thetrashtonguetalker-blog

[thetrashtonguetalker-blog]

Here are a few photos I took of my paintings in the process of deciding what work to display for the degree show. I tried out lots of different layouts and what relationships the paintings have when put together. I asked for other students and tutors opinions too so I can see what an audience would think. This was very helpful as I could then hear other creative people’s ideas and notice things that I may not have before. After this process I decided to go with the order of paintings in the final photo. I felt three paintings was enough for my wall space, not too overwhelming and a good amount for people to absorb when looking. I think they speak to each other well through the colour relationships but also stand alone nicely. 

[thetrashtonguetalker-blog]

Business cards for degree show.

I wanted to make business cards as I want to give people the chance to contact me if they like my degree show pieces and also for future shows I hope to do over the summer. I decided to use this painting as my background as it’s eye-catching with it’s fiery colours so I hope this grabs peoples attention. I didn’t want to put too much information on there and felt my name and email was most appropriate, it gives people the option to look me up and to contact me directly for enquires.  

[thetrashtonguetalker-blog]

ALL THE COLOURS OF THE DARK 

These are some photos of mine and Rosie’s exhibition private view. We had a good turnout and had people who we didn’t expect to come ask questions which was great. We individually spoke about our work and let people ask questions which was informative and helped me know how to progress for future shows and work. I also got a contact from the private view who wants a commission of a large painting which we have now discussed and they have paid me for so I’m glad I’ve managed to get a commission out of this show too.

There were other creative people who came to our event who our events organiser Cath had invited which was a great opportunity to meet other local artists to discuss ideas and possible future collaborations, it also just made me feel more part of the Norwich art scene. 

Feedback from the show was positive, we were really pleased to welcome many people to our exhibition private view. t was really enjoyable to talk about my work especially people who knew nothing about my work prior to this and hear completely new interpretations. I had people ask me about my process, materials and the time paintings take, I had talked briefly about this in my speech and my themes in my work but it was valuable to know people wanted to know more. I sold one of my paintings too which is really encouraging, and had given my contact details for possible commissions to a number of people, so this has lifted my confidence more in pursuing working once I’ve finished uni. I was really flattered and pleased with the feedback and look forward to putting on future shows, possibly a solo show to push me more into working independently for an exhibition. 

[thetrashtonguetalker-blog]

Exhibition set up for All the Colours of the Dark show at Studio 20.

After our last collaborative exhibition last year, Rosie and I learned a lot about how to exhibit our work. We decided we needed to darken the whole space entirely to make Rosie’s film/projection stand out more and therefore be more effective. We felt our work links well together and our common interest in pop culture, colour, light and space meant the pieces would have a natural connection. We decided that my colourful paintings would look really powerful if they were spotlit in the same dark room along side Rosie’s film. After being in contact with studio 20 we determined that we were able to blacken out the space by covering the windows and that there were enough spot lights so my work wouldn’t be lost in the dark. we got some black out material and cut it to size, and when we got there fastened it to the window frames to block out all natural light. Studio 20 came fully equipped with a projection screen which was perfect - It meant Rosie’s work had a large and clear space to be viewed on and looked professional, the wall wouldn’t have been as good as there were lots of holes and marks, plus the film would have been a lot smaller. I had two walls for my paintings to be shown and enough space for people to stand back and view, this really worked as we have learnt that having a big enough space is so important, it means the work isn’t too hectic and people are able to properly digest the work.

A few weeks before the exhibition myself and Rosie printed some posters and put them around Norwich in cafes, bars, billboards and advertised online via facebook and instagram. We invited lots of creatives - band members, fellow artists etc from around norwich, in addition to Cath emailing some of her contacts too. We wanted this exhibition to feel a lot more put together and professional than the last so we organised a drinks table which was free, and having Cath help us made it feel much more of an important event. 

[thetrashtonguetalker-blog]

These are photos I modelled for, it was a collaborative project with a photography student and Rosie on fine art.

I’ve never modelled before so these photos are all first time shots for me, but I love he aesthetic and I think Rosie’s projects along side Tyler's skills with photography and set up worked well together and they have produced some really striking images.

