Yep it's finally here, Father's Day Mark II, time really flys!! For me the first year after losing someone was pretty numbing but than the actual emotions start to take over and things get way tougher. It didn't help losing my pony Eclipse (28) in the six months after losing my Dad, then Fergie (our other elderly horse friend 24) six months after Eclipse so it seems life threw a bag of lemons at my head for 2015/2016!

A shout out for all the people I know who have lost family and animal friends, we still love them and we should be allowed to express that when we can. Also it is a reminder to appreciate the wonderful people in your life now especially Father's, good ones who are always supportive, encouraging and there for you through thick and thin.

In this blog I would like to mention a few things:

Firstly my sister-in-laws' book, "The Bloom Girls" by Emily Cavanagh is still available to buy on Amazon. Emily launched her book in March 2017.

Without giving away anything or being biased, "The Bloom Girls" which may I say is a total page turner and I couldn't put it down; In it three sisters react to the death of their father, which given today is very fitting, Emily wrote this book long before the death of my Dad, and picking it up in April when it finally arrived I must say the first chapters were very difficult emotionally, but eventually as it was a gripping read, it became somewhat cathartic! 

However it just this I wish to mention. Her main character Cal does exactly what I thought I would do when my father died as we had many a close call with him and death for years before his paper thin heart finally took him. Cal curls up and shuts the world out completely despite having her own family. And there has been days since I wish I could do exactly that especially the hardest days like Christmas and his birthday which Birthday Mark II is also coming up. This is not how it happened for us as a family and I did not do that at the time, you carry on, there are flights to book, funeral arrangements to discuss, coffins, flowers and music to choose, people to meet and greet having had a wake in the house for him. Funerals are actually busy affairs and it is only in the coming weeks, months, years after that the process of grief is allowed in, in various stages to allow healing. This is not a book review or a criticism mainly a catalyst for the following point - about giving oneself all the time in the world one needs for grief no matter how long and what that process entails for you as a person.

Secondly through that process what have I tried to help the healing process is as follows, as I have both the misfortune and luck (you can look at it both ways) of not having solid work for the last year and a half! 

I started an online course in Java programming in November with SOLAS and am due to finish it in a few months.

This led to a free online course in "Writing for Children" with Universal class and the Cork County Library which I should have finished, I am still on Unit 7 of 10 as I took on too much online stuff and I need to also job hunt!

But what really helped the healing process is actually getting out of the house and actually meeting people because spending time online all the time was not helpful at all in the long run:

So for the last five months, two evenings a week I attend an "Acting for Camera Course" with the Irish Film Academy which was recommended to me by SECAD to build my confidence, and I thoroughly enjoyed it, of course some-days I didn't feel like seeing anyone and I forced myself to go in but those where the days I learned most and felt like I achieved more out of it. I must say being on the other side of the camera gave me a massive appreciation of the role actors play in the creative process of film-making. Partly the joy is in  the learning process of this and learning from the best, the maestro that Tom Kibbe is at teaching but the other part is meeting the people in your group on their own personal journeys, watching how they also evolve and the warm welcome I got every-time I walked through the door. Thank you so much all and I hope to be back soon :)

Ok so I might not have a proper show-reel on that side of the camera yet as I am still a novice but I did finally lash in an application for my dream job on crew in TG4 which are hiring in August and as such have now started an intensive course in Irish with GaelChultur in preparation for an interview that may or may-not happen but to at least keep the skills I learned in Ballyferriter back in October alive, and also to keep meeting people as it is good for the soul!

Thirdly, were I am at, the next step in many baby steps is attending a full-time course in Front End Web Development run by the Cork Education and Training Board, CETB. I have just spent the first three days on it and already have met some very interesting people and have been thoroughly enjoying  up-skilling in various areas of photo-shop I have become rusty in. However as I was with CETB than known as FÁS 8 years before part of me felt like I was going backwards, and sometimes you do have to back to go forwards!

Where will this lead to... who knows. I do hope there are full-time creative jobs out there in Web Development but I will also be looking at the option of self employment more closely so it will be a watch this space scenario ;) 

Finally for those of you who are still riding the waves of the grieving process like me and I know there are many which is heartbreaking but a huge dose of reality too :/ I want to share the following site with you that has been a huge resource of helpful articles for me, I've shared it before but I want to do it as many times as I can "Recover from Grief"

And where-ever you are in your healing process or whomever close ones you are missing greatly on the "Hallmark" days and all the days in between know you are not alone and there are lots of good people out there experiencing the same emotions. I think the suffering and pain of loss shows how greatly the love was for that person and that is nothing to fear or be sorry for and that in itself is actually quite beautiful.

