http://sites.a-n.co.uk/artists_talking/projects/single/414705 University of Wales, Aberystwyth Fri, 04 Jul 2008 17:00:45 +0100 a-n rss generator a-n The Artists Information Company and contributors edit@a-n.co.uk technical@a-n.co.uk http://sites.a-n.co.uk/img/logo.gif http://sites.a-n.co.uk/artists_talking/projects/single/414705 http://sites.a-n.co.uk/artists_talking/projects/single/414705 I printed out the photographs for my first two degree show paintings today. the paintings are going to be 17 inches square, they are of my friends with a sky blue background behind them. They are going to be light and bright and full of life and energy, but then inbetween them are going to be these small (7inches or so) paintings of skulls, or parts of skulls reflected in mirrors, so they will be a juxtaposition there, a slight tension, between these images that are bursting with vitality, and then these momento mori paintings. reminders of death. but subtle.... Thu, 01 Jan 1970 01:00:00 +0100 http://sites.a-n.co.uk/artists_talking/projects/single/414705 http://sites.a-n.co.uk/artists_talking/projects/single/414705 today i started painting my final pieces for the degree show. i intend to do two portraits every two weeks, that way i should get it all finished in time. so far today i have painted in the outline of the painting of my friend kate. i'm working on one of another friend at the same time, so i dont waste time waiting for things to dry.... Thu, 01 Jan 1970 01:00:00 +0100 http://sites.a-n.co.uk/artists_talking/projects/single/414705 http://sites.a-n.co.uk/artists_talking/projects/single/414705 yesterday i went down to bristol to hand in my entry for the BP award, entitled 'then i went travelling with the horn of plenty hanging from my ear.' I'll try to attach an image to it at the end of this piece. today i'm working on the paintings of Kate and Helen, which I aim to get finished by this time next week.... Thu, 01 Jan 1970 01:00:00 +0100 http://sites.a-n.co.uk/artists_talking/projects/single/414705 http://sites.a-n.co.uk/artists_talking/projects/single/414705 worked on both paintings today. the one of kate is going quite well, but the one of helen has caused much frustration. it just isnt looking like her today.i guess portraits go through stages, in fact i know they do, but its a bit like giving birth, you dont remember the pain after you've done it, until you do it again! I had a tutorial this morning, he said he likes the concept of the degree show, and thinks that I am on track. Im glad someone does! thats it until tommorow.... Thu, 01 Jan 1970 01:00:00 +0100 http://sites.a-n.co.uk/artists_talking/projects/single/414705 http://sites.a-n.co.uk/artists_talking/projects/single/414705 today, so far, I've been working on the portrait of helen. the first couple of hours where very frustrating, but it definately looks better than it did. I'll work on Kate this evening. the timetable i had set for myself to have finished these two paintings by was this thursday... ooops. SO isnt going to happen!... Thu, 01 Jan 1970 01:00:00 +0100 http://sites.a-n.co.uk/artists_talking/projects/single/414705 http://sites.a-n.co.uk/artists_talking/projects/single/414705 found this quote. its exactly what my degree show is about! (although i was planning on having four portraits and four skull paintings, as we are given enough room for this number)...'The legend of the three living and the three dead most probably comes from France. The oldest manuscripts go back to the 13th century: they contain poems of Baudoin de Condé, of Nicolas de Margival and of two unknown writers. The plot of "the legend" is rather simple: three corpses (representing ecclesiastics) meet with three living (a duke, a count, and a prince). The latter are terrified by this encounter. The dead speak to the three rich men, urging them to repent: "Such as I was you are, and such as I am you will be. Wealth, honor and power are of no value at the hour of your death.". '... Thu, 01 Jan 1970 01:00:00 +0100 http://sites.a-n.co.uk/artists_talking/projects/single/414705 http://sites.a-n.co.uk/artists_talking/projects/single/414705 worked on both paintings today. realised that the mouth on helens is actually in the wrong place. just pleaseed to have found out what was wrong with it! i've scrubbed the mouth out and will put it back in tommorow, in the right place.... Thu, 01 Jan 1970 01:00:00 +0100 