Month: May 2016

Exciting Times – Our end of year foundation degree show

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Hi there … well I did a bit better this time, didn’t I ? Just a few weeks between posts instead of a few months (gold star for moi) !

Well, after a flurry of print making, reflective journal catch ups and sketch book annotations, I managed to get all my work in for assessment … phew ! I can’t quite believe that I’ve completed year two of my foundation degree. It all seems to fly by so quickly !

There’s not much let up in busy-ness though, oh no ! We now need to get the end of year show up and running. Planning and exhibiting is the main focus of the third year on our course.

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Our graduating third years are doing a marvellous job of  planning, logistics, inviting, hanging and launching the exhibition. We have to do it all next year …eep ! Anyway …while lots of squirrelling is going on behind the scenes, here’s a sneaky peek …. a few pictures of our graduates’ exhibition pieces :

Ilsa Elford’s  wonderful banners

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Jon Green’s lighting installation

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Cathey Yardley’s fused and slumped glass dishes.

(I am yet to see the final ‘reveal’ of her finished piece!)

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Its all go at the moment ….

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Our Private View is on Thursday … not long now ! I must remember to polish my dreads, locate my dress and pick the paint from under my nails !

Wish us luck!

In the meantime, I’d better get a wriggle on and paint more artwork for our Take Ten Exhibition in Buxton, Derbyshire over the bank holiday weekend.

No rest for the wicked, eh

Well Hello Again

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It’s been a while … again … I am SO going to start giving this blog site some much needed attention from now on.

Well …. I can’t believe that year two of my Foundation Degree is almost over already. This course seems to be racing away and just burning up the years. It’s a bit scary if I’m honest with you !

As far as my artwork goes,  I have decided, for this final module of the year, to depart from my safe (ish) space that is painting and give another technique a try before committing to my final year. So I chose print making. Collograph print making to be precise.

We had a day’s workshop with the wonderful Mary Wardle during our first year. A collograph print is basically a print taken from a texture collage. These can be made using all sorts of materials, from fine sand to scrunched up paper. Once the print plate is dried and sealed, the ink is rubbed on, into all of the nooks and crannies made by the collage. Excess ink is then removed before the print is taken. I am still a bit hit and miss with this process, but I am learning with each print I pull from the press.

I had one proper attempt at this technique over a year ago. I enjoyed it immensely and figured I’d delve a little deeper 🙂

My first ever collograph print .

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It’s not very contrasty, but I was pretty pleased with it 🙂

I am currently, frantically working on a new series of print for imminent assessment. These are all based on a local set of standing stones, Nine Stones Close, in Derbyshire.

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I am limited to black and one accent colour at the moment, as my budget is very tight. This explains the lack of technicolour in my newest prints !

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And I thought I’d also have a go at an abstract composition.

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Assessment is on the 12th … I am still having technical issues with wrinkles appearing in my paper (eek!), so I am starting to panic a little … fingers crossed I get it all sorted and ready to exhibit in our end of year show, Astound ( coming up in a separate post)