The end is nigh.

Today is the last day I can add a new post to my blog; hand over time is 2pm tomorrow. A crisis with the Internet connection at home forces me to be sat in the college library typing this and therefore any hopes of 'going out with a bang' will not happen . It is very busy in here and therefore I feel a little uncomfortable; not like my own comfy sofa, laptop on the coffee table[a sign of my mature student status] and a glass of red wine.

I am in good company though with my fellow FAFD students Jasmine, Simon and Elaine who are in the same position, finishing off our blogs and work for our Influence file for Eve whose hand in time is also 2pm. Jasmine is a whizz on the keyboard, making me feel a bit inadequate although I try to go a bit faster in case she is watching.

My mood is fairly relaxed to say summative assessments are looming and to say it is the first time I have ever 'blogged' in my life I don't think the result is all that bad. When I look back at my first post when I was hopeless I have come a long way. If I am honest, once I got into the routine of sitting down and doing it I have quite enjoyed adding my experiences occasionally.

My intentions are to continue after tomorrow, adding new posts because I do find looking back [reflecting] on my old posts very interesting; they are an easy way of recording my progress, opinions, concerns and my state of mind...gulp... at the time. Finding the time to sit down, relax and blog is the hardest bit really but due to my ability to 'story tell' I am never stuck for something to say. I do go on a bit but I hope it does make some sense and that my work was of some interest. On that note I say goodbye for now.

Sunday 2pm.

The sun is shining outside, the Monaco Grand Prix is on the TV and I am sat typing my blog. I am surrounded by the contents of my journal which I am just tidying up a little before I submit it on Weds along with my blog details.
I was worried at first about doing a blog but I must admit to having enjoyed it somewhat; it is a good way of reflecting back on your thoughts, progress and influences.

The 3D workshop is closed today... now what?

To my horror the 3D workshop was closed today stopping me dead in my tracks. I retreated to the studio, made myself a coffee and sat down pondering.
The word procrastination sprang to mind so I glanced at one of my white plaster houses, remembered the packet of self setting clay in my drawer and sprang into life.
I moulded the little rose buds by flattening a thin strip of clay and rolling it up, then I stuck them on quite easily with a little Bostic.
The clay is porous so after I had let it dry for a few minutes I painted them with Gouache. Due to it being opaque the effect was lovely... almost the texture of rose petals...velvety. I was pleased with the result.
I then decided to add the wire mesh to add a different narrative to the work; the house is not lived in yet the beautiful roses carry on growing.
I tend to drive along and I always notice abandoned houses, unloved, unkempt, sad and my imagination conjures up all sorts of ideas. This piece of work is my last one to be finished before my summative assessment and I think it is a nice way of finishing off my group of sculptures. I will definitely start exploring new materials and just see what happens.

COMING TO THE END.

6.35 am on Friday the morning after the 2nd year Exhibition at the Empire House in Dewsbury. It is tradition for 1st Years to help out behind the bar serving drinks and being useful, Simon, being well spoken and of male model appearance was given the doorman's job. We kept him supplied with lager so he was happy. I didn't get in until very late last night and woke up this morning feeling about 90... and I have a busy day ahead of me; Simon and I are filming our collaborative work .
It went well but neither of us had the energy left to watch it or see ourselves stuttering and looking and listening to ourselves sounding ridiculous. We collaborated once more and agreed to delay that experience until Monday.

I have spent all weekend downloading our voice recording and linking it together; the whole recording lasts nearly 2 hours... it is really difficult to hear yourself talking... I keep saying 'Yeah' a lot!

Having downloaded 185[to be edited] images of my sculpture my laptop is now moaning at the amount it is being asked to store. I dread the idea of it collapsing under the strain and need to spend some time putting my files onto a hard drive.

It is now going to be a hectic weekend so all visitors have been asked to keep away

It is in the title.

More mesh.

The staples look terrible from this angle but this is actually quite a quirky little piece. I am not sure where the idea actually came from but I just played around with the arrangement, made a box with the mesh and here it is. It is work and the harder I work the greater the momentum. The feeling this gives me, the surprise it is taking place at all is just so amazing, with my background its is a constant surprise.

I love this journey I am lucky enough to be on and I am not the only student on this course who is doing something completely different to what they had expected. Life is full of surprises isn't it!

Using the steel plate.