Times have changed I am not longer a green early 20's country girl landed in London but yet am every bit as clueless on how to proceed at the moment. My father having passed over on Oct 2015, which is an emotionally decimating time to say the least, and after a short illness myself, I now find myself back in Ireland trying to get into an industry in which I have no network built up as even after ten years away in the UK, it still is who you know over here!

I tried before, for two years 2008 - 2010 when he was extremely ill and I had to come home to help my family. Ireland was in the recession and jobs were very scarce but still nothing essentially has changed, apart from the fact that now every second course provider in the country is selling Media, Film & TV now when in my time St. John's Central College in Cork was the only one, and it is still the best in the South. (total plug there and proud to be an alumni!)

Today it seems companies want to hire either a recently qualified student to work for free as an Intern or a seasoned veteran, but nothing in between.

I may not have been working everyday in the UK film industry but it is full thanks to people like Monika Y. Dee at r-Kive Productions http://rkiveproductions.co.uk/ who found me on www.mandy.com who gave me a leg up, and kept me working and upskilling on shorts in between the day job of putting a roof over my head in London.  

It comes a time however when you need a paid job to go forward in life and a company to work with you, invest in you and see your potential and if you can't get in anywhere you just have to do it yourself! 

The issue in Ireland seems to be at the moment any paid jobs (if not bloody internships or jobbridge schemes) are based in Dublin where the rent is as high as London... "News-flash" people need to eat and put a roof over their head so that would be back to square one working weekdays in a paid role (probably behind a desk) and spending the weekends on shorts, which is fine if you are in your twenties, and I spent 10 years in London doing that!

The flip side of the coin, the areas I would love to work in like Donegal, Sligo, Galway, Mayo, Clare, Kerry and/or my own native Cork, well suddenly you need to be fluent in Irish to get the paid work!

Now I can read Irish I'd say my level is now about Junior Cert Honours level even though I did Honours in the leaving Certificate but I haven't used the language in years and I didn't attend a Gaelscoileanna or come from a Gaeltacht area so I was never a fluent speaker!! When I left Ireland initially in 2004 Irish was only just becoming popular, TG4 was only 8 years old, and my generation had thought Irish a pain in the arse, The Simpson on Sky were more fun!. Today Irish is totally on trend, well in the media industry it seems it is... and I am seeing it everywhere else in the country now, and rightly so. The production values of content broadcast from TG4 is fantastic and visually it is on par with Europe, and productions coming out of France and Scandinavia. 

I'm not here for a moan or a "I should be handed anything on a plate" whinge, I know life is hard work and not always fair. So the upshot is I've booked myself on a refresher Irish course in Ballyferriter for a weekend crash course. Now this is in the hope that I can get Munster Irish back on my ear, I have no idea if I will need Connacht Irish or Donegal Irish to get work, this is still a mystery to me!! But it is hopefully the start of cúpla focal! I intend to blog and video this journey of mine as at least if I can't work on a production I can create my own little documentary about this lovely life obstacle, and whether or not I'll overcome it, and sure if it worked for Des Bishop...

Siger Gallery's Jon Baker and Company are attending the Affordable Art Fair Milan (Stand J7) this month. The fair runs from the 6th – 9th of March 2014 at the Superstudio Più, Milan. 

Siger Gallery represents the following artists: Linda Lieberman, Patrick Moffat, Kevin Fogarty, Sophie Levi, Frederico Penteado, Jonathan Baker, Colin Mills,Alex Allmont, Armelle Burke, Graham Carrick, Melissa Lozano Molano, Manuel Sanmartin, Guillermo Monroy, Zil Hoque, Paul Robinson and Andy Stewart.

Reporting back from the fair will be Linda Lieberman, Guillermo Monroy and Zil Hoque. Already the antics have started as Linda, the last to arrive,  has been taken for a ride already as can be seen from the photo above!

Below I have been sent some trip highlights and have put together a little gallery of the buildup.

I hope to add some more as they come back to me from the opening night and weekend adventures.

