Not fully with it at the moment and I haven’t even started my project so that's bodes well for the future? The graphics tablet (the electronic drawing board) arrived over a week ago but stands unpacked in the corner. Is this the electronic equivalent of writers block.
My mind's full of other stuff at the moment, a mixture of trivia, family matters, and the wider world. The typical mangle that occupies our day to day thoughts. Spring seems to be coming early here- the daffodils are fully in bloom. What is traditionally a joyous symbol of spring perhaps portents of something far more ominous for the future. Had a nice day in Bristol, Saturday gone went to the Royal West of England academy they were showing their open sculpture show. The RWA is a fine old building, you sort of imagine the place to be populated with pompous conservative old farts, but they show a wide range of interesting work there. It cost three pound to enter and was free for the kids. Show was nice , the absence of any support literature let it down a little, as much for the exhibitors as the visitors, I would have though the six quid could have run to a free A4 printout.
Hopefully this won’t be the last one will catch you again.
Received some good news, the ordinance survey have granted me permission to make use of historical maps within my project- was a bit worried about that, the project is based on comparing maps of different ages, so not to have use of these maps would have caused major problems. They have asked that I just include an acknowledgment of their permission in any exhibition material, which seems reasonable. The other piece of good news is that my project will receive the support of the Arts Council Wales, its nice when people say yes. So I feel in an optimistic ready to go mood. My project is pretty much in the main digital in other words carried out on a pc. The idea is to produce the artwork on the computer using suitable graphics software, these will then be printed. To do this type of thing calls for a pc with a bit of power. Plenty of memory and a powerful processor, I'll need to bolster up my machine. I will draw to the screen using a something called a graphics tablet, this is a device that plugs into your pc you move a electrical pen over the tablet and you will see the image appear on screen. The hand eye co-ordination thing is a bit different since you are not directly viewing your own hand, producing the drawing. Anyway must get one soon, they are horrendously expensive but I can't do without one. Starting the project is about getting the right tool set, the correct software and computer configuration, not quite paint and brushes I know, but art means many things I guess. And then it's off to go. It surprising but to get to this starting point has taken a lot of time – a years planning.
