Happy New Year!
The beginning of 2014 and I am itching to get going.
My next pieces are going to involve working on top of old paintings – or – using old paintings that I can’t quite work over yet as a starting point.
I feel I’ve worked through the limited palette of black, white and burnt sienna enough for now.
I’ve dug out an old piece from a year or so ago where I used wax crayon to ‘write’ to give resistance, along with emulsion and acrylic paint. Was going to paint over it, but need to look at it some more! I’ll add a photo of it on here – it has a really faded look to it. It looked much more exciting when wet.
There are some other pieces in oils which are hung on my stairs (just moved house and nowhere else to place them) so they are out of the way. I really need to work over them, one is based on a map and is thickly laid with paint and I reckon that would make for interesting painting.
I have got as many images of my work for this year together on Pinterest (bit.ly/1jOzRAH).
I’d like to put a few on here, but I am having technical issues uploading!
What can I learn from my work over the past year?
I can see patterns in the way I work and looking back at it now can more clearly see what I have done.
In a November tutorial I came to the conclusion that Art is essential – as essential as eating.
Another question I am posing to myself is:
‘What’s the work you’ve always wanted to make, but haven’t been able to?’
I have often been thinking of creating immersive work, but previously all I’ve been considering is the viewer of the work, rather than than maker (yes – I know the make also views it, but I was thinking of everyone except me – the maker). Seeing Jayne Lloyds recent work here www.jayne-lloyd-artist.co.uk/portfolio/walking-in-… where she is getting entangled in her work in the making process, I am thinking of other possibilities. Being right in the middle of the work and making it around me. I was in the middle of the work while making Self-Portrait Contained by writing (on my pinterest board linked to above, but I’ll try to post a photo here too).
It is not simply that though. And that is what I need to get at. What is the crux, now, of my work?
Looking back over the way my work has developed over the year and at the questions I’ve asked and the most useful questions from others.
I started the year making a box full of books from my response to a gift of a wooden box. The first thing I did was fill it to overflowing with words I had written starting with the word ‘blue’ arbitrarily and then writing words using word association quite loosely to fill sheets of paper (previously used and rejected photocopies) and then cutting them into strips and curling them and piling into the open box.
Time to review my year.
2013 has been a year for eliminating unnecessary time wasting, limiting when I say yes to things.
Things that have changed for the better:
Being invited to show in two group exhibitions, one local and one regional.
For the worse:
Time and money worries for next year – I’m wondering on entering my last six months at college what time I will have available to me after June to devote to projects. I am reckoning on having to get up very early to get the hours in.
My major achievements:
Volunteering to talk in front of a large group of students to promote the college magazine – and then doing it again! (And not fluffing it too badly)
Co-ordinating the display of students from Fine Art at Hereford College of Arts in a local office.
Re-arranging my time so I give myself more time to paint and make – often hard to justify to myself mostly (family are very supportive, but I know I do test the patience of my nearest and dearest)
What do I wish I had achieved?:
I would like to have been more reflective and analytical on my own work throughout the year.
I would like to have made better micro decisions (how I use my time).
I would like to have arranged a meet the artists gathering for the local offices displaying our work.
What would make 2014 a better year than 2013? :
Well, like Emily Speed says (here http://new.a-n.co.uk/news/single/2013-how-was-it-f… )
I would like to take more time and reflection over decisions to make sure it is the best decision I can make at the time.
Try less prevaricating, in speaking and actions, but most importantly in my own head!
This time, what started as a warm up had results getting towards the subtlety I’m after.
