HND Fine Art/First Year/Assemblage+Paint+Print

This morning I started to read some books for inspiration for my next project. My projects are Paint, sculpture and print. I need to create a final outcome for each area. I begun a mind map with my initial ideas, so I can keep expanding them. After dinner we had a group discussion about what art is and what it means to us personally. As a group we came up with some major bullet points such as;

'-Art is a practise of expressing ones creative side

-Focuses on the individuals theory and how they think and communicate through their work

-The ability to influence other peoples perceptions. how they see, think and feel either it being on politics, culture, morals, media, gender and the world in general

-We can express ideas of importance , making a statement and raising questions and awareness

-We can communicate our own experiences through our work

-An artist can make controversial issues apparent to the viewers to make people aware

-Art allows us to pose questions , which can effect the way the viewers see and question the world we inhabit

-We can experiment with our work, pushing boundaries. However we cannot be hypocritical  by not pushing ourselves and questioning ourselves, if we are expecting the viewer to do so as well. 

-Artists are powerful people because they have the ability to change peoples emotions, thoughts and perspective. 

However the artist must have fun and  be playful when creating work as sometimes the most unexpected outcomes are the most successful. 

If somebody had asked me some of these questions a couple of months ago, I do not believe me (and maybe the group) would of been able to give such an extensive answer like this. Through my first project I learned a lot about what art is and one of the main points being that my outcomes did not have some ''deep physiological'' meaning behind it. It was all about me playing and experimenting with media but still having a strong dialogue between my work with the movement, pictorial space, media etc. 

We visited Yorkshire Sculpture Park to which was mind blowing. Inside their was an exhibition on Amar Kanwars work.  The exhibition explores and EXPLOITS how mining and other industrialisation has impacted on communities of Odisha, India.  Walking around the exhibition was extremely saddening and angering at how these stories go unpublicised to the majority of the world.  The communities are being destroyed and people are being murdered, and no one is being held accountable for these monstrosities.  On one page of his hand made mixed media book read ''I sincerely wish to establish such an order in this world, where there would be no exploitation. Where toiling workers and peasants would lead a peaceful life.  

I have to live my life''. 

After seeing this exhibition I felt inspired and in awe of Kanwar's bravery and determination. THIS is what it means to be a powerful artist, to SHOW the world what is really happening.  

The rooms where darkened , with light hitting the art work while sound filled the room. This defiantly changed the atmosphere of the  rooms to a much more sombre,  grave, solemn place.  The narrative hand made book Kanwar had created was my favourite piece because I could physically turn the pages to continue the story, along with the mixture of traditional and non-traditional media being combined. The  video being projected on the opposite side of the page linked together with the words making me want to keep turning the pages. Watching a video being played through the pages of the book was extremely saddening, and for the reason it had to be confined to a book, where people could read and see the events that had already happened.  After seeing everything in this exhibition I wanted to get outside quite quickly because It had changed my mood very quickly to being excited to see and explore the sculptures to a sad and angry.

Walking through the sculpture park was amazing seeing and being able to physically touch fantastic pieces of art work. Where as the inside exhibition felt confined and very emotionally draining, being outside  I felt a sense of freedom and EXCITEMENT.  Numerous aspects about the sculptures being placed outside changed the dynamics of the pieces from the reflection of the sunlight, to the protruding roots from the natural trees around them. I got a overall sense of FUN from the sculptures which I am going to try and take into my work. I think sometimes I can bog myself down with trying to think of some philosophical background to my work, when something such as mark making, or colour is just as important. I would defiantly love to visit YSP again. It was great being out the group too, as this was our first day out together. I believe it has helped us bond as friends and as a group. 
Oppenheim's sculptures; 

Some of the sculptures I especially wanted to see where the Oppenheim's alternate landscape components. His tree-like sculptures investigates the relationship between artificial and natural environments, along with found objects.  The metal branches of the trees are laden with a variety of unusual domestic objects from bath tubs, plastic chairs, toilets and sinks.  The tree acts as a dialogue between the artificial and natural landscape.  Although his work involves a sense of humour such as a bath tub or toilet, contradictory it is quite serious,  indicating how modern living and everyday objects are becoming more important than the natural environment. Seeing what is meant to be a natural, organic environment transformed into a tangled web of modernisation.  
Seeing this sculpture made me start to think that in the future this is how trees will actually grow. Metal, industrial components growing from the ground. Reflecting on this. at first glance the playfulness and humour are most noticeable  but the underlying meanings start to become apparent.
Even as As we where travelling back, the sun was setting and the views up in the hills was amazing.  I managed to get this photo, but it does not do it justice. Looking through the window at the sharpness and colours in the light outside was beautiful and peaceful. Seeing this helped me reflect on the sculpture park on the way home. 

