PART 1
Written feedback received from tutor 15 December 2018
After initial and inevitable knee jerk reactions, I’ve had a chance for a few rereads, starting to unpick & unpack the comments & advice from my Tutor.
Things going well…
- Good working sketchbook, a genuine working document developed from my own sources
- Vibrant mark making
- Good use of colour
- Good technical ability – Lino
- Writing is fluent & articulate
Things to work on…
- Presentation of work to be clearer to enhance ease of navigation through both physical & virtual work – I’ve completely reworked the layout of my blog and hope the overall navigational experience is easier as a result.
Write more about my chosen themes & work hard to develop a stronger personal voice. Be wary of being over succinct in evaluative text. Reflect further on context and intention in my work, make my writing more explicit – I’ve created a 2ft-square board on which I’ve mind-mapped the research I’ve done and thoughts about my writing which I’ll use regularly going forward to remind me. I’m understanding it more but will keep working on this. - Remember to try & translate energy from work in my sketchbook through to the finished work – I’ve kept this in mind during development of Assignment 2 and believe I’ve gone a good way toward this.
- Work further with transparent medium – I haven’t printed in layers this time and I wanted to achieve an opaque finish so this hasn’t been applicable across Ass.2.
- Consider scale of image, big v. small. – I made a conscious choice regarding scale in Ass.2. I wasn’t ready to increase the scale on this occasion, to ‘shout’ any louder.
- Make more work, out of quantity can come quality – I’ve worked hard in my sketchbook and experiments to produce more work, plan & develop more. I believe the outcomes are better for it.
- Explore composition in more detail at the planning stage, image development & use of expressive marks. Mind maps – I’ve created several mind-maps, using them to explore theoretical art writing.I need to keep working on the exploratory composition part of the process.
- Carry A6 sketchbook – use rapid mark making, be obsessive, rework over & over, manipulate & push further, use carbon paper or tracing paper, make marks on concepts that interest me or that I’m currently working on – I started to carry small sketchbook with me but rarely remembered to use it. I have started to use carbon paper though & really like this instant form of printmaking. I will keep trying with the mobile sketchbook.
- A key area that needs improvement is my contextual, reflective & critical writing skills. I will start by making a reminder poster of key words and prompts. At the end of each practical or study session I will look contextually, reflectively & critically about what I’ve just done or learnt, how that relates to me & my practice & how to use that in the next step. I will add a few written lines about this process at the end of each new piece I add to my learning log & I will update my log as I go along rather than in big chunks at the end of each Part.– I’ve worked hard to note-take at every step, plus update my blog at frequent & regular intervals. This has helped me to analyse my development & thoughts & I’ll continue this practice. I’ve thought harder and written more concisely about my processes to include context, reflection and critical thinking. I’ve bought a copy of ‘How to Write About Contemporary Art’ by Gilda Williams which is helping me through the use of examples.
- My tutor recommend I read Printmaking: A Contemporary Perspective by Paul Coldwell for insight into contemporary debates within Printmaking, so its on order it & will read in due course – I’ve now received this book and initially flicked through it but I’m not very inspired on first glance, however I will persevere. Much Printmaking showcased in the book seems to incorporate the written word, something I’m wary of doing without thought, research & consideration.
- Also recommended is The Drawing Book by Tania Kovats. My local library doesn’t hold this title & at over £30 on Amazon/Abe its above my budget. I’ll try and reserve it at The British Library, London next time I go.
- My tutor also recommend I look at Shelley Burgoyne’s prints and how she works from observation before developing prints. I’ve enjoyed looking at out her work.
- Check out Bronwen Sleigh’s architectural work – I enjoy her delicacy more than the architecture/subject she explores, her use of pale colour and sensitive line is much to be admired.
- https://weareoca.com/education/personal-voice/
- https://weareoca.com/subject/textiles/reflection-edit-part-1/
- https://weareoca.com/education/reflection-edit-part-2/
I’ve read the 3 web pages above as recommended & printed them for future re-reading or reference.
PART 2
Written feedback received from tutor 26 February 2019
I’ve been happier throughout Part 2 and feel the latest feedback reflects this, although it could be said I’ve read the feedback in a more positive manner than Part 1 so who knows! There’s ever such a lot to unpack in this feedback & I’m genuinely interested in the learning points & how I can incorporate them on a practical level. I know I can do this!
Things going well…
- Assignment 1 demonstrated best application of conceptualism & communication so far.
- Demonstration of personal voice is improved through a better laid out/thought out log, continue being more open, descriptive & questioning.
- Personal development of sketchbook commended
Things to work on…
- Produce more ambitious prints
- Make bigger work, compare sizes of prints & consider how these choices can affect the image. Use this deliberately with correct reflective thinking etc.
- Don’t be afraid to allow the print the freedom of the page
- Consider & discuss colour choices
- Work more from ‘live’ sources which, by extension, can encourage greater experimentation.