Since using the thin steel plate earlier with my buildings I have intended to try again because I really liked the effect it gives in sharp contrast to the wood. This is made with 'found' Oak from a bin in the 3D workshop, it was full of holes so I had to cut around them to see if I could salvage anything.

I loved the colour and the grain and began making high rise flats first then gentle little cottages, a church all softly curved. I then place them on the steel and voila, I liked the effect a lot. I then found some thin wire mesh, cut out a strip and placed it between the houses and left it there; it has a strong statement. To be honest it was the first time I had ever drilled though steel; all the buildings are secured with screws so I can turn them or move them around if I wish.

It is a definite progression in the right direction for me, mixing and experimenting with different materials.

Taken!

I seem to be enjoying myself making little bungalows that are perched precariously at the edge of the cliff, dreading the next tide taking away another bit of the land. The future is bleak... the houses are inhabitable and the sea will always win.

I have really enjoyed making this one; the MDF lends itself to carving and smoothing very quickly and visually it is one of my best. It can be viewed successfully from many angles and most are reasonable. This one was planned carefully and it was tricky to make the 'tide' fit properly; getting the angles just right against the coastline. It is a piece of work that I am proud of.

Coastal Erosion.

Another piece depicting the effects of coastal erosion. It is self explanatory and a simple statement really; the coast has been sliced away by the constant, unceasing tide. It shows no mercy for the inhabitants of the little bungalows that have been there for years and that chose the position for the beautiful sea view. The house has already broken; part of it is making its way to the base of the cliff to be taken by the sea.

Peter Randall- Page drawing to a close.

I just had to go and take a last look at the incredible exhibition at the YSP by Randall- Page before it disappears. His work has captivated me as much as Andy Goldsworthy did way back on my Access Course.

The YSP is the perfect setting for such incredibly beautiful work; it sits in the landscape as if it belongs there, as if it has been put there from outer space. The work is influenced by organic forms, their repetitive patterns and symmetry. I have looked long and hard at them and they move me greatly every time. The more I look at sculpture the more I am becoming involved in that world and I am being drawn in.

Not long to go now until assessments...help!

To say I have been busy is an understatement and for once I am not being dramatic; I feel that the days are flying by too fast towards my summative assessments and I am still creating work. My short holiday to Whitby on the East coast was really helpful in my new coastal erosion subject for some new sculpture/s. I sketched daily and really enjoyed it; where I would have taken photographs before I now have Richards voice in my head ' I always had a sketchbook in my pocket when I was a student'. I have found it really rewarding and relaxing, it also gives me a sense of pride in myself when I look at them.

I have sat and watched the Richard Wentworth video again and have studied the book to go with it and find myself sort of maturing; it is so... liberating to understand such work that I would not so long ago have looked past.

My sculpture is still predominantly wood and is in the same vain as I have recently shown but it keeps me busy and I must admit they have something, yes, what that is is not for me to say but I do like them.

Holiday! time to read.

I have been studying the sculptures: Carl Plackman, Richard Wentworth, Doris Salcedo who at one time in my life would have passed me by totally. I am never happier now than when I am reading about or looking at their work, if I 'get' it all the better. It scared me a bit that Art can be an installation in a gallery space that is built and removed and can consist of 'found' objects that when arranged together form artwork.

It is the thoughts behind the work that I love to read about; what does it say, what does it depict? Sometimes, as with Carl Plackman there wasn't always a title to a piece of work, it was in his head...somewhere but it was enough to see it.

I really like his drawings which were his plans really although many of them are a piece of work in themselves. It is his use of perspective, colour, charcoal etc in his drawings that I really enjoyed copying during a module where we had to get into the artist chosen for us for 2 weeks.
Both the images above are 2 copies of his drawings that I did and it was a really worthwhile experience; a new way of drawing completely for me. Carl Plackman died several years ago but his wife has a web site, I contacted her re information on the media he used and she was kind enough to email me straight back... I was thrilled to bits! She was pleased to hear that we were studying Carl on the FAFD course

The work I did is some of my best yet and it is ongoing. I have really felt an affinity with him.

Another one!

