''WHERE HE RAN, AND RETURNED, TO.'' - by Clinton Kirkpatrick. Nairobi National Museum, Kenya 2014.

I have been invited by the National Museums of Kenya to exhibit my paintings and printmaking at the Nairobi National Museum in May 2014. I have spent two and a half years working in and out of Kenya and this will be the third time I return.

Many of you who know me may know the journey so far. But for those who don’t - here is a little detail - In May 2011 I ventured to Kenya as a volunteer working with a peer education group and teaching art. Arriving back to Northern Ireland, at the end of June that year, I began creating paintings and with a renewed energy these went on display at the Waterfront Hall in Belfast, March 2012. I felt that I needed to return to Kenya to explore it deeper. I fundraised and worked to go back on a self-arranged residency, at the end of 2012, and during this time I would teach, learn, create, discover and meet many amazing people. I arrived home again, after a further nine weeks in East Africa, and spent six months making new work which went on display at the ISLAND Arts Centre in Lisburn, June 2013. In January 2013 I applied to the National Museums of Kenya to exhibit and at the end of May 2013 I was selected for exhibition for May 2014.

Last year I took many people on the journey with me as I crowd-funded a part of the trip. I wrote a letter every single day except one (17th November as I remember it well) which gave to people an insight into my time and experience. I sent postcards with thoughts and moments. I took photographs on disposable cameras for certain individuals to give a lasting, personal, visual image of my time there. I have since created individual prints and works for people all over the world who have supported my work.

Now I would like to take a few people on another journey if you would like to help me get back to Kenya in 2014. My work is increasingly about people, the surrounding world, society and how we interact together so therefore it seems perfect and natural that I can invite people to come along as part of my time to Kenya in this way.

I am a full-time self-employed artist making paintings, drawings and woodcut prints. This exhibition is about taking my work to the people and country that it is all about. This opportunity is a certain marker for my life as an artist which is my first ever international exhibition and I am seeking help to realise and fulfil this in 2014. The total cost of this trip will be in the region of £5000, after making a carefully considered budget (production/travel/exhibition), and I am hoping to raise the money in many different ways. Crowd-funding enables me to not just accept money from people but instead offer something back which is intimate and on a personal level. I have also been writing applications to organisations and I will be self-funding a part of the trip.

ANY support or contribution would be greatly received.  And can I add that it is also nearly Christmas?! ;)  So there might be something here that might suit as a lovely gift for someone which is a little different? Jingle bells Jingle bells DA DA DAAA DA DAAAAAAAAAAAA!!  :)

Without the incredible support of others, over the last two and a half years, I believe my painting and work would be very different today. I have run two separate crowd-funding platforms in the past. One helped me raise money to create a catalogue to accompany my first exhibition and the other helped me work as an artist in Kenya at the end of 2012. I will be forever indebted to all those who have helped my development as an artist to date and I really believe this way of raising money is interesting and exciting as I get to give back to people a piece of my journey.

This is not just about going away to have an exhibition overseas! I am very much going back to work with the Museum, my friends and others who I have been working with over this last two and a half years. I want to go back and work with the youth at the Shelter I worked in last year. I want to return to work further with my mentor John Silver in woodcut printmaking. I want to hold workshops for schools and organisations throughout the duration of the exhibition. I want to give artist talks and insight into where my work has came from and I would like to establish new relationships when back in Kenya. This is much more than an exhibition.

I have included, below, an option where you can download my artist CV if you wish to find out more about my work over the years. Just click on the link and it will download.

I will be keeping my website and Facebook page updated throughout the coming months and throughout my time in Kenya next year. I will keep short video entries on my YouTube channel during my time away enabling everyone to see extracts of my time there. The links below will take you to my different web pages so please feel free to check out everything as it unfolds.

www.clintonkirkpatrick.com

www.facebook.com/clinton.kirkpatrick.artist

www.youtube.com/CLINTONKIRKPATRICK

I will endeavour to be in touch as much as possible with those who support my time away.

Spread the love folks. Hit the social buttons above for me and help share the word.

CLINTON

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