Beginning my assemblage work I collected a variety of objects which I had found in my room and from outside. I came across a quote in a art book I was reading which said ''Above all else, it is about leaving a mark that I existed. I was here. I was hungry. I was defeated. I was happy. I was sad. I was in love. I was afraid. I was hopeful. I had an idea and I had a good purpose and that is why I made works of art''. As soon as I had read this quote I knew I had to keep hold of it. These small few words sum up me and my art work. When I experiment, create a final piece or even doodle, It is always a way of expressing my emotions, how I feel, and why. It is about me proving to myself that I am worthy. I know my work is not the best, most in depth or mind blowing, but it allows me to grow as a person. To put my mark down. 

I created a quick assemblage made up with branches, an umbrella, action men, a bin and a broken canvas. At first I was just playing around experimenting in how I could place these objects and the relationship between them. As a group with Robin we had small discussions about our pieces which was insightful seeing how peoples worked linked into the unconscious mind.   I was not looking forward to discussing mine because I knew it was  not right. Everybody else managed to get a correct sculptural like outcome, where mine was seen as a ''Painting''' and I am ''hiding'' behind my painting which is where I feel most comfortable. Because I see so 2D I feel like I am doing something wrong, or I am not improving.  Having this conversation made me realise I need to try harder to improve my sculptural work. I am determined to show I can work in different styles. Robin and I took the canvas down revealing the branch which had certain objects hanging down. He me aware of the tree of knowledge, tree of life and family tree's and of a Wishing well, which my work could represent. I like the idea of using the trees as a symbolic meaning of memories and our natural bodies and minds. The roots remind me of paths, veins and nerves all intertwined in our bodies. 

After yesterday I wanted more branches so I could experiment and explore different assemblages with them. I went down to my local woods and collected some more branches I thought would create interesting compositions. Being out in the woods gave me some time to reflect on my work and how I want to push it forward. Listening to the sounds of the natural habitat and the running stream was relaxing, helping me to clear my mind. I was feeling a bit Sh1t about myself and the direction of my work and being out here has helped me to focus on what I want to achieve.  I know I defiantly want to keep the branches incorporated in my work. 

I took my branches and started to define my assemblage. I changed it to a more simple, direct sculpture just using the bin and the branches. I think keeping it simple will be the best way for me to progress my work. I attached a branch to my wall to play around with the space and positioning of a object to change the perspective. 

On Monday 27th January as a group we visited Liam Spencers studio, Prospect studios, which was also a space for professional practising artists Alan birch and Jill Randall. I could not wait to see what a working studio was like and to see how I would feel walking into one. Once we arrived at the studio we was met by Alan birch who is a fine art print maker at the studio. He gave us a quick tour around the studio's, 3 in total, one for each artist. The first studio I saw was Liam spencers. Unfortunately Liam was away from the studio so we were unable to talk to him. However, There was finished work and in progress work which I could look at.  His studio reminded me of a gallery layout, where some of his finished pieces were framed on the wall. It was great to see a piece which had not been finished because it gave me a sense of the style and technique he uses.  I expected to see paint splatters everywhere (as I can imagine if I had my own studio) but I guess his style of working is more controlled and organised. I would of loved to of spoken to Liam as he is a very successful painter who generates enough income from his art work to live off. I would of liked to have asked him about how he became so successful along with numerous other questions so hopefully in the future I will get a chance to.

Moving on I went downstairs to Jill Randall's studio, which was amazing. This studio had much more creative vibe to me because there where objects all over the floor and wall, along with a wall full of images of her inspirations and influences.  Jill is sculpture based artists and has exhibited her work at various places, such as;  Leicester’s Botanic Garden, Irwell Sculpture Trail and Grizedale Forest. Her work links in with my assemblage project and guided bus way scheme. Jill had some really interesting pieces stuck up on her wall, created up from various found objects. She describe the objects as another way to create a mark, for example, a thick, heavy metal piece would represent a dense, bold mark. She seemed really open to exploration of media which I could of listened to a whole lot longer. She explained some of her sculpture based works, her inspirations, media and some problems she encountered (such as transportation of the sculpture) which I found useful as I am going to have to think of these when it comes to my own projects. Unfortunately we never got chance to talk to her for that long because we headed upstairs to Alan's studio space. I would love to go back and do a work shop with Jill in the future or even have a longer discussion with her.  As soon as I walked into her studio, I knew that I wanted my own studio. 

