Top marks?

Saturday spent at the Jerwood Drawing Prize 2009 at the Burton Art Gallery in Bideford.

Two pieces were worth the trip by themselves: Chie Konishi's huge, detailed, obsessive and potentially endless drawing of piece of fraying, torn fabric and Heather Phillipson's nine-minute DVD Head in which a knitted hat is unravelled and a head of hair becomes increasingly tangled.

In fact, fabric (drawings of lace and obliterated knitting patterns, as well as actual tapestry and stitching) was a dominant theme. Pattern featured strongly too.

It's always tricky to be objective about a show you've been rejected from (The distance travelled by foot travelled by hand didn't quite make the grade) but, while I felt fairly and squarely beaten by much of the work, a few pieces seemed derivative or just plain dumb. And I would have liked a little more challenge over the boundaries of drawing.

Some of the presentation disappointed too. Wobbly home-cut mounts, unintentional dings in the paper and muck in the frames are not things you'd expect from pricey work in a prestigious national show. And, while I'm on the subject of professional quality control, they could have proof-read the wall texts and catalogue a bit more carefully too.

Until 9th April at the Burton Art Gallery, Bideford, then 19th April-7th May at the University of Gloucestershire in Cheltenham.

West Quarter trade, now and then

Have secured the wonderful Tuckers Hall for the launch of our show Stowage. Dating from the 15th century, it was built by Company of Weavers, Tuckers and Shearmen, who still own it today. They were the guild that controlled the woollen cloth trade in Exeter, a source of enormous wealth for the city until the end of the 18th century.

Stowed and ready to show

After much sweating and swearing, I'm not stuffing a typewriter or a bicycle or even a man's business suit in my jar - just a photograph. With a nod to Joseph Kosuth. Sometimes I have to do the complicated things just to allow myself to do the simpler thing.

A voice for artists

Spent yesterday afternoon at an event called AIRTIME at the Brewhouse in Taunton, a kind of speed networking event for artists and arts organisations.

I was representing AIR, a brilliant but rather hard-to-describe organisation that comes under the umbrella of A-N The Artists Information Company. It represents 13,500 visual and applied artist members in the UK and offers us a range of practical and professional benefits, from public liability insurance to help with setting our pay rates.

AIR is also increasingly representing the needs of ordinary working artists to arts policy makers. It's amazing how often the views of practitioners have been overlooked in the past.

www.a-n.co.uk/subscribe

The white stuff

The Art Cornwall site turns out to be full of hidden treasures - not least a link to Spillings by Paul Carter and Alexandra Zierle.

I first saw this astonishing film when I was lucky enough to share gallery space with them at 'Drawn In' in Somerset last year. Online viewing doesn't quite do it justice, but you can see it here anyway.

Yakety yak

Went to the preview of Sovay Berriman's new show at Exeter Phoenix last night. Pride of place in the main gallery went to a huge perspex and wood sculpture that was all angles and elbows, prosaic and yet romantic. But my personal favourite was a series of objects that looked like giant kebabs propped against the wall - poor little lumps of stuff, viciously skewered and sliced.

I need to go back when it's quiet and think about it all - too many people to talk to last night.

Sovay Berriman: Entertaining at the Dust Lounge, Exeter Phoenix until 2nd May 2010 www.exeterphoenix.org.uk/galleries.php

www.sovayberriman.co.uk