Charlie Tuesday Gates

Apparently the photographer who came by on Monday got photo of the day at Reuters. Here's one that made it into the  INDEPENDENT   news in pictures section FACEBOOK:tuesdaygates TWITTER: goodnessgates

  My work ended up on some terrible social media website. These beautiful moments and pictures were completely misrepresented, their significance lost amongst such comment buttons as ‘WTF’ ‘EWE’ ‘LOL’ ‘FAIL’ ‘WIN’ etc. If you have read the article and comments then here's someone with something intelligent to say: ' This is a shocking visualisation of a text that many many Christians might otherwise neglect. Thing is, lambs are cute. And beautiful. And innocent. The crime against Christ was not beautiful, as we might see it - as we might be accustomed to the image of a crucifix from churches or old art books. The crime against Christ was brutal and cruel and evil. This image of a real lamb strung up as a man crucified helps to shock the eyes to the stark terror of the event.'  '... It is so striking; the aspect of religiosity and life made me stop and think..... It's been a while since i've seen art that truly interests me, thanks!' 'NEED

Like a Lamb to the Slaughter I had arranged for some people to come round. They just wanted to see what I got up to on my day off, take some picture ect.  I was planning on using a hare (it being Easter and all) but the only thing that was budging was a lamb.  I was planning on crucifying it before I knew about Gunther Von Hagens and his idea of taking a dead body to the Pope.  These baby lambs died of natural causes soon after birth.  Sinking feeling I decided not to wash the blood out. It's the harsh, stark  reminder of the brutality.  I then turned the spot light on and...

Finally I have a place to work! A former care home in E17. I have taken over their old treatment room. Come and have a look (By appointment only)   Whilst relocating, my freezer accidentally opened and the removal man threatened to call the police... I had to calm this terrified  Bulgarian down and eventually persuade him that I am not weird and everything is completely normal. This was the type of thing that was in it. I rescued 2 deer skins still with their heads attached from a bin in Dorset. They have frozen to resemble a squashed car. Kate Moss I am trying to fashion this rabbit carcass into the shape of Kate Moss in that Marc Quinn sculpture. Still needs a bit of work. There will be intimate art lessons and D.I.Y Taxidermy workshops at my new studio. I am offering the opportunity to guide you though a creative process and in a few hours you will be taken through the in’s and outs of a bird or mammal, giving you the knowledge and the confidence to do it yourself

2 nights in Derby saw me mingling with the big dogs of the taxidermy world. I ate breakfast lunch and dinner with the first genuine taxidermists I’ve ever met. Serious stuffing. On my first night I found myself having dinner with ‘The Mozart of fish taxidermy’- Matthias Fahrni; Who gave us lectures on the fine art of fish and their immaculate preservation. Matthias Fahrni Fish isn’t my bag but his enthusiasm and extreme dedication to perfection was incredible. He and his wife were lovely.  We talked about Switzerland and his wife tried to convince me not to bother with this veganism stuff over some custard chat. I held as firm as the film on the custard. It was refreshing to be in a place where you can talk about road kill and it not be weird. We were all one. Obviously I kept my true artistic identity secret. I am an artist not a taxidermist- But for one weekend I absorbed their knowledge and power. If they new there was an impostor in their midst, I would have been hung, drawn a

Some old works are being shown  HERE  at the Menier Gallery . Some works that are in the show are not depicted here so it will be a surprise for you if you go. Water From the Moon 'This represents the yearning from the artist for the impossible and the quest for immortality. Featuring work from young artists exploring the mediums of collage, paint, feathers, taxidermy, new sculptural works. and video; mostly revolving around the themes of death, loss and memory; creating a personal world where beauty, death and the promise of immortality collide. Some material may shock and disturb.' Mind Like Magpie See you there!

We are moving house again so I spent a night clearing all the stuff I don't do out the way. It dawned on me that this space will be gone in a few weeks and I needed to make something physical- - Take what exists in the world and play with it. After clearing more space I found my long lost materials. Things I have collected over the years, broken, displaced, lost, discarded objects. All weird, old and dirty.  I was happy to see them.  Work in progress Surreal fist tank. It's a cross between a sundial, astrological birth chart and dowsing pendulum.  Still lots of work to be done on all 3. Who knows how they will turn out.  The parrot hanging from the dartboard used to be a great bird. I came home one day to see my mother had made a fire. I noticed that something was different about the garden- Where was the brightly painted parrot with the incredible wingspan that I had loved all my life?!!?!  I ran outside towards the fire and there, on the top where his charred reamins