Heatwave

Been thinking about what to do over the summer and have a couple of ideas floating around.

1) Self Portraits
I want to look at self portraits. Photographic mainly. I figure if i take enough one of them will be good and I can learn more about photography along the way.

This is a self portrait by Diane Arbus and is one of my favourite photographs:



2) Secret Paintings
I have plans for some oil paintings involving the human body, but they will be slightly different to the last painting I did, more my usual styles and themes.

3) Secret Photos.
I have been working on a series of Black and White photos. Sadly I wont be able to develop these until October. However, this does give me plenty of time to work on the series. The theme is consumerism.

I will have some new photographs developed soon. Maybe early next week?

I am also reading a lot at the moment. Just read The Collector by John Fowles and am going to read The Magus now, also by Fowles.

Painting

Decided to do some painting last night. Quite enjoyed it but I definitely feel like I should be working bigger than this.

I love oil paint, I love the texture, the way it looks, the way it can be worked into. I should really make sure I keep up painting so that I can improve.

Potential project

One project I have been working on is a little personal interest photography project. I seem to live on one of the busiest streets in Winchester. I have never in my life lived on such a busy road before and it seems like something unusual is always happening here. So of course I have been documenting it. I think i'll call it 'From my window' or something like that. It's ongoing but here are a couple of images I've managed to get over the last few months.



Kind of inspired by photographer Philip-Lorca diCorcia who's work I saw at the 'Voyeurism, Surveillance and the Camera' exhibition at the Tate Modern.

Summer is here

So summer has come and along with the BBQs and the fun has come uncertainty. What do I do next. I need some focus, all I have done so far is take pictures, bake and write poetry. Oh and go to work and read books of course.

I do have a couple of ideas floating around though.

I also have vague plans surrounding getting my work exhibited which I really need to solidify soon.

Hopefully when I have my summer job(s?) sorted I can work around them to get some creativity out.

I am stiff.
Unmoving.
Trapped in a chrysalis. New formed wings beating against the same restraints.
Waiting, waiting.
Blind and yet, I see colours.

My body full of energy waits here. I am lonely. I am cold. I want to touch but I cannot feel.
All I trust, familiar.
And yet I fear the loss of it.

I am trapped. The chrysalis my mind.

Fat Bitch, Greedy Bastard.

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So today we gave away cakes (I say we, I mean me, Tess and Sara, our little art collective). 100 cakes to be precise. Looking again at the etiquette of giving and things being free. This time, more people were suspicious. Maybe due to our performance at Women's day, or maybe just because there seemed to be no occasion for the cakes to be free. Everyone took though, some people took more than one, which basically reiterated the point.

We put flags in our cakes with the flavour on one side and an insult on the other, many noticed but some didn't.




I have also been doing a fair amount of drypoint printing, including experimenting with multiple plates or using the same plate twice. Here are a couple from Tuesday.




Am very pleased with the way my work has been going all in all.

Dead flowers

Here is some of the work i've been doing with flowers



These are simply pressed, framed flowers. The idea was to frame them like a family portrait would be framed. As we keep photographs to remember people, or a lock of hair, I have preserved these flowers in similar way.



The top image of the above two is lots of flower residues from pressing flowers. I liked the idea of the traces they left behind. Transient proof of their existence and death. Like tiny obituary's or tombstones.

The bottom image is the same technique but on a much larger scale. I pressed a complete bunch of flowers in a press.

I really like this work and where it's been going. I am also working on a drypoint print related to this work.

My women's roles work is coming along well too, I am currently planning a performance and doing research for it.

25,387,425,356 things

University is back, Easter break is over. :)
I feel like there are many many things to do.



Tess and I still have many photos to edit for Women's day and I am furiously writing for the zine we are creating.

I have been baking too, in the name of art! Creating recipes and photographing them. I have been researching the Women's Institute and am planning to research the history of Women's roles.

I have also been in the studio a fair amount these last 2 days. Today I pressed flowers but on a large scale. My prints are currently drying and I will get them and photograph them tomorrow.

I have more etchings planned too. Basically a lot to do.

First year show 2011 - Winchester school of Art

I remember this time last year, the chaos, the confusion, the desperation to show the rest of the school our work properly for the first time. Nowadays it feels like we have exhibitions every other week. Our first one meant a lot to us though.

So today I went to see what this years' first years had to offer.

The refreshments were an interesting choice. Cider and Black, didn't see that one coming.
The work was really good, generally a really high standard and not a clip frame in sight.

Here are my favourites:




I snapped the pictures quickly on my phone as I didn't have a camera with me, but you get the idea. I don't have the names of the students who did the work, as there weren't many namecards, but if you know any of the names, do tell me.

The two last images reminded me of my work from my first year show, which is perhaps why I liked them.

I admired one of the students' dedication to the tealight industry.
But seriously, the dominos and tealights piece was my favourite. It referred to the conflict in Korea with the dots on the dominos relating to the number of dead. I liked the way the dominos looked like soldiers graves that I've seen in France. It was inspring to see something so ambitious and well thought out from a first show.

The first image is of paintings of the human body. I couldn't quite work out if they were paintings or impressions, either way they were very beautiful up close. They were the first piece I noticed when entering the exhibition. Hopefully I can go back and get a better picture.

All in all, it was great to see such a range of beautiful work without even the need to travel to London.

Some prints for a commission.

I really enjoyed the process of doing these and it gave me an idea for some more work. :)