Beyond the Body. Thinking through Process

Well definitely something between paddling and rowing…

To help make more room for my art practice and to allow a proper rhythm to emerge I’ve slimmed down my online presence and and will be focusing on keeping my axis pages and my blogs as current as is possible. Its been an interesting exercise already freeing up time and head space-without the white noise of facebook I feel particularly ‘exempt from external direction’- Collins Concise Dictionary circa 1985

And will start a new blog to explore the development of my art practice after my recent more formal studies…

Setting myself some opportunity deadlines to help focus and have something to aim for. Attempting to be discerning about them so that applications made have some relation to my wider practice. Really just there to keep me paddling or is it rowing…

Is it really almost two months? I guess the festive season does steal time as well as money

As with all who have undertaken a period of study there’s the euphoria of achievement followed by the loss of perceived structure, a return to normality though what that is I’m really not sure

I’ve been drawing, making and setting some simple deadlines to help give structure to my practice not too much as I have to find my natural mode of working

And I have to admit I do feel a little at sea so I better get building a boat…

I felt fine yet now I feel a bit neverlandish, too long not drawing or making? Though its been good to have a short break, still only two months since the final show and after all the hard work I guess I need longer than I thought to reflect…

Definitely back in control of my physical environment, letting go of old stuff (easier than I thought) to help clear the way and realising that I and my practice are markedly different. The next stop is sorting my workshop out temporarily so that I have somewhere to explore ideas, still not big enough though a small space is better than no space

And I have re written my art CV and made changes to my artist statement to support all those opportunities just over the horizon…

I forgot to say I recently took part in the Pecha Kucha Night Wakefield Vol. 7:Drawing Lines at The Hepworth

I was drawn to it because I really enjoyed seeing Eva Rothschilds ‘Hot Touch’ there last year and the Pecha Kucha was all about lines-my favourite subject.It was also about getting out there, a toe in the water to see where my practice fits

Although I found the post graduate presentations on my MA challenging somehow I thought this would be much easier-out there as a professional…

I was suprised at how nervous I was and that I couldn’t completely memorise what I wanted to say. I had to keep crib cards to maintain a flow. I think this was partly because I was talking about Tim Ingolds Lines a Brief History in relation to mine and others work, perhaps if I had just spoken about my own work I may have felt more confident

Also the platform I was standing on was noisy as I moved, I had a spotlight directly in my eyes and a very large microphone preventing me from moving around as freely as I would have liked…

However with hindsight it was a great experience, it made me think about my work in relation to others, it was good to meet other artists and hear about their work, eat parkin and drink homemade wine in such a great venue

So here’s to the next interesting opportunity…