The first term has certainly been mind opening and has flown by!
I feel like I have been procrastinating a lot this term - I haven't really made any work. I've done some experimenting with new techniques but I haven't made an editioned print since the late summer. This was really starting to bother me but I have now realised that what I have done is travelled a long way mentally. I feel like I've had a big pause, stepped back and really gathered my thoughts so I'm allowing myself not to feel guilty about the lack of making (while mentally starting plans for about 6 prints!).
I feel slightly uncertain about what direction I might go in at the moment but I think this is good. There would be no point in undertaking this course if it hadn't prompted some sort of change or development!
The way I am now thinking about my work has undergone rather a radical change. I'm thinking so much more deeply and drawing on the work of others (artists, writers, musicians etc.), letting that influence me and connecting it with my thoughts.
As a result of this my ability to connect with exhibitions feels so much deeper. When I visited the Tate Modern and saw the Cezanne exhibition and Cecilia Vicuña's installation I really found myself thinking far about what the works meant to me and how I was reacting to them and learning from them, rather than just enjoying seeing them. I took lots of pictures and notes at the time and have started a dedicated sketchbook where I can stick pictures and thoughts to remind me of the exhibitions I see and ideas these have given me to apply to my work. I found myself really trying to get into the mindset of the artist and think about what they were trying to communicate with each work. The big change was that I didn't have to make any effort to appreciate them in this way, it came naturally.
I have also been thinking about what my work might be able to communicate to others. I don't think I want to radically change my approach to my work - I still want to learn new printmaking techniques, sketch what I see and react to the natural world around me, creating prints based on real places and my experience of them; rather I want to delve more deeply into my understanding of the landscapes that interest me and explore how my greater understanding of what I am looking at alters my experience and therefore the image that I make. I also want to bring my environmental awareness into my work. I've been brought up to appreciate the natural world, to try to do my bit to care for it and to make an effort to learn about it. It seems natural to try to weave some aspects of this into my work in a more profound way than I have to date.
I have begun seeking out books and programmes about how artists and writers have responded to landscapes throughout history, protest art and the natural world. I'm currently fascinated by David Attenborough's 'Living Planet' book and I found Simon Schama's 'History of Now' compelling watching (I had to watch it twice!). I have a desire to keep learning about the natural world and about how artists have responded to the landscape, but also to do some specific research into the Swinley Forest and Chobham Common which are my two local 'wild' areas.
I am repeatedly reminded how lucky I am to have these amazing places on my doorstep. They are huge areas where my dog can safely run for miles off the lead with no restrictions from grazing livestock or busy roads. I want to learn more about the management of these landscapes and the wildlife that they support.
I've had an idea for a large installation type piece which would represent a forest made out of hanging paper. I need to do a lot of work to decide exactly what I am going to do on the paper and I am hoping that other, smaller pieces might come out of this so I want to start broadening my explorations of the forest to see what sort of marks I might want to make, and what other inspirations I might find.
I want to set myself some tasks for next term so kick start this:
Things to explore in the forest:
Footprints
Tracks
Textures
Changing colours
Things to explore in sketchbooks:
Recording emotional response to views/things/light/colours/etc. in the forest
Taking rubbings
Making marks directly onto paper instead of forest floor e.g. dog footprints, bike tyre tracks (do this in the forest using mud/water/dirt/embossing - natural materials)
Things to explore at home:
Translation of sketchbook work/photographs to print
Combination of printmaking techniques to make a full image and textures
Collage/stitch etc as possible components of large installations
Continue to practise new techniques (caustic etching/etching/polymer lithography)
Monoprinting
The final thing I feel I need to do to really get started on the next phase is to visit the library of the University for the Creative Arts in Farnham and my local library.
My plan for the Christmas holidays is to make a reduction linocut inspired by a wonderfully beautiful new pond that I found. Seeing it covered in ice and how this affected the reflections seemed to answer the question that had been stopping me. Now I just need to get on with it!
