Day 9 of my open studio as part of Powys Arts Month. I’m open together with four other artists – painting, illustration, automata, photography, drawing. Its been amazing but my head is so full of conversations that Im experiencing information overload! One things for sure – I will have plenty to reflect on.
I have been sharpening my powers of conversation and getting used to talking to people about my work. I’ve met some really interesting and lovely people and looked at my work as others see it.
Its been almost impossible to ‘work’ as there has been a steady flow of people but on Thursday I just had to do some painting! I had been looking at my current canvas all week in an uncomfortable way and it was with relief/elation that I got on with it again.
Lots to process now and will blog about my thoughts on it all in due course.
I sold a piece of work to a lovely couple from London – art tourists – hurray I love you!
Last time I was talking about how progress isnt linear – and in the light of recent activities I reckon its much more like a spider diagram in fact!
I’m preparing for an Open Studio as part of Powys Arts Month . As there are 5 of us at the studio we are putting on a few events. I am organisng a pop-up makers market to encourage people to buy original art and craft and to enable a bit more networking amongst creatives in the area. This is taking pesident over getting my studio ready and it feels like I am making very slow progress.
In addition we are tidying and painting throughout the building which is all part of sharing a space – sharing the load of jobs that need doing to get ready. This is a good insight into how working as an artist after graduation might be – lots of organising and sometimes not so much creative time and a constant drive to find a happy balance. Its all worth it tho – I’m growing in confidence and having good conversations with creative types – very valuable. Here is a link to how wonderful it was at our studios for the last Powys Arts Month www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=oa.261914920511626&type=1
I’m changing.
This year, despite being a part-time student, I have been spending as much of my time as possible involved in my studies and my studio enviroment. My initial reason was that I can achieve more – make more work and progress at a faster rate. I suppose I imagined this progress in linear terms. But actually – its not like that.
Spending more time with my subject has illuminated weaknesses in the ways I have worked in the past – having time to reflect and respond thoughtfully – and with a receptive mind – are areas that I’m working to improve upon.
And beyond this I am thinking – what do I want to make? What is important to me aesthetically and what areas of my work show originality?
Addressing these questions feels like covering new ground. Giving more time to something that is really important makes me realise that, despite my several years of study, I am just at the beginning – a new more descerning me – I’m changing.
In my last post I was feeling rather daunted by this steep learning curve I am on – mind you I had been working on the same painting for three months so it had all got a little intense! Head down again though and some of my hard toil has transformed into noticable progress –
I know a little more about
where to start,
when to stop,
how to create a feel.
Its a beautiful feeling – something becomes more familiar and achievable and my skills a little more natural.
And today in the studio we had a bit of singing and laughing too – which was great.
I am my own experiment!
I have been researching into how memory works with regard to shaping our identities.
Today I made studies of an object that I have ‘known’ all my life – a ceramic figure of a little boy. (He ‘lives’ with my Mum so I see him every week but haven’t studied him closely for years).
The drawing process has been very revealing! As I handled the figure memories and feelings came instantly to mind that I really hadn’t had since childhood.So the act of recollection – which seemed totally spontaneous – was as much about touch as seeing. As I drew these’ fresh’ memories we in the forefront of my mind. I’m going to record these memories and their assocaitions in my journal before they fade.
So when I’m thinking about how to use the figure in a painting I have this context of childhood perceptions to set it in. It feels really exciting.
And what have I found out about making sketches as reference for my painting? The sketch connects mind and place so vivdly that subsequent drawing or painting of the object or place can contain an incredible amount of detail and an understanding of 3 dimensions . In this sense is sketching a more valuable referencing tool than photography?