http://sites.a-n.co.uk/artists_talking/projects/single/414705 http://sites.a-n.co.uk/artists_talking/projects/single/414705 right. yesterday i worked on helen in the morning. i moved her mouth about 2 millimeters to the left, and changed the angle of it  slightly. i looks better, but the face as a whole still isnt looking like helen - or more, it definately resemlbles her, but i think that is more to with the hair than her facial features. when i asked my tutor what he thought was wrong with it, he said he didnt think the eyes where large enough. i said that id measured them and they where exactly the right size. he said that sometimes you have to exaggerate a little to make a paiting look right. this is interesting, as i'd been slavishly following the photograph up to this point. in my last tutorial he also pointed out that the photos dont have the power to differentiate between what parts of the image are more important than others, but as a pianter i have that power so should feel free to place the emphisis on those parts of the image that i feel to be more important, by making those areas more finished.in the afternoon i did some more work on kate, that image is going very well, no difficulties at all, actually. tyoday was supposed to be the day i got these two paintings done by, so i guess i'd better go and get on with it...... Thu, 01 Jan 1970 01:00:00 +0100 http://sites.a-n.co.uk/artists_talking/projects/single/414705 http://sites.a-n.co.uk/artists_talking/projects/single/414705 the painting of kate is nearly finished! today i have to make the face a little wider in places, sort out the hair, the pattern on the clothes and anything elae that can be done while its wet. then i can leave it until monday, and do stuff like eyelashes and the shadows under the eye. also today, im going to try and put a bit more detail into the face, as i think it looks a bit plasticey - it needs to have the pores and tiny hairs that you can see close up on a face put in.the one of helen is still lagging behind, but i made some progress with it yesterday, by changing the mouth another couple of times, and altering the shape of the face. i think i may have chosen the wrong photograph of helen, because her face is in shadow, and that makes it look very flay tonally. the one of kate is in bright sunlight, with strong shadows, so its very sculptural and therefore easier to paint. at least i know for the next lot lof photographs.... Thu, 01 Jan 1970 01:00:00 +0100 http://sites.a-n.co.uk/artists_talking/projects/single/414705 http://sites.a-n.co.uk/artists_talking/projects/single/414705 worked on kate some more this morning, made her face wider, etc. still to do is her hair, on the left particularly, her eyelashes and the shadows under them, her hairline all along the top, and her nose ring needs to go in. going to work on helen now, and ill post the photos of that on monday. ... Thu, 01 Jan 1970 01:00:00 +0100 http://sites.a-n.co.uk/artists_talking/projects/single/414705 http://sites.a-n.co.uk/artists_talking/projects/single/414705 rah. did  more work on helen on friday (which ill put the photos of at lunchtime) but when i showed it to her she pointed out loads of problems, which is good because she is probably the best person to tell me why her own face dosn't look right. the follwing needs to be corrected: face needs to be thinner, on both sides, the neck needs to be thinner on the left hand side. her left hand side eye needs to slope to the left more (at the moment she looks faintly chinese because it is too straight) and the corner of the left hand side of the mouth needs to, similarly, tilt down to the left. the right hand side corner has something wrong with it as well.... meanwhile , kate is nearly finished, so soon i can put her picture up with the word FINISHED under it!... Thu, 01 Jan 1970 01:00:00 +0100 http://sites.a-n.co.uk/artists_talking/projects/single/414705 http://sites.a-n.co.uk/artists_talking/projects/single/414705 oops, i seem to have lost the last photo of helen, but it dosnt matter because it looked crap anyway. here are the photos from today. i corrected all the obviously wrong things, still lots of little adjustments to be made tho. spoke to painting tutor today, he said he thought the one of kate worked better as a painting because of the scale of the face. he thinks that the scale matched the types of brushmarks i am using, whereas i am using the