27 March. Assessment preparation meeting, Portfolio considerations, Zine, Actions and plans...

The zine from the last staffs zine project that I got involved with is complete. I worked from home today so will pick up my copy from the studio tomorrow - I've not seen my page yet.

so..things are coming together. 

I've had a line of enquiry for my artwork and a research question for my essay but now I've got a handle on my artist statement I can figure out my research question for my practice. I feel a bit behind because I'm doing this now  - but I couldn't do it before because it was hard to separate personal experience from broader research areas - but I've done that now.

Final final final statement shared with marketing:

Lorna is interested in how women and the maternal have been impacted by a human desire to dominate nature.  Her paintings feature iconography in the form of apples, witches’ hats and apotropaic marks known as “witch marks” to reference a historical co-existence of belief systems, alongside relatable family portraits.

Research question for essay

How do contemporary artists challenge societal ideas around the maternal? 

Research question for practice

How does my artwork connect societal ideas around religion and the maternal and what does this do?

TASK

Looked at framing - 2 week turnaround and price not available without selecting the actual frame type - closed over Easter so I need to get in this week to get it organised. 

Questions from this mornings session - putting them here so I can dip back to this blog for my portfolio content. 

PLAN, PRODUCE AND EXHIBIT A BODY OF ARTWORK. (Problem-solving and working with others)

How are plans going for your exhibition proposal draft?

Good - I have a nearly complete proposal ready for discussion on Thursday - with 2 areas of choice and ideas of how to present - I'm just working on the actual paintings and how they operate.

What testing do you need to do to make sure that your ambitions are met?

Have a mini crit with some peers in the studio planned and I have tester pots for the walls, working with making marks in the wall and working on the hat - testing ideas with gesso.

I need to review how my paintings are coming together and if I need to change anything. I need to be careful to select the right works.

Are your plans ambitious enough?

I feel I am producing as much work as I can within my artistic approach in terms of paintings - I could make more prints or charcoal but that would change what I'm trying to do. I think the proposal is ambitious enough. I want to create an atmosphere of superstition and then for people to realise that its a complex combination of iconography and may not be what it appears to be at first glance.

What contextual examples can you draw upon? What exhibitions have you seen that are significant to you?

How has the above had an impact on your work?

Nottingham- Hollow Earth was amazing. I've not been to this gallery before but I really liked this space.I felt like it platformed the works in the white mounts, was a comfortable space - appropriate for the subject around our relationship with caves.

                                                                                                     

I found the whole exhibition really well curated - it pulled together so many relationships to caves and people operating underground - and as such explored themes of nature and the sublime, people, culture and death.

 Paper artwork from the exhibition -exploring texture that appears like a cave wall.

 

Not my best pic - but this was curated in a really dark space by photographs and artefacts recording the catacombs and other cultural examples of how we interact with dark spaces.

Open eye gallery in Liverpool - struck a different chord with me and many of the works were reminiscent of familiar neighbourhoods and experiences which gave me more confidence to include some photographs in my references for paintings (alongside reading up on Opie and Berger)

 Ingrid Pollard was interesting in terms of what she pulled together which is often to readily dismissed but collectively it becomes an issue. 

 

Ian mood just reminded me what its all about and I was hooked on the details. The focus of my exhibition is still the paintings but I'm using curatorial tools to pull together a narrative that they can sit in.

PRODUCE A PORTFOLIO OF COURSEWORK TO A PROFESSIONAL LEVEL OF COMPETENCE, THAT LOCATES YOUR PRACTICE WITHIN APPROPRIATE CONTEXTS. (Application)

is your draft portfolio currently evidencing sophistication and professional expectations in the field?

Not collated yet - I have all the content in my blog so confident that I can pull out key information and match it to the requirements. 

Aiming to do this in InDesign so I've fixed my permissions and updated the software but I need to focus on one thing at a time - even if the "thing" is flexible because everything relates to each other. 

What contexts does your work operate in? How have your research questions, aims and objectives allowed you to frame this?

Art practice research question : How does my artwork connect societal ideas around religion and the maternal and what does this do?  has been hard to get to but now I have loads of research that I want to dig into and iconography to explore, my objectives have been practical in terms of understanding how to build productivity and recognise how artists operate around an image -  ie. to deconstruct and reassemble something.  My objectives are clearer now so I need to do this again - and I need a mini crit - which has been discussed in the studios so I'll arrange. (Action)

How does your work compare to others?

