Sarah West a-n Re:view Process

Post 5

Writing up the visits for the blog and for the use of other artists.

I have now had 3 of my 1.1’s which I have happened in quite quick succession, therefore, the studio has been in a very similar state at each of these first 3 visits.

The task of writing up the visits for others to read is a bit tricky, I think the best approach is not to go into the nitty gritty of what is intrinsic to my practice necessarily but to talk about some common denominators in which most artists I know are all questioning within their practice or professional development.

Post 4

Confirming dates

I am now also in email conversation with a few other prospective mentors, trying at the moment to sort out some dates to meet up.

My studio days recently have been mainly based around drawing – to get some images and ideas ready for the next lot of work. I already have 2 boards gessoed and ready to go. So…

Another Date to add to the diary : Tintype Director – Tessa Grimes

My third date has just been confirmed. Tessa Grimes director of Tintype Gallery www.tintypegallery.com who I am very pleased is participating. We have planned to meet at the beginning of June. Formerly in Shoreditch, the gallery relocated to Essex Road, where I most recently visited the fantastic space showing a colleague from Norwich University of the Arts Solo Exhibition : Flora Parott – Fixed Position.

Expanding Studio

Post 3

I have been sharing a studio with two other artists since 2008 – after leaving Slade. One is Tessa Payne www.tessapayne.co.uk a friend since 2000 when we did our Foundation together at Winchester School of Art. The space has always been divided into 3. However, we recently heard our third member was leaving and since the academic holidays are coming up soon, I have decided to take on the extra space until the autumn. This will give me more space and flexibility to make work over the summer and it is also good timing for the studio visits by the group of mentors.

Another mentor confirmed date: PEER’s Gemma Lloyd

I have visited Peer www.peeruk.org in Hoxton a lot over the past year, and loved the show my friend Sarah Bowker-Jones www.bowker-jones.com was in last summer «A«TriLick with Caroline Achaintre and George Young.

Gemma Lloyd , Peer’s General Manager and curator is my second confirmed date for a mentoring session in late June, which is great.

These images are installation shots of the collaborative project which Sarah Bowker-Jones and myself worked on during 2012 – Temporary Surfaces – our exhibition was in Nottingham. The work was made during a dialogue we continually had throughout the process with the aim of the duo show. You can see more about the project at http://temporarysurfaces.blogspot.co.uk

A further Re:view date booked in : Hilary Crisp – Director of Hilary Crisp Gallery

I am also pleased to share that Hilary Crisp of Hilary Crisp Gallery www.hilarycrisp.com will be making a studio visit as part of the bursary in a couple of weeks (late May). I first visited Hilary’s gallery when a friend was part of an exhibition – Boomerang – in the gallery’s inaugural year in 2011. It is on Whitechurch Lane near Whitechapel Gallery in a converted office which feels like a warehouse with Art Deco windows. I was really impressed by the work in that show along with some others I’ve seen there. I’m looking forward to meeting with Hilary and the other meetings which have now all coincidentally been arranged in close proximity to one another – it’ll be great.

1st Firm date! (back-dated post from 24th March) Francesca Gavin

Post two

I am very excited as I have my first Re:view session date confirmed with a mentor: Francesca Gavin – writer, curator and editor. She is Visual Arts Editor at Dazed & Confused, a Contributing Editor at AnOther and Sleek magazines and Art Editor of Twin magazine. Her blog is www.roughversion.blogspot.com and her most recent publication is ‘100 New Artists’.

We are meeting at the studio towards the end of May.

Photo shoot of new works with Joe Clark (2nd April)

My friend Joe Clark www.joeclark.eu , fellow Slade Alumni, is my regular photographer. He’s also opposite our studio in the same complex: very handy.

I have produced roughly 8 paintings and a table piece since the autumn and it is now time to document. I am pleased I have managed to get to this stage as I started a third job – at Norwich University of the Arts in Oct, so this shows how much I can achieve, even during this busy period. Within the works there is a diptych, a circular painting and some gesso sculptural experiments.

Starting Re:view process

Post One                                                                                                              I am pleased to be starting this series of blog entries which could possibly even lead on to an ongoing blogging situation. In February 2014, a couple of months ago now, I received the full amount of the a_n Re:view bursary enabling me to access a group of arts professionals including curators, writers and gallerists.

Since hearing the good news I have been very busy working on it.

a_n Re:view bursary is an important part of its professional development programme – now in its second year. The aim is:

“to support artist-to-artist or curatorial critique and professional development at strategic points in artists’ careers, providing them with opportunities to take stock, and inform development of future work. These bursaries are designed to support their critical and artistic development and through targeted access to critique and advice, to assist artists to move their practice forward.”

My motivations for applying were:

I see Re:view as a structured opportunity for me to get valid and individual advice, insight and feedback from carefully chosen, successful art professionals. I hope that these mentors will help me to further objectively review and develop my practice in two distinctive areas: my studio practice and heightening my visibility.

It will be very useful to have access to professionals, with many views and voices, each with individual experiences, backgrounds and opinions to offer me. The mentoring sessions should give me an insightful and objective look into my current practice gaining recommendations both relating to the work and/or my continued development.

At this crucial stage in my career, I am excited at the prospect of being challenged by the mentors and discussing new contexts and markets for my work, some of them perhaps unpredictable or surprising. I feel it’s going to be important to be flexible when I meet them and to be responsive to new ideas and recommendations.

Contacting potential mentors

I initially spent a while consolidating a list of people – some I have already met or who I have been aware of for some time from following their works or projects. I have contacted them by email or letter to invite them to participate as a mentor in this process: which essentially could be a one-off meeting or something which potentially could develop further.

The emails and letters have gone out!