same kind of brushmarks on a painting that should be using smaller scale brushmarks. hhmmm. brought the one of kate home to finish. going to finalise my degree catalogue statement tonight, a surprsingly complex task for about a hundred words! i've been alloted my space for the degree show, i've got a thirteen foot long wall, which is great. four big paintings, three skull pictures inbetween them. just got to paint the buggers now!... Thu, 01 Jan 1970 01:00:00 +0100 http://sites.a-n.co.uk/artists_talking/projects/single/414705 http://sites.a-n.co.uk/artists_talking/projects/single/414705 finished kate wahoo....helen is nearly done, a few problems need to be ironed out though. john (my tutor) thinks that her nose is slightly out of joint, and her left hand side nostril needs to move to the left a bit more, and to be a bit bigger. left to do on her is: her lashes, the nose, and to darken her teeth a bit. i'm going away this week, but i'll be taking the next set of photos, ready for when i get back. they will be of me and my friend alex. john said he dosnt think it matters that my exhibition will be all females, that it adds to the concept, because its about beauty and the decaying of the blossoming flower, as it where, rather than the death of heroism or other manly attributes. if thats the way that its read, then that's fine, as long as it dosn't look like some kind of feminist statement then i'm happy. john aslso suggested that rather than putting the paintings all in a row, with ther skulls inbetween, that i could put the skulls underneath the big paintings, which is more relevent to historical depictions anyway. death lower to the ground, so to speak. the skulls are going to be quite quick and sketchy, which will provide a contrast to the portraits but also be a metaphor for the seped of decay. ... Thu, 01 Jan 1970 01:00:00 +0100 http://sites.a-n.co.uk/artists_talking/projects/single/414705 http://sites.a-n.co.uk/artists_talking/projects/single/414705 just got back off holiday, will be continiung my blog when i get back to aberystwyth on thursday. i didnt get into the BP Award,  but never mind....... Thu, 01 Jan 1970 01:00:00 +0100 http://sites.a-n.co.uk/artists_talking/projects/single/414705 http://sites.a-n.co.uk/artists_talking/projects/single/414705 aaaah, back at uni.  just over three weeks until my degree show has to be put up, and i have a lot to do in that time. i have to finish another two portraits (i'm printing out the photos tommorow), paint four skull paintings, do a dissertation, make a sketchbook, photograph the work, hang the work. is it humanly possible?! i think so, but i don't think i'm going to be doing anything else for the next four weeks.  i'm going to go and make my final decision about which two photographs i'm printing out tommmorow, then i'll post them on here. wish me luck....... Thu, 01 Jan 1970 01:00:00 +0100 http://sites.a-n.co.uk/artists_talking/projects/single/414705 http://sites.a-n.co.uk/artists_talking/projects/single/414705 ok, iknow which image i am using of olivia now. the one of my is giving m a bit of trouble, i think vanity may be getting in the way of choosing the photo that is going to work best as a painting, rather than which one is going to make me look good! the main property that it needs to possess is a decent graduaton from light to dark in the skintones; ie part of the face needs to be significantly lighter than the other. this is so i can avoid the difficulties that i had in helen's portrsit, where her face was all the same tone. also, it needs to be quite close up, like the one of kate, so the brushmarks that i use correspond to the size of the face, again, a lesson i learned from helen's portrait. the one of olivia looks better tonally at the moment because i've photoshopped it - it looked a bit washed out before.... Thu, 01 Jan 1970 01:00:00 +0100 http://sites.a-n.co.uk/artists_talking/projects/single/414705 http://sites.a-n.co.uk/artists_talking/projects/single/414705 did lots today, very pleased with myself! photoshopped the photos that i chose, upping the contrast a bit so i get some good shadows, then printed them. i took loads of photos today, of the actual process, so you'll be able to see it from the very beggining to the end. to transfer the image to the canvas i do a tracing using plastic and a black marker, going round the features, then pull up the sheet bit  by bit, drawing