This is another one of my sculptures made in MDF; about 12" long and 4" high. It was fun to do but I'm not happy with it. It reflects the hazard of buying a house/bungalow on the coast where the land is being eroded away. It is unfinished but will probably change anyway when I get back to college and get my hands on the saw; the cliff side isn't right, it is too curved and soft. I think I shall sharpen it up or redo it completely. There is something about the 3D workshop and the smell of the wood that I like; my Dad could make anything with his hands, from tiny pieces of metalwork beautifully crafted to items of furniture, sometimes using a lathe and always to a very high standard. I wonder if he would have liked my work, he would have come up with a few ideas of his own I'm sure. It is sad that he isn't here to see it but I do feel 'at home' with the sawdust everywhere and the way the wood or plaster waits for you to 'do' something with it, it excites me more than I ever thought was possible. He would have asked "What about your painting"? to which I would reply "Plenty of time for that"!!! and there is...perhaps. I have found myself doing 3D work and I like it a lot, it is the way that the material looks that is either right or wrong to my eye that I find so great; you have to work it to know. A sketch can help in the initial stages with structure and size but I now understand that you have to 'draw' with the material too.

Thursday before Easter.

Good Friday tomorrow and therefore no college. Well, at least it will give me some time to catch up with some written work and try and decide just what I want to concentrate on for my collaborative work with Simon. I have really tried hard this week to work in the 3D workshop and make another plaster house; a larger one this time that is similar to the style that Simon lives in, I have a few ideas but until I can see them in front of me I wont know.

Sunday morning.

The clocks went forward last night so 8am was really 9am which gives me less time to prepare my journal for Eve tomorrow. I have stacks of things to sort through; artists, reviews, exhibitions etc etc, anything that has influenced my work really. It is something I have always tried to do over the years but true to form my way of filing it was never brilliant.

I have always enjoyed reading about other artists, in fact anything remotely 'arty' and since starting this course it is never far from my mind. My life outside is somewhat difficult to juggle alongside my studies but I have never enjoyed myself so much, it is by far the best thing I have ever done.

Only one more week to go before we break up for Easter so I shall have to get into the 3D workshop and 'get busy'. My collaborative partner Simon is working tirelessly on his/our project 'How we live' so I need to decide what I shall need to do so our joint presentation looks really interesting, we are both confident but I really want to tie our work together in some way that has something visually combined.

The last one.

This is going to be short, it is the last one and it is called 'Making the most of the view'. It's Friday night and I have had another tiring week,I am relieved my assessments went well so I shall finish off now and celebrate with another glass of red wine. If this degree course doesn't kill me, the drink will!

More of my work.

This is the 2nd one I made and I named it ' Coming out into the light', that was the idea I got when I was making it and it just seemed to fit. Fancy, me naming a piece of work! There is something about it, again it is simple yet again, I like it. The buildings are made very quickly and are fun to play around with until by experimenting with them the result pleases me. The idea wasn't from a drawing it came by 'making'. I spend less time procrastinating these days and have realised what a great time I can have just feeling the wood, its smell and the atmosphere in the workshop suits me. I have to continue producing more over the next few weeks ready for my summative assessment. It is nonstop but so far I am loving it!

One of my creations.

This piece is one of 3 that I presented at my formative assessment this week. I have photographed it from different angles to show its form and it depicts 2 houses on the top of a cliff with a 3rd one at the base having fallen off. It is made in MDF and stands about 12" high. It is simple and far removed from my usual work and yes, I like it! It has a sense of humour unless of course you live in the 3rd house.

Assessment.

My formative assessment went very well yesterday with Eve and Richard. Sculpture is definately what I enjoy doing, getting good results that being 3D can be looked at from all angles and therefore creating different images. Sculpture is drawing and it is brilliant!

My work is based on our enviroment that we live in; the buildings, the landscape, but simplified in appearance down to the basic shapes and forms. We discussed my ideas and they were very forthcoming with different avenues I could go down. It is an amazing journey so far from the start of my course but it was all there in me waiting to explore; I can remember how I felt when I first cut into the big slab of white plaster when I did a piece of work called 'The Fat Cat' with reference to the greed of the bankers. It was the start!

Monday and Formative.

This is a close up view of the houses positioned on top of a length of thin steel and the approx size of the wooden houses is 2" square by 6" high. I have experimented with different arrangements and have still not finished 'playing' yet. I have come a long way and I have learned such a lot; how to play and wait for things to happen, it is much better to experiment with the materials than just from sketches. You can 'draw' with other things,its not about a pencil anymore! I have enjoyed myself so much and the results are very good. I have displayed them in the gallery space outside the studio today ready for my formative assessment which is in the morning.

Success and Failure.