- Research ‘transfer’ methods of printmaking, this could also be used to help develop parallel project development.
- Reflect on the work I make, asking what I’m saying to the viewer, what its about, & question how my references influence my approach to making & why.
Books to consider:
- Modern Printmaking: A Guide to Traditional & Digital Techniques by Sylvie Covey – I’ve added this to my wish list as funds for books is tight right now. Northamptonshire Library doesn’t hold a copy, I’ll look at reserving it at the British Library in the meantime. (From PART 1 FEEDBACK: The Drawing Book by Tania Kovats. I’ll try and reserve it at The British Library, London next time I go.)
- How to Write About Contemporary Art by Gilda Williams – I picked this up on an earlier trip to Tate Britain and made an immediate start on the train heading home. I’m finding it a fascinating read, not least because the author is comfortable questioning the trends she doesn’t necessarily agree with, she encourages the reader to think & find answers for themselves. Some art books can be tiresomely ‘preachy’ but this isn’t one of them.
- By making printing plates I can make a series of prints/MORE of them. I read this sentence & felt conflicted. I’m delightedly fascinated by monotype, working on the random, the unique & unpredictable aspect of making a print, and therefore by extension making etched or relief plates can feel tedious & monotonous. There must be a way round this, a way of keeping my interest sharp & my enthusiasm bright throughout processes that I’m not naturally attracted to right now. Work on this, research & reflect! Printmaking by its publicly accepted (original) definition is about the ability to make a replica copies, but my instinct is not to churn out an edition of identical multiples. There’s interesting debate here. My definition of printmaking is evolving rapidly and therefore this public definition feels less & less relevant to me as time passes. Also how will making MORE identical prints facilitate More experimentation? I’m missing the point! Perhaps in colour choices or even layering through the use of plates, but I do not understand how an edition of identical prints can achieve this. It could be used to introduce a stable element to an otherwise more random print, a print that combines both the random & the expected then. Even so, ‘making a series of printing plates’ feels tedious, time consuming & restrictive. Is this why I’m not making as many prints as I used to??
Suggested artists & links to consider:
Joan Mitchell
Laine Tomkinson & Laine Tomkinson
Terry Frost
The Rabley Drawing Centre – I’ve downloaded the SKETCH 2017 Open Sketchbook Drawing Prize publication (ISBN: 978 0 9926817 5 3) The individual artists are shown in a unique manner, the variety of sketches is vast, and they’re random images without context or explanation. The viewer is allowed to ‘feel’ a response, frequently without unwitting influence from any source, be that the artist or inherent preconceptions & to conclude openly & perhaps naively.
Acetone & transfer methods
PARALLEL PROJECT
It still feels the right choice to study Grayson Perry but my tutor highlighted what I large topic it would be to cover narrative in art since the Victorian era & I think she might be right, at least in 2,000 words only. I’ve considered narrowing the research field & the suggestion to instead “focus on the theme of autobiography as a subject matter” seems more achievable & a suitable compromise.
PART 4
Written feedback received from tutor 16 September 2019
As agreed with OCA, Part 4 has been completed ahead of Part 3.
After a study delay due to some complicated introspection, it felt appropriate to tackle Part 4 ahead of Part 3. I would use this as part of my own self-help strategy by considering ‘self’ through my artistic practice. Throughout PM2 I’ve struggled intermittently with mental issues that have hindered a smooth workflow, however I feel by the end of this Part I am well on the way to a better understanding of self and a happier balance has been achieved.
Things going well…
- Good use of scale & tone through appropriate medium.
- Strong reflective writing as a result of this assignment
- Emerging awareness of the importance of context & how it links to my work.
Things to work on…
- Understanding when to develop work/ideas or when to move on.
- Continue & develop an awareness of the importance of context & how it links to my work, making assignments relevant to me.
- Continue to investigate compositional dilemmas in greater depth.
- Consider colour choices & use of colour
- Continue to reflect on my work, what I’m bringing to a wider audience, what am I saying & why
- Use my log as an academic space for reflection & evaluation
Suggested artists & links to consider:
https://marcellehanselaar.com/paintings-self-portraits/ Very different in style to other 2 suggested artists, less appealing, darker with more introspection
http://www.gillianleesmithartist.com/portfolio/portraiture/ Sensitive & expressive self portraits, especially enjoyed the charcoal/conté work
http://maxwelldoig.com/work4.html Beautifully rendered, texture is outstanding in this series or portraits, obvious unusual angles, from above, lying flat etc
PARALLEL PROJECT
Time has been spent reading about Perry, watching interviews and YouTube videos & seeing work first hand, now its time to turn my notes & synopsis in to a more formal piece of writing, remembering to outline the purpose of the essay, i.e. This essay will discuss…..
OCA Printmaking 2 