University Campus Suffolk

Lets face facts; I am and probably never will be that prolific! In regards to writing my blog, I have found that making work has for me been that bit more important!

So time for an update that will probably be my last for this semester!

The sculptures of dancers that I have been making are finally installed within DanceEast. Hopefully they will get the appreciation that I feel they deserve. The second body was by far the hardest; with so many applications and process it was nice to finish it enough to be ready for display. I cannot say that it is 100% but it is pretty damn close. Just a quick explanation to the colour and the placement though! It was originally to be in red, as that was the added pigment! But with the amount of repair that I had to endeavour, left me no choice but to repaint it with car spray. This also gave me an opportunity to change the colour and opted for a white, somehow this further enhanced the message that I had been trying to portray.

The next thing for me to do was to arrange some form of flyer to display with it, then postcards that people could take away as some form of advertising for myself.

I have decided that I would cease all work that I had undertaken to finish the cast of myself. This was a decision that I needed to make due to deadlines and other required assessments, such as essays etc. so this can keep me busy during the summer break.

I have for a very strange reason decide that I would make another sculpture especially for my assessment, this is something that is not essential but will work well as a summary of my whole semester. As I feel that this semester has not so much been about the work or what I can present at the end, but the skills and people that I have met through the whole project. Everything that I could not have gained without the opportunity, but will forever remain as a great benefit to my work and me for the future.

So to everyone that has followed me so far, thanks for reading. I hope that you have enjoyed the blog as much as I have enjoyed the experience (however stressful it has been).

Bye for now.

I am now very sick of writing and for that I am sorry! I have just finished the essay and thought what shall I do now; I know some more writing and update my blog!

Anyway here goes I will try and fill in all the gaps from the last entry.

The latest cast that I made of the dancer was made, but with the added mistake of casting the hand wrong, the legs wrong, the body in a different place to the waist, the structure or even position no longer lines up with the other sculpture that it is partner to. So with lots of extra plaster and loads of clay on the inside hopefully something can be salvaged! The cast is cut up into many sections and is being prepped before the making.

The cast that I have made for my body is coming along nice now! I started by cutting the face off and wanted to try something new, this was to use cigarette butts within the resin so make the sculpture with. This looked good but was not even close to the effect that I had in my head. This not working now left me with a body and no face. I have since sculpted a face to fit on, fingers crossed it fits!

Now the internship at Butley Mill Studio, This is going amazingly and I am thoroughly enjoying it. I have been to my first pour of the bronze, which was very dramatic. I have also been given homework, as if I didn’t have enough to do. I have to make a wax sculpture for assessment by Lawrence, this is nerve racking in itself. Even if I decide that this is not the route that I would like to take in my own practice, the stimulating conversation alone is so beneficial that I could not get this at uni.

Anyway I need to get back to making and again will try and be more prolific about keeping this blog up-to-date, so until next time…

Wow what a week!

I can’t believe how busy thing have gotten! Not only is it the creating but also now I have to deal with the writing! With the essay deadline forever looming I am finding it harder to concentrate on what is important to me.

Anyway the reason that I started this blog is to keep a digital record of my Professional Practice module, so here goes.

Monday was the first day of my internship with the sculptor ‘Lawrence Edwards’. Not expecting what was in store for me, I eagerly turned up promptly a 9.30 awaiting my instructions. The studio had poured bronze on the Sunday before me coming, so my jobs that lay in wait were the pressure washing of the plaster-to take the bronze casting from inside out for Lawrence to then work on. It was a cold day and even with waterproofs on I was soaked through (mainly on my feet!) through my boots so soaked socks were what I wore the rest of the day. I done this even after lunch until I was allowed in the dry once every piece had been finished. Once in the studio Lawrence entrusted me with a hammer and chisel to knock away at the bleeds on the sculptures, this is the most nerve racking experience that I have gone through to date, but felt very fortunate to be allowed to knock them about! To finish the day I was give the skip filling duties, more in relation to manual labour associated with a building site. The skip was to be filled with the unwanted crag (plaster that had been fired) as there is too much on site.

So the Tuesday morning came and I ached in places that I didn’t know would ache!

That day I returned to DanceEast to re-evaluate the space and decide what else to do with it. I took measurements and am casting on Friday, so hopefully I will have decided what to make by the time I need to start!

The previous dance sculpture is very very near completion, and is only needing some sanding and then a coating of lacquer.

With the e-mail now sent to the council I have made another cast, of which I am quite positive about, and feel that it will be a piece with some clout, that I will be prepared to put out there (please see image).

So to summarise, new casting to do on Friday, work on casting of me for council, work a day next week at Lawrence’s (day is not decided yet!), do essay or at least start, and lastly try and catch up with my contextual folder.

