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What’s next?

6th Dec 2017 - Next semester goals:

I will book further induction workshops into the etching and printing studios so I can start creating more work using a bigger array of media (I learnt how to screen print on my foundation but the process here is slightly different and I don't want to fuck anything up)

 I love the idea of making a tapestry! I might try teaching myself to make a small one over Christmas but if it doesn't work I will find a technician here that can help me? Also, recently on Pinterest I came across ‘fabric journals’ which are basically sketchbooks made out of fabric which is another thing I would love to try. 

I have also started to become obsessed with drawing hands and I also really want to get better at drawing faces so I will make this my new project. I may focus on the interaction between face and hand gestures; maybe looking at gang signs and how our hands express how we feel?

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Development pieces 

27th Nov 2017 onwards - After experimenting with my ideas creating small test paper/paint/embroidery pieces I decided to develop into something bigger. So I took some of my favourite techniques and incorporated them into larger designs, using my life drawings as inspiration.

I’ve always liked the idea of incorporating text within my work but I never really knew what to put/say. However, whilst doing research on Jean-Michel Basquiat for my EVC module I found out that one of his paintings is called ‘She Installs Confidence and Picks His Brain Like a Salad’. These words immediately struck me because to me they give off a sense of female empowerment. I couldn’t help but use this phrase in my own work. 

I love the interaction between acrylic paint, ink and embroidery within these pieces but I’m not entirely happy, I feel like I definitely could have done bits better but they are only development pieces so I will definitely keep working on these ideas.

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FAT talk: Griselda Pollock

29th Nov 2017 - Today I went to listen to Griselda Pollock for the first FAT talk. It was interesting to hear her speak about her life and publications, however I was really hoping she would speak about her work on feminism. I am not really aware of what her views on this are as she was weirdly not someone I came across during my foundation project research on porn/feminism. 

BUT feminism is a subject that I am particularly interested in and I was disappointed when this subject wasn't addressed throughout the duration of her talk. I am definitely going to research into her and her views, she seems passionate about her work and I enjoyed listening to her speak regardless. I hope I get to take one of her modules in the next few years.    

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Small test paper embroidery

25th Nov 2017 onwards - I have only embroidered on paper once before this project and I absolutely hated it. This time I properly researched into the technique and found out that it was better to plot your holes before you start because it avoids the paper creasing and tearing. 

I started off by making holes 1cm apart across the whole piece of paper. However I found this made the piece too jaggedy and the embroidery looked square and lacked fluidity. Then I tried doing the same thing but making the holes 1/2cm apart instead and still found this too difficult to produce a fluid looking body. 

I worked out that to get the best results you had to draw the piece first then plot the holes along the lines of the drawing. Despite this, I think they all look pretty decent ((even the one with the tiny writing which took me aggess)) and I really enjoyed making them. I definitely will experiment further with embroidering into paper.

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29th Nov 2017

A little selection of artists I enjoy.

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JB - Flat 69 shenanigans 

24th Nov 2017 - My flat mate/one of my best friends Dan suggested that we invest in some cheap paints/paintbrushes and a large roll of paper to stick on the wall every time we have pre’s, with the intention of letting people paint whilst getting pissed.

So we trekked down to wilko’s and got all the supplies in readiness.

I started off the art wall with a self portrait, then we began inviting friends round to paint. It was really nice to be in a room with everyone doing artwork together, listening to music and chatting.  I love uni.

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23th Nov 2017

I’ve been inspired by Scott Ramsay Kyle’s embroidery work and patient  dedication to intricate detail ever since I followed his Instagram account a couple of years ago. 

His rejuvenation of 80′s/90′s gay porn images, using collage and hand embroidery, produces a vibrant yet melancholic atmosphere and I continue to be amazed every time a photo of his latest work comes up on my Insta feed. I personally think his style is iconic and for me he is a massively underrated contemporary artists of our time (but I’m biased because I love artwork based around porn and have a soft spot for embroidery).