in pencil the line, so then i have a rough idea of where everything is. this is a really importrant part of the process, because if i make a mistake at the stage, and don't notice it, then, say, the eye might be a centimetre the wrong way and i might not notice until after i've painted it and that would be a disater! after that i paint in over the pencil with a browny green wash, adding some tones. then i put on the first layer of paint, wheich won't be visable in the final piece but just acts as a base to put other colours on. i did that on the one of me, it looks like me which is a huge realief becuase the one of helen didn't look like her for ages. hopefully these won't cause me too much pain (famous last words!)the one bad thing about today was that the canvas's that i ordered for the skull paintings are too small, it's my fault, for some strange reason i thought i wanted them to be six inches, when in fact they need to be ten, so i've placed another order.i also did a bit more work on helen, not enough too warrant another photo, i'll wait till its done before i put that up. i did a mock up of the placement of the paintings in my degree show, as i mentioned before i've changed the order somewhat, i'll put those photos on too...... Thu, 01 Jan 1970 01:00:00 +0100 http://sites.a-n.co.uk/artists_talking/projects/single/414705 http://sites.a-n.co.uk/artists_talking/projects/single/414705 here are the ones of olivia, and of my degree show layout, and a photo of my studio space.... Thu, 01 Jan 1970 01:00:00 +0100 http://sites.a-n.co.uk/artists_talking/projects/single/414705 http://sites.a-n.co.uk/artists_talking/projects/single/414705 have just come home for lunch. painting makes me very hungry! i painted the first layer on olivia today, and am in the process of refining the first layer on me. i'll put photos of that up later. going to attempt to finish helen, having it sitting there unfinished is annoying me a bit.... Thu, 01 Jan 1970 01:00:00 +0100 http://sites.a-n.co.uk/artists_talking/projects/single/414705 http://sites.a-n.co.uk/artists_talking/projects/single/414705 did some extra work on olivias face, just putting in the shadows and making sure everything is in the right place. did some more work on mine, too. i bought some new paints and brushes today, for the first tine in months. the smallest round brush i had wasn't small enough so i've bought a 000 for the eyelashes and a small flat one, too, just for detail. also bought a tube of terre verte, as the sap green which i use in skin tones all the time is a bit yellowey, and a tube of raw umber, as burnt umber is a bit red based and looks too reddy brwon in the hair. ooh, i nearly finished helen! i did alter the nose, it still isn't quite right, needs to twist a bit round to the left. i always look at it in real life and it looks fine, then i take a photo and it looks all wrong...oh yes, bit of a disaster with the background on olivia's one, couldn't work out what colour to do the sky, so did it one shade of blue, changed my mind, then changed it to light naples yellow, so it went green (obviously).. sort of scrubbed it out until next time1 need to make a decision soon though, because whatever colour it is it will have a lot of white in it, so will take a while to dry, so i won't be able to do the hair until it is.. so it has a knockon effect, basically. don't panic, don't panic...... Thu, 01 Jan 1970 01:00:00 +0100 http://sites.a-n.co.uk/artists_talking/projects/single/414705 http://sites.a-n.co.uk/artists_talking/projects/single/414705 i thought i'd finished hwlwn today, i'd even signed it, but now i'm not entirely sure. think her forehead could do with some very faint lines or something, it looks a bit plastic at the moment. just found that i don't have another tutorial until after my degree show, which is seriously unhelpful!tommorow i'm picking up the canvas's for the skull paintings, or the base for them anyway, i've got to put the beading on, strech and prime them myself. all the hard work, and nobody notices! they would notice if it was put together poorly though.worked on both paintings today, it seems to be a pattern that one goes smoother than the other, at the moment the one of olivia is going very smoothly, mine is going to be a bit more uphill, i think. anyway, they are both wet at the moment so i need to give them a couple of days to dry, so i can get on with the skulls