Upstairs we started our workshop with Alan. Again in this studio there was 100's of photographs and articles that are relevant to the work Alan produces. This is important because something so small in a image may spark a creative direction you would want to explore.  He spoke about his work and how it depicts religious symbolic icons whilst incorporating his sense of humour such as;
 
Saint last minute. A piece inspired by Manchester City former manager Roberto Mancini. Looking through his prints was funny. It made a change seeing work which was based on humour and fun. Throughout the workshop I picked up that Alan repeatedly said ''play''. I now defiantly understand the importance of playing and experimenting now, especially in work shops like these because it is all about exploring a range of media because each outcome can be completely unusual and unique. Alan gave each of use a piece of perspex to carve our designs into. I was not to happy with my design so the outcomes I was not to pleased with but I enjoyed the workshop none the less. I learnt a few new techniques which I can take back to college and experiment with when I have a better design to work with. I enjoyed listening to Alan talk  about his self, his work, exhibitions and fellow artists. 

Lee found these in the studio and pointed them out to me. As soon as I saw them I wanted to know what they where and how they had been created. They where steel plates which had been corroded overtime by some acidic substance. They had a really nice surface texture and all I wanted to do was to create a print from them. They also looked like finished compositions on their own. I am defiantly going to try and experiment with this technique back at college. 

(Adam, Me, Alan, Chloe, Georgia,Calum)
Overall I had a fantastic,very insightful day at the workshop. Coming away from the studio, I now know for definite that I want my own studio space with other artists. I would love for all the group to set up a studio together, but I do not think that will happen just yet. After I have finished my course at Wigan college, I am going to see if I can set up my own studio somewhere. I will have to keep down a part time job to be able to afford it, but maybe if other artists are interested we can share the cost. If I can do this I would then rather do my top up year part time, so I can focus on building up a portfolio. A piece if advice Jill had given us was to build up a extensive portfolio. I need people willing to set up a studio with me. Hopefully in the near future we will be able to do a workshop with Jill Randall. 

Outside where the mini bus was parked we was right next to a scrap yard, which had LOADS of interesting objects inside. We was higher up so we could look down and there were trees in front of us. Looking at the objects through the tree's, I could imagine them as compositions in my head. Shapes, texture, depth, colour, form, line and tone was all apparent in front of me. The top left photo I can see as a painting, with the depth and shape, overprinting and under painting. I have to be aware that there is inspiration all around me I just have to be conscious of it. 

I started to take photographs of certain sections of my assemblages which I thought would help me create interesting compositions. I am keeping my 3 projects, print, sculpture, and paint together so I can link them up. Because I am working with branches in my assemblage it straight away gives me a abstract direction which I wanted to go down. The trees can be linked to many aspects but to me they link to the human body, growth, life, death, veins, nervous, brains,roots,  paths, memories etc.. With this simple object I can take it in various directions. 

I created a few quick sketches which I took into the print room. Drawing sections of my assemblage allows me to transform my drawing into a whole new composition. These are my first very basic drawings, so I still have a lot of drawing and experimenting do to with my compositions. However, even with these few simple drawings I believe I have given myself a good starting point to progress from. I really want to try and show the texture of the branches through my drawings and prints. 

I created these prints by mixing white spirit and ink together which ended in making an earthly, textured, soft outcome. I used photo-paper, so the surface did not soak up the media, allowing it to spread into unevenly.  I defiantly want to create more of these outcomes in the future because I think the texture and overall compositional outcomes are interesting. 
Creating a stencil of one of my designs enabled me to create a few different prints which I can experiment with. Creating different prints from the stencils I could layer them on top of each other, playing around with pictorial space. I wanted try and create this space within my pieces because tree's and other natural objects have so much depth and complexity to them. 

These are a few of my more simple prints which I created using my stencil. I started to play with the positive and negative space of the compositions. I have really started to like the simplicity of some of my designs, which is unusual because I usual opt to create busy and expressive pieces. However, I think this is a nice change and maybe this is a direction I will push my work down in my print my print project, and then do something gestural in my paint project. 