I feel it is well received aesthetically and I'm building professional technical knowledge but it lacks a contemporary edge and I don't feel that I have refined my artistic approach with oil paint. I'm still too cautious - I'm very aware of time constraints (deadlines and personal /work responsibilities ) I don't feel its completely clear what I'm trying to convey- it's becoming easier once in a conversation but it needs more refinement.

ADOPT AN ANALYTICAL APPROACH TO YOUR OWN WORK AND THAT OF YOUR CONTEMPORARIES. (Analysis and reflection)

How is your analysis of the artwork of other contemporary artworks assisting in the analysis of your own work? 

I'm more aware of how their work operates and the subtle tools that they use to make an impact. Something can look really 'normal' but not be when you read it.  I'm thinking about this but I haven't cracked it. yet.

I think the apotropaic marks touch on this - if I use them in the exhibition and on the witches hat - they give off a superstitious ritual vibe but when you read them properly they're saying something about how people behaved when at a point in time when people were choosing what to believe or how to remain 'safe' - I looked at the purposes of religion from a social perspective which came up with; 

• meaning & purpose of life
• agent of social control and behaviour 
• promotion of physical /psychological well being
• motivates people to work for positive social change

I find it really interesting that actually women roles in life are often assumed. As a single woman it's a battle to navigate but it intensifies when you become a mother, we're not always even aware that there's how these assumptions lead to social control, we've historically struggled with well being and generally don't get time to look at bigger positive social change because we don't have time for ourself.. might just be me but I doubt it.

Name artists that you are analysing and discuss how this is helping you.

Catherine Opie -challenging who can be included in family life, makes me consider how I look at roles that haven't been widely represented and how I can bring them to the forefront. 

Jenny Saville - just the sheer ability to mother and draw influence from being a mother to create works with movement and depth whilst making statements about bodies and gender and historical ideals.

Titus Kaphars ability to change a narrative or reinvent an image to open a conversation about something lost or unacknowledged. - If I can get my head around this I may have other ideas about how to reflect the loss of nature-based religion that supported matriarchal support groups.

In what ways does your supporting work currently provide evidence of this and how can you improve this?

I think there's a gap here.

USE VISUAL WRITTEN COMMUNICATION SKULLS IN RELATION TO PRACTICE (Communication and visual analysis) 

How does your artwork communicate to audiences?

 Iconography, atmosphere, composition, use of medium - subject

How well do you currently feel able to communicate through writing (Artist statement/portfolio )

How can you improve?

I'm in a good position now - at this point I understand what I'm investigating and can explain it. I'm happy with my statement and know what to look at next to plug some gaps. 

APPLY PRACTICAL AND THEORETICAL SKILLS TO PRODUCE ARTEFACTS IN A CONTEMPORARY ART CONTEXT (Application, Knowledge and understanding)

Are you evidencing the application of your practical skills in your work, supporting work and portfolio?

I've documented the whole way through so am confident that I have images to support.

Are you evidencing the application of your theoretical skills through your work, supporting work and portfolio?

 I'm not as confident with this - May need to check in on this at the tutorial on Thursday

UNDERSTAND AND APPLY FINE ART STRATEGIES TO INDEPENDENT ENQUIRY (Knowledge and understanding, problem-solving) 

Are you evidencing and articulating the particular methods that you have developed and utilised?

 I think so.. May need to check in on this at the tutorial on Thursday

In what ways can this improve?

May need to check in on this at the tutorial on Thursday

REFLECT CRITICALLY AND CONSTRUCTIVELY ON YOUR OWN WORK (Reflection)

Are you evidencing critical reflection on your own work?

Yes in terms of medium handling - I think the works are received as intended but I need to consider this more as I look at how I make work that operates in the way that I want it to.

How can this improve?

Action - have a mini crit and keep this consideration through the crit to get feedback

 

Did some more of my Exhibition Proposal and found the Degree show plan really helpful - I always calendar but personally, I can get sucked into the micro details and lose focus /get overwhelmed so it's been good to scale back and follow the lead of one of the proposal examples in terms of specifics and general focus. Amended my outlook to mirror and dropped in some work commitments as a student ambassador (I've a few clear weeks thankfully) and will keep a copy at home and one at uni to follow.