My Pinterest board is a collection of paper embroidery works by various different artists. This helped me to collate and develop ideas for my current project.

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Here is a very interesting interview with Scott Ramsay Kyle that I had a lot of fun reading. I am obsessed with his collage/embroidery artwork and he is a fundamental influence running throughout the backbone of my current artistic exploration.

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Studio Engagement 4

22nd Nov 2017 - I really enjoyed the studio engagement I had today! I haven't found any of the engagements very useful but this one was particularly interesting. 

We were asked to bring an image as a starting point for this engagement and I chose a photo of a textiles piece I made a few months ago because I wanted to see how far I could experiment with my own work. We looked at examples of scanned reproduction techniques then made a start on our own. 

I moved the image fast/slowly whilst it was being scanned

I rolled the paper on the scanner 

I enlarged my image in segments of hundreds (e.g. 100%, 200%, 300%, 400%)

Then I experimented with putting my hand on the scanner bed, underneath the image

I was extremely surprised and impressed at the results these techniques produced. I found that the outcome of this experimentation led to many more ideas and it was interesting to see how something as easy as photocopying could create such simple but great results. I’m going to keep these techniques in mind when I reach ‘artists block’ again as I believe they could be extremely helpful creative devices in providing new artistic exploration when I’m stuck during a project.

To develop on this I think it would be interesting to embroider actually into the paper. This is because the image is of an embroidered fabric piece which is clearly noticeable. Therefore, I think if I embroidered into the paper it would create a parallel between the visibly smooth surface of the photocopied embroidery, coupled with the texture of embroidery over the top.

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Making a start...

21st Nov 2017 - Today I made a start. After having been uninspired for so long I finally took the plunge and began painting a photo I took of a couple of my best friends on Halloween night. I really fell in love with the photo and so decided to capture it in painting form too. 

This is the progress I made over two days. 

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Life Drawing

20th Nov 2017 - Today Zoe, Ruth and I decided to go to the Monday evening life drawing class to see what it was like. I did a bit of life drawing on my foundation course so knew what to expect but I had forgotten how much I enjoy it. We all found it so fun! I think we are going to start coming every week. 

These pieces have actually really inspired me, I love drawing the human body so much, it’s the only subject matter that I find consistently grips me, most of the time it is the only thing I want to draw/paint. I think I will use these life drawings as a starting point. I wanted to drift away from the body a bit because it’s what I focused on in foundation but I think currently if it’s the only thing I enjoy painting I should just keep going with it until I naturally move on.     

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3rd Nov 2017

I was having a gander for artistic inspiration on Pinterest today when I came across this. I ALWAYS go through these exact stages when starting a new project. This gives me hope that I won’t always think the work I’m currently doing at uni is total shit.

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Grayson Perry: All Man

I love Grayson Perry, especially his tapestry pieces. I am a massive fan of bright colours and socio/political context behind artists’ work. Especially after focusing my foundation final project pieces around feminism. Perry uses his vibrant tapestries to demonstrate challenging topics including religion, gender and class. 

I read about the three part BBC documentary ‘Grayson Perry: All Man’ whilst carrying out personal research on Perry recently and watched the series all in a day on BOB whilst I was bedridden by tonsillitis. I was hooked by the concept of identity/masculinity he highlighted throughout, the journey he took through each episode culminating in artwork based upon what he had learnt and a reflection on why he believed the male species are the way they are.

I will continue to watch his documentaries as well as any other art documentaries that catch my interest on BOB.  

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U.N.I.N.S.P.I.R.E.D

25th Oct 2017 - I HAVE NO IDEAS! I don't know whether it’s because I’ve had tonsillitis for two weeks and my brain is frazzled and tired or I’m just being stubborn but I actually don’t have any direction. There’s nothing I want to paint and I’m conscious that I need to start creating. I’m also finding it really hard to balance the EVC reading with practical work. The readings and workbook questions take me SO long because I’m not used to the art history terminology/ideas. Where is time going? 