Today I started to create some small studies in my work book, using a few different media's such as ink, charcoal and varnish. Once I have figured out what media and materials I want to extend and progress I am going to work on a much larger scale. I find it hard to work small, as I feel confined and limited to how I can apply the media. I enjoy working in a more physical and expressive style, so I can be free with my work. 

I have collected a variety of objects to hang of my assemblage. I have started to sugar coat these objects to make them seem like they have been crystallized. I have chosen  objects that are quite personal/represent me, because I want my tree to represent a kind of memory/wishing tree, and crystallizing the objects also preserves them. Once the objects have been crystallised they become almost magical. 

Since I saw the metal pieces at the print studio, I wanted to try and experiment with this myself, so I managed to get hold a mild steel plate from work. From speaking to John we were unsure how this would take because the steel was very thick. However John had some acids and materials we could use on it to experiment with. The back of the plate was already painted with what seemed to be a resistant material. 

To begin experimenting we asked Dave to cut a small piece from the plate. Even Dave found this hard because the steel was deep. However we managed to get a small section cut off so we could create a few experimental samples from it. I have never really experimented with acids so John helped me out quite a lot. I enjoy listening and learning from John because he is very knowledgeable about a variety of processes.  I started polishing the metal using Brasso to get any rough texture off the surfaces, before using a etching fluid to create a design. This fluid would act as a resistant against the acid. 

We placed the metal into a  solution made  up of diluted copper sulphate. We kept this in for a couple of hours and every so often using a feather to wipe over the piece. When wiping the plate with the feather you could see where the acid had been eating into the metal. 
 
Taking the plate out we could see where the acid had gotten through. However, the acid had  not gone through very deep. It looked like it had only taken the top surface off. This was slightly disappointing because it had been in the solution for quite awhile. However, I took a print so I could see the difference in tones from where it had been exposed to the acid. I think next time me and John are going to experiment with different metals (ones which are thinner), and add salt into the solution which will hopefully speed up the process. 

In print I had to create a new collograph because my previous one had gone missing. I LOVE creating collograph's because I never know how they are going to print. To create my plate I used no nails, which I worked my design into. 

I love bringing colour into these too because the layering of the colours create a depth and the surface creates a textured print. I love experimenting with layering the colours over each other to see how they react to each other. 

This was the outcome of my actual plate once I had finished printing. I absolutely loved this as a piece on it's own because of the colour and texture involved. The way the ink has emphasised the texture really caught my eye. It almost reminds me of bark of a tree. The orange and blue/green ink work well together creating a rather dramatic effect. 
   
I created these compositions from rubbing's of my branches. I placed my paper over the top of the branch and rubbing over the top using graphite. I used different pressures of applying the graphite to add different tones to my piece. I really enjoyed this simple process because It gave of a very abstracted outcome. 

I had a bit of a crappy start in college this morning, for some reason I could not seem to get my mind into it. Tomorrow I am defiantly going to get my arse in gear and push my work forward.  At the minute I am feeling slightly frustrated with my work, as I do not see myself progressing anywhere. I am finding it hard to stay focused on my work. 

I created a few compositions but I do not think they are up to standard, as my head was not really into these. I spoke to lee quite a bit today and I have various directions I can take my work down. I want to try and experiment with as many as possible so I can experiment and explore different media. The few compositions I created today were made by using a stencil from one of my previous drawings. I gathered some soil from outside and added water to make it moist. I wanted to try and experiment with more natural, earthy media. I rubbed the soil over my stencil using my hands. Once I had covered the area, I peeled the stencil away leaving behind a white composition. Recently I am enjoying using stencils to create positive and negative compositions. I want to explore pictorial space within my compositions along with emphasising the textures of the branches.  I created another composition re-using my stencil, but this time using charcoal and graphite over the top. Once I had peeled the stencil away it had left behind a subtle, organic layout...

   
My last two designs I again used my stencil and my remaining soil I had collected from earlier, but I did not added water. I used PVA glue so the soil would stick onto it. The outcome of this was quite unusual as the soil was very textured and slightly fluffy. I enjoyed using this natural media as it linked into my organic, earthy theme. Once I had started to play around again I started to feel slightly more in tune with my work. 

(liquid etching ground)        (Brasso)                              (Copper Sulphate)
I started in the print room this morning where me and John started to work back onto my metal pieces. This week John had gotten some salt to add to the solution.  I used a few different metals from my mild steel (which is very thick) to thinner aluminium.  We learnt from last week that the aluminium was the better material to use. I started by polishing the metal using Brasso to get any rough texture off the surfaces

Once they were polished, I drew a design on top of them using liquid etching ground, which would resist the acid. Once my designs was dry on the top I turned it over and covered the back to protect it also. 

