It’s late Thursday night, another week has whizzed by. It’s been a good one though. I haven’t quite achieved everything on my schedule, but there’s progress – I actually have a schedule! I have been good, keeping my diary/sketchbook up-to-date and in it I have made quite a few decisions regarding achievements I hope to accomplish this term. I’m not too worried at the moment though cause I’ve kind of set it out in two week chunks based on the 1st two weeks of term and what I managed to do. This is the end of week one of two, and although I haven’t got as far as I’d hoped there are other additional snippets to add that I have learnt about and done that I hadn’t planned or anticipated.
Like, I hadn’t realised how complicated it was to make a linen support, or that an expandable stretcher was needed – well best to use anyway.
So, yes I have been in the depths of our workshops a lot, building myself 4 stretchers, 2 for canvas, and 2 were for linen… with the help of the painting technician we’ve tried to stretch one linen on my home-made stretchers but looking at it today I’m not hopeful, it’s looking a bit baggy. I’ve also bought a piece of perspex and ordered some aluminium. I just need to sort out exactly what portraits I’m painting and finish preparing surfaces and I’ll be off the starting blocks. Oh and next week’s treat is making rabbit-skin glue.
My main plan for my body of work this term is to keep all variables fixed except surface and medium of which I’m experimenting with. I keep dithering about just using the same portrait too, but I think it’ll be rather boring if I do, so I’m going to use different ones, that way I can push myself even further.
I’ve also been taking photo’s unnoticed on the tube and noticed but anonymously in the street. I’m sure that with these and some of fellow students again, I’ll have lots to choose from.
We’ve been having dissertation presentation tutorials this week too. Mine was today. It went pretty ok. I planned to record the input I got, but in the heat of the moment I forgot to and couldn’t very well part way through, it would have been rude then. I like to write notes during the sessions, but if I do that on my own turn I miss what’s being said next. I often come away overwhelmed and forget details, so this is why I thought recording it might have helped! Never mind.
I did get some good suggestions so hopefully when I follow them up I’ll be able to crack on and get a good draft handed in in two weeks.
In and around all this I made more progress on my paintings, finishing them all, for now at least.
Oh, and I’m trying to find more studio space!!!! It was inevitable I guess.
