Making is in progress. Today I hot pressed the paper sheets, made form paper boluses and then coated them with liquid light emulsion. It took up half the day but it’s done and all I can do is wait.
Wait for the paper to soak, wait for the paper to dry, press the paper, coat the paper, wait for the paper to dry again. Tomorrow I will develop the images from the film. I’m nervous because if the results are unsatisfactory I will have to begin the entire process again.
Would it be so bad though? And then what is satisfactory? A fine print. If I follow the steps and take my time it should be okay.
I will need to collect my sketchbooks because all my notes for making are there.
Results are in!
Stage one complete. But I must make a distinction between eating and masticating. I think even since hand in I have sorted this out in my own head. I’ve also been watching All Watched Over By Machines Of Love And Grace which I feel runs strangely parallel to my activities as an art machine.
I’m looking forward to getting my study plan together to include some of the philosophers and scientists referred to on the show.
Three days until I find out if I have a qualification in Fine Art. In the meantime I’m going to get on with making.
Some of the MA group are off to Venice so next week our class has been postponed – our results will be emailed to us on Monday.
At the studio I have completed my the first phase of the process of making images so I’m waiting for paper to dry. I’ve been pinning over the lost of my sketchbooks and so now that I will have to wait for another week I’ve decided to take myself off to London for the day to see what’s happening in the art world there and to distract myself.
Maybe it’s the break but I feel exhausted, broken down and lost. It’s hard to keep going with the blog but I’ve committed to it so I will continue. To get me out of this period of inertia I have also committed to making a drawing everyday. I began yesterday, I await brain movement.
I’ve been making sheets of paper from the paper boluses. There are around thirty sheets to be made and the process is repetitive. Today I took note of the process.
To make a sheet of paper
select jar
walk to sink
pour out water (but not paper bolus)
2/3 fill wide mouth jar with water from vat
add paper bolus
place empty jar on floor
select couching cloth from bucket
prepare and flatten couching cloth
take yellow cloth and wide mouthed jar and walk to power source
blend three times (covering with yellow cloth)
return to work table
empty contents of the wide mouthed jar into vat
squeeze excess water into bucket
take mould and deckle
form sheet of paper, dip three times
place mould onto couching cloth
press out excess water with yellow cloth, repeat three times
remove mould
move couching cloth and wet paper to drying board
(repeat)