We made two solutions up, the first was diluted copper sulphate and the second was diluted copper sulphate with added salt. I placed the smaller aluminium pieces into the copper sulphate mix, while I placed the mild steel into the solution with salt, hoping that this solution would bite into the steel more aggressively. 

(Diluted copper sulphate) You can clearly see the solution with salt was much more aggressive. 

After around 10 minutes or so, I could already see that the stronger solution was working more effectively than the weaker one.  You can clearly see a build-up of material where the acid is biting into the metal, so I used a feather to remove the build-up, allowing the acid to get to it. 

I kept all the metal in for a couple of hours before removing it. Once I had taken them out of the solution I washed them before wiping them clean. You can see in the colour difference where the metal has been eroded

From the look of how the metal came out, the acid seemed to only take the coating of them material. I took some prints from the metals so see how clear and how deep the acid had gone.  I think to get the best results I am going to have to bring some metal home and leave it for a couple of weeks or longer to get my desired effect. I want the acid to eat all the way through the metal. John printed me some very useful information off on the equipment and tools I need to do this. I am slightly timid about this process because it is working with very harmful and dangerous chemicals so I am going to have fully understand all instructions and wear the correct PPE. 

Although so far I have not achieved what I have wanted to, I am experimenting with different materials I have never used before. I also find the metal pieces quite interesting once they have come out of the solution, because they orangey-brown, rusted like outcome. (however this layer can be wiped off) 

After I had finished working with my metal pieces I grabbed my stencils from the base room and I used these to print over. I was just playing around with how these prints would come out and I was slightly surprised that I loved the outcomes. I used a variety of coloured ink over each other and once It had gone through the press they all merged together creating an earthy, textured outcome. I also think the white space within the layout allows the shape and pattern of the composition to breath and really stand out.  In the future I will need to improve the stability of my stencil as it is only thin paper, and rolling the ink over it caused it to rip slightly. Recently I have really enjoyed print because I have been able to play around and create unusual outcomes. With print I can create textured  and abstracted pieces which is something I really want to exaggerate.

This is my area so far, I like sticking all my work up around me so I can immerse myself into it. However at the minute I am struggling to decide what direction I want to take it down because there is a lot of different ways I could push it. 

Because I could not decide on what to do next I started to create a few simple drawings, just hoping to take my mind of things for a bit. I love drawing sections of my assemblage because I can drawing them in different style and with different media. Using charcoal, graphite and ink are some of my preferred media at the minute because I can add various tones. It also enables me to drawing quickly. 
 
I began to create a mixed media pieces, just because I felt I needed to. I used paint, charcoal, ink and graphite to explore with, applying the media in different styles. I do not think this is a successful piece but I now know I have tried this style. 
WOLS-
Was a German painter and photographer, who's paintings are gestural, layered and expressive. 
 
The drawings of Wols firstly drew my attention, the simplicity, sharpness and accuracy of the drawings are beautiful. 
Within my project I want to create accurate and effective primary drawings like these and then transform them into abstracted compositions. 
Wols paintings often contain figurative elements as well as free improvisations and abstract elements. Spontaneity and immediateness determine the creative work of Wols, Within Wols paintings there is also an element of Randomness and explosiveness which plays an important role in his unstructured compositions. In later years Wols was particularly interested in the combination of powerful brush strokes with a relief-like painted surface structure.


These are just a few of the paintings of Wols that caught my eye. The use of complimentary and analogous colours create an interesting composition, along with the layering exploring the pictorial space. The explosiveness and physicality  of the work, reminds me of my favourite two artists, Twombly and Pollock.

Liverpool- (Half term)

David Hockney Exhibition
Hockney is an English painter and printmaker, who found a way of incorporating his very personal subject matters into his work. He began tentatively by copying fragments of poems on to his paintings, encouraging a close scrutiny of the surface and creating a specific identity for the painted marks through the alliance of word and image. These cryptic messages soon gave way to open declarations in a series of paintings produced in 1960–61 on the theme of homosexual love.

