobody I know has been caught out.

So it’s back to the drawing board.

Hewlett Packard have recently launched a new version of their Mediascape software and an accompanying website where the software and Mediascapes can be downloaded. Along with other artists myself and Paul Matson were commissioned to create a Mediascape using photography as the starting point. The piece had to be non location specific which meant that its content had to be generic in nature and the overall concept one that everyone could relate to. Paul and I chose to work with an underwater theme. Our aim was to create a Mediascape experience that would be instinctively recognisable by many people, and would require little explanation on how to use it.

The piece is not meant to be a ‘realistic’ diving simulator, but through the use of sound and image provide the participant with a taster of what the actual experience might bring. Simple animated slideshows suggest movement, while the sound complements and suggests potential diving scenarios. Scubascape is not competitive and contains no gaming element; it’s about immersing yourself in the audio/visual experience, exploring the four different dives and having fun.

Although the initial version of Scubascape was designed, built and tested in central Bristol, a portable version is also available so the piece can be experienced anywhere. Scubascape can be downloaded from the mscapers website: Scubascape

Last year as part of the Southbank-Bristol Arts trail we (the SBA) facilitated the collaborative ’shoebox project’, whereby SBA members/artists, friends and family and local school children were asked to use an empty shoe box to appropriate/create a piece of art. The uptake was fantastic with an amazing range of work created.

As Chair of the SBA I wanted to continue this collaborative approach and facilitate more projects as part of this years Southbank-Bristol Arts Week (12-19 May 2007). In partnership with Tony Eastman I devised two projects with a similar ethos. Here is a summary of the project briefs:

Message on a Bottle invited Southbank artists and friends of all ages to make a work of art that sent a message from our own community to friends, family or the world at large: by taking a bottle (or bottles) as a starting point, everyone was asked to construct a positive message they wished to send by using any medium or combination of mediums (i.e. paint, enamel, collage, papier mache, sound – you name it!) The ‘bottle messages’ (signed or unsigned – it’s your choice) were installed in St Paul’s Church and unless otherwise indicated included in a silent auction to raise funds for the SBA.

Seaside, Cities and Sandwiches – a ‘ReCollection’ offered the chance to share holiday memories and see them incorporated into an audio photographic collage at the Grant Bradley Gallery: Choose an old photograph that records one of your most memorable holiday experiences and be prepared to record a short description of the experience.

Spring is almost here, and with the longer days and more light I’ve been taking shots containing a bit more colour. I like the dark atmospheric shots, but am pleased to have re-discovered a lighter side. I took some time out a couple of weeks ago to visit Avonmouth, not a place normally associated with day trips! but for anyone with an eye for a picture it’s pretty inspiring. I’ve also changed the banner image on www.davemd.co.uk to reflect the change in season.

Bristol stories is a collaboration between the Watershed and Bristol Museums to develop digital content for the new Museum of Bristol, due to open in 2009. Bristol Stories is based on the blueprint devised by Joe Lambert at the Centre for Digital Storytelling in California. The process enables people to ‘use digital media to tell meaningful stories from their life’.

I recently took part in a four day course to learn how to create stories based around the theme of travel, and enable the participants to facilitate Digital Storytelling workshops themselves (something I hope to do). My film ’space boy’ uses photographs from my childhood, some sounds and images (copyright free) and my own recorded narrative.

The image above (yes, it’s me) is from the film which can be seen here: Space Boy

I’ve been taking more sea and skyscapes, where sea and sky almost become one. The shots are almost devoid of colour and display a dreamlike quality. I am particularly happy with these and feel at last that I may be developing my own style with consistency which I am keen to develop and happy to show. I will be printing (24 x 20) and dry-mounting a series of images to submit to galleries early in 2007.

I’ve been experimenting with landscape, particularly that almost devoid of colour. People have mentioned there is a echo of Gerhard Richter’s work in these photographs, so I’ve been doing a bit of research. I must say I’m flattered by any similarity!

I had a weekend away with some friends on the Somerset Levels last weekend. The bleak landscape had a real impact on the photographs I took, infusing them with a real sense of gloom almost in the style of Don McCullin who lives in the area. This one however is lighter in mood and more the direction I’d like to take my landscape work.

The Southbank Arts Trail now in its fourth year continues to be a very inclusive event attracting school children, professional artists and first timers in equal measure. The event celebrates the creativity in the neighbourhoods of Southville, Bedminster and Ashton and aims through art & performance to bring people together, let them express themselves and have fun.

As Chair of Southbank-Bristol Arts (the organisers of the Arts Trail) I was keen to present a selection of the 180 artists who exhibited in over 50 venues at this years trail and to distil the quality and diversity into one group exhibition. It took a lot of planning, but thanks to the hard work of my co-curators Janine Partington and Abbie Jenkins from the Grant Bradley Gallery the exhibition looks great and has been well received by the artists and public alike.

This exhibition runs from 9 November 2006 until 11 January 2007 at the Grant Bradley Gallery, Bedminster Bristol.

‘imagined narratives #1‘ was shown as part of this years Southbank Arts Trail. It is an exploration in creating narrative from a set of seemingly un-related images.

Each person had their own idea of what the story might be; there was no right or wrong. Peoples ideas varied wildly, some stories filled with joy, others covering darker ground.

I would like to extend the work by providing postcards for the participants to send their feedback. Peoples stories could then be posted on the web thus extending the interactive nature of the piece.

DMD May’2006