Hereford College of Arts

February

3^rd I wrote about what I have been trying to do ‘Finding ways to respond and learning how to push what I am doing so hard that I fail, go past a critical point in the process and discover what was almost there’.
11^th working towards w0budong exhibition. Pebbles research and thinking. Presence & then absence interests me.
23^rd How can I find writing in the stones. Joining fragments of gestures found in the stones.
27^th Because the marks have been found, does that necessarily mean that what I have formed with them has no meaning?

March

11-15^th w0budong prep and exhibition
20^th Thinking phase (long – due to many train rides to and from Manchester
Began reading ‘Lines; A Brief History’ by Tim Ingold (still reading early May)
21^st Installed ‘my cup runneth over’ in Brick Lane for Coffee Art Project
Decided large ‘wood for trees’ was finished. Over simplified notion of grey = urban and green=countryside… Despite the fact that I am over simplifying things by relating the colours to places so basically, I like it. By simplifying something this extremely, I can then complicate it back again in my own way. Where would I be without basic (& the basics!) I do have a tendency to over-generalise things, make broad-sweeping statements, but they are useful in revealing my assumptions.
Refocussing my practice back on to writing>>> meaningful marks to random marks and back again.
The liminal place between the two.
In wood for trees 2 I put meaningful and random marks together.
26^th eyes closed charcoal writing
Trying to be less neutral.
Spaces between and underneath writing, quite beautiful (e.g. in Wednesday painting with charcoal – overall pink look – 26^th March)

April

(this last thinking phase nearly swallowed me whole, I wrote in blog)
Realising that Organising stuff then Painting doesn’t work – especially in holidays – decided I must Paint then Organise, otherwise I don’t get any painting done.
3^rd Began breaking up writing. Started with printed text and moved on to my own painted writing.
6^th burnt sienna acrylic writing of ‘we can do no great things…’ & subsequent layering on a postcard for postcard art project set up by Kim Bellamy.
What might the gap look like?
13^th FAB fridge entry
thinking ‘small things’ in Sienna can be broken up further to make completely random
Trust my instincts more?
25^th
After seeing Matisse’s cut-outs exhibition it has led me to question why I am not making more work (if he can be so prolific and creative with such limits on him physically)
Fear
what would I do if I wasn’t afraid?

Using family names to cut up isn’t de-neautralising my work. What I do with the fragments could be.

ACTION – next step!

More playful handling of fragments needed (less neautral). The neaturality is giving me nothing to question.

A BOOK of fragments (inspired by Matisse’s Jazz) playfully arranged.

Try again with coloured gouache – arrange intuitively this time – pin on 1^st to arrange.

What do I notice from what I’ve been doing? (Considering…)

Now reviewing my work since January.

14^th Jan Some methods (ie working with paper on wall) making me more self-conscious.
21^st Jan Quite a simple way of working with paint and pencil. Brushes,finger, pencil, knife being used.
23^rd Jan Painting on larger scale. Celia mentioned John Cage in regards to the way I’m working. Aimed to do a painting a day.
31^st Jan End of module evaluation.
I’d produced a fair amount of work. Quite varied. One thing I notice by looking back is that if I am ‘stuck’, perhaps I’m doing the same or very similar thing – the moulded cups for example, it could equally be painting – then a way to give my work a boost and to help me see clearly what is going on is to change medium – maybe to go into 3D or into 2D, whichever one I’m not doing and explore my interests with a fresh process.
I described my work (the painting esp.) as primarily listening, rather than the transition of writing into drawing…
Learnt that an hour or two painting (/making) a day is more fruitful than 8 hours in one go.
I can’t tell if I am still not recognising when I am stuck. Probably can’t. What is more important to me now is finding a way to ensure I have regular practical sessions, whether at home or college. Currently (2^nd May) I have work on the go in both. Things like trips and meetings can get in the way of this flow of work. Flow is vital for me to sustain my practice. I have come through some mental barriers with my work, but I still need to train myself to be more disciplined in arranging myself enough time to really make work. Make the most of every day. I like comfort and I need to wean myself off activities that aren’t necessary else I will not be able to work enough to maintain momentum post-college (with paid work factored in). It would help me if I just focussed on the one thing I’m doing now (I keep coming back to this) and not to give myself distractions!

Research needed into how others use the mediums I’m currently using.
Talk about other artists work more in my learning journal

The physical nature of my work is varied, yet focussed.
Restricting my choice of material is helpful to create more.
Qualities I found most exciting were the developing subtlety and the expressiveness of the paint. This is something that is missing in my current work breaking up writing. Less clear expression, due to material I’m working with. How can I make it more expressive? My obvious reaction is to say by building up layers of the broken up letters and rather than stick them on randomly, to play morewith the broken up letters so they (almost?) become something else.

Hayward Director Ralph Rugoff talks about artwork that ‘reflects the times in which we live’ – I wonder if mine does? Am I ‘making art about my own experience of contemporary life in my historical moment’? Yes.