When I visited Liverpool Walker art Gallery  I saw the David Hockney exhibition. Hockney has never been a main influence for my work, but I still wanted to view his work. Walking around the exhibition I was quite surprised that there where a few of his more gestural and expressive paintings that really got me interested. They way he used expressive application of paint to communicate his emotions throughout his paintings such as the one picture above drew me right in, and I wanted to read and understand more about his work, such as his hidden messages. 

This painting in-particular made me smile because Hockney was having trouble painting the feet accurately so he slightly adjusted the flower to cover them up. I could imagine him doing this as sometimes when I am struggling to draw something I will change or re-arrange something without anybody knowing. It shows me that all artists do struggle, and adapt within certain situations. I also enjoyed looking at Hockney's first primary drawings and prints, because it was unusual to see such starting points in a gallery space. It was nice to see his starting points, because I could follow how his pieces had been developed and progressed over time.  The use of text and hidden messages within his work really draws the viewer in, making them want to dig deeper into the background and dialogue of the painting. I was stood in front of his gestural paintings for a while looking for these messages, and the mark he had created. 
I came out of the exhibition feeling excited as I had never looked much into Hockney's work before, and I realised he is a strong, meaningful artist, who created pieces of art to express his emotions and his life. I did not only find his gestural pieces interesting, but the accuracy and colour used in his still life drawings, and how the vibrancy of the colour really expresses the form of the figure.
Once we had looked around the exhibition we carried on walking around the gallery where I saw some more unbelievable art works, such as 'Aeolus' by Gillian Ayres. 

This style of expressive, large scale painting is what I LOVE and get excited by. I could of stood in front of this painting taking in all the colours, marks, and textures for hours. I just wanted to run my hand along it. I loved the vibrancy and energy it gave off almost making me want to start painting there and then. In the future I would love to create something even larger and more physical than this! Looking up closely I could see where she had dragged the paint over each other creating a real action and physicality. However, within the density of colour and texture there is hints of recognizable objects such as tree's, flowers, hedges and fences. A garden or farm landscape. In Greek Mythology Aeolus is the ruler of the winds, which can relate to the gestural, dragging thick application of paint, almost as if a strong wind has manoeuvred the paint itself. 
I absolutely loved today just being able to relax with amazing pieces of art work around me. I got to see a Pollock action painting to, which topped the day off. Coming in and out of galleries instantly gives me a buzz of excitement and anticipation. Making me just want to throw myself into a painting, being able to get messy and physical with it. 

Liverpool Blue Coat - Soft Estate Exhibition

Over the half term I managed to visit a few exhibitions but the soft estate one was the most influential towards my work. The exhibition was named Soft Estate by artist Edward Chell, along with other invited artist's Tim Bowditch & Nick Rochowski with Matthew de Kersaint Giraudeau, Day Bowman, Jan Williams & Chris Teasdale (The Caravan Gallery), John Darwell, Laura Oldfield Ford, George Shaw, Robert Soden, Simon woolham. This exhibition hosted a wide range of media's from paintings, print, found objects and materials such as road dust and car parts. The Soft Estate show explores the interface between history, ecology, roads and travel.  
 
Walking through the gallery I came across a room which held a number of beautiful acrylic paintings. The light in the room which was shining onto the drawings really exaggerated the boldness and the simplicity of the compositions. Looking closely at the paintings, I believe it was the simplicity of the image that allowed it to breath and become so intensely interesting. I enjoyed looking at the range of different brush strokes and marks he created, still being expressive and gestural but on a small scale. He managed to catch the vulnerability of the plants with the marks he created. 

However, I started to question why are these beautiful natural flowers, painted in black? Is it the pollution of modern societies environment? Or a warning how these colourful, organic structures are becoming dull and lifeless? It was quite sad to think about these paintings in this way, as from first glance they seem so elegant. Being stood in a room surrounded by these paintings made me feel as if I was being forced to look more closely into them. 

Another piece I found very interesting was created using the dust gathered from a road. Again Chell is playing with the contrast of Creating something beautiful and delicate with the residue left over from the present day. I loved Chell's style to be able to keep his designs simple, which in this case is defiantly the most successful direction. Although his designs are simple they are all unique and individual with a varied outcome because of the materials and media he uses. 

This large scale canvas was created by Day Bowman. The expressive style drew my attention  along with the gestural mark making. 

This was one of my favourite rooms because it had a mixture of Chells work, from canvas, paper and car parts. The car parts are interesting to show the comparison between the natural and industrialised world. To me, the shiny car parts seem to have taken the place of the natural flowers. With the flowers being used a modernised design. I love the muted colours of the canvas, maybe emphasising the pollution and contamination in today society. 