Of course all I can say is wish I was out there... and watch this space!

I love writing. Therefore I thought I'd like blogging but I don't. Not at all... there I said it... my eyes tend to glaze over but I must keep going... or at least begin!

I have been wearing many hats these last few months, so no surprises there! It's been hard to keep up so I decided to put together a few things all at once and I hope it is not information overload....

Firstly a few words about my Panavision Work experience. Panavision the world leader in motion picture production technology is based in Greenford where I spent a very happy week in September learning more about the industry and how Panavision as a company works. 

They only take on one or two interns every month so it is quite exclusive to get in and I am extremely grateful for the opportunity. We worked predominately on the camera floor helping set up and test cameras and lenses. I got hands on experience with Preston Follow Focus, Arri Follow Focus, Cinetape and the Frazier Lens System not too mention lacing a Panavision 35mm Millenium cameras with all it's accessories.  Every member of staff was friendly, courteous, open to questions and approachable. 

Just after my Panavision work experience I got connected with Monica Y. Dee of rKive Productions initially to work as Camera Assistant on a 48hr PGA Short Film Festival entry called Signal Lost. Written by Heidi Bordogna and Carl Huebner it was shot in various cities across the world over a 48 hour period. Monica also directed the London section. Monica asked me to work as gaffer/lighting assistant to her next short film 'The Waiting Room' due for it's debut at the end of this month November it was  a very enjoyable experience.  Shot partly in studio in Battersea Bridge The Lantern Studios is a gem of a find and also worth a mention.  

Way to heavy on the text so I put in a .gif file to wake up a bit....

FINALLY FINALLY...
Finally finished the edit for Linda Liebermans 'Lost at Sea' video which at the time of writing has already had it's premiere at The Crypt Gallery, St. Pancras Church, Euston Road. I hear good things from it and great feedback. If you one of the people who have seen it already please feel free to drop me an email. I am not sure what happens at the end of the show with the video but I am sure I will blog about it once I find out:

"The video ‘Lost at Sea’ has been a journey of discovery all the way from the first moments of using hessian, and making my own canvas to paint on, until this final end of the video itself." Linda Lieberman Video Concept    

We can both say that it has been a journey of discovery. I relearnt my lost Final Cut Skills in one fell swoop ;)

MORE IMPORTANTLY 

'Collide at the Crypt' runs until the 16th November 2013 and if you haven't got to see the exhibition yet ... shame on you!! Go now...

Back over a week and a half now from the Hong Kong Contemporary Artfair, a whirlwind experience and lots of fun. 

I travelled out with Linda Lieberman we represented the Siger Gallery London. Other artworks by Jonathan Baker, Linda Lieberman, Patrick Moffat, Frederico Penteado, Armelle Burke, Graham Carrick, Melissa Lozano Molano, Manuel Sanmartin, Guillermo Monroy, Zil Hoque, Paul Robinson and Andy Stewart

We met some amazing people out there. It took place in the Excelsior Hotel, Causeway Bay. It certainly opened my eyes to Asia. It was a highly professional and inviting event. I saw a lot of very exciting works and discovered some very interesting new Artists and Galleries. 

HKC13 gained worldwide media coverage.

Some statistics
Over 75% of HKC13 gallery participants have sold artworks during the fair. 
During the fair, they had had over 3200 visitors 

The next exciting Art Fair to take place in Hong Kong will be the HKC Budget 2013 between 6-8 September 2013.

HKC Budget 2013 is an art fair which targets at showcasing artworks below US$4,000.00. We are aiming to promote emerging artists/galleries and bring their exciting arts to Hong Kong buyers.

HKC Budget 2013’s director Jonathan Baker team will strive to deliver another high-quality art event that will blow your minds away once again. 

The application for HKC Budget 2013 is now open. 

Please visit the link for more information http://www.hkc.com.co/news/newsletter12.html

 

Just a quicky first blog! Taibhse Le Seans was shown at the recent Corona Fastnet Short Film Festival in Schull County Cork. It's first festival outing and more importantly was shown in it's home County :) Part of Programme 5 it was shown at least twice during the festival, check out the programme info below:

http://www.fastnetshortfilmfestival.com/

http://www.fastnetshortfilmfestival.com/CFSFF_2013_PROGRAMME_web.pdf