[thetrashtonguetalker-blog]

[thetrashtonguetalker-blog]

I went into hobbycraft today and saw that they are doing a competition with Pebeo who I use a few materials from so I’ve entered to win the chance to have my work on display in a London gallery and prize money. I’ve submitted photos from the work I felt was strongest and suited to the requirements of Pebeo which is submitting work that uses at least one Pebeo product, and I use their acrylic paints and inks so I felt this was a really good competition to apply for. I won’t know until the 18th June but I’ll remember to keep checking my emails.

[thetrashtonguetalker-blog]

Here is an image of my interview preparation for a job I found on artsjobs.org.uk as I was interested in picture framing as a possible first job and would be good to learn new skill sets that would be relevant to my practice. It would also be great to meet other artists who I could work with or even customers.

I’ve got experience in retail jobs and bar work so I feel I could deal with the sales side of the job very well and I’m confident about working in this environment.

[thetrashtonguetalker-blog]

These are screen shots of my instagram account which I use to promote my art. I think instagram is a great platform for creatives as it’s photo based so it’s easy to get images of your work out there for people to instantly see.

[thetrashtonguetalker-blog]

These are screen shots Cath sent us, the woman who is helping organise mine and Rosie’s show. Myself and Rosie met up to discuss ideas with Cath, who is a events organiser, mainly for artists shows around Norwich but also works with charities and local businesses. She informed us of her usual role and the types of people/groups she would contact to invite them to see our exhibition. We talked about what information we wanted to be emailed out and Cath came up with this email (photos above) and sent them out. She told us about local businesses and people who are artists/creative minds who would be good to see our work. Cath has been very helpful, and because she works in the arts industry it was really informative to talk with someone who knows who to contact and how to organise a show professionally. She talked to us about the curation of our show too and helped with setting up work and it’s placement. Lastly she said we should do a small introduction to our work, so myself and Rosie will talk a bit about our ideas and concepts behind our work so that our audience can get an idea of what our work is about. This also gives people a chance to approach us and ask questions.

[thetrashtonguetalker-blog]

styling for photography student

here are some initial edits from the shoot i styled for photography student Tyler. I wanted a dreamy quality and so chose metallics, alongside a metallic background, and wanted to use light play as i have done in my fine art practice. I used the illusion imagery i have been experimenting with in my film and feel it was really effective. Tyler was really open to experimenting and playing, and this shoot felt a bit like a test run, though i think we have some really strong images. Tyler also shot on (expired) film so i am excited to see the effects of those images once developed. it was really interesting to watch tyler work and i think could be helpful for my own filmmaking capabilities. 

[thetrashtonguetalker-blog]

Here are some outcomes from the first of two shoots i did with photography student Tyler. I have been trying to think about marketing myself and adapting my interests into a career. I wondered about styling for fashion shoots, and approached my friend on photography who was up for collaborating. I took the essence of what I have been studying in Giallo films and my own practice and tried to apply it in a more ‘fashion’ way. I used projections and chose metallic fabrics and backdrop to play with light, and I am really pleased with the outcome. 

[thetrashtonguetalker-blog]

here are photos from same shoot in expired film

[thetrashtonguetalker-blog]

Here is my painting that is in a series with my last work which I want to display together if shown in the degree show. I think my first one is stronger than this because there was more orange to stand against the darkness where this one doesn’t have that same power. I still think they work together but I don’t know if this is a good enough painting to stand alone. I used the same materials and mixed up the same colours as close as I could get. I took photos of my paint mixes for the last painting so I could remember the amounts I added to each cup so I could recreate for this.

[thetrashtonguetalker-blog]

I wanted to create two paintings of this shape and scale so that I could possibly show them in the degree show and because I never work on canvas’ of this shape, so I thought it would be good to practice working in ways that I’m not used to. I listened to my tutors advice in my tutorial to try painting just with secondary and tertiary colours and I think this works well in creating vibrancy and a strong relationship between the colours. The orange is so different from the rest it stand strong against everything else. I also am happy with the way the inks have created a bubble effect and the painting itself has a different feel when touched compared to the others.

I think for my next painting I want to carry on mixing paints to create interesting combinations of colours, focusing on secondary colours. I think I should consider how much of each colour I want to apply too, see how this alters the work.

[thetrashtonguetalker-blog]

Tarentella Stone

[thetrashtonguetalker-blog]

Paul Juno ‘take the day off’ oil paint, 2013.