Drawing Blood, Drawing Poison, Drawing Fire - a pre-launch Q&A with the artist, Simon Grennan.
Funded by the Arts Council and led by artist Simon Grennan, ‘Drawing Blood’ is a new collaborative art project that creates a new online exhibition of twenty new, original animated artworks. Hosted by Gladstone’s Library, the online exhibition will also be available at Contemporary Art Space Chester and at Aura libraries in North Wales, including Broughton, Buckley, Mold, Deeside, Holywell, Connah’s Quay and Flint.
The new artworks are inspired by a book Simon found in the Gladstone’s Library collections. Dating from 1878, Gladstone from Judy’s Point of View collects cartoons satirising one of the hot topics of the period – liberal political opinion. As one of the major Liberal politicians, William Ewart Gladstone is often in the firing line of Judy’s cartoonists. In the tradition of political artists everywhere their pens puncture any political pomposity, drawing Gladstone (and others) not as respected statesman but as wobbly juggler, unstable acrobat, indecisive whirligig, pram-pushing lady, and many more.
Ahead of the exhibition’s launch, Simon gave us some exclusive insights into the production process. They’ll be posted on this blog each week: for a full list, please visit the project’s home page: https://www.gladstoneslibrary.org/reading-rooms/digital-gladstone/drawing-blood-drawing-poison-drawing-fire
Who is involved in the project?
I’ve created the idea, I’m making the drawings and producing the animations. I’m working alongside folks from Aura Libraries Wales and Gladstone’s Library, Haywarden, where the book of Victorian cartoons lives. I’m a visual artist. I’ve run a visual arts studio (where I make artworks) in collaboration with American artist Chris Sperandio for over 30 years. We make drawings, animations, pubic sculptures and history projects. We’re well known for making a new chocolate bar, for drawing comics and for making two US television series. I also have a keen interest in British Victorian cartoons and cartoonists and I sometimes mash all these things together to make new things.
Pwy sy’n rhan o’r prosiect?
Rwyf wedi creu’r syniad, rwy’n gwneud y lluniau ac yn cynhyrchu’r animeiddiadau. Rwy’n gweithio ochr yn ochr gydag unigolion o Lyfrgelloedd Aura Cymru a Llyfrgell Gladstone, Penarlâg ble gellir gweld y llyfr o gart?ns Fictoraidd. Rwy’n arlunydd gweledol. Rwyf wedi cynnal stiwdio celfyddydau gweledol (ble rwy’n gwneud gwaith celf) mewn cydweithrediad â’r arlunydd Americanaidd Chris Sperandio ers dros 30 mlynedd. Rydym yn creu lluniau, animeiddiadau, cerfluniau cyhoeddus a phrosiectau hanes. Rydym yn adnabyddus am greu bar siocled newydd, am dynnu lluniau comig ac am gynhyrchu dwy gyfres deledu yn yr Unol Daleithiau. Mae gennyf ddiddordeb mawr mewn cart?ns a chartwnyddion Fictoraidd Prydeinig hefyd ac weithiau byddaf yn cymysgu’r pethau hyn i gyd gyda’i gilydd i wneud pethau newydd.