WHAT. AM. I. DOING? Where do I start?

Also none of the studio engagements are helping to fuel my creativity, they just feel like a waste of time! They seem more catered to people who haven't done a foundation so they’re not that useful for me. I would rather get inducted into the workshops fully, I want to start etching and printing, this is what inspires me!

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Jiro Takamatsu at the Henry Moore Institute

12th Oct 2017 - Me and a group of friends from my course decided to explore Leeds and go to a few art galleries to try and get inspired because none of us are really sure what we’re doing or where to start.

Our trip started off quite disastrously; Leeds City Art Gallery was still closed for renovation and when we turned up at the White Cloth Gallery it was closed (typical).

However, we tried the Henry Moore Institute and it was open! Their biggest exhibition was on Jiro Takamatsu, a post-war Japanese artist, influential in the surrealist/minimalist movements. I liked his ‘Chair and Table in Perspective’ sculpture for its jagged angles and the way it looked completely different from every side. It was interesting to see his interpretation of perspective in sculpture form but none of his works really gave me any inspiration. I’m probably being really uncultured but I don’t massively rate sculpture and I just didn't really understand the string in bottles. 

Despite this, the one thing that massively caught my attention was the documentation of the Hi-Red Center (the artist’s collective Takamatsu was involved in). I was particularly intrigued by the stories of radical anti-establishment events they organised. Reading about these events actually really made me laugh so when I got home I researched further into the HRC where I found out about their ‘Street Cleaning Event’; essentially mocking the Japanese Government after they urged the citizens to present a clean image of the city during the Tokyo Olympic Games - legendary.

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Installing our small exhibition...

11th Oct 2017 - Today group R all worked together to create and set up a small exhibit of our response work. I really enjoyed helping to make curatorial decisions and I am impressed with how it turned out as a whole. 

To start with I temporarily hung my pieces up in various positions to see how best to display them. I tried hanging one with the embroidery hoop still on but decided I liked it better without ((if only I had an iron to straighten the creases it left behind)). My fellow group mates were essential in providing useful advice and constructive criticism during my decisions. For example they all liked the pieces I had made but they thought the original place I decided to hang them didn't emphasise them to the fullest extent. Therefore, I moved to quite a centralised open space in the room which definitely highlighted them better due to the contrast of the bright white wall. They also worked well with the colour scheme of Abbie’s work who was to the left of mine and Milo’s instillation in the middle.

I am glad with the way my responses turned out especially considering the limited amount of time it had to be done by (however it is a work in progress and thus isn’t a final outcome anyway). To build on this I would have done some oil painting on fabric and also maybe printed onto various fabrics large scale and embroidered over the top, I also maybe would have explored tapestry and then seen how my ideas developed from there.

I surprisingly really enjoyed this task overall and I’m excited to continue with the rest of the engagements. 

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The ‘room of shit’ response - work in progress

 Over the last couple of weeks I have been working from my original plans and photographs to create a response to the room that we were shown on our first studio engagement.

At the moment I’m very inspired by Polly Nor who uses a lot of red, blue and purple within her work which is where my fundamental colour scheme came from. Also whilst carrying out research on site specific artists I came across the work of Yayoi Kusama and took great insperation from her abstract expressionist, brightly coloured pattern work. I am also influenced by Greyson Perry’s tapestry’s and his work in general ((unfortunately I just missed his most recent exhibition at the Serpentine, sad times)). Tapestry is something I would really like to learn how to do as they remind me of paintings but just in textile format, which is a concept I love exploring through my work.

One of these was done purely through hand embroidery - in this one I incorporated a bit of weaving to break up the sewing styles. The other one was done mainly on my sewing machine. I left the extra threads to hang from this one to symbolise the messy chaos of the basement.  

My 2 embroidery pieces directly relate with these photos I took whilst in the room...