Jo's Blog / Latest News
Welcome to the official blog of Joanna Neary, where you can catch up on Jo’s bewildered world past, present and looming. Mainly, this blog consists of scanned pages from her sketchbook with a running commentary, dashed off between duties, work and other hobbies. As well as banging on about art, there’s also past gigs, and music, such as the one about being interviewed for Prog Magazine in 2019, which led to some delightful exchanges with fellow nerds. It was all very civil, even when Jo had to admit she’d got a Frank Zappa fact wrong.
Let’s Away To Trago Mills
Today I started my sketchbook practice at, sensibly enough, the beginning of the day. I accidentally awoke in Meyerhold’s acclaimed ‘bent star jump’ position, the pose of choice for a variety turn. It’s as though I am constantly working, even in repose. This gets me to thinking about Art School and because I had some […]
Read moreCase of The Daunting First Page
I started a new sketchbook today so now I’ve got two on the go. The big one has my pottery designs in it, in case anyone’s interested. Pots to come. Page one of this new book is a terrible sketch but one of my favourite things – a drawing within a drawing. I used to […]
Read moreThe Kind Man Part 1, Steam Punk and A Free Torch for every reader
I was invited to do the Steam Punk Fair in Lincoln last month. On the way there, I met a kind elderly man. The two are unrelated. Or ARE they? To be continued (I lost my notebook) And unrelated, me and technology. The other day I was in the pub playing Calypso and it was […]
Read moreTrain of thought Drawings / Peaches
Travelling at 6.30am, my thoughts were flitting all over the place. I’d like to tell a story with a parallel distraction, just like a train of thought, whilst recounting past events. I expect this has been done before but not by me. These little pages are sketches for a bigger story. Perhaps with more (or […]
Read moreLiverpool and Comfort Eating
This summer I went away from my son for a whole five and a half days. I couldn’t stop eating on the day I set off for LIVERPOOL We run into a friend in town who is as obsessed with Test Match Special as my husband is. I ignore them after a while and try […]
Read moreRobin Ince And The Jelly Fish Lampshade
Robin Ince is doing his hilarious and brilliant full length new show in Eastbourne tomorrow night. It’s sold out. I’m going because my offer to introduce Robin has been accepted* *= this is disingenuous, I booked the gig Here is my sketchbook on worrying about introducing Robin’s show* *=not least because it is going to […]
Read moreGraphic Novel about Tea (Work in Progress)
On one of our summer love days, (a trip to the beach for a swim and then a jaunt around Bexhill-On-Sea), my cohort made the fatal error of refusing to accompany me for a cup of tea. Here, I try and write movingly and from the heart about how it made me feel. (I mean […]
Read moreLatitude, Cricket, Style Update and Something For My Mum
YURTS It turns out* that Yurts have also been stolen by us Middle Class Ponces from other cultures. Along with Humus, Macramé and The Distressed Look. (The above bit is pertaining to the social things I’ve been doing this summer. Paradise Park in Newhaven with the History of Everything To Do With Planet Earth and […]
Read moreJo Blogs ‘Showtime Guide’ Guide
Dear Fan* I’ve been everso busy with my writing and here’s the proof. Me and George Egg did a vaguely food/bread themed show last Tuesday called Jo Neary Kneads An Audience and George Egg Has Something To Prove. This is the Show Time Guide we made to give away. If you’d like us to do […]
Read moreEddie Vedder’s Ukelele and Other Banes Of My Life
Is Marriage a competition? What will be in the next Bridget Jones film? And what is a Bombus Mega Bombus? I Spy Book Of Mum I’ve had at least 14 months of feeling like a cliche. I was almost definitely a cliche as a student but I didn’t notice it at the time. I probably […]
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