Antoni Tapies

 I have looked into Tapies for his use traditional and non-traditional media varying from etching and painting to materials such as clay,sand,lime and marble dust incorporating scribbled lines, words, symbols and lacerations. His work is often based on culture, politics, battered walls, natural landscapes, doors, and parts of the human body. His work was based primitively on abstractedness, but using the media to create a sense of texture, surface and thickness with the application of the material. 
He used materials which were constricted to a singular purpose and transformed them to not just to express and idea, but to become the idea. Looking at images of Tapies work, it is amazing to see how each piece he has created is totally unique and unusual. You can physically see the texture and thickness of the media, and how he manipulates the materials to create a distinctive outcome.  It is interesting how he seems to be painting with the various media's. 
  
After visiting the soft estate exhibition on Saturday I had a few ideas that I wanted to try out. Firstly I spoke with Dave about setting fire to my branches to see if I would be able to draw with the powder it created. We burnt a small section at first to see if it would work.  I did manage to get some marks from the branches, a mixture of different colours appeared from browns to black. I want to try and experiment with drawing with natural media and see how I can create marks with them. Once I had played around with the branches, I thought about grinding down the branches to create sawdust. I wanted to play around with the idea of recycling natural media. So using the ashes of a burnt branch to draw, or using the sawdust to resemble the texture. I like the idea of playing around with natural media's because it is experimenting with non-traditional media, and using the physical found object to create a mark so it is not constricted to just being a ''branch''. 

I tried a small section of using sawdust in my sketchbook and I wanted to try and see if I could blow it up.
Underneath the machines in the workshop there was already a lot of sawdust I could use.  I gathered some into a tub and took it to my area. I used PVA glue to create a design in my sketchbook based on one of my previous drawings.  I threw the dust over the top, before shaking them unstuck dust off. 
  
For my first larger scale experiments I stood in front of my assemblage, with a piece of paper on the floor. I squirted the PVA glue down onto the paper while following the lines of the branches I was looking at, leaving me with a flowing composition. I enjoyed the looseness of this these compositions as they were not to restricted, and just like the branches they had an organic and natural movement, 
  
I loved the natural, earthy, textured outcome this gave. Because I want to try and show the texture in my work, using actual natural media allows me to show this. I want to try and experiment next with adding colour to the sawdust, So I can create a layered, colourful outcome. In one of my compositions I added blue ink into it, which then turned it into a slightly greeny/blue  natural colour which was quite nice. However It did loose its softness and it started to clump up. I want to try and create these colours within it, while still keeping its softness. With my last composition I started to draw out one of my previous compositions using the glue. I wanted to try and re create the accuracy I had found in my simple drawing. I do not think this composition was successful because I believe I could of drawn it more accurately. With my work I am struggling to define if I should push my accurate compositions forward of if I should move forward my more expressive, abstracted pieces, which I think hold  a bit more curiosity and depth. 

 

I spent time today finishing off my assemblage piece. I had printed some photographs off yesterday of some of my favourite memories, loved ones and other objects that are important to me. All my objects have a personal meaning to me, because they link back to my childhood and my life as I grew up. I sugar coated these images almost as if I wanted to ''preserve them''. Once they had dried I started to hang them off the branches using red and blue wool. The blue and red represents my life.  To me red is symbolic of blood as well as a range of emotions from passion, aggression, strength and excitement, all of which I have experience whilst growing up. Blue represents the oxygen I breath, along with depression, leading to stability  and security. likewise representing femininity.  Once I had hung all my remaining objects my assemblage was finished.  I want my tree to represent my memories, and wishes for the future, always growing changing.  I also wanted to keep the life and organic structure  of my piece by keeping the natural branches untouched.