and my dissertation. the dissertation is mindnumbingly boring. i hate analising myself. ... Thu, 01 Jan 1970 01:00:00 +0100 http://sites.a-n.co.uk/artists_talking/projects/single/414705 http://sites.a-n.co.uk/artists_talking/projects/single/414705  just noticed: olivias's right hand side eye is loking the wrong way a bit. hehe!... Thu, 01 Jan 1970 01:00:00 +0100 http://sites.a-n.co.uk/artists_talking/projects/single/414705 http://sites.a-n.co.uk/artists_talking/projects/single/414705  made the canvases, and primed them. just at the library, doing research for dissertation. actually, i'm doing no such thing. i'm writing this and generally procrastinating until the inevitable moment when i actually have to do the essay. dum de dum... wonder whats on the telly tonight... the apprentice was good yesterday. oh  for goodness sake emily go and do some work....... Thu, 01 Jan 1970 01:00:00 +0100 http://sites.a-n.co.uk/artists_talking/projects/single/414705 http://sites.a-n.co.uk/artists_talking/projects/single/414705  hello! hhmmm.. ok, i did some dissertation work over the weekend, up to 2290 words, just the same amount again.was up working on the first skull painting last night, it looks good. it was quite easy, actually, only took a couple of hours (it's acrylic). it occured to me that the skulls are the only paintings which have any chance of actually selling at the degree show, because i can't imagine anyone wanting a portrait of someone they don't know on their wall, unless its a dealer or something, but even so, they aren't very saleable. maybe i'll get some commissions from people who want to be flattered. great.we where given a pricing guide by the school of art. all work is to be priced according to size, which seems completely obsurd to me. on that scale my skulls are up to £110, which is great, but my portraits are up to £160, which is not so great, considering the art school takes 35%.  so thats means, even if i priced them above what the art school recomends, at say, £200, i still only get £130. i know i'm unknown, etc, etc, but i do have dignity and a sence of what my work is worth.  went into the art school today, put another layer on both the portraits, and finished helen's, i think. (!) i changed the colour on mine, as i was looking a lot greener than the average person, if you know what i mean.ok, i think thats it for today, i'm going to miss doing this blog when its all over. its a chance to have a bit of a rant and get it al of my chest, all those ideas which otherwise float about in a disconnected fashion.... Thu, 01 Jan 1970 01:00:00 +0100 http://sites.a-n.co.uk/artists_talking/projects/single/414705 http://sites.a-n.co.uk/artists_talking/projects/single/414705 just noticed two things: the painting at the bottom of this blog 'then i went travelling' is the one taken before i put the eyelashes on the left eye. so its not the finished piece. libel and slander! olivia looks as if she has applied a leyer of fake tan to her face, and has gone a strange teabag induced colour as a result. must recify!... Thu, 01 Jan 1970 01:00:00 +0100 http://sites.a-n.co.uk/artists_talking/projects/single/414705 http://sites.a-n.co.uk/artists_talking/projects/single/414705  had contact lenses put in today. have honestly never been in such a state of nervousness over a forecoming physical happening in my entire life. torture! anyway, whether i shall be able to put them in in the morning remains to be seen. the relevence of the above is that not a lot of work has been completed today. i knocked off a skull painting in the morning with disgustingly little effort (it took about an hour) so that dosn't really count. spent the afternoon poking a tansparent material onto the surface of my eye, for my forthcoming benifit and conveniance, and this evening i have been doing a bit of dissertationing. painting tommorow, will try to put another layer on both paintngs, and to do another skull or two in the evening before my tutorial on thursday morning (we do have them after all). in case you are wondering, the sudden use of long, vacuos and irrelevent words in this blog is a direct result of me writing my dissertation prior to this. haha...... Thu, 01 Jan 1970 01:00:00 +0100 http://sites.a-n.co.uk/artists_talking/projects/single/414705 http://sites.a-n.co.uk/artists_talking/projects/single/414705 lots to say today. i had a tutorial today, and lots of things relating to the exhibition where discussed, including: * the possibility of calling ALL the paintings 'still life' * selling the paintings in pairs, with the corresponding skull, for £300 per pair, which seems fair, as i'd get £195 after the school had taken its 35% off * the skulls could all be facing the same way, as in the second skull painting, to suggest the monotomy and very same death we all experiance  * the first skull paintng has too much going on visually, the second one is better because of its symetry * the skulls could be facing the same way as thier corresponding person * i could have all four, or even five portraits in the exhibition (with the skulls, that would make a ten painting show!) * the skulls could be bigger (is the  mirror nessesary?) * the skin on olivia is the wrong colour. try viridian mixed with lemon yellow, apparently.... Thu, 01 Jan 1970 01:00:00 +0100 http://sites.a-n.co.uk/artists_talking/projects/single/414705 http://sites.a-n.co.uk/artists_talking/projects/single/414705 went in to the art school this morning, did some more work on olivia, useing that veridian/ lemon yellow combination, with some white and naples yellow to soften it. looks good. don't like the one of me today, contemplating leaving it out of the exhibition and having kate, helen, adam and olivia instead. i think thats what will happen. had my exhibition space confirmed today, three boards plus a foot. excellent. dissertation on 3,400 words. made another six small canvasses today, so i can test both the skulls looking forward and the skulls and the same angle as the heads idea.... Thu, 01 Jan 1970 01:00:00 +0100 http://sites.a-n.co.uk/artists_talking/projects/single/414705 http://sites.a-n.co.uk/artists_talking/projects/single/414705 here is the finished one of helen... Thu, 01 Jan 1970 01:00:00 +0100 http://sites.a-n.co.uk/artists_talking/projects/single/414705 http://sites.a-n.co.uk/artists_talking/projects/single/414705 did some more work on me and olivia today, olivia's right hand eye is driving me mad, i cant work out which way it should be looking, and its looking the wrong way on the photo, so i cant copy that. rrrrraaaahhhh........ Thu, 01 Jan 1970 01:00:00 +0100 http://sites.a-n.co.uk/artists_talking/projects/single/414705 http://sites.a-n.co.uk/artists_talking/projects/single/414705 nearly finished both portraits. i think. just my lashes to finish on mine, not sure with olivia, maybe she is done. i'm sure ill find a few things to pick at. one week today that my degree show goes up! i'm actually on schedule, amazingly. need to finish the portraits by tommorow, so they will be dry for next thursday. need to do the skulls, though they shouldn't be too much of a mission (famous last words)..., need to finish sorting out my portfolio, presentation of the big photos etc. finished my dissertation today, so thats out the way. oh, need to buy a paint roller to emulsion the exhibition boards, need to print some biseness cards with a photo on them, need to do the labels for the exhibition. so, quite a bit, really. d'oh....... Thu, 01 Jan 1970 01:00:00 +0100 http://sites.a-n.co.uk/artists_talking/projects/single/414705 http://sites.a-n.co.uk/artists_talking/projects/single/414705 just finished the portraits. did another skull painting a couple of days ago, need to get a move on with them really, as the exhibition goes up on thursday, but its quite a morbid activity.!... Thu, 01 Jan 1970 01:00:00 +0100 http://sites.a-n.co.uk/artists_talking/projects/single/414705 http://sites.a-n.co.uk/artists_talking/projects/single/414705 just did a bit more work on olivais right hand side eye, its definately finished now..... Thu, 01 Jan 1970 01:00:00 +0100 http://sites.a-n.co.uk/artists_talking/projects/single/414705 http://sites.a-n.co.uk/artists_talking/projects/single/414705 cant seem to make the image of livia less pink, don't know why, its blue on the camera screen. maybe it will print blue, mother...... Thu, 01 Jan 1970 01:00:00 +0100 http://sites.a-n.co.uk/artists_talking/projects/single/414705 http://sites.a-n.co.uk/artists_talking/projects/single/414705 painted my exhibition space today. will take a photo on monday. did another skull painting yesterday, for my one, i think ill put them all up at once, on sunday. my space is just under 14foot, which is a very reasonable size indeed.... Thu, 01 Jan 1970 01:00:00 +0100 http://sites.a-n.co.uk/artists_talking/projects/single/414705 http://sites.a-n.co.uk/artists_talking/projects/single/414705 all finished! just done the last skull.   