So until next time.

The days have progressed and so has my project.

It is probably best if I start with the work itself. I have since gel coating the cast, covered the sculpture in a layer of fiberglass and resin. For some reason the outcome has come out the opposite of planned. It has lost the smooth glossy appeal, and turned into a rugged/sharp/rough monster. Originally I had planned to remove the plaster from the inside of the dancer but today after much personal debate, I have decided to now sand and file the fiberglass as smooth as possible, then coating that with resin or gel coat with an added pigment (most probably red). This in turn should return it back to a smooth and glossy object. The plaster will remain inside and work as reinforcement to the outer.

The next bit of news that I have is that following on from my chat with Lawrence Edwards, I called him and we spoke on the phone. We then arranged to meet for an informal chat/interview. I was given the tour of the studio (which was lively and exciting) and at the end of our discussion, was offered to start on Monday, yes this Monday! I couldn’t have asked for anything better, and can’t wait to start.

I have also managed to get a name for the lady who deals with the arranging of art within the county councils building, and apparently they could quite possibly be interested in having something displayed within it. So now I need to go back to my sketchbook and start coming up with some ideas that I feel would work there.

As for the rest, with the finish insight in regards to my dance sculpture, I am now dubious about the initial thoughts that only one sculpture for DanceEast would be enough. My biggest worry is that the one sculpture on its own will be lost in the area, and the impact that I desire will be missed. So I need to reevaluate the situation and possibly make another to go along side it, not forgetting the composition and pose that the first has already become. If something was made to go alongside it, it could possibly detract rather than enhance the previous.

So undoubtedly at least the consideration of something new needs to be thought about, even if it is just a matter of keeping myself busy!

Ok, so much has happened that I do not know where to start!

It is easier to start from the beginning, that way I hopefully won’t miss anything out!

Firstly I have had a meeting with the Chief Executive of DanceEast (Assis!), I could say that it went wonderfully but that would be a lie. The idea of the module is to somehow work with/collaborate or even commission a piece of work for an outside body. So for the most part I suppose that it ticks some of the boxes! If I elaborate a little for understanding, I attended the meeting and tried to pitch my ideas to Assis. I prepared a PowerPoint presentation, brought along a book of sketches I had made for possible sculptures, samples of the polyester resin (gone hard), and taken the plaster version of the dancer stretching that I have already been working on. So we sat down, I got to the third slide of the PowerPoint, and was asked about what colour I would make the sculpture in. I, obviously hoping that this would be some form of collaboration was hoping for some feedback and asked the question ‘what colour would work best in the space you would display it?’, I was then told with no uncertain terms that this is your project, you decide. I would not commission a piece of work, I do not like representational art, neither would I want any input, but you can display the work for a four week period!’

So how should I take that? I can tick a couple of boxes and have somewhere to display some work, but what will I gain from this partnership? I presume not a lot! Now I’m not one to look a gift horse in the mouth, so will display a piece in the space provided to me, but I am afraid that I will not be creating anything new, making the piece that I have already started will ultimately be the piece that I present!

Next was the trying to find an internship or even work experience. I e-mailed White Cube in hope that they would provide me with contact details for a studio of the likes of Antony Gormley etc, but had no response. I then e-mailed again (but not expecting much!) and a few days later received an e-mail in return, how exciting? Reading further, they are unable to provide me with such details, but if I forward my current CV to them they will forward it on to the relevant people. What a result, now I have to make sure my CV is in order and appropriate to the artists.

I was also fortunate to be given Matt Darbyshire’s e-mail address (from an undisclosed source), and promptly sent him a request also. This unfortunately has come to no fruition, but something may soon, fingers crossed for that.

To keep myself busy and continuing to work my sculpture has progressed wonderfully, it is now shaped, smoothed and ready for preparation! This of which was completed today. Two coats of shellac, and two coats of PVA release agent later, I applied a thick layer of gel coat. The appearance looks wonderful but at the same time not the anticipated or even planned design. It looks rustic and rugged, as if it has been sitting in a pond or lake for a couple of years! Do I continue, and keep this effect very raw, or do I continue and ensure a polished finish? Time will tell but please look at the photo and give me your views on it.

And lastly, this evening I attended a talk bu Lawrence Edwards. Not only was the evening informative, but also humorous and enjoyable. It was nice to meet a local artist, and know that your level of success is not always about how many galleries in London you have displayed your work! (even though he is world known!) Not to turn down any opportunity, I also asked Lawrence if an internship, or work experience was something that he would consider at his studio? of which he replied yes, now all i need to do is contact him and discuss possibility this further.

As you can see quite a lot has happened since my last post, and hopefully more will happen before the next, so until next time, bye (sorry to have gone on a bit!)