Cross Street Studio

This afternoon we had a group trip to cross street studios in Standish, Where Jane and other artist's are resident. I emailed Dave Stanley a few weeks back as I found out he uses this studio and I was hoping today that he was going to be there. We spoke to martin first who had worked as a curator at the turnpike gallery. He explained how his work had been dormant for a while, and how now he is trying to find his feet again.  He spoke about how is he trying to express feelings and emotions throughout his work rather than just portraying a simple scenic landscape, Which is something I believe makes the art work more thought provoking and challenging.  As soon as I walked into each artists area, I was instantly amazed and excited to look at what work they where producing. Although they all had their own preferred discipline to work in, that did not stop they experimenting with media outside of that, which is something I find admiral. For me, the most exciting studio I went into was Dave Stanley's. Seeing Dave and his work was amazing, as I have been a massive fan of his work since high school. As soon as I walked in, I think I just stood in awe for a few moments taking everything in. He explained his process and background for his work, which is strongly related to his fishing trips and the colours and atmosphere of the water.  He also let me actually do a section of painting on his work!!!!!!!  He builds his paintings up in layers by dragging the paint. He then knocks certain areas back using a sanding machine, revealing sections of paint underneath. He showed us some of his finished works, and allowed us to touch them, I was quite surprised that they felt incredibly smooth, as the marks and layers he creates are very textured. This was quite a nice contrast between smoothness and texture. Within his work, I think he is trying to physically capture the depth and mystery of the water in a abstracted style, using colour and layering to reproduce that moment. This style of work always interests me, rather than  somebody creating a simple reproduction of the visual elements.  I am defiantly going to go back up to visit Dave if that will be OK with him, as I would love to talk some more, and maybe watch him in the process of creating a artwork. I would love to ask him some more, about the physicality of his work and why he feels the need too create the canvases the way he does.  Once we had to move on, he gave us each a little souvenir which had a print of his work on, this is staying in my area, as a constant source of inspiration. I felt I really needed this trip today, as I have been feeling a little uninspired and down, and just walking around the studio and speaking with the artist's immediately lifted my mood and made me feel excited again.  I hope that soon after Paris I am able to visit the studio again, to have another chat with the artists and to take some more photographs. I am going to try and keep in contact with the artists in the studio, as they will be a great help to me, for advice and inspiration.

On everyone of these studio visits and artist talks every artist is friendly and open to share ideas and advice, which is something I find incredibly welcoming. I am still slightly timid at approaching and asking questions with artists, but I believe if  I get chance to visit the studio again I will be a lot more confident. 

Jane has very kindly offered us their downstairs area for our end of year exhibition. We just need to type up a proposal and hand it in to get things under way. I would love to exhibit outside of college and especially in a well known artist studio such as cross streets. I would still also like to exhibit any remaining work I have at the college end of year show. I need to knuckle down after Paris and really focus on my work and to stay confident init.
 I had been emailing Dave and he said that one day I could go up to the studio and work alongside him. I can not wait to organise a date for this.

I had a lot of work to crack on with today as this would be my last day in until after Paris. I bought some plaster yesterday so I really wanted to start experimenting with this.  I started to play around with the plaster, firstly just seeing what textures I could create using twigs to apply it, and then simply impressing the twigs into it.

  

While this was drying I mixed some paint into the remaining plaster to transform the colour, I then applied this to the paper thickly before working back into it with lines of my composition. I also created a small composition using the coloured plaster to draw with, then applying Ink into certain areas. 

 

With one of my experimental pieces, I applied plaster over several twigs, so once it had dried they would all become part of one another. Once it had dried It reminded me of a fossil, or the protruding roots of a tree. 

One of my favourite outcomes of this afternoon was quite a simple process, which involved me applying plaster onto a piece of paper, before using a burner, to burn around and through certain sections. I thought the unusual outcome of these pieces where interesting because of the texture and the natural earthy colour. These small samples reminded me of the metal sheets I saw at the visit to Liam Spencer's studio, where the pieces where quite abstracted and textured. Once I am back after Paris I would like to carry on experimenting with this process. Maybe if I created them on a stronger material such as card, I would be able to create some prints from them. 

Afterwards I went into the print room to have a play around with my metal pieces again. I had only previously used black ink on these, so I wanted to try and incorporate some colour into them. When using colour I want to try and create natural and earthy colours but also using colours of the landscapes such as greens, blues, reds etc.. I am really enjoying print at the minute because it allows me to play around with each print, and I never quite know how each print is going to turn out. I am also enjoying experimenting with prints and how I can blend and layer the colours over each other. Using different print techniques allows me to create a abstract outcome which is a direction I want to take my work down. In the future I would like to use one of my prints to influence a Large painted canvas. 

Once I had I finished in print, I had to organise all my work ready to be assessed over next week.  All my previous work had already been stuck up in my area, so it was just a matter of sticking the remaining work up. I am unsure on what the tutors will think of my work, but I am hoping it will at least be a pass grade. However, I do not think my assemblage project will be. I am looking forward to choosing my specialist subject, which is going to be paint, but I am also going to use print within this to influence my work.