In just one day I have experienced success and failure. This morning was one of those times when everything went right; my wooden houses are beginning to give me some really good ideas about how to place them in really interesting arrangements. I had a discussion with Richard about them and how I just know when 'it' looks right, it was a great moment to see he was pleased with what I am doing and understands this path I seem to be treading. It is all a natural progression for me and I am enjoying myself. Tomorrow can't come soon enough!

The failure came as expected in my session when we had to critique each others blogs, mine received applause for its written content [ from one person] but lost marks for the lack of images and rightly so. I have conquered that hurdle and have now got images!!! a day late.

useless!

This is so annoying when I attempt to add images to my blogs and it seems to be going well and then...where is it...gone...I give up. It was daft of me to start trying at this hour after spending too long at my brothers on his birthday [ Mark ] I will do it tomorrow if it kills me.
It is blog critique tomorrow so I shall be the laughing stock in the class...never mind. Off to bed feeling old and imageless.
Goodnight!

Monday...a long day.

This has been a memorable Monday in all sorts of ways; my brother Mark had cut me a piece of 3mm thick steel, 6"x 30" long to use with my wood or plaster houses in the form of sculpture. It is fantastic just how excited I can be playing with the form and the arrangements of the shapes on the steel which is curved at one end. The effect was really good even if I say so myself. I feel a great sense of pleasure working in the 3D workshop getting dirty with the smell of wood, it really is a pleasure to be there. I now need to decide if I go ahead and make some larger plaster houses tomorrow when my wooden ones look so good. We have a formative assessment on Monday so I shall be very busy getting everything in some sort of order.

Life is so busy for me now, even last night I was sat up in bed taking notes on Tracy Emin who was on BBC4 until late.It was really interesting but more news tomorrow because it is late and I am shattered. Oh the life of a mature student!

The Leeds Book Fair.

Yesterday was a great day for me at the Book Fair, it was really inspiring for me. Having never been before it was a real surprise to see so many ways of making 'art' from books; some had taken on a totally different persona and were sculpture. Books with the inside cut into the shape of a bird and the shapes were then arranged on thin wire coming out of the book and flying away, I loved it! There was a burgundy book approx 5" x 8", quite thin with a plain cover and when you opened it the pages[ also burgundy] were plain but the centre ones were cut using a scalpel in the shapes of trees. It was beautiful and very delicate, the trees felt nice to the touch.
I was taking notes all the time and have little sketches of my favourites for reference

I have come away with the intention of making some and am amazed and also annoyed with myself for having never been before. This Fair takes place every year and next year we shall take part [ 2nd Years can submit work] so I shall look forward to it.
We are constantly surrounded by all this art around us and it can make you get a feeling of panic that you are missing something great. Seeing work like this really does make you want to dash off and produce something equally stunning.

Off now to read the Guardian, Goodbye.

Preparation.

We are all going to Leeds in the morning to the Book Fair on the train. It's been hectic today in the studio watching the 2nd and 3rd year students finishing off their books for tomorrow, I now have a better idea of what it is all about. I was really impressed with them and can't wait for tomorrow. The atmosphere in the studio had a real buzz this afternoon prior to the show. This morning was a bit different though discussing how we are assessed on the degree course which needs to be ready for a meeting next Tuesday. I thought it went well, not that I had much input [only been a 1st year ] but I quite enjoyed it listening to everyone.
I had to prepare all my Visual Investigation work for the Assessor to see tomorrow, it was really interesting looking back through all my work in my pan chest drawer. It is really amazing how my work has changed since Christmas, I was very literal in everything. The pace is so fast and the time passes so quickly that I am changing without noticing it. My work really excites me at the moment and it is difficult to explain but I am engrossed in making beautiful shapes, strong clean lines that just say something. It is all about that, just that! No great narrative for once, no complicated idea, it's the new me and I think at last I am getting the message. Brilliant!

A Special Moment.

Having taken long enough already deciding which blog site to use and then having to think of something to call my site [ no great ideas were forthcoming at 9.30pm ] it is now a very strange feeling to be sat typing away and wondering what to say.

I am now wondering if this was the wrong time to start when you're a bit green behind the ears when it comes to all the icons on the screen and it is getting late and I really don't want to make a mess of it. It is now 9.50pm [ a touch typist is not on my cv] and I am still only the proud blogger of 112 words so far and most of that is of no interest whatsoever.



I will try again tomorrow and say something interesting.