#100ColourMixDays is a series of 100 small original works made over 100 days, contained in two sketchbooks.

The original #100ColourMixDays sketchbooks were displayed at The Hot Tin, St Saviour’s Church during opening hours from Tuesday, 19 February until Saturday, 2 March, 2019. A selection of 20 framed Giclée Prints on Canson Aquarelle Rag Paper were hung on the Hot Tin’s panelled walls.

As the first Artist in Residence at The Hot Tin, I spent each each Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 10-3 during the show making work in response to the wonderful space and building that is the Historic St Saviour’s Tin Church. Mike and Romana and their wonderful team have created a comfortable, inviting cafe and fabulous cultural venue, where they embrace everything from performance, film and music to literary visits. The coffee?…Yes!!  And I had plenty of it, so I can confirm that a good cup of Joe is no fluke at the Hot Tin! I loved getting the chance to be available to talk about the Colour Mix Days work as well as making new work inspired by my surroundings.

I’d decided to make a book-work of some kind before going into the residency. The double doors at the building’s entrance suggested a cover, and my helpful hoarding of wide corrugated packaging came in handy for a reference to St Saviour’s Church’s exterior walls.  I wanted to use the Dos-à-dos, or back to back, book form, so the central door of the entrance became the interior cover, shared by both the front and the back of the book. My only criteria was to show up and make work. I looked at the space for a vocabulary of marks. I spent time drawing straight lines suggested by the paneling inside St Saviour’s, rocking from my heels to my toes rhythmically to incorporate more body than hand and arm, and exploring the feeling of repetition and physicality of that action, in a space where people had once worshiped or kicked a ball around when the Church was used as a school gymnasium. I used Sumi-e ink for the first time, discovered that it has a distinctive smell, and was very helpfully told about its property of being waterproof when dry – a wonder! I talked with artists and visitors and children. I did some pretty ropey coptic binding, after abandoning a previous failed binding idea. I had space for art in my days. As is said, a change is as good as a holiday and it was a wonderful, engaging joyful couple of weeks, and I didn’t want to leave. The book doesn’t really feel complete – I was only able to spend about 40 hours on it, but I intend to add to it over the years in my visits to the Hot Tin for more of their wonderful coffee.

AND – did I mention there was a cocktail designed and named in honour of the Residency!? Gorgeous it is, too. Next time you’re dancing at the Hot Tin, be sure to ask Will for a “Hope on a Hot Tin Roof”!

To purchase any Giclée Prints of any of the #100colourmixdays small paintings, take a look at all of the work here and contact me by email: hope@hopefitzgerald.com with the name of the painting. Prints are £45 plus p&p and measure 254 x305mm page size with a central 100x150mm image, the actual size of the original.

All 100 pieces, details of the process, and sketchbook pages can be viewed by searching #100ColourMixDays or by visiting @hopefitzgerald_art on Instagram.