Hotbed Press staff and members were wonderfully helpful last week,
and I got my screen made and some prints done and started trying out some ideas. I think I am going to show a series of samples, rather than a resolved piece, and have been showing my work around and getting ideas and feedback.
This is my first non-textiles show, and ironically, the work is more textiley than anything else I’ve done. I feel nervous but also excited. There is so much to do to get it all ready and not only making – also sourcing materials and shopping – which feels such a waste of time. But deadlines do concentrate the mind and I’m being very efficient!
Mia and I moved studios at the weekend, to a smaller but warmer south-facing studio – which is more practical but I rather regret the smaller space. And am slightly worried about the signs of leaks in the roof. Not having had rain for weeks, it is hard to tell if they are old or current, so I made sure everything was out of the way of them before I left on Sunday. However we are next door to Hotbed who are having some work done on their part of the building, so I think the landlord might also sort out our roof, fingers crossed!
I’m not going to get to the studio today because I promised to help with some student assessments – really interesting to see what they have done. I met them at the beginning of the year and this is the outcome of their years work. They have all moved on so far.
It is also helping me to reflect on my own development over the past year. I’ve been really luck. I’ve had some great opportunities since I graduated – some that I have strived for, but reassuringly, some that have come out of the blue, or out of other work I’ve done, or from connections with other artists. I’m beginning to develop some new work and learning to work without the support of tutors. I’ve got a studio and getting down there regularly. It feels like I’ve made a good start.
