It’s been a bit of a strange week so far- tutorial with unexpected outcome, spring clean of studio space, and last-minute dash to apply for a residency!
My tutorial was on Monday, with my tutor Virginia who hasn’t seen my work properly since October as she was injured in an accident. Thankfully she’s recovered now, and was able to cast a fresh eye on my studio work. Unexpectedly for me, she was most impressed with the painting I thought was the weakest, saying that it has an “inventive and characterful” quality the others don’t possess, and that she thinks I should use this as the basis for my next line of inquiry. Personally I’d felt that the two other paintings I’ve near enough finished this week (blue and white one, red and pink one) were more successful.
Her advice was to clear my studio space and leave just this painting and two other pieces up on the wall, then to just sit and think about them for a while. I did this, and I think I see what she’s getting at… though her opinion does conflict quite a bit with what my previous temporary tutor said! I’ve had a couple of ideas since then and will start putting them into practice today. Hopefully I’ll be able to strike a balance between the two viewpoints.
I’ve been keeping an eye out for postgraduate opportunities too. There’s one residency I’ve been interested in for a while, but was very confused by the website. I finally discovered the link to the application form at 10 o’clock last night, also discovering that the deadline is Friday and they want applications by post! Cue typing out artist statement and CVs into the early hours, then pre-uni mad dash to the IT room, battling with uncooperative printers and tracking down big enough envelopes. *Breathes sigh of relief* after all that it had better reach them in time!
I’m feeling in quite a productive mood this week, partly helped by having made a timetable outlining what I want to have done by the end of each week… it’s forced me to do those tasks I keep putting off! Buying a shedload of MDF- check. Buying a thank you gift for the second year who transported said shedload in her car- yet to do.
On the list for the end of this week is to have the 4 paintings I’ve been working on finished. I’m not sure I’ll achieve this, mainly due to drying time, but I think one of them is there (see top image), and the others aren’t too far off. I’m pleased with how these are going, though I am having a bit of a battle with a large painting from last term I’ve gone back to try and improve. But then, where’s the fun without the battle?
I’ve also started a collage on an old mirror we had in our garage. I got the idea from Isa Genzken’s “Kinder Filmen I”. Not sure how I feel about this yet, but the mirrored surface adds another dimension of disorientation, which is quite interesting.
Finally, after doing a bit more research on last week’s website enquiry, I’ve created an online portfolio. Have a look if you have time, any feedback would be welcome:
http://suzywaldron.carbonmade.com/
Recently I’ve been thinking about how I can expand my drawings outwards- either out onto the walls or out into the viewer’s space. This week I’ve been experimenting with the idea of relief drawings/collages made with layers of tracing paper and mount board, supported by map pins.
I’ve only made 2 of these, as I’m having problems with materials- the map pins don’t stick in the mount board properly and as you can see from the picture, it fell apart before I could photograph it. I’m going to try to get round this by experimenting with different types of base, as I’ve had good feedback about these from people passing my studio space.
Another way of approaching this has been to stick with layered translucent drawings that are flat, not supported by pins. I’ve been making this kind of thing for a while, but I’m incorporating more elements such as scalpeled tracing paper and smudged marker pens on acetate. I really like the way the acetate allows you to “float” the inky smudges over the preceding layers, and adds a glossy finish- it gives a similar look to my paintings, which always end up shiny with the amount of oil I use!
We’ve also been having Professional Practice lectures on a weekly basis, this week’s focus being on promoting our practice. There was a lot about websites and blogs, as well as promoting projects through Facebook and Twitter. If you’ve read this far down in this post, it would be interesting to know- how do you promote your practice online other than through Degrees Unedited, and what do you think are the most effective sites/tools to use?
I feel a bit guilty for not having posted in a while… it’s been 2 weeks of busy evenings and leaving my camera in uni by mistake!
In my last tutorial I was told to a) step things up another gear, and b) be more playful. The second is easier than the first, but I’m hoping one will lead into the other!
I’ve been branching out from traditional drawing methods to explore the idea of “drawing in space”. I’ve been thinking about doing this for a while, inspired by artists like Monika Grzymala and Matthew Ritchie. This week I put my ideas into action with electrical tape, map pins and thread, using them to connect paintings and draw out from the wall. I have a lot more ideas of how to develop this theme, so watch this space…
I also went to Penzance for a day of observational drawing/photography last week. It just happened I probably picked the coldest and windiest day of the year! I got a couple of drawings done, at least until I stopped being able to feel my fingers, and lots of photographs I think will come in useful with work over the next few weeks.
Back in the studio, I’m experimenting with different paint handling techniques on my new set of paintings. This has involved lots of masking fluid (which I’m experiencing a love/hate relationship with), palette knives, and spray paint. I’m happy with where this is going so far, but time will tell as to whether this playing around will really step up the energy levels in my work.
