and the winner is...

november was "happy 1st birthday loz's blog" month. so to celebrate a draw from the bowler hat of destiny was held, the prize - a free piece of my artwork. the results are as follows...

in the name of fairness an independant adjudicator (i.e. mark) was choosen to draw the names



and the lucky winner is


YAY! well done! and coz i was feeling extra generous a runner up was then choosen....


can you feel the suspence...

and the lucky runner up is...

YAY! well done to you both!

and here are the super amazingly lucky winners enjoying their prizes!




huge thank yous to all the hundreds of entrants for taking part xx

(number maybe slightly exaggerated for effect)

taliswoman

taliswoman

17th nov 2009 - 27th nov 2009

guildhall, guildhall lane, leicester LE1 5FQ


Raison D’etre Theatre Company presents
TALISWOMAN
a new play by Diane Speakman

'I cut through his neck. how the blood sings!'

Rome 1611: the baroque is in its infancy and the church is raining money. Artists fight for lucrative commissions and fight amongst themselves. Amidst a chiaroscuro world of violence, betrayal and lust, a young girl yearns to paint; taught by her father and inspired by his friend Caravaggio. Her talent is recognized and envied by Agostiono Tassi, an artist whose violation of this young artists culminates in a brutal 7 month trial where violation is condemned, but also re-enacted.

London 1640: Civil war looms and witches are hunted. Amidst revolution and fear, King Charles I commissions an acclaimed woman artist from Italy. Artemisia Gentileschi arrives at court, first woman artist of the Baroque. She is all her own work. TALISWOMAN is an imaginative vision of the incredible true story of this pioneering artist, her resurrection and her brave journey toward herself: Artemisia Gentileschi fecit.

Diane Speakman is former Drama Editor at Cambridge University Press; she has also been a senior member of the editorial staff of Argosy, and Assistant Editor of Granta. Diane has written for The Guardian, The Daily Telegraph and The Stage, and such periodicals as Drama and Everywoman. Major plays include A COUPLA HOTTUNZ, Half Moon Theatre, 1990; BOUNDARIES, Norwich Playhouse, 1996; AN HONEST ACTRESS, developed at The Theatre by the Lake, Keswick, 2004. Diane’s writing appears in Female Voices, Fighting Lives (Raymond Williams Award, 1992).

The production was accompanied by a gallery exhibition in The Mayor’s Parlour of copies and prints of the Italian artist Artemisia Gentileschi’s most famous works. The exhibition also exhibited modern interpretations of the artist’s work by local/regional artists.

artists include:

Loz Atkinson

Emma Tooth

Daisy Julian

Joanne Wilton

Alice Kell

Christine Gray



I chose to be inspired by Artemisia Gentileschi's piece 'Judith Slaying Holofernes' as it was the one I initially recognised and had a gut reation to.

My version was created digitally - photographing live models and placing them into a bespoke, digitally constructed background. I have referenced the original work by using similar lighting, use of space and colours. I like the look of apathy captured on Judiths face, it is almost a morbid concentration on finishing the gruesome job. The lighting adds to the drama of the story and the messy business of getting Holofernes's head off. The lack of detail in the gore and the darkness of the image, is intended to make the viewer fill in the gaps as the imagination is always so much worse than what can be captured - a suggestion is all that is needed.

When reading the story behind the work I found the conflict caused by the basic plot, Judith getting Holofernes drunk, seducing and then killing him to save her town, and the moral message of the tale, quite amusing as it is a biblical story. I wanted to highlight this almost hypocritical view, by portraying the more sexual side of the story, enhancing this juxtaposion of interests between a good deed and sin. It also makes me chuckle how the Bible, the Christian religion and Catholicism in particular, picks and chooses its heroines and heretics, usually not being able to decide whether to embrace or outcast women.
Like Artemisia I wanted to capture the progression in equality and strength that women have fought to attain over the years. Having Judith and Holofernes against each other, one on one, sets an even playing field, with Judith's maidservant being the look out, co-seducer and almost equal to Judith rather than just her aid. But I do believe, all be it slowly, times have moved on and by catching the subtleties of the seduction in the remnants of the struggle (now that the slaying is over) signifies these changes and, I hope, shows that we are all just people with many differences, but dispite these differences are all equal.

here are some other photos of the exhibition and symposium event

november will be "happy 1st birthday loz's blog" month

!!!!COMPETITION NOW CLOSED!!!!

and to celebrate this most monumental occasion i will be giving away a signed piece of my art to one very lucky person!

all you need to do to enter this amazing competition is email me at

loz.atkinson59@hotmail.co.uk

with 'i want free art and oh by the way happy birthday' as the subject
send your name, address and where you heard about my blog

ill put all entrants into my bowler hat to be drawn on 30th november and i will let the winner know as soon as i do!

also in your email please let me know if you'd like to be added to my emailing list to let you know of any exhibitions, fairs or future goings on of loz

so what have you got to lose its free! and my work is obviously amazing hehe so get your entries in now!

kisses and best wishes

loz xx

P.S winner get to choose from the pieces below!

2pm - 3pm

my time as plinther number 1926, as part of Antony Gormley's one and other project on the fourth plinth in london's trafalgar square.


i got a call on monday 21st september asking if i could be on the plinth on thursday 24th september as someone had pulled out. ARGH! this had happened a few weeks before but i'd said no and immediately regretted it so i wouldn't be repeating my mistake. it was like fate to be called again! but still ARGH! how am i going to get there? what would i do? fuck it i'm doing it! YES! so mad panic and 3 days to prepare something worthy of being a part of history.......


i wore my wedding dress as i thought it was my special dress for that special day so why not for my special hour. so when i got up there i first set up my 'tree of love' which was kind of like a family tree but with everyone i love on it in photo form














i did have an envelope full of other photos i was meant to peg to the tree but in my nervousness i forgot so to the people who aren't on the tree you were up there with me!

then to put up my blog sign





then i wrote some words of wisdom and squiggled on bits of wallpaper to throw down to a lucky few.


i even had time for a glass of wine, well any excuse hey!

i left the rest of the bottle up there to appease death who was on after me but he spilt it everywhere so before the next but one plinther got up there one of the one and other crew had to get on there and mop it up hehe i like to think i left my mark on the plinth!

to watch my hour please visit
www.oneandother.co.uk/participants/i_am_loz
hope you enjoy my contribution to the one and other project and please feel free to leave comments

here are a few more images of my time














if you took any or have found any more photos of my hour please let me know. the following images i found in the guardian plinth watch pool on flickr the pictures were added by victius