`ART - FULL` again!!

Thursday set off for London, overnight stay to return on the 14.08 from Kings Cross to Newark on Friday.  The after effects of trawling the Nat. Portrait Gallery steps, and later climbing the sharp slope up to Maresfield Gardens to view The Freud Museum and look at Louise Bourgeois installations and pieces and analytic writings, once and then again later on to listen to Prof. Griselda Pollock on Psychic Geometry was not only worth it, it was invaluable for me - I now understand my own feelings and how they managed to take hold of my whole being without deterioration.  The flash-backs to experiences of silences, and secrets, of guilty looks, of sad looks, disdainful looks, lustful looks, and the very last look I received from my mother.  I still feel the guilt of this, I shouldnt have left, even though she was surrounded by others.  She was the very spring this piece of life had sprang from and I was the latest spew!  The last successful offspring of life.  This is for her - my art will be my gift. Be it good or bad, I know she won`t mind.  ART IS EVERYTHING AND EVERYBODY:  ART IS LIFE.

I want to say after this monologue, that pain can be controlled and that`s just as well.
It was obvious that my companion was feeling the pace - but we were having such a good look at all we could.   The querie my colleague had for the curator at the Portrait Gallery was safely despatched, and then a short wait for entry to the Lucien Freud
 exhibition.  Displayed chronologically, it showed his prowess and strength right up to his last brush stroke.  This exhibition, even for a non-painter is awesome.
Unfortunately I have no pics of it - but plenty of praise!

Friday morning - Tate Britain.  The new design is coming along nicely, but unfortunately, for me too many steps - and this was to take its toll on me later into the evening.  The first display we came across was very interesting - I have made a mental challenge to note all ways and types of display of art-work, this year.  The four seperate displays consisted of mixed pieces of work with a very subtle connection running through them - interesting to see the inclusion of video/film clips shown together with new works (perhaps paintings) and older works i.e. Graham Sutherland paintings, placed on stands of modern simplicity.

 This was a refreshing way to appreciate the old masters.   We saw some beautiful abstracts by Frank Bowling  - a technique of slip/slide/pour painting.  A Francis Bacon I havent seen before - The Dog.  Which I`m sure you will agree is full of movement.


 

I took particular note of the following sculpture display - the plinth was un-adorned, un-painted and revealed only as it appeared - a cardboard box!

My thought turned instantly to Chris.
I feel he would approve of this?  He is so up to speed with modernity.

The meeting for the proposed exhibition for our group went ahead on Wednesday at Dudley Street.  The venue is large and will take careful handling, however it is decided to go ahead for the 25th - 29th June.  I`ll keep you posted.  We want as many of the group to take part and hope they will as it could be the start of our Degree Show Promotions and money raising for same.  At the moment I`m waiting to hear from a colleague who will be graduating this year as I have a possible prop for her space at Western, its getting close now - hope everything goes well and look forward to next Friday evening.  Best of luck to you all.  Caio!

"TIME OUT" All done and dusted.

Well, it`s that feeling I/ we felt last assessment, and last year when we finally handed in all we had to hand in.  The describing of this veil like phenomena that envelopes you after the frantic actions and soul/mind searching that precedes the words of finality and the last look before withdrawing and vacating your space and your work, is totally incommunicable.  This sensation will last until we drift back into the lighter side of conventional living, pressure-less, but sometimes bland.  Let`s face it, can we live without it, it`s part of our being, it will not lie down, we`ve got to go on, and that`s why we are what we are - artists, and we love it!  Leave a comment please if you think I have got it wrong, or let me know how you would describe the abandonment of the `Lamb to the Lions` syndrome.

For my last effort - I tried to source a `time-lag` connection for my confessional light.  This proved unsuccessful, with Maplins sending me round to Edmundsons who didnt have any stock of what I required.  It would have cost around £20 but if the switch or contraption is handy for future use it is not too much to pay.   The light can of course be switched on - but for a professional installation it would have been necessary to build a small room with maybe a doorway with a sensor mat, or movement sensor light
activated by the viewer.   I`m liking the idea of small rooms!!  The art ideas never stop do they? I will include some pics now:

The finished feet.

In position.

A fellow student helped me transport my main piece up to studio - always grateful for his help.  The floor is his doing too - looks good doesnt it? 
Do the feet look servile enough I wonder.

Possibly?

The inner feeling for this piece is saying yes, so they will become part of this piece and the shoes which are used with a metaphorical concept with regard to the experiential memory of doors and my reluctance to connect with them, or indeed to cross their threshold, will be placed on the step with the socks in readiness of the daily journey to church.





I will be in college next Wednesday morning to meet up with our group and catch up with news and then onto view a possible exhibition site!!  It is very exciting, and I am proud to be part of this innovative and forward looking set.  We hope to be well ahead for the raising of funds for the degree show in 2013.  Like some of the others I will miss the third years and look forward to being there when they finally go on show together in a couple of weeks time.  Good luck to everyone!

`Deadline` upon us!

Wow!  what a week.  So much activity in college - it`s jumping - it`s live!  Well, thats life I believe, one minute you`re coasting then suddenly there`s a buzz.  I can`t say I would have it any other way, but at the start of the week it seemed a mountain to climb, and that has reduced to a molehill.  It has been said that my cup is always half-full!  So I`ve got to be thankful for that.

Tidy up week - paint everywhere and filling in cracks, both human and structural. Some cracks appearing under the pressure.  Think of a problem then realise there is always someone worse off, thats my motto.  My performance was downloaded to a DVD version for hand in, so thats another tick for the list. It is a better quality from the last try in that the pixelation is much less.  I had a positive tutorial this week, and my main piece is almost finished and ready for placing in situ in the studio.  The `Candle Overload` is also at the point of readiness and holding up - in that - it`s not falling off/down!

There are one or two more candles to go on this piece - then it is done.

Having spent quite a lot of time down in 3D this week - they must be sick of the sight of me, but will endeavour to transfer my main installation piece to studio soon:
 
THE DOOR:  This is the most important piece yet - as I now know where my experimental work has lead to.  Taking me to the point of recognition.  I have no pics yet, but will get some to this blog next week.

The design students have been busy this week continuing with the assembling of their Pods.  Hotel/Bed suites.  They have  also been in 3D working and so I have seen the development of these - they are very innovative and quite unique, but I guess that is what design is all about. 

We have also seen performances from the first year students - we had an invitation to one of them - really very good interpretation of the beginning of the world `Genesis`.
Barrie and I gave an impromptu pep talk to year 1 yesterday - although they all seem to be doing well - still they appreciated the few words of encouragement.

Chris`s class tomorrow a.m. and who knows what that will bring?

Caio - a presto.