i'm putting up the pictures tommorow, so i'll photograph them all then.... Thu, 01 Jan 1970 01:00:00 +0100 http://sites.a-n.co.uk/artists_talking/projects/single/414705 http://sites.a-n.co.uk/artists_talking/projects/single/414705 well, i would put up more photos but i, erm, forgot my camera this morning. d'oh!!! anyway, today i re streched the skull pictures as they where sagging in the middle, then painted all the outside edges on all the paintings the same white as the wall, so they wouldn't look dirty. then i hung the portraits. tryed to hang the skulls but they kept going in the wrong place so i must have got the measerments wrong somewhere (mathemeatics never my strong point)... i'll definately put up a photo of the whole exhibition tommmorow. hardly anyone was in the art school today, they must all be at home, frantically painting their exhibition pieces...... Thu, 01 Jan 1970 01:00:00 +0100 http://sites.a-n.co.uk/artists_talking/projects/single/414705 http://sites.a-n.co.uk/artists_talking/projects/single/414705 remembered my camera today! unfortunately the battery went after the first few pictures so i'll take the rest tommmow. today i re-measured the skull placements, then put them on, put up my labels and biseness cards, re -painted the sky in the one of adam, re-painted the edges of all the portraits where they had got skuffed during instalation; cleaned up the skulls where they had been flicked with white at some stage, signed the skulls and signed kate. all i have to do now is paint the wooden beading that is going along the bottom of the boards, which should be up by tommmorow. da daaaa.... can't beleive its all done! looking forward to opening night. i had to dye a pair of my shoes black today as i don't have a black pair to go with the dress i'm wearing on opening night. oh, the joys of being a student....!... Thu, 01 Jan 1970 01:00:00 +0100 http://sites.a-n.co.uk/artists_talking/projects/single/414705 http://sites.a-n.co.uk/artists_talking/projects/single/414705  I'VE FINISHED!!!!! put the wooden beading on the bottom of my space today, so that's everything done. the opening night is this saturday. so excited! it should be a really good show this year, i've had a quick look round and there is a lot of quality work about, better than previous years, i'd say. About five undergrads are doing figurative painting like me, and the standard for that is certainly very high.... Thu, 01 Jan 1970 01:00:00 +0100 http://sites.a-n.co.uk/artists_talking/projects/single/414705 http://sites.a-n.co.uk/artists_talking/projects/single/414705 2008 update Writing a regular blog for Degrees Unedited in the run up to my degree show was a surprisingly therapeutic experience. It helped me to get perspective on my technical problems – to realise that if a painting wasn’t working one day there were better solutions then sticking a palette knife through it... I’d resolved issues before, I could again. Since leaving university I’ve enjoyed the freedom of being able to paint whatever I feel like without having to analyse myself, or make a piece ‘fit in’ with a dissertation philosophy. However, I do miss the luxury of having nothing more pressing to do then paint all day. The main issue has changed from ‘will I get these paintings done in time?’ to ‘will I get the time to do these paintings?!’ I currently work as a Gallery Attendant in the Dulwich Picture Gallery, London. It is an amazingly relevant job and looking at art all day is a constant reminder of what I want to do with the rest of my time. Being in London, I feel much more in touch with the art world than I did at university, as I can visit galleries and museums with ease. My paintings juxtapose photorealism with strong abstract elements – in ‘This moment, now’ the drippy effect in the background symbolises the slippery nature of memory and our inability to recall the past accurately, conjuring up a feeling rather than a visually accurate account. Not being perturbed by last year’s rejection, I’m once again entering the BP Award with ‘You choose what you reflect’. I’m not expecting to be accepted but in art I think perseverance is key. Or perhaps it’s just stubbornness... ... Thu, 01 Jan 1970 01:00:00 +0100 http://sites.a-n.co.uk/artists_talking/projects/single/414705