Time is passing quickly this semester. With the fundraising Art Auction done and dusted, final year Fine Art students at University Campus Suffolk, have already begun the countdown to the Degree Show.
Consequently, I have begun to think about ways in which to exhibit my work. I have been looking at different techniques to convey to the viewer the theme of my project; the nature of my life split between opposite ends of the country. I am hoping to articulate this through emphasis on travel with some props, perhaps using old suitcases to frame paintings, luggage labels, train tickets and so on.
To portray life in two domestic settings I could use local newspapers and maps, and frame my work in curtains to represent views from windows in dual domestic settings. I hope these additional exhibits will allow the viewer to have a snap shot, capsule experience of some of the features which mark out life as a newcomer to one area and to one familiar with their surroundings.
By experiencing art, one does not necessarily get the full story behind how the work came to be created. I hope that by adding some context to the exhibition, viewers not familiar with this blog may gain some understanding of the background information that influenced my thought processes. I feel the inclusion of items that capture aspects of everyday life (for example local newspapers) will inform and enrich the experience of the viewer, rather than simply looking at paintings on canvases.
I have illustrated my interpretation of some of the essential differences between the north east and East Anglia. The most striking aspect is one’s initial reaction to the differences between the urban and the rural. My work is an attempt to contextualise how I see my project and how it relates to my current circumstances.
I have made further versions of my recent works on Bridge and Dual Vision fusions to take account of some tutorial feedback of late, and include some of the images in this blog. Robin suggested I simplify the bridge scene in order to take account of the essential theme of the work. I made the bridge much stronger and tried to make the background softer with suggestions of what lie there rather than going into greater detail. I feel this serves the scene well in focusing attention where it belongs on the real subject matter.
I have also been talking to Jane Watt about the spectacle frame pieces on which I have been working. The idea of applying the sharpest focus through the frame itself and softening, maybe almost blurring, the image around the edges came through again following my previous chat with Robin along these lines. These points serving to illustrate life through the lens.
