DEGREES UNEDITED

# 10 [27 March 2007]

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.

# 9 [23 March 2007]

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.

# 8 [22 March 2007]

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...

# 7 [19 March 2007]

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.

# 6 [19 March 2007]

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.". '

# 5 [19 March 2007]

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!

# 4 [15 March 2007]

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.

# 3 [14 March 2007]

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.

# 2 [8 March 2007]

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.

# 